Used 2015 Chevrolet Volt Base Hatchback Review
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the 2015 Chevrolet Volt Base Hatchback.
Most helpful consumer reviews
my first electric car
Jim, Oklahoma City, OK, 05/07/2016
2015 Chevrolet Volt 4dr Hatchback (gas/electric hybrid DD)
UPDATE -Jan 22 ,2022
- have had since oct 2015
50,000 miles- car continues to perform well - took it on first out of town drive with some serious hill climbing - used hold mode - car handled climb easily - and round trip 350 ish miles averaged 41.6 mpg
Couple of complaints - had car in for a Chevy recommended update to prevent car dying due to low cell voltage. The fix apparently was … to just put more of a buffer on low end ( how low u can run the batteries). Net result I lost 5-7 miles range. Not happy about that. range now 41-42 miles if driven carefully
second issue - had 12 volt
battery replaced at 4 1/2 years now check engine light comes on - So I checked the manual - indicates this warning can happen when u replace batter so have to take it back in again for chevy to clear the code (By the way the battery used in the volt is not the standard lead acid 12volt - it is a sealed battery with different internal chemistry. First time I paid $260 for a battery and install - live in Phoenix az. so 110-115 degree days cause me to be more careful with batteries. Anyhow apparently something called the purge solenoid internally stuck - cost to repair & replace $220.00
also lost anti lock braking system had purchased warranty so paid only couple of hundred dollars would have been much more without purchased warranty
Previous reviews:
I probably would not have purchased this car had it not been eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit (which reduced my purchase price to about $27500.) I tried using the AAA buying service. He came back and said "you will pay at a minimum $35000
That being said, I like the volt
It was a good choice for us as the 45-47 mile range pretty much covers all of our trips. (factory estimate 38 mile range)- increase is due to
1) most of our driving is in ideal moderate weather
2) our driving is typically at 40-50 mph in suburban driving.
3) I also drive in "LOW". (This should be called economy as it's purpose is to provide much more battery charging when U let up on the pedal. It has no impact on gearing.
4)There typically are no more than 2 people in the car and we are both under 160 lbs. - less weight-longer battery range
It is quick, quiet, and reliable. We purchased the car in October 2015 and have 8700 miles on the car. We are averaging just at 300 mpg!!!! and have used 29 gallons of gas) I just also read an article indicating that going back to 2010 there has pretty much been no battery degradation due to 1.the cooling systems and 2.not allowing the battery fully discharge
A great feature for us is that you can preheat or cool the cabin while the car is plugged in - this saves battery by getting the car cabin to a comfortable temp before you drive.
Their are only a few items that I dislike most of which are minor.
1. the cabin is small and confining - We of course knew that when we purchased it and we can live with that.
2) the cars air dam will often scrape the curb when you park so need to be careful when pulling in to a parking spot. (did not realize this initially)
3)car is very low and visibility is less than I would like but again we knew that when we purchased the car.
4) the car has 2 levels of 120 volt charging , 8amp and 12 amp, you may not be able to get a full charge overnight using the 8 amp setting - especially if you need the car early in the am. The 12 amp level must be manually set each time you charge as the car always resets to the 8 amp setting.
5) By far the one feature that to me is most serious is the console controls for heat, cooling,radio etc.-they are absolutely terrible. Driver u must take his eyes off the road to find the correct place to push on the console.
6)The malls in our area have electric chg. stations but they do not fit the volt so often can not chg. when out and about.
Also, as a side note some interesting items re. the volt. (At least interesting to me)
1(the cars operating systems are complex- for example, it has several cooling systems, the car will also automatically run (but only for a few minutes)the ice if you run exclusively on electric as that is needed to maintain the ice components.
2) Car is to be kept plugged in when not in use as that maintains the correct battery temperature. the car will automatically run one (or more?) of the cooling systems if parked in a hot Phx. garage - our garage will get to over 100degrees in the summer. IT will also run the battery heater in cold weather to maintain the correct battery temp.
Dec 2019 update
Car has performed flawlessly - had one fix- car would not charge - was a computer adjustment no charge
Continues to be a great around car town (over 94%of total 37,400 miles are electric-I have used only 58 gallons of gas over the 4 years) After 4 years getting in and out of the volt has become a chore.(we are both 74 yrs old) Will get a higher vehicle next time but do plan to drive this Volt for at least another 4 years.
UPDATE AS OF JULY 2022
Car continues to perform without drivetrain problems. Still getting over 40 miles per charge without air-conditioning getting 35-37 miles per charge with ac. Now have just over 56,000 miles on the volt.
Have had one minor repair this last year - the window mechanism on the passenger side failed and required replacement - cost $180 - was done by my son with the part ordered on amazon
I have averaged only 16 gallons of gas usage PER YEAR over the 6 years and 9 months of ownership
Has been a very reliable car.
Best Used Car you can buy
ThatGuy, Dublin, OH, 08/26/2015
2015 Chevrolet Volt 4dr Hatchback (gas/electric hybrid DD)
While i would never buy one new, because lets face it i purchased mine with 12k miles for 16,995 and it was new at 41k bucks.. i don't recommend a new one.. But i will say.. WOW.. I am really generally amazed by this car.. Not only is it a blast to drive, it is incredibly cheap to run, and the fit and finish, and quality of the interior,.. build quality, it is frankly amazing.. After … owning nothing but Toyota's until having a major issue with one, and writing that company off, i never thought another car could meet the quality.. While only time will tell if it holds up to a 200k mile life of driving without falling apart, i am completely satisfied by the car currently, which is more than i have been by Toyota of recent..
