As everyone who cares probably knows, I traded in my Chevy Volt on a used Chevy Bolt a few months ago. So far, I absolutely love the Bolt. Just thought I'd make a quick review of the car.
Range/Efficiency
I charge my car to 90%. I'd actually prefer to charge to 80% but earlier Bolts like mine do not have a way to choose a maximum charge percentage with the exception of the "Hill Top Reserve" feature which is 90% so that's what I use.
At 90% I get about 190 estimated miles of range. I've found the car's range estimation is fairly accurate, if not a bit pessimistic/conservative. While many people complain about Tesla's range estimates being a bit optimistic (I'm not saying that is a fact, just something I hear a lot), GM went the other way, which is actually nice. I have never had any range anxiety.
Driving above 65MPH or using the heater does negatively affect range, but with the gauge cluster in "Enhanced" theme the car gives you a Max and Min range estimate in addition to the "main" range estimate so you always know the worst-case scenario, which is helpful when planning a trip or pushing it to the limit.
My daily commute is about 3 miles. I can choose to remain on city streets or take the highway for most of it. Then, the remainder of my driving is mostly highway. Usually at least once per weekend I'm visiting a family member or client two counties over. And most recently I have gone to San Francisco a bunch. Despite all that, I average about 3.8-4.2 miles per kWh across most of my drives. The attached picture of my dashboard is one such trip to visit my mom. I am generally a fairly quick driver, to put it nicely - so I could actually do better on efficiency if I really tried.
Charging
At home, I charge via level 1 charging - that means I plug into a regular wall outlet. Unfortunately, the home we rent would need a service upgrade, panel upgrade, and subpanel upgrade, in addition to the dedicated circuit for the charger, if I wanted a level 2 charger, and we don't want to rock the boat with the landlord since our rent is quite a bit below average/market rate for the area, so I'm limited to charging that way.
I have my car set to charge at off-peak times. We are on the regular PG&E rate plan, NOT the EV rate plan. I calculated it and it would not really make a difference to the power bill overall due to the EV rate plan being more expensive at or near peak times.
I also charge at work sometimes. A few days a week I can charge for about 4 hours before closing and once a week I can charge for about 8 hours. There too it's plain old sloooooow level 1 charging from a regular wall outlet but there I charge at 12A vs the 8A charge rate at home. I will say the process to set it to charge at 12A is slightly annoying. At least three taps on the screen including a "you might burn the building down or cause bodily harm" disclaimer each time.
I occasionally charge via level 2 at various places. I have a friend who also has a Bolt and whenver I visit him I charge there. Also, the Target nearest my home has free level 2 charging for up to 2 hours so I plug in there while I shop. My point is there are plenty of places to get a charge for free which enhance the cost savings of EV life.
Despite level 1 charging only gaining about 4 miles/hour of range, it is good enough for most of my driving. I have only used a public DC fast charging station three times since buying the car, so about once per month. I have found charging stations to be imperfect - so far one EVgo charger was offline and one station using ChargePoint refused to start a charge despite supposedly being online. That said, I've never been inconvenienced or stranded - I've just moved to a different charger and continued with my day.
The Bolt does have fairly slow DC fast charging speeds compared to more expensive, more modern EVs. Maximum charging rate is 55kw while most other EVs can do 150kw or even more. However, since the car is fairly efficient, this is less of a problem than you might think. My 3 sessions at DC fast chargers have been 10-15 minutes each. If you planned to do extensive road tripping with the car, I'd look elsewhere, but my friend who's had a Bolt for years has done the Bay Area to LA and back trip multiple times and found it tolerable.
I look forward to GM cars gaining access to the Tesla Supercharger network in the next few months. I hope GM follows Ford in giving the adapter away for free. We shall see! But free adapter or not, this will be a game changer in terms of access to reliable DC fast charging infrastructure.
Performance/Driving/Handling
The Bolt is not fast, but it's quick. It has that fantastic instant torque all EVs have. If you're not careful you'll squeal the Michelins while zooming around town. Or, take it easy on the throttle and enjoy the smooth, silent acceleration - whatever floats your boat. Merging onto the highway is effortless and it even has plenty of power for passing on the highway if needed. Overall, while it's nowhere near the Tesla Model 3 Performance I had as a rental for a week a few years ago, the Bolt can certainly bring a smile to your face and makes easy work of driving.
