Used 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV Consumer Reviews
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BEST ELECTRICAL VEHICLE VALUE
On May 21st, I purchased my first electric vehicle, a red Chevy Bolt and have driven about 400 miles thus far. After doing considerable research I narrowed all the options down to two choices. The Kia EV6 was my first choice and the Chevy Bolt was my second more practical choice. After consulting various dealerships, the difference in cost is what persuaded me. Out the door, the EV6 would cost over $60K and the Bolt costed approximately $40K. BUYING EXPERIENCE My experience was all EVs were selling fast and getting more expensive. In fact, the day that I arrived at the dealer, five new Bolts had just arrived and 3 of them were sold that same day. I wanted the Red Color in the 1LT trim and bought one even if it did not have all the bells and whistles. It still comes with lots of great standard features. I have been making use of the lane keep assist functionality. I read that Chevy lowered the price $6,000 for the 2023 model, which is AMAZING! I highly recommend reading the manual in order to familiarize oneself with all the instrument cluster icons, `infotainment features, and safety guidelines of this vehicle. There is a lot of information to digest. APPEARANCE I LOVE my car! There are few electric vehicles or hybrids that I find easy on the eyes and I need to like the way that my vehicle looks. AMBIENCE The visibility in all four quadrants (front, sides, back) is excellent. The buttons to control radio volume, air-conditioning, and other accessories are generally where you would expect them as opposed to a central screen that forces you to take your eyes off the road. It has plenty of room for trinkets and four cupholders (two front, two back). It has a USB A and USB C charging port for one’s devices. It seats 4 adults comfortably, 5 may be a bit of a squeeze. Rear legroom and headroom are good. Unfortunately, there are no rear passenger air vents so it may take a little longer for temperatures in the rear seats to become comfortable in the summer and winters. The seats are very comfortable. There is much more room inside than one would anticipate at first glance. One also sits higher off the ground than they might expect. It does not feel cheap. When one closes the car doors, they feel substantial. CARGO SPACE I do not have measurements in cubic feet but I find it be adequate but on the small side. There also is no frunk. Like most EVs, there is no spare tire. CHARGING It takes about 7 hours with a Level 2 (240 V) charger to charge the battery from empty to full. At a glance there is a light on the upper dashboard that will blink green when the car is charging or turn solid green when the car is fully charged. The frequency of the blinking light provides an indication of the battery charge level. DRIVING It is so quiet at startup, sometimes I'm not quite sure if it is on. I am happy with the audio system and love the wide backup camera view. It accelerates very nicely. The ride is very smooth. The Bolt can recover energy either via a paddle shifter on the steering column, depressing the brake pedal, or selecting One Pedal Driving Mode. As the name implies, depressing the accelerator pedal will cause the vehicle to accelerate while relaxing the pressure on the pedal will cause the car to decelerate as if one were pressing on the brake. One Pedal driving Mode takes a little getting use to but it feels very natural now and is what I typically use. The paddle shifters is a bit more aggressive in slowing the car down than One Pedal Driving. There also is Sport Mode which makes the car even more responsive at the expense of battery endurance. Thus far, I’ve found Normal mode to be quite sufficient. FREEWAY DRIVING Merging onto the freeway is not a problem at all. With the instantaneous torque, there is little need to push the pedal to the floor besides the fun factor. At this point in time, EVs are lacking in range compared to their internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts. It has an advertised range of about 260 miles but this can vary up or down based on a number of factors. On the freeway, it is best to drive the Bolt close to the speed limit in order to maximize efficiency and range. The Bolt is most efficient at 55 mph and tends to become less efficient starting around 70 mph. I read that the max speed is 93 mph but driving at these higher speeds for a prolonged period of time will quickly drain the battery. The fastest that I have driven is 80 mph and the car accelerated smoothly and felt solid at this speed. This was not an attempt to ‘max it out’ but rather I was late for an appointment and it is common for the flow of traffic on the freeway to be around 75-85 mph. GENERAL EV ADVICE 1) Have a game plan for how you will charge your vehicle. The ideal solution would be for your home to have solar panels and your own Level 2 charger. 2) Projected EV range is sensitive and is affected by your climate control settings within the car, external temperature (cold is worse than hot) and winds, terrain type (hills vs. level ground), and speed driven.
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A Bolt from the Blue
The new Bolt EV lives up to its billing. It is comfortable, nimble, and beautiful. Mine is a new color for the year, Ice Blue metallic. The 2022 Bolt retains all the good features of previous years while fixing or updating previous years' features or problems. The cockpit, especially the dashboard, has a cleaner, unified look built around a larger central screen. The confusing "shifter" has been replaced by simple paddle buttons recessed into the center console. Audio volume controls are surprisingly banished to the back side of the steering wheel where the fingers easily find and use them while never seeing them! The steering wheel is flattened at the bottom, which makes entering and leaving the vehicle easier. All the comfort and auxiliary functions are collected in a modest row of paddle switches below the screen. Charging routinely yields an indicated 268 potential miles. Gratifyingly, at non-interstate speeds and around town, the indicated miles turn out to be real, although obviously interstate driving can gobble up those potential miles. In all, the 2022 Bolt is a big car on the inside and a small car on the outside. It's really fun to drive, especially in S mode, which replaces the previous Low mode, allowing One-Pedal driving; in hilly terrain, it's a joy to see the miles expended going uphill being returned numerically to the potential miles!
- 1LT 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $14,74124 mi away
- 1LT 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $17,96924 mi away
- 1LT 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $21,99818 mi away
Fun Little Package!
