Used 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV Hatchback Consumer Reviews
Taking the Plunge
Ok so to give you some context this is the second electric car I have ever owned/ leased and the first American car I have ever purchased. I have mostly been a Toyota/ Lexus user ( mainly hybrids) and very suspicious of GM and/or American cars in general. I leased a leaf in 2012 and while it was a fun car to drive the Range was horrible and by the time I handed the lease in I was gettting 65-70 miles. I almost purchased a Volt a few years ago but consumer reports ratings around quality made me decide not to move forward. I have only owned the Bolt for less than a month but it is probably the most enjoyable car I have ever owned. It's really fun to drive so if you are a frusterated hybrid owner (like me) looking for something a little more fun to drive,this is the ticket. The Range is outstanding. I am getting anywhere from 230-280 per single charge so no range anxiety. I do agree that GM could have spent more on the interior however one of the things I really enjoy about the Bolt is that it really feels roomy ( unlike the Volt) and you sit up like you are driving an SUV or a crossover. The technology is very easy to use and GM provides you with a ton of metrics on how to improve your driving to maximize your range.. If you get the Premier there are a number of great safety features including blind spot and pedestrian detection. The regeneration braking is a great feature and something GM does better than the Tesla. This maximizes your energy so you can really get a ton of mileage on a single charge. You essentially can drive this car using one pedal as the braking starts as soon as you take your foot off the gas which than regenerates the battery. The only down side to the Bolt is GM has not invested in a charging Network like Tesla so long road trips over 300 miles can be a challenge but not impossible. If you want to try and use this car for long road trips and use public charging options, make sure you get the fast charging included in your final purchase. It is NOT specific to what trim you purchase and it is only a factory option. Also for best results get a level 2 charger ( 25 miles per hour) installed in your home because it will take for ever to charge on a 120v plug. Initially I was a bit nervous after I made the purchase but I love this car right now and would purchase it again in heart beat. I have had no issues but I also understand that I am an early adopter so I am not naive that I could run into issues down the road and that's ok. I am having a blast driving this car and don't miss the boring drive and great reliability of my Toyota Camry Hybrid.
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Bolt Premier both packages, DCFC
Really enjoy the car, have had no problems with the seats. Lights are fine but many cars “flash” me when dims are on. Interior dash could be a touch nicer for $40k car. Look at Bolt EV forums about range and limitations thereof, particularly in winter climates and decreased range with heat. Also, fast charging - especially in winter - will rarely ever be Chevy’s 90 miles in 30 minutes (more like 60-65 in NJ in winter). And the next 90 miles will take much longer as it tapers the charge rate. This isn’t unique to the Bolt but buyers should know, again, the limitations for 200+ mile road trips. Overall, I knew most of this going in and still absolutely love the car. We did get 250+ miles in early fall with lots of city driving, so a lot depends on your driving conditions/weather. Great little car with surprising amount of space inside and nice features.
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Volt to Bolt
Range is excellent. I drove a 2013 Volt for 6 years and hated to give it up at 135k miles but the lure of all electric won out. My 2018 Bolt gives no range anxiety whatsoever. I did a weekend trip to San Diego which was 178 miles down there and the battery indicator said I had 98 miles left. After a full charge the next day came home and still had 82 miles remaining after a much more uphill drive. My daily round trip to work is 108 miles and I get to charge on 110 while there. Never using more than 12 kw in either direction. Great technology. Seats aren’t the most comfortable I’ve sat in but nowhere near what all of the naysayers are saying. Interior is very nice for a great commuter car. Quick, comfortable and stylish and a good quality build. I love driving by the gas stations with varying daily prices and laugh. My car is loaded and is a blast to drive. It has so many driving features that make my long commute enjoyable Great Vehicle and the biggest selling point was my excellent experience with my ‘13 Volt. Low cost to maintain.
An amazing car..not typical GM product.
Have owned this car for a year and have 40,000 miles on the clock. Car has had zero issues. Battery shows no degredation. Cost to operate is absurdly low. Cheaper to own than a regular Camry when you consider no maintenance cost and gas difference vs electricity. Range is a non issue unlike the leaf. Consider that first real maintenance on this car is at 150,000 miles! Add up all a gas car costs in maintenance to get to 150,000 compared to the Bolt and the higher initial cost of the Bolt quickly disappears. Then add the difference in operating costs (gas vs elec.) and the Bolt is clearly cheaper. $7,500 tax credit + $2,500 state credit makes a great difference in cost. Even if i had no tax credit, I would buy this car again. As an update, just passed 60,000 miles on 3-2019. Still no noticable degredation and no service visits. Update #2 on 9/23/2019 just passed 80,000 miles and the same. No dealer visits, no battery change.
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The only range anxiety is exceeding my lease limit
The lease deals on this car were too good to miss so i decided to try an EV but keep my 15 year old clunker as backup; my mistake, the clunker hasn't been required in months and ironically its battery keeps draining from lack of use. The Bolt is an awesome vehicle; accelerates and handles more like a sports car, has interior space comparable to a *UV but costs less to run than an econobox. One pedal driving is addictive, the brake pedal becomes just a foot rest for stop lights. The interior is elegant though not really refined, but the front seats can be uncomfortably narrow (I'm skinny, my nickname is "Bones", and the side bolsters pinch my legs so I'm not really sure who they were designed for). Outside visibility is great except for rear quarter views where the C/D pillars cause large blind spots so make sure to get the blind spot monitor option. Around town mileage is normally around 5 miles/KWh giving a calculated range of over 300 miles on a full charge, but it drops considerably at speed (often to less than 3 miles/KWh at 70mph) and long distance freeway trips need to be planned accordingly. The Fast charger option is a MUST if you have any aspirations to travel more than 50 miles from home, I'm not sure why they even sell the car without it ? A/C uses about 5% of the battery and heating 20%, the heated steering wheel and seats can mitigate this slightly but I'm not sure it'd be a viable car for cold climates. iPhone integration (and presumably Android too) for maps, traffic and music is seamless, but the car itself has no GPS awareness and can't tell if it's at home or not. This is a problem if you have the car set to charge only overnight and plug into a public charger ... unless you remember to press the "override" option it will sit dumbly and you'll come back from lunch with no more charge but possibly have been billed if there's a minimum connection fee.
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