The brakes are excellent - regen to friction braking is well blended and completely seemless. If you're coming from an ICE car, you will not find the brakes weird at all. You can use the Bolt in "normal" mode (D/Drive) or "one pedal driving" mode (L/Low). I experimented with L the first few days I had it but after that I got tired of it and went back to "normal" mode.
The suspension on the Bolt is well tuned, but it is a small car and you definitely feel it. I've owned mostly larger vehicles previously... Suburbans, Crown Vics, Escapes, etc. In comparison to all of those, you do feel bumps in the road more than you would in something larger. Probably due to the fairly small tires. And compared to the Volt I had directly before the Bolt, the Bolt doesn't feel like you can push it around corners as hard. I'd say it's comparable to how my 2010 Escape was in terms of handling around corners. The Volt was the best in that regard but I didn't personally like being so low. The Bolt is taller and the higher driving position is appreciated.
Interior/Infotainment/Comfort
The inside of the Bolt is a nice place to spend time, for the most part. In terms of tech, it's no Tesla, but it has (wired) Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. I love how well CarPlay works and now that I've got to experience that I will never buy a vehicle without it - GM is really making a mistake by not having CarPlay on some of their new EVs.
I will say the angle of the infotainment screen is a bit weird. With both hands on the steering wheel the leftmost part is blocked by your right hand so if you want to read directions from Waze you have to move your hand or your head. Otherwise, the screen is responsive and CarPlay connects reliably and quickly. Even if you aren't using CarPlay, and just streaming your music via Bluetooth audio, it works well.
However, I have a complaint. When you first start up the car, before it connects to your phone via CarPlay or Bluetooth, it starts playing music from the last other source you played. So you'll get radio. I'd personally prefer the approach some other carmakers take where if your last available source is not available it plays nothing. For example, in my partner's Nissan Kicks, if you last used CarPlay, it will stay on that source, vs switching audio sources to something else until you reconnect.
I do love the digital dash. The graphics are so much better than my first-gen Volt. I always leave it in "Enhanced" mode to show as much information as possible.
In terms of HVAC, the Bolt does well here. Heater gets hot quickly, and although I only used the AC once since owning the car, it gets nice and cold right away. However, while AC doesn't use much power, the heater does use a lot of juice. I've seen it use up to 8kw! This definitely affects your range, so just wear a jacket or something!
I have found the Bolt to be fairly comfortable even on longer drives, however the seats are quite narrow. If you are a larger person, you may want to consider a different vehicle. As a skinny guy, it's no issue for me, but it's still something I notice. I also don't like the way the hard plastic on the side of the seat is too close to the top edge of it, so I feel it each time I get in or out of the car.
Again, if you are a larger person, or have limited mobility, you may not like this. Headroom is great though, and the car is tall for its size. When you're getting into a Crown Vic or a Volt you feel like you are sitting down into the driveway and have to be careful not to hit your head. Not an issue in the Bolt!
Visibility is good due to the tall stance and big windows.
Exterior
I find the Bolt to be a fairly decent looking car. No, it's nothing special, but it looks OK to me. That's subjective but I like how normal it looks. Unlike some EVs, if it didn't say EV on the back, you probably wouldn't assume it's an EV.
That said, people do know it's an EV, either because they can read or just know what a Bolt is. Unfortunately, I have had several instances since owning the vehicle where I have felt agression from diesel pickup truck drivers. I have never had this experience before in any of my other vehicles. I suspect this behavior is far worse toward Tesla owners but still, something that bothers me. I do like big trucks too, but what is it about EVs that makes some people so angry?
Anyway, one issue with the Bolt's exterior is the rear end design. The turn signals are all the way down in the rear bumper. So someone not paying attention or in a larger vehicle may not see your turn signal. Some other modern cars do this, and it's a terrible trend. I don't have a picture of the back of my car but you can look it up online and see what I mean. I wish the turn signals were integrated into the big tail light assembly that's in the normal spot.
