Used 2016 Chevrolet Spark EV Consumer Reviews
Used Spark EV for sale
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2016 Spark EV, so we've included reviews for other years of the Spark EV since its last redesign.
The more I drive it...
Bobbie, 07/11/2015
2015 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
34 of 34 people found this review helpful
... the more I like electric vehicles. I am currently under a three-year lease for the Spark EV. I have had the vehicle for almost three months and I have been driving it everyday for the past 30 days. I live in California and the Spark EV allows me to use the carpool lane after I paid DMV $8 for the carpool lane stickers. It is a very economical vehicle to use. See below for more information: The good- It costs me less than $2 to fully charge the car. This gives me 82-87 miles range. I am saving around $3.50 a day by not driving my gasoline powered car. At the end of three years, I expect to save at least $2730 on gas alone. The car is incredibly fast. The acceleration is very fast. The Sports Mode is awesome for merging into the highway at the on ramp. Most vehicles cannot keep up with me during the first three seconds of acceleration. The carpool lane sticker is the best part! I am cutting a minimum of 30 minutes off commute time daily. This is priceless and I am spoiled. The car gets even better range when you are stuck in stop and go traffic. It was costing me only $0.10 to travel 16 miles. Braking and coasting will recharge the battery. It is entirely possible to get more than 100 miles of driving range if you are in stop and go traffic. The free On Star navigation is great! I use it all the time. I love the great warranty and the free roadside assistance program from Chevy. The car is tiny. This makes it very easy to park in a tight space. In big cities, this is invaluable. I am getting a $2500 check from the CA government for using the EV. If I had bought the car, the fed will also let me take $7500 off my income tax. I received a $500 charger credit from Bosch. I ended up only paying $30 for a $500 Bosch charger. I love the ability to remotely turn on the AC after parking the car. What's the big deal? I would park my car, turn on the AC and go to the store. When I am done shopping, the car will be nice and cool waiting for me to drive. Keep in mind the engine is not running. A car thief cannot just break into the car and drive away. Due to the heavy battery, the car has low center of gravity and it is very stable to drive this car. No need to warm up the engine. Just drive. No need to change oil. Pure electric. Free first two years service included (rotate tires and fluid checks). Fluids for brake, windshield, and coolant. Charging at a Direct Charging Station really charges a car to 80% in less than 20 minutes. The DC charging station puts out 125 amps! But it is not cheap to use it right now as gas is only $3 a gallon. Now the bad- The stereo system SUCKS!!! The sound quality is awful. I am not sure why Chevy chose to do it this way. It does not have a CD player. It says six speakers but I am only able to find four speakers. The UI for the phone and stereo is awful. I wish I could use Siri to assist me. Bluetooth connection is a bit slower than Toyota vehicles. The rear seats are extremely uncomfortable. Even my kids complained about them and that's a first. The rear cargo space is very limited. Best to fold the seats down for more space. There is a blind spot in the rear passenger side. Must be careful for lane changing. Long charging time. The standard charger which came with the vehicle at 8 amps takes 20 hours to fully charge the car. When I changed the charging setting to 12 amps, it took much less time. Having said that, my Bosch charger operating at 16 amps (220 V) typically charges 10 miles in an hour. In other words, it will take four hours to charge 40 miles with a 240V charger. 240 V chargers are strongly recommended. 110 V at 12 amps will also work. The steering only goes up and down. It is not a telescopic steering wheel. At 70 to 80 MPH, the car gets very noisy. At 70 to 80 MPH, the battery drains much faster. Best mileage if the speed is less than 50 MPH (per manual). The load capacity is limited. It is less than 650 lbs. Don't expect to fit four big people in the car. Bottom line- this is a great commuter and easy on the wallet everyday car if you keep track of the travel distance needed. I have three other vehicles but I only drive this car in the carpool lane to work. Even without the carpool lane stickers, I would buy (not lease) my next electric vehicle. The Spark EV replacement is called Bolt and it is supposed to have a 200 mile driving range. Although the 2015 Spark EV has a limited driving range (less than 87 miles) and the stereo is just terrible, I love this car and I am thinking about leasing another Spark EV for my mother.
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Chevy Spark EV a Best buy new and used
Jim Stack, 03/27/2019
2016 Chevrolet Spark EV 1LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
27 of 27 people found this review helpful
This is a great Electric Vehicle. Be sure to get the DC Fast Charge port. I call my Chevy Spark EV a Tesla Nano. It does everything a Tesla can do at 1/5 th the cost. It can go over 100 miles on a charge. Chevy replaced it in 2017 with the Chevy Bolt that can go 238 miles on a charge at double the cost. But how often do you need that much range day to day. Almost all new cars don't have a spare tire so I got one and keep it in the garage in case I need it or one of my Spark friends needs to borrow it. a friend and I just won the 8th annual 100 Electric mile EVent in Phoenix. My Spark EV made it 100 miles and still showed 33 mile more on the guess o meter. We were almost the exact 100 miles, answered all the quiz questions and were the most efficient at 133 Wh /mile or 7.1 miles per kWh of power. My meter shows 120 mile range since I drive ECO and Hyper mile. I even get over 6 miles per kWh on the highways. It's a great car for older friends or people with injuries since the seat at not real low. There is also a GRAB handle inside each door opening on the roof to help people get in and out. The rear hact is bigger than a Tesla model 3 and each rear seat folds down for lot of storage space. The battery has liquid cooling so it will last for the life of the cat extimated on most cars at 10-15 years.
