Used 2015 Chevrolet Volt Hatchback Consumer Reviews

my first electric car

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

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

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

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.

Fun and economical drive, but poor controls

The car is indeed very economical, but you should mind that it uses only premium fuel, which is not so economical in money after all and the gas mileage is much worse than a Prius, although still better than most non hybrid cars. It is electrifying fun to accelerate yet it does not invite you to drive fast. I would put it in sport mode and leave the traffic lights in front of everybody, but I was never compelled to go faster than the speed limits. The interior is really comfortable, but mind that it just takes 4 persons. The trunk space is reasonably big, considering it is a compact. However the controls for the audio, ventilation or navigation are really hard to use while driving. It is easy to mistype the buttons since they are capacitive and often I would touch them and there would be no response. Besides that since it has no tactile feedback, I would have to turn the attention away from road to do simple tasks.

Electric Car Adopter

If your looking for savings, look no further. I leased my Volt a few months ago and have put just over 3,000 miles on it. So far I have filled my tank once. I purchased a level 2 charger and for my 36 mile commute. The volt is perfect. I charge in about 3 hours from empty to full. 90% of my driving has been on full electric. I decided to go with the volt after buying my first home to try and save money. I used to have a 2013 chrysler 200 with v6 power averaging 30 mpg which I thought was very good.... I was wrong. I'm averaging 250+ mpg and have gone from spending a little over $200 on gas to $25 and an increase of about $40 on my electric bill charging everynight. On top of that because my gas engine has only run for about 300 miles I'm not even close to needing an oil change. My Volt came loaded with features I didn't need or want but hey, why complain! Electric cars are not for everyone.... only those who want a reliable, loaded and money saving vehicle.

One year review with second Volt

This is my second Volt after owning a red 2012 Volt for 3 and a half years, 50K miles, and no issues. The 2015 is almost identical, everything works as expected. Some people don't like the capacitive buttons on the dash, but I don't mind, they wear very well. The car itself wears very well, maintains its appearance as long as you give it proper attention. Like most people, I usually go over a thousand miles on a tank of gas, most of the time more. My work location has a charging station so no additional cost in electricity at home, nice perk. If you are worried about reliability, don't be, the car goes forever, battery will probably last over 200K miles, and electric motor I read is good for 600K miles. Safety is also top notch (5 stars).

over-engineered cockpit, but a joy to drive

Driving my 2015 Volt has been a learning experience. Some of that learning is figuring out the climate control system, which is unnecessarily complicated (the 2016 corrects that). However, the other learning is about owning and driving an electric vehicle, and that has been a lot of fun. I was drawn to the Volt to stop buying gas (I haven't bought any since I left the dealership months ago) but also just to adopt the new technology. I've learned how important external temperature is to battery range (cold days subtract at least 10 miles), and how to charge at work and at home. Driving has been really enjoyable - super quiet, smooth, really impressive and, dare I say, fun. Update - after a full year of ownership, the Volt still impresses. I forget how much more enjoyable an electric drivetrain really is until I get behind the wheel of a standard internal combustion powered car again. The silence inside the cabin is really nice, the utterly smooth and quick acceleration (even when at highway speed needing to pass) brings me joy every time, and the cost of ownership is basically zero. I only wish GM would port this technology to more vehicles. I think a small electric truck for suburban buyers would sell very well. The sky is really the limit. Not having to worry about range issues like in a fully electric vehicle is wonderful. Final update - nearing the end of my 3 year lease, I still love my Volt. In fact, I am trading it in on a 2017 Volt. The new model corrects the interior controls issue completely, but I do notice some things that have been lost. First is that the seating and driving position are now a little different, and I find that the older model was a bit more comfortable in terms of support for the driver. The new vehicle was put on a diet to reduce weight, and I think it is a little less quiet now than these original versions. But if you are in the market for a used Volt, you can get great deals on these first generation models (I'd go for a 2014 or 2015) which have great driving dynamics and a useful all-electric range of 30+ miles in cold weather, 40+ miles in warm weather, and work like any other car on long highway trips getting about 35 mpg. The brand new Honda Clarity plug in hybrid is coming in 2018, but it is actually only going to be meeting the specifications of the first generation Volt and it looks pretty ugly. GM may have created the Volt only for the positive press and to help it meet CAFE standards so it can keep selling trucks (every month is truck month), but it may have unintentionally started a slow-building revolution and now the company may be forced to start using this technology in more vehicles as every car company is promising more electric vehicles (thanks mostly to the mandate from China). Will GM leverage its head-start, or continue to hope people don't actually buy its EV's. Another Update - two years in and I still love it. Read an article on-line the other day that basically complained about electric cars and how charging the batteries is more environmentally problematic than just using gasoline. Horse-pucky. Even if all of your power comes from coal (and most of us get at least some portion of our electric from hydroelectric dams, nuclear power, wind, or solar) you still are putting the environment in a better position than burning gas. A big part of that is the massive increase in efficiency in converting stored power (battery in this case, liquid fuel in gasoline's case) into rotational motion of the wheels. Electric motors are just much better at that transformation than internal combustion engines - which is why the somewhat wonky EPA conversion for MPGe (the electric equivalent of miles per gallon) shows a Volt getting like 119 miles per electric "gallon" worth of energy, and that conversion is actually pretty conservative. No Canadian tar pits, no leaking Exxon Valdez, no Keystone XL pipeline, no middle-eastern terrorists getting their funding from my driving a car. And seriously, this particular combination of battery plus back-up engine generator is a perfect transition from old technology to new. GM has announced it will sell the Volt in China as a Buick and I bet they sell a heck of a lot. I still just wish they would start moving the technology to more of their US cars/trucks/vans.

