2027 Chevy Bolt EV First Look: 255 Miles of Range for $29,990

• The Chevy Bolt is back, and a lot has changed in its three-year hiatus.
• For 2027, the Bolt gets a fresh exterior and interior, 255 miles of range, and a NACS (Tesla) charging port.
• But there's a catch: Chevy says this is just a limited-run special.

Old EV, new tricks

Underneath the skin, the Bolt's electric motor has been upgraded to the ones found in other GM EVs like the Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq. The new motor has been designed to maximize efficiency and help lower costs thanks to the minimal amount of rare earth metals used. It's also been optimized to reduce energy loss due to heat buildup or between the battery and the drive unit. 

The result is a GM-estimated 255 miles of electric-only driving range. Fans of the Bolt might be flummoxed at this point: Isn't that less range than the old Bolt? Yes, it is — the 2022 Bolt had an EPA-estimated driving range of 259 miles. These estimates are preliminary, and we'll wait to pass final judgment until the EPA rates the new Bolt. Furthermore, on the Edmunds EV Range Test, a 2022 Bolt managed 278 miles of range, so there is every chance the new Bolt goes much farther than 255 miles.

But if you do find yourself out of juice in the new car, you'll be happy to hear that charging has gotten a much-needed upgrade. The Bolt can now juice up at 150 kW — more than twice as fast as the last Bolt — and Chevy says it's now able to fill its battery from 10% to 80% in 26 minutes. Also, the Bolt is the first Chevy to get a native NACS port, which means access to Tesla's enormous Supercharger network won't require an adapter.

More space and new tech

The fresh interior has been redone in the name of increasing the Bolt EV's hallmark airy, open feeling. The shifter, for example, has been moved from the center console to the steering column to free up space between passengers, and there's an available panoramic sunroof. There also looks to be more small-item storage here, and we like that we see physical climate controls, too. But the center console still looks teeny, so you're probably still going to be rubbing shoulders with your passenger on occasion — hey, this isn't an Escalade IQ.

Bolt EVs will all get an 11.3-inch infotainment display mounted high in the dash and an 11-inch instrument cluster that is reconfigurable, as is the norm these days. Buyers will also have the option of Super Cruise, GM's hands-free driver assistance system. It's one of the best systems in the business right now, and nothing else in this price point offers driving tech this advanced.

The Bolt will be a limited run

The Bolt will go on sale early next year for $29,990, including destination. That's not bad for an EV, but there's a catch. According to Chevy, the Bolt will be a "limited-run" model. What that sounds like to us is Chevy is hedging its bet on the new Bolt — if it sells in big numbers, we might see this "limited run" continue. But if it's just a fad for a few hardcore fans, it might go away for good. If you want a cheap, space-efficient EV, now might be the time.