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2016 Chevrolet Spark EV for sale near you
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Shocking Value
Michael G., 07/02/2016
updated 01/08/2018
2016 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
37 of 38 people found this review helpful
We have all seen them, those little electric cars buzzing around undetected, almost stealth like.... When I saw 129 a month lease I became intrigued. My wife has a Honda Pilot, at just 16 miles to the gallon on a good day. Her commute is just 7 miles each way and the usual errands. What a great buy this has been! no gas put in the Pilot in 5 weeks... The EV has been going to over 90 miles with our normal driving. We love this car. My wife is getting used to the hands free, Bluetooth, and the on-star. It is a bit on the small size, but we have gone to Costco and grocery store with no issues. We have yet to fill up on the fly, preferring to use the home charger. We decided on the purchase over lease, as they took 9K off list, and had zero interest for 6 years. The added 7500 Tax credit lowered the price even more. Update 18 months later: Love it more now than when purchased. Never going to the gas station or for oil changes is incredible. Occasionally have some range anxiety but with a touch of planning it works out. Winter is the challenge. You lose about 20% range using the heater.
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Fun little ride that's priced right
Randy B., 10/20/2019
2016 Chevrolet Spark EV 1LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Answer me a question. Where can you buy a car under $9000 that has 13,650 miles and is 3 years old? You can get 82 miles and not have to stop at a gas station. If you drive a short distance to work or run errands, this is the car for you. I drive eight miles round trip and I can go over a week and not charge it. Today, a Mustang GT and a corvette, got a little taste of electric torque. Who would look at this "grocery getter" and laugh at it at the light. That's what those two did. You aren't going to take them really far but it's nice to get their attention. So in conclusion, check out all the car websites. They are out there and the 2016's are coming off of their leases. If you need a third car for the family and money is short. Check this car out. No oil changes. Battery has a 8yr/ 100,000 warranty. It cost me approximately $.02/mile to run. No brainer.
A good commuter car.
limee, 12/06/2013
updated 06/08/2017
2014 Chevrolet Spark EV 1LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
Have had the car since August. Over 2000 miles on it so far.Acceleration is brisk and satisfying. Quite comfortable over bumps despite its small size and you can certainly appreciate the battery pack being slung low which really improves the handling and it feels solid and not chintzy. Be aware that using the heater really sucks the battery life very quickly, just use the seat heaters. I commute 45 miles a day and there is plenty of battery life in at at the end of the day, just plug into 110 and its ready for work fully charged the next morning. Sound system is just OK. Interior plastics are hard, doors sound flimsy and takes practice in closing them 1st time, everytime. Update. Cheap gas making the vehicle more of a hassle to charge at night. Electric costs are rising making little difference between the two fuels. Would really appreciate a 6.6Kw/h onboard charger such as on the Fiat 500e. Still enjoy driving it though. Sold the car Feb 2016 as commute distance increased, battery pack was not large enough, no charging stations at work. Bought a plug in hybrid to replace it though.
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Great little car!
elripster, 04/26/2015
updated 04/27/2018
2015 Chevrolet Spark EV 1LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
I bought this car on an excellent lease deal. The reviews pretty much nail it right on. It is very fun to drive. Dealers, you need to figure out how to actually execute the purchase faster. If there is no haggling, or haggling has resulted in an agreed upon price, should it really take 2 hours to prepare the paperwork so I can take 2 minutes to sign it? Why give customers more time to get cold feet and tie your sales staff up with entertaining what are essentially closed deals when that staff could be courting other customers? Figure out how to get the purchase done faster, make more money, and make more happy customers. So fast forward to 2018 and I just turned my electric go cart. I sure did take a lot cars off of the line much to the bewilderment of the roaring engine next to me. I managed to run it out of only energy once in 3 years. I will say it was a great starter EV and great for anyone doing local commutes. With its range, I came in under 10,000 miles/year. I put 1 set of front tires on it and that was it for maintenance. Well, I did have it detailed before returning it. My kids made a mess of the inerior but low and behold, it all came out! Chalk one up to cheap materials! I rated the stars based on what I thought was reasonable for what is essentially a $15k car. We added a 3rd kid to the fleet and leased a Bolt EV and thus decided not to buy out the Spark. If one of you ends up with a used silver Spark, it might by our Sparkrocket, and I hope it treats you well.