There are however a few things that i don't like.. But that is much like any car..
1. I hate where the cup holders are located, they are in a bad place, and should be up close to the center console.
2. The car is entirely too low to the ground, i have had slammed civic's when i was a kid, this is lower.
3. the headlights are horrible.. At night, you would be better off guessing where things are..
Aside from these things though, the car is really amazing.. quiet, no rattles anywhere, good stereo, very comfortable, efficient, it costs me about 12.00 a month on .06 cents per kilowatt hour. This in English is a savings of over 300.00 a month on gas compared to my Toyota Sienna.
While no where near as big,.. I can deal with it's size for what i save.
Anyone looking at a Prius, or a Civic Hybrid should honestly look at this first..
While not as big as the Prius, it makes up for it in the driving dynamics and position..
It is also a much more solid feeling car than anything Honda makes.
Glad I finally bought the Volt
dsowa, Dallas, TX, 01/15/2015
2015 Chevrolet Volt 4dr Hatchback (gas/electric hybrid DD)
So far, I am very happy with my 2015 Volt. The Chevy dealer gave me a great deal - $3,700 off MSRP; add (or subtract!) the savings from the $7,500 federal tax credit, $2,500 grant from Texas, and my $2,100 in GM Card points and my final price is actually about $10,000 below MSRP. The car is loaded with every technological feature you can dream of including the Onstar phone app that … lets you lock/unlock and start your car from anywhere. Also gives you complete charging and energy usage stats and a navigation feature to tell you where your car is! And did I mention it drives great? Put it in Sport Mode and you will be surprised at the quickness. Also handles very well and looks great!
The combination of a Volt and a Bolt will rock
Rennie Allen, Ontario, CA, 10/12/2015
2015 Chevrolet Volt 4dr Hatchback (gas/electric hybrid DD)
I have had this car for 5 months (purchased new in May 15) and now and have 8000+ miles on it. So far the car has been mechanically flawless (software issues noted below).
Only after owning a car like this, do you begin to understand all of the considerations that need to be taken into account when purchasing an EV. One of the most amazing things about the Volt that is overlooked, … but is incredibly significant is the selection for the range of the battery. It isn't that more is better when it comes to battery range; in fact, what GM engineers nailed is the realization that a ~50 mile range battery hits a significant sweet spot, in that it can be fully charged overnight on 120V. This has the significant advantages that the battery life is maximized (by a slow charge rate) and that no special charging equipment is required to be installed into the home. If you are going to have only one EV, currently the Chevy Volt is it, there is nothing that comes close.
As mentioned above, if you have only one EV the Chevy Volt should be it (unlimited range with gas, no special charger required, maximal battery life) but the other interesting point is that if you have two EV's one of them should be a Chevy Volt (the Volt becomes the long distance vehicle, freeing you to select a second battery only EV that matches your situation exactly). Clearly Chevy is intending to be the premium choice for the second EV as well, with the forthcoming Bolt EV. The combination of an unlimited range Volt, with a significant (~200 mile) range Bolt means that for 90% of the travel of a typical family can be electric only, with the Volt easily handling the typical cross country trips. Of course, at that point a Level 2 charger must be employed to charge the Bolt (but importantly, I would still charge the Volt on 120V in order to maximize battery life).
When you consider that you can purchase a Volt + Bolt for less than the price of a Tesla Model S, it is clearly the way to get the majority of people doing the majority of their mileage with electric drive.
OK, so that's the good news. As mentioned above there are a couple of software issues, one that will affect everyone and one that will only affect a very small number of people (probably in San Francisco only).
The first issue is that when charging on 120V, you will almost certainly want to select 12amps rather than the default 8amps, otherwise a full charge cannot be achieved overnight. The problem is that you will need to select 12amps every time you charge, as there is no way to configure the software to default to 12amps. I charge 12amps every night and I have never had a circuit breaker trip, so I should be able to configure the default to 12amps as I know exactly what circuit I am on and that 12amps is fine for that circuit. This will affect pretty much everyone who charges at 120V (and everyone should even if a Level 2 charger is available).
The second issue is an odd bug in the software that causes the Volt to underreport zero emission miles, for people who live right at the top of steep hills. I live at the top of a 1 mile long 16% grade hill and in the morning when the car is fully charged, when I go down the hill in 'L' (always, always drive in 'L' by the way) the software will incorrectly report gas operation, since the battery can not accept any more regen charge and will engage the ICE (internal combustion engine) without starting it, as a braking element. The engine is not burning fuel but only acting as a braking element, yet the software will count it as ICE mode operation since the clutch to the ICE is engaged. This is a silly bug that won't affect 99.9% of the people, unfortunately it affects me.
Edmunds Summary Review of the 2015 Chevrolet Volt Base Hatchback
Pros & Cons
- Pro:Low monthly fuel cost in normal driving
- Pro:useful 300-plus-mile maximum range
- Pro:pleasing number of standard features.
- Con:Cramped two-person backseat
- Con:touchy brakes
- Con:no power front seats.
Full Edmunds Review: 2015 Chevrolet Volt Hatchback
Edmunds Insurance Estimator
The Edmunds TCO® estimated monthly insurance payment for a 2015 Chevrolet Volt in Ohio is:
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