Warranty/Reliability
A big benefit to buying a Bolt is the warranty. As most used ones got a new battery under the recall, you get a great warranty. My car has about 7 years and 97000 miles of warranty on the battery remaining, as it started over when the pack was replaced about a year before I bought the car. While the rest of the vehicle is out of warranty, Bolts do seem to hold up fine and it's very rare to come across someone online who needed a repair. I have heard rumors of the ocassional rack and pinion failure, but so far so good.
Cost per mile vs gasoline car
This various greatly based on location, but even at our absurd PG&E rates of around 43c/kWh, this car saves me money thanks to the ability to get "free gas" at work or other places. Pricing at public charging locations varies from free at Target to about $0.60/kWh at Electrify America DC fast chargers.
But let's do some quick math comparing my car if I ONLY charged it at home vs my partner's Nissan Kicks ICE car.
Chevy Bolt - $0.43/kWh, 4 miles per kWh = cost per mile of $0.11.
Nissan Kicks - $5.00/gallon, 30 miles per gallon = cost per mile of $0.17.
As you can see, an EV does save money, Now, gas is cheaper in many places in the US, but power is also cheaper there too. Even in nearby places like Sacramento, power is much cheaper while gas prices are still about the same. At Sacramento's residential off-peak rate of $0.15/kWh, the Bolt would cost only $0.04 per mile to drive! Most of the US seems to have rates closer to that vs our crazy PG&E rates. Even if gas is only $2.50/gallon somewhere, EV costs less than ICE.
Where the lines get muddy is less efficient EVs and more efficient ICE or hybrid cars. An F-150 Lightning might get 2 miles per kWh while a Prius might get 50MPG, but that's comparing apples to oranges IMO.
In terms of maintenance, except for tires, wipers, headlights (an HID bulb that retails for about $130 EACH and they are apparently a huge hassle to change requiring half the front end to come apart), brake fluid every 5 years, and coolant every 5 years, there is no maintenance
Conclusion
While it's not perfect, I absolutely love and recommend the Bolt. After the used EV tax credit I paid about $12K. Can't beat that for a fun to drive, quick, low mileage, almost new car with a 7 year warranty on the most expensive part of the car!
I hope you found my review helpful and I'm happy to answer any questions.
Range/Efficiency
I charge my car to 90%. I'd actually prefer to charge to 80% but earlier Bolts like mine do not have a way to choose a maximum charge percentage with the exception of the "Hill Top Reserve" feature which is 90% so that's what I use.
At 90% I get about 190 estimated miles of range. I've found the car's range estimation is fairly accurate, if not a bit pessimistic/conservative. While many people complain about Tesla's range estimates being a bit optimistic (I'm not saying that is a fact, just something I hear a lot), GM went the other way, which is actually nice. I have never had any range anxiety.
Driving above 65MPH or using the heater does negatively affect range, but with the gauge cluster in "Enhanced" theme the car gives you a Max and Min range estimate in addition to the "main" range estimate so you always know the worst-case scenario, which is helpful when planning a trip or pushing it to the limit.
My daily commute is about 3 miles. I can choose to remain on city streets or take the highway for most of it. Then, the remainder of my driving is mostly highway. Usually at least once per weekend I'm visiting a family member or client two counties over. And most recently I have gone to San Francisco a bunch. Despite all that, I average about 3.8-4.2 miles per kWh across most of my drives. The attached picture of my dashboard is one such trip to visit my mom. I am generally a fairly quick driver, to put it nicely - so I could actually do better on efficiency if I really tried.
Charging
At home, I charge via level 1 charging - that means I plug into a regular wall outlet. Unfortunately, the home we rent would need a service upgrade, panel upgrade, and subpanel upgrade, in addition to the dedicated circuit for the charger, if I wanted a level 2 charger, and we don't want to rock the boat with the landlord since our rent is quite a bit below average/market rate for the area, so I'm limited to charging that way.
I have my car set to charge at off-peak times. We are on the regular PG&E rate plan, NOT the EV rate plan. I calculated it and it would not really make a difference to the power bill overall due to the EV rate plan being more expensive at or near peak times.