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Spark EV a great around-town vehicle
Davems, 12/05/2018
2016 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
18 of 19 people found this review helpful
My F150 is getting rusty and old, and gets lousy fuel economy, and new trucks are really, really expensive. My own personal calculus was to get a Spark EV for an everyday driver and try and keep the truck for 5 more years rather than 1 or 2, just for truck stuff when we need it. The Spark EV is no good for hauling deer carcasses, but it does get about the best possible fuel economy, ~5 mi/kwh. That means I roll for about $0.02/mi just for fuel, rather than $0.15-0.20/mi in the truck. This car is small and meek looking, so other drivers think they can try and push you around. They are wrong and they will fail. Up to ~75 mph there isn't much out there on four wheels that is quicker. I've shut down just about everything out there, because it's so quick, handles like on rails (50/50 weight distribution down low batteries), and because it's such a sleeper. Range when new was ~88-92 mi, dropped to ~80-84 mi. after 2 years. Winter range is lower at 70-75 mi, and appears to be a matter of programming and not simply a matter of temperature or climate control. Using the heat affects range more than air conditioning. Defrost with heat affects range more, with economy being ~3 mi/kwh rather than 5. Bigger on the inside than it looks, but it looks really, really small. Headroom is very good. Back seats have minimal leg room. Front seats are close together, but there is enough leg room at 6'1". Stereo system is terrible, but aftermarket speakers upgrade it to lousy. You wouldn't want to drive across the country in this, even if it magically had the range and a good stereo system. But does this matter around town?
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Great little car
Steve, 05/05/2016
updated 12/16/2019
2016 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
25 of 27 people found this review helpful
Update: lease is over and she was returned without issue. Summer range at end of lease was 65-ish, winter 60. if U have a short commute, it's hard to beat this car, bang-for-the-buck-wise, and in fun to drive terms. ==== 2017 original review ==== Like all EVs of this class, range is limited. I got betw. 82 and 84 mi estimated range at full charge now when the car is new. I ran into someone with a 3-year old Spark EV and he mentioned and average of 70mi. When temperatures were near freezing it dropped to about 60 and in its 2nd summer, ~80, with a max of 91. Lease deal was great - $2900 down, $68/mo for a 2LT with the DC charging port (green exterior/grey interior). When one factors in the California $2500 State rebate, it's $90/mo for 36 mo, which is slightly less than what I pay in gas for my 96 Accord Wagon. Lease is 10kmi/year mileage limit without paying $0.25/mi, which is very limiting. So it's scary quick acceleration, esp. at low speeds. Instantaneous. Acceleration is downright impressive. It would go off left or right if you let it at very low speeds - sudden flooring while cornering is a bad idea. I like how there's no center console or arm rest in the car - nothing to the right of you. I never seem to be comfortable in cars with big center areas - my right arm doesn't seem to find the right home. I'm getting about 4 mi/hr at 115V, 8A and a little higher at 12A. 230V charging at work and home is getting me 10+ though charging near full is slower. I put in the Bosch charger advertised on the card that comes with the car, which gets you a rebate of $500 on the charger. I'm 6'3" and could wish for about 2" more legroom. Headroom is great. I could wear a hat if I wanted to. Mylink is bloody annoying. Constantly wants to go to XM or FM, but I pretty much use BT from phone. Our other cars default to whatever was last used. There was a recall regarding the firmware for the seat belt tensioners and airbags which I had done. Took longer than one would expect. No charge. Pleasant waiting room. They vacuumed out the car. Another recall on the software that estimates available range. Not sure I notice a difference. It's "mileage" is pretty good - I get 4.3 mi/kWh. I can't type any units into the MPG field below.
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A whole lot of fun!
TJ, 09/19/2015
2015 Chevrolet Spark EV 1LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
Just pick up our leased Spark 1LT EV for my daughter $119/39 mo lease absolutely zero down ....I think I pay more for our phones... It's our first EV and we are loving it. We already stuck 5 people in it to see if it could handle the load, not bad at all. The price is outstanding for what you get and it's perfect for out situation, about 20 miles round trip per day. Nothing to shout about in terms of comfort compared to other vehicles but did I mentioned the price.... We have purchased new or nearly new vehicles in the past and tend to keep them for a long time. It was a surprise to find so much tech in this car compared to our existing vehicles (2000 & 2003). For us, it was purely a tech play on the lease, because I figure that the mileage will double in three years like it has in the past three years. So in three years if most of the EV's are pushing 200 miles than we might buy one and keep it for a longer time. In the mean time my kids get to start off their driving experience in a zero emissions car and hopefully will stay with EV's their whole life.
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Most fun I've ever had with a car
Rayburn Thomas, 05/19/2016
2015 Chevrolet Spark EV 2LT 4dr Hatchback (electric DD)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I leased my car 1 year ago and still love it. I've said for some time that my only regret is that I only got one of them. So, about a month ago I got 2 more, one for my wife and one for my daughter, and they both love them too. My only complaint is that it has too much power and you can get into trouble if you aren't careful. It rides okay for a small car, but not great like a long heavy car. The range is much more than I normally need (up to about 100 miles) and I do have a gas powered vehicle for longer trips, but it rarely gets used now. The cost of the electricity is about 2 cents per mile.
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