I have had this car for a little over a month now and have to say that I really do enjoy it! I traded in a 2016 Volvo S60, which I loved, for this Chevy Bolt. I was looking to get away from the VERY expensive maintenance costs that European vehicles have. It is definitely not a sexy car, but when you're buying an EV, I don't necessarily know if sexy is the look you're going for: it's par for the course. A nice bonus I have enjoyed has been the $500 EVGo credits that Chevy gives you if you opt out of the Level2 charger installed in your home. I don't have a house, so the charge credits were the obvious answer for me. I have not had to put any money into charging it since it doesn't cost too much to charge. Again, I have had the vehicle for a little over a month and I still have almost $480 credits--and that's with 2 out-of-town trips! There are some minor build quality issues--nothing too crazy, just things I have noticed coming from a luxury car. For example, the glossy black acrylic they have on the paneling in the car is a magnet for dust and scratches. The car is a lot of fun to drive and a breeze park--especially with the 360 degree camera. I live in downtown Omaha, Nebraska and haven't had a single issue finding somewhere to charge my car. I am just curious to see how it fares in the colder, snowy weather. If you are looking for an inexpensive, decently appointed EV, I think the Bolt deserves serious consideration. The only other EV I have driven was a Tesla Model 3, but I think the driving experience was similar--especially with the one pedal driving. The interior is very spacious, so unless you're hauling lumber, it should suit most drivers' needs. If you're curious, give it a go! I don't think I can go back to a gas-powered vehicle after this.
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You Won’t Believe It When You Drive It!
I have owned at least 25 new cars in my life. I currently have a Corvette, an Escalade ESV, 2 Jeeps, a Van and older Cadillacs. So, I’m a car nut…When I decided to get an EV, I looked at a Tesla and found the interior so boring and the outside so plain, I passed. However, with the Bolt EV. I’m addicted! NEVER have I driven a car like this. First of all, the price. I picked up a 2023 1LT for $17,800 ($7,500 federal credit and $4,000 NJ tax credit) WITH NO STATE SALES TAX - NJ!!!! Chevy also covered $1,500 for a home Level 2 charger. I had to kick in another $500. What an incredible value for a new car - $18,300 all in! Now, putting the money aside, I would have paid full price for the car if I had to. Here’s why: I opted for the 1LT for only one reason - cloth seats. I do not like leather seats. These cloth seats are super comfortable. In the cold weather, they heat up nearly instantly and actually get TOO hot after just a few minutes. In the summer, your skin doesn’t burn like on leather seating. I can drive for hours and am very comfortable. Another thing - the car is very roomy. I am 5’10” and can fully stretch my legs up front. People riding in the back seat are amazed at how much room there is. Ride: the car weighs nearly 3,700 pounds. The ride is incredible. So quiet and smooth. I can compare the ride to my Escalade. And, in some respects it is better. The acceleration and handling is unbelievable. Every time I start the car, I engage the Boost mode. I have beaten Porches, Corvettes and Mercedes off the line. The power just keeps coming with no shifting delay. Just amazing. I have so much fun driving my little racing sportster around. And yet, on the highway, you can do 70 and more with confidence. You feel like you’re in a much bigger and heavier car. Again, so quiet and smooth. Also, the Regenerative One Pedal mode lets me just lay off the accelerator to slow the car down. I hardly EVER use the brakes. And, I actually stop at Stop signs because the car does it for me. I doubt I’ll ever have to replace the brakes on this car - never use them… MPG: my Bolt reached a range of 279 miles per charge. Sometimes it’s a little less. With the level 2 charger, I can get a 37 mile charge every hour. So, I pull in my garage, plug her in for an overnight charge and she’s ready in about 1-2 hours on an average day. No gas station, no oil changes. I love it! I have calculated the Bolt gets 120mpg equivalent. So, I pay about $.50 cents a gallon equivalent. Oh - the electric company gives me a discounted rate for charging overnight - $.09 per KWH. The efficiency of this vehicle is excellent, considering its power. Basically, the car pays for itself with the gas saved on about 12,000 mile per year. BTW, the Battery has an 8 year/100,000 mile warranty. Interior: Heated steering wheel, awesome deep sounding radio, Apple Car Play with a 10 inch screen - the reverse view is in HD - so fantastic. The heat and AC are instantaneous. I even leave them on when I go to Doctor or shopping for an hour or less. Then, I get back into a nice cooled or heated car - cool!. The inside of the car looks like a regular car, with button, knobs and displays all in the right places. Seems so much better to me than the completely bland Tesla interior with that massive, distracting screen. The trunk is small, but with the back seat down, I’ve fit a bicycle in there. As for the exterior, some don’t like it at all. But, I think it looks cool for a small car. I could go on and on about the Bolt EV. In summary, I’m in love with this car. I drive it every chance I can. Chevy did an amazing job. So much so, I have another one on order! Grab one while you can. For $20k, it’s a winner!!
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2023 EV - Bricked in 2 months.
Weird computer issues followed by complete shutout of car. Lights are on, doors that are locked won't unlock, multiple error messages (8-10) displayed until the car just died. It won't charge or start (has a 75% charge remaining) and app tells me the abs system needs service. Towing rescue services are an hour late as of this writing. Tower won't answer their phone and my request to speak to a live Chevy representative put me on endless hold with no answer or text back. I only charge with the provided at home charger, and a qualified electrician provided by Chevy did the installation. I bought the car Jan 2023.
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