I also charge at work sometimes. A few days a week I can charge for about 4 hours before closing and once a week I can charge for about 8 hours. There too it's plain old sloooooow level 1 charging from a regular wall outlet but there I charge at 12A vs the 8A charge rate at home. I will say the process to set it to charge at 12A is slightly annoying. At least three taps on the screen including a "you might burn the building down or cause bodily harm" disclaimer each time.
I occasionally charge via level 2 at various places. I have a friend who also has a Bolt and whenver I visit him I charge there. Also, the Target nearest my home has free level 2 charging for up to 2 hours so I plug in there while I shop. My point is there are plenty of places to get a charge for free which enhance the cost savings of EV life.
Despite level 1 charging only gaining about 4 miles/hour of range, it is good enough for most of my driving. I have only used a public DC fast charging station three times since buying the car, so about once per month. I have found charging stations to be imperfect - so far one EVgo charger was offline and one station using ChargePoint refused to start a charge despite supposedly being online. That said, I've never been inconvenienced or stranded - I've just moved to a different charger and continued with my day.
The Bolt does have fairly slow DC fast charging speeds compared to more expensive, more modern EVs. Maximum charging rate is 55kw while most other EVs can do 150kw or even more. However, since the car is fairly efficient, this is less of a problem than you might think. My 3 sessions at DC fast chargers have been 10-15 minutes each. If you planned to do extensive road tripping with the car, I'd look elsewhere, but my friend who's had a Bolt for years has done the Bay Area to LA and back trip multiple times and found it tolerable.
I look forward to GM cars gaining access to the Tesla Supercharger network in the next few months. I hope GM follows Ford in giving the adapter away for free. We shall see! But free adapter or not, this will be a game changer in terms of access to reliable DC fast charging infrastructure.
Performance/Driving/Handling
The Bolt is not fast, but it's quick. It has that fantastic instant torque all EVs have. If you're not careful you'll squeal the Michelins while zooming around town. Or, take it easy on the throttle and enjoy the smooth, silent acceleration - whatever floats your boat. Merging onto the highway is effortless and it even has plenty of power for passing on the highway if needed. Overall, while it's nowhere near the Tesla Model 3 Performance I had as a rental for a week a few years ago, the Bolt can certainly bring a smile to your face and makes easy work of driving.
The brakes are excellent - regen to friction braking is well blended and completely seemless. If you're coming from an ICE car, you will not find the brakes weird at all. You can use the Bolt in "normal" mode (D/Drive) or "one pedal driving" mode (L/Low). I experimented with L the first few days I had it but after that I got tired of it and went back to "normal" mode.
The suspension on the Bolt is well tuned, but it is a small car and you definitely feel it. I've owned mostly larger vehicles previously... Suburbans, Crown Vics, Escapes, etc. In comparison to all of those, you do feel bumps in the road more than you would in something larger. Probably due to the fairly small tires. And compared to the Volt I had directly before the Bolt, the Bolt doesn't feel like you can push it around corners as hard. I'd say it's comparable to how my 2010 Escape was in terms of handling around corners. The Volt was the best in that regard but I didn't personally like being so low. The Bolt is taller and the higher driving position is appreciated.
Interior/Infotainment/Comfort
The inside of the Bolt is a nice place to spend time, for the most part. In terms of tech, it's no Tesla, but it has (wired) Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. I love how well CarPlay works and now that I've got to experience that I will never buy a vehicle without it - GM is really making a mistake by not having CarPlay on some of their new EVs.
I will say the angle of the infotainment screen is a bit weird. With both hands on the steering wheel the leftmost part is blocked by your right hand so if you want to read directions from Waze you have to move your hand or your head. Otherwise, the screen is responsive and CarPlay connects reliably and quickly. Even if you aren't using CarPlay, and just streaming your music via Bluetooth audio, it works well.
However, I have a complaint. When you first start up the car, before it connects to your phone via CarPlay or Bluetooth, it starts playing music from the last other source you played. So you'll get radio. I'd personally prefer the approach some other carmakers take where if your last available source is not available it plays nothing. For example, in my partner's Nissan Kicks, if you last used CarPlay, it will stay on that source, vs switching audio sources to something else until you reconnect.
I do love the digital dash. The graphics are so much better than my first-gen Volt. I always leave it in "Enhanced" mode to show as much information as possible.
