There’s the Chevy Bolt EV and then this one the Bolt EUV.
What’s the difference?
Stick around…
When I last checked in on the Chevrolet Bolt EV, Team Bowtie had freshened it nicely with
a new schnoz, fancy taillights and most important, a big interior upgrade.
Plus, Chevy started rolling out a variant called EUV when…
well, you probably heard…
every Bolt was recalled because of a fire hazard with the LG Chem battery packs.
The short story is, the problem was identified, owners get new packs and the factories are
churning out Bolts again, now with a massive price cut.
It applies to both the EV and the EUV here.
Man, General Motors seems to thrive on confusing nomenclature, like Encore and Encore GX which
are different vehicles.
Let’s not forget Bolt and Volt.
Both of the Bolts ride on the same architecture.
So what’s the difference?
Arguably the EUV has sleeker styling, it’s 6 inches longer, the wheelbase is up by four
so there’s a little bit more cabin space.
Unfortunately it’s more expensive by two grand and range?
Range is down by 12 miles which isn’t bad.
The E.P.A.
rates this one’s range at 247 miles, or 397 kilometers for you Canadians.
GM EVs aren’t eligible for Uncle Sam’s $7,500 tax credit, but some states have them.
2023 models get a new lower base price of 28,195 dollars with destination.
That’s down by 6,300 bucks if you can find one without dealer markup.
This fully loaded Premier version will sticker for thirty seven four ($37,390).
The Chevy is stuffed with creature comforts like heated and vented leather seats, a toasty
tiller, a nice big glass roof and a Bose system that’s loud, rich and punchy (my neighbors
can testify to that).
There’s also this, which I’ll get to later.
Bolt is strictly front-wheel drive.
Frunk lovers are out of luck.
Looks like a small box for the charge cord could fit in here, some automakers do that
do that.
The motor makes 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque to move a 3,700 pound machine.
That’s a couple hundred more than Bolt EV.
The floor mounted liquid cooled lithium-ion pack is 65kWh and keep in mind this is not
GMs newest Ultium technology.
Chevy includes a dual mode travel charging cord so you can mooch off family and friends
when visiting.
A lot of cars have greeting tones these days, the Chevy Bolt is no different.
GONG!!!
Kind of dramatic huh?
The ignition is hidden behind the wheel….
Kind of start-by-braille.
The single motor transmission gets this arrangement now, it’s easy to get used to.
There’s a sport mode that seems to add some heft to the steering weight, but not much
more.
There’s also one-peddle drive mode that remembers your preference at start up.
Plus, this to add even more recuperation drag.
The ones below are for the sound system.
If you haven’t driven an electric vehicle, you really need to give it a try.
They’re loads of fun, especially in the city because all of that low end torque that
makes them feel faster than they are
Bolt EUV does the 0 to 60 dash in about seven seconds which is pretty standard for a single
motor EV.
Again, it feels quicker than that it is.
It’s fun.
It’s important to remember the price point when evaluating the Bolt EUV.
It’s under 30 thousand dollars.
That’s around 20 grand less than a base Model 3, the least expensive Tesla that can
be had.
There’s a flurry of other choices now, many that qualify for the federal tax credit.
Nissan Leaf, Kia Niro and Hyundai Kona EV are the closest.
Shop wisely, and make sure you can take advantage of tax credits
This does have the handling dynamic of heavy batteries in the floor for a low center of
gravity but this suspension is tune for comfort so chuck it hard into a corner and there’s
going to be some understeer.
Not overly sporty.
It’s OK.
Wouldn’t it be great if GM decided to do a GTI version of this, it certainly knows
how to tune a suspension.
It is a spunky thing and in normal maneuvers even enthusiasts will enjoy snaking it through
city traffic.
Bolt is a fun urban attack vehicle as long as it’s not being pushed to the limit.
One thing that a lot of people forget to check for during their test drive is visibility,
a lot of modern vehicles have awful visibility.
The EUV is pretty good, there’s no big blind spot back there.
It’s been a while since I’ve driven the Bolt EV, but I have to believe the 4 inches
of extra wheelbase improves comfort.
And it’s pretty quiet for a small car.
As far as ride quality goes, in every day driving on pavement like this it’s perfectly
fine.
Once things get rough well then you’re gonna feel it.
I hit a bump that bottomed out the suspension I don’t really think that it should’ve
so the set-up is not overly sophisticated.
Graphics help drivers maximize range.
Even though it’s down a smidge from the regular Bolt, it’s not a problem with EUV,
especially if you’re doing mostly city driving and charging at home.
According to the EPA the body UV is supposed to go 247 miles on a charge temperatures are
in the high 50s to low 60s I’m on track to do 250 so range isn’t an issue.
You all know distance suffers in cold or bad weather, hard driving plus cranking the HVAC
and sound systems.
Those effect gas powered vehicles too, it’s just more pronounced in an EV.
I’m in one pedal mode and I’m going 30 miles an hour let’s do the Mississippi test.
Foot off the throttle- one Mississippi two Mississippi three Mississippi four Mississippi
five Mississippi… and a complete stop.
Pretty good one pedal driving is definitely a thing and I didn’t even use the regen
paddle.
Nice that this dynamic is selectable.
Bolt isn’t as hushed as a Mercedes EQS, of course, but it’s fairly quiet for a budget
EV.
And for a smaller vehicle it’s a solid highway traveler.
Adaptive cruise control is standard on the Premier model, fork over $2,200 and you get
GM’s Super Cruise which is true hands-free driving.
I’ve been on this stretch for about 5 miles haven’t touched the wheel the brake or the
throttle, it’s great stuff.
Now it only works on divided highways that are mapped, that really shouldn’t be an
issue there’s a couple hundred thousand miles of those.
There’s a camera it’s watching you so you’re present and accounted for.
It will shut down if it senses that you’re doing things like posting cat videos on social
media.
Now this system is not as comprehensive as the one found in Cadillacs or GMC‘s but
it’s a very very good.
If you’re often on divided highways, if you do a lot of commuting, this is an excellent
system.
You’ll know that it’s working, the steering wheel turns green if you go to change lanes
which you have to manually it turns blue if it goes red you have to take over.
And it sends you a message, here it’s telling me I’m entering a construction zone.
The first three years are on Chevy.
After that, Super Cruise is a subscription service like OnStar.
As for charging, Bolts have an upgraded 11.5 kW onboard charger.
That’s not as good as Tesla or the 800-volt architecture in Hyundai Ioniq5 and Kia EV6,
but those are larger cars and much more expensive.
You get what you pay for.
Chevy’s speed is similar to Kona, Niro and Leaf with the larger battery.
The EPA says Bolt saves $9,750 in fuel costs over 5 years compared to average new vehicles.
That’s charging at home, these cost much more.
Using DC fast charging, Bolt will take on around 95 miles in 30 minutes so it’s not
the fastest charging EV out there.
At home where most charging is done, using Level 2 it’ll juice up completely in about
eight or nine hours, essentially overnight.
So, for those that road trip often, Bolt will require more patience