Little Red Wagon

I have owned for over a year now and am still very satisfied with this Volt. Great ride, especially for a small car. Plenty of room for driver and passenger. Back seats are nice, but not much leg room. OK for small kids though. The back seats do fold down, to give you more room to carry things. The technology in this car is amazing. The weather really effects how much the battery system will charge. In the summer my Volt will charge to 63 miles ranges per charge, but in the cold weather, it only charges to 44 miles on a full charge. My can is always kept in a garage.

Chevy Volt - Infotainment System Issues

I love my Volt - biggest issue is the Infotainment system. I cannot plug in an Apple iPhone into the USB port and have it play music through the car. I get an "indexing..." error message. Called support, they said they do not support iPhones over 30GB, which is not mentioned by any sales person and not in the infotainment system literature and manual. Their support people would not escalate it to get a fix. The phone works fine through Bluetooth, but heaven help you if it's the end of the day and your phone is out of juice. Ask your salesperson to fix it before you commit to buy a new Volt. In addition, every night, I have to specify I want 12 amp charging. Forget? Car not charged.

Great car for the driver, not a passenger car

Fun car to drive. Quick and responsive for a hybrid. Solid feel, unlike my 2012 Prius. When running on gas, I routinely get 40-MPG. When front seats are moved fully to the rear, which is how I drive, rear leg room is virtually non-existent at about 3-4 inches. Rear seats exist for marketing reasons only and in most circumstances are unusable. Touch sensitive buttons on panel are too sensitive. Some of the buttons have small bumps below them implying that they can be found by touch, but this just results in other buttons being "pressed" accidentally. The result is that the driver must take eyes off the road to find the desired button, creating an unsafe situation

Much Better Than Expected

First US - Built car I have purchased since 1975. Great ride, very comfortable, good vision, just a little tight vision to the side/rear like most cars, mirrors take care of that problem; would like the mirrors like Fords have. Smooth shifting, no interior noise , very quick acceleration and braking. Handles well and sticks to the road, very predictable where it's heading. Instrumentation is logical and easy to reach while driving. Could use additional glovebox./storage. Rear seating may be a little tight for larger adults, front seats have massive room and great headroom. I do not have the navigation system so no real rating. At 42K miles no repairs so far. Too bad Chevy will stop building in 2020; (Very short-sighted on their part - this beats anything out there with the on-board charging) I would plan to replace this one at 100K miles if available. Currently has 46K mile with no issues - only routine maintenance. Will NOT purchase a Ford product, GM better get their act together and bring back the Volt, Plug-in car

Had it for 6 years now and love it

This is amazing. I have put 60,000 miles on this car in 6 years and only used 110 gallons of gas. The only service it has needed is an oil change once a year and a free tire rotation twice a year. Great car fun to drive. Love not using gas. The best part of the car is that after all this time it is still fun to drive! I love how quiet it is. Family members say 'it’s like driving in the future‘. I have moved to Europe and I am really enjoying how fast it charges. I go to work and back with an occasional stop somewhere and don’t use gas! It really was a car ahead of its time. Only now do cars start to feel similar, but still they lack the milage ability of this one.

Volt Forever!

When running on battery power, this car is more fun to drive than my Mustang. Extra drive modes are very helpful. The one I bought has a neat ceramic white interior that gives it a unique look. Would be nice to have a middle rear seat, though--the Gen. 1 volts only seat four (if you need a full rear seat, look for 2016 and up). I charge it overnight, and the 40-mile range is enough for a day or two. Had an 18-mile commute, and went for months without touching gas. However, I have to say that the acceleration is lackluster when running on gas. For me, the Volt has been great. I was involved in a highway accident with it, and I walked away just fine, plus it held up like a champ and was repairable (and no, there was absolutely no change with the battery.) I'd recommend the Volt over and over again, and I'm honestly so sad that they're being discontinued!

