BOLT EV & EUV – Best Value EV On The Market

We have long been fans of the BOLT, but recent incentive changes have made it the best value EV on the market. Considering recent events, GM has cleaned up the battery “issue” and lowered the price by $6000, and introduced 2023 model year – as well as a tax rebate refresh opportunity – I thought it would be fun to take another look at the now sub-$30,000 Bolt EUV.

Back to the Bolt

I’ve been driving one version or another of this car since way back in January of 2017. Chevy actually built the Bolt EV and delivered the first units at the end of 2016. We got our first one in early 2017 and fell in love with the small form factor “Micro Crossover.”

Bolt EUV

The Bolt EUV was unveiled in Feb 2021, and we took a first drive of it. The EUV is six inches longer, providing more room inside, including three additional inches of legroom in the back seat. That extra length/reduced height also makes the Bolt EUV look more like a crossover SUV than the Bolt EV, which more closely resembles a hatchback than a “Micro Crossover.” The drive train stays the same, so the bigger EUV is less than a second slower 0-60 and has a slightly reduced range.

• Chevy Bolt EV Range – 259 miles on a full charge
• Chevy Bolt EUV Range – 247 miles on a full charge

Perhaps most importantly, GM saw fit to include an optional Super Cruise Autonomous driving on the EUV. It must be configured at purchase, and cameras/equipment are built-in, however, so it can’t be added later like Tesla’s Autopilot/FSD.

Otherwise, the EUV is outstanding for an inexpensive EV, which are few and far between these days. The 0-60 in six seconds isn’t lightning fast, but it is respectable. The seats of both Bolts improved dramatically in 2022, and I wasn’t among the people who hated the early Bolt seats – the whole interior is just a lot nicer.

Bolt EV and EUV – Fun to drive and practical

Maybe the most crucial aspect of the Bolt experience is the ease and how much downright fun it is to own. You can rip around turns, gun it on green lights, and park easily. The hatchback means it is easy to load, and there’s a surprising amount of space in the back. Four adults fit well in the EUV or EV, as well as three kids in the back.

2023 Bolt EUV problems are many of the same from 2017

Unfortunately, the EUV still suffers from many issues I had with the Bolt back in 2017. Notably:

• DC fast charging speed: 54kW, allowing 100 miles in 30 minutes and 160 miles in an hour. In 2017, most DC fast charging was 50kW, so this wasn’t a huge problem. Today, it is no longer class-leading.
• Front-wheel drive, low resistance tires, wheels spin in rain/snow gravel quite easily.
• No AWD option. Putting even a 50hp electric motor on the rear wheels and charging a few thousand extra for a faster Bolt that would be able to handle snow would have opened up a much bigger market for the Bolt. Chevy didn’t do this.
• Gear shifting buttons: In 2017, the Bolt had a gear shifter that didn’t provide any tactile feedback but seemed like a normal shifter. In 2022, with the Bolt EUV, Chevy changed the shifter to buttons. Drive and Reverse are pull buttons, while Park and Neutral are push buttons (see below). The one nice thing is that for us one-pedal drivers, there’s a one-pedal drive button that keeps the driver’s preference even after shutting down the car.

Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto is a huge step up.

One of the bigger improvements to the Bolt is the CarPlay/Android Auto experience. The 10.2-inch display is not only bigger, but it feels brighter, and things like maps pop. The touch display is also much more accurate.

The biggest change, however, is that Carplay/Android Auto now works wirelessly, meaning you can just leave your phone in your pocket or drop it down the cleverly designed wireless charging hole and see the charging status on display. In my testing, Wireless CarPlay worked almost flawlessly on the Bolt EUV with a little lag when switching songs.

The Bolt retains the ability to change songs and volume behind the steering wheel, though it has changed the buttons somewhat. Once you get used to this, the ergonomics of the Bolt are fantastic.

Bolt EUV vs. EV

There are some notable differences between the two cars, including the 6-inches of length and SuperCruise discussed already.

Base Price:

• Bolt EV: $25,600
• Bolt EUV: $27,200

Storage space is remarkably similar, given the extra six inches of length. But surprisingly, because it is taller, the shorter EV has more cargo space on a volumetric basis.

• Bolt EUV: 16.3 ft³, 56.9 ft³ with seat area
• Bolt EV: 16.6 ft³, 57 ft³ with seat area

My Take

I highly recommend the Chevy Bolt to anyone shopping for an EV in the $30,000 or under price bracket. There’s not much else out there to consider in the US market. The Nissan Leaf is similarly priced but has a lower range, Chadamo fast charging, and slower. The $35,000 Kia Niro/Hyundai Konas aren’t as zippy and are more expensive. The rest of your options are used Teslas (which don’t age particularly well) and other early EVs like Jaguar i-pace/Audi E-Trons or compliance cars. Even Mazda’s MX-30EV, with all of 100 miles of range, is more expensive at $33,500.

The biggest question you might have is EV or EUV, and I might have a surprising answer for you. I recommend the EV over the EUV UNLESS you need that three inches of the extra rear room or Super Cruise, which I love (but also goes on a $25/month subscription after three years). The Bolt EV is incredibly roomy for its footprint.

The EV is also $1600 less than the EUV base price. What’s more exciting is that if the new law makes its way through the US congress, it might make the Bolt a sub $20,000 car. Of course, a lot of devils will be in the details there, and it is likely that GM will bring prices back up if it passes.

Still, you can’t go wrong with a Bolt EV purchase right now.

Finding a New Bolt

One major consideration for many people today is finding a Bolt to purchase. The battery recall means many vehicles are held up at dealers awaiting battery replacement, and the supply of freshly built Bolts is limited. In the Southeastern USA, we are a top dealer in sales of Bolts, so we continue to get allocation that most dealers are not getting to build the 2023 model year. If you are interested in getting a sold order entered, please reach out to us. We can also help you with some of our Bolts that are awaiting battery replacements as those batteries are starting to arrive more quickly, and we have several not our website due to open recalls. We are NOT applying market adjustments, so you will not pay above MSRP to purchase a Bolt from us.

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