Last updated August 4, 2026
The Buick Encore lineup starts with the simply named base trim, which covers the small SUV’s quiet, city-friendly essentials. Convenience and Preferred make up the everyday Mid-Level: Convenience adds useful comfort and awareness features, while Preferred became the all-around version in the Encore’s final model year. Sport Touring is the style branch, recognized by its rear spoiler and dark 18-inch wheels rather than extra performance. Essence, Leather, and Preferred II form the comfort-focused group, though their exact mix ranges from practical climate and driver-alert upgrades to leather and heated seats. Premium sits at the top with upgraded Bose audio and additional driver alerts.
The Base Model trim level, called simply base, is the essentials-first Encore with a quiet cabin, easy smartphone connectivity, and flexible seating.
Best for: City drivers who want the Encore’s core comfort and easy-to-park size without higher-trim extras.
Highlights
The Mid-Level trim level includes Convenience and Preferred, the practical everyday Encores focused on comfort, simplicity, and easy daily use.
Best for: Shoppers seeking the lineup’s all-around balance, with Convenience favoring added amenities and Preferred representing the later core model.
Highlights
Compared with the Base Model, Convenience adds remote start, dual-zone automatic climate control, fog lamps, and alerts for changing lanes or backing up. The later Preferred serves as the all-around Encore rather than a distinct luxury step.
141 in stock
The Sport Styling trim level consists of Sport Touring, the appearance-focused Encore with a more athletic look but the same basic driving character.
Best for: Drivers who like the Encore’s compact size and quiet cabin but want less conservative exterior styling.
Highlights
Sport Touring shifts the emphasis from everyday convenience to appearance, adding a rear spoiler and distinctive dark 18-inch wheels rather than extra performance.
15 in stock
The Premium Comfort trim level includes Essence, Leather, and Preferred II, covering the Encore’s comfort-led choices from practical cabin upgrades to leather and heated seats.
Best for: Shoppers who want a small, easy-to-drive SUV with a richer cabin or more daily-use comfort and awareness features.
Highlights
This level moves beyond Sport Touring’s appearance focus. Essence and Leather emphasize leather, seat heat, and a richer cabin, while Preferred II adds climate, convenience, and driver-awareness features without the same leather-focused identity.
36 in stock
The Top Tier trim level consists of Premium, the most fully equipped Encore with upscale cabin features, upgraded sound, and added driver alerts.
Best for: Used-Escalade shoppers who want the Encore’s small footprint with the fullest comfort, audio, and driver-alert package.
Highlights
Premium builds on the comfort-focused trims with Bose audio, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, and an air ionizer.
13 in stock| Feature | Top Tier | Mid-Level | Base Model | Sport Styling | Premium Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Includes | Premium13 in stock | Convenience, Preferred141 in stock | base28 in stock | Sport Touring15 in stock | Essence, Leather, Preferred II36 in stock |
| Member trims | Premium | Convenience, Preferred | base | Sport Touring | Essence, Leather, Preferred II |
| Main identity | Full comfort and tech | Everyday comfort | Core essentials | Athletic appearance | Richer cabin |
| Signature cabin feature | Leather, seat and wheel heat | QuietTuning cabin | QuietTuning cabin | QuietTuning cabin | Leather and heat on Essence/Leather |
| Driver-awareness emphasis | Forward collision and lane alerts | Side/rear alerts on Convenience | Essentials-focused | Style-focused | Side/rear alerts |
| Exterior distinction | Comfort-led rather than style-led | Fog lamps on Convenience | LED daytime running lamps | Spoiler and dark 18-inch wheels | LED headlights on Essence |
| Infotainment and audio | Bose 7-speaker audio | 7-inch screen on 2022 Preferred | Touchscreen with phone integration | 8-inch screen | 8-inch screen on Essence/Preferred II |
Buick revised the trim ladder several times. Earlier Encores used names such as Convenience, Leather and Premium, while the refreshed lineup introduced Preferred, Preferred II and Essence. Later years simplified the range again.
No. Preferred sat above the base trim when both were sold, but its role changed as the range shrank. By the Encore’s final model year, Preferred was the only trim rather than one step in a larger ladder.
On earlier Encores, Convenience adds useful daily-driving equipment such as remote start, dual-zone automatic climate control, fog lamps, an auto-dimming mirror, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
In the refreshed lineup, Preferred II adds remote start, dual-zone automatic climate control, an auto-dimming mirror, a household-style outlet, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. It stops short of Essence’s leather and heated-seat focus.
In years when both were offered, Sport Touring mainly adds visual changes: unique 18-inch darker wheels, a rear spoiler and sport-themed details. It keeps the Encore’s basic compact layout and familiar cabin technology.
Not consistently. Sport Touring is primarily an appearance trim. It shared a stronger engine tune with upper trims in 2019, but the 2020 version returned to the same 138-hp engine used across the lineup.
Essence is the more comfort-focused trim. Compared with Preferred II, it adds leather-appointed seating, heated front seats, driver-seat memory and LED headlights while retaining blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
On earlier Encores, Leather builds on Convenience with leather-appointed seats, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a power-adjustable front passenger seat and driver-seat memory. Both include blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
Where both appear in the refreshed lineup, Premium builds on Essence’s leather and heated features with Bose audio, forward-collision alert, lane-departure warning and an air ionizer.
Look for Essence on newer first-generation models or Leather on earlier ones. Both emphasize leather-appointed seating and heated front seats. Premium goes further in years it was sold by adding upgraded audio and more driver alerts.
Premium is the key earlier trim for forward-collision alert and lane-departure warning. Preferred II and Essence focus on blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. These features warn the driver rather than steering or braking for them.
Heated front seats are defining features of the Leather, Essence and Premium trims in their respective eras. Lower trims and Sport Touring should not be assumed to have them, so confirm the equipment on the individual vehicle.
Across the refreshed 2017-and-newer lineup, yes. Buick made an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard at the refresh. Earlier Encore trims use the older infotainment setup.
The base trim is the simplest choice in years when it exists, keeping the turbo engine, quiet-cabin treatment and flexible seats without many upper-trim extras. For the final model year, Preferred filled that all-around role as the sole trim.