Hands down, the best car I've ever owned

Let me start by saying i use these reviews for every car I've ever bought, or even think about buying. Owners opinion is everything. I have had dozens and dozens of cars in my life. Fords, Toyotas, Volvos, several Lexus', and many others. This Chevy Volt is absolutely the best car I've ever had. Everyone who sees it or rides in it is blown away it's a Chevrolet. First off, it's not the sportiest car I've had. It's not the most utilitarian car I've had. However, it is the most practical, and efficient car I've had. Obviously, it's biggest draw is the fact it can 100% run on electricity. Yes, for 25-35 miles, you don't use any fuel...unless you want to. The car will allow you to "hold" the electricity for when you think it's use is most warranted. I love that. So not only is there no range anxiety, you also have the option to use the battery when you choose to. This is great in mid-west winter when I want to warm my engine up for immediate heat. It also is great if I plan on all interstate/freeway driving. I hold it during those times will i know i will be going less than 55mph for getting the most fulfillment out of the battery. The Volt i have is the "premium" or whatever edition has all the options. This isn't an absolute necessity, but it does prove to have many/more options than any luxury car I've owned. Heated seats, navigation, backup camera, etc. The only issue I've dealt with as far as maintenance: When I bought the car it wouldn't charge. Now this was a big deal when i discovered it. The dealership I bought it from told me it charged and pretended to charge it. At the time, i knew nothing about electric cars so I thought they had charged it. I did take it to a dealer for diagnosis after buying it. They said the charge port was broken and that i needed a new one. They quoted me at $650. I looked up how to do it myself and discovered it was about a 10 minute job and a $120 part. So my advice, always perform do-diligence when it comes to auto repairs. I am by no means a mechanic and knocked it out in about 4 minutes. In closing, if you're on the fence about a Volt....buy it. It is a great entryway into electric vehicles without fully committing to giving up fuel completely. Chevy hit this one out of the park and it's a shame it wasn't marketed better as they quit making Volts in 2019. Highly Highly recommend this vehicle

Great car

Great car poorresale

Amazing!

Positive volt

Great comfortable, functional, and fun car. Many positives. Rear seat room just above adequate. Negatives are: Climate controls are too complex. Heat is a big drain on the battery.. even being careful it cuts range by 20%. Exterior gap and fit still not up to Japanese quality.

volt, like it a lot

They much charge it to get the best value. Your value will come from not having to pump gas or pay that ever increasing price. My Volt has averaged over 61 miles per gallon of gas used. When I run on gas only I average over 35 miles per gallon. My real value comes comes from my solar system which covers the charging charge from the electric company.

Look Ma, no gas!

This is a great car. I am constantly wondering why Chevrolet doesn't market it more. I run it around for all my errands daily and only put gas in about every other month. My husband has started borrowing it more and more and loves it too.

Absolutely Amazing!

This car rocks. It is very heavy, and the car feels stable and solid. Quick as a rabbit!! Easy to park, maneuver, and is a great city car. I wind up using the gas generator about once a week, after a full day of errends. The car has a little more than 40 miles of range on average per charge. The car is built well. Not rattles or squeaks so far. Driving with the window down is the most annoying thing about this car.

Wave to all the gas stations

I bought this to save money on my daily commute of about 42 miles I drive in the normal mode getting to the freeway then switch to hold for about half the distance to work then back to normal for the remainder of the distance to work the drive home is usually done in the normal mode it stays in ev most of the time last 2 Ike’s or so will switch to gas and electric be cause of regen system doing this I use approximately 1 gallons of fuel per week . I am very happy with my volt it does what I bought it for it has 46,000 miles is very comfortable to drive . Around town I will downshiftto low range to maximize the regen . I recommend this car for anybody that drives under 50 miles per day I fill the tank about every 8 weeks (takes about 8 gallons $32

My last car was a Bolt

Electric is the future. Plug in hybrid is now.

Great car for the driver, not good for passengers

I love driving this car. It's responsive and quick for a hybrid. It has a solid feel that my 2012 Prius lacks. However, when the front seats are moved fully back (which is how I drive), rear passenger leg room is almost non-existent. In reality, it's not a 4-passenger car. The unusable rear seats exist only for marketing reasons. On long trips the front passenger seat becomes very uncomfortable.