In terms of HVAC, the Bolt does well here. Heater gets hot quickly, and although I only used the AC once since owning the car, it gets nice and cold right away. However, while AC doesn't use much power, the heater does use a lot of juice. I've seen it use up to 8kw! This definitely affects your range, so just wear a jacket or something!
I have found the Bolt to be fairly comfortable even on longer drives, however the seats are quite narrow. If you are a larger person, you may want to consider a different vehicle. As a skinny guy, it's no issue for me, but it's still something I notice. I also don't like the way the hard plastic on the side of the seat is too close to the top edge of it, so I feel it each time I get in or out of the car.
Again, if you are a larger person, or have limited mobility, you may not like this. Headroom is great though, and the car is tall for its size. When you're getting into a Crown Vic or a Volt you feel like you are sitting down into the driveway and have to be careful not to hit your head. Not an issue in the Bolt!
Visibility is good due to the tall stance and big windows.
Exterior
I find the Bolt to be a fairly decent looking car. No, it's nothing special, but it looks OK to me. That's subjective but I like how normal it looks. Unlike some EVs, if it didn't say EV on the back, you probably wouldn't assume it's an EV.
That said, people do know it's an EV, either because they can read or just know what a Bolt is. Unfortunately, I have had several instances since owning the vehicle where I have felt agression from diesel pickup truck drivers. I have never had this experience before in any of my other vehicles. I suspect this behavior is far worse toward Tesla owners but still, something that bothers me. I do like big trucks too, but what is it about EVs that makes some people so angry?
Anyway, one issue with the Bolt's exterior is the rear end design. The turn signals are all the way down in the rear bumper. So someone not paying attention or in a larger vehicle may not see your turn signal. Some other modern cars do this, and it's a terrible trend. I don't have a picture of the back of my car but you can look it up online and see what I mean. I wish the turn signals were integrated into the big tail light assembly that's in the normal spot.
Warranty/Reliability
A big benefit to buying a Bolt is the warranty. As most used ones got a new battery under the recall, you get a great warranty. My car has about 7 years and 97000 miles of warranty on the battery remaining, as it started over when the pack was replaced about a year before I bought the car. While the rest of the vehicle is out of warranty, Bolts do seem to hold up fine and it's very rare to come across someone online who needed a repair. I have heard rumors of the ocassional rack and pinion failure, but so far so good.
Cost per mile vs gasoline car
This various greatly based on location, but even at our absurd PG&E rates of around 43c/kWh, this car saves me money thanks to the ability to get "free gas" at work or other places. Pricing at public charging locations varies from free at Target to about $0.60/kWh at Electrify America DC fast chargers.
But let's do some quick math comparing my car if I ONLY charged it at home vs my partner's Nissan Kicks ICE car.
Chevy Bolt - $0.43/kWh, 4 miles per kWh = cost per mile of $0.11.
Nissan Kicks - $5.00/gallon, 30 miles per gallon = cost per mile of $0.17.
As you can see, an EV does save money, Now, gas is cheaper in many places in the US, but power is also cheaper there too. Even in nearby places like Sacramento, power is much cheaper while gas prices are still about the same. At Sacramento's residential off-peak rate of $0.15/kWh, the Bolt would cost only $0.04 per mile to drive! Most of the US seems to have rates closer to that vs our crazy PG&E rates. Even if gas is only $2.50/gallon somewhere, EV costs less than ICE.
Where the lines get muddy is less efficient EVs and more efficient ICE or hybrid cars. An F-150 Lightning might get 2 miles per kWh while a Prius might get 50MPG, but that's comparing apples to oranges IMO.
In terms of maintenance, except for tires, wipers, headlights (an HID bulb that retails for about $130 EACH and they are apparently a huge hassle to change requiring half the front end to come apart), brake fluid every 5 years, and coolant every 5 years, there is no maintenance
Conclusion
While it's not perfect, I absolutely love and recommend the Bolt. After the used EV tax credit I paid about $12K. Can't beat that for a fun to drive, quick, low mileage, almost new car with a 7 year warranty on the most expensive part of the car!
I hope you found my review helpful and I'm happy to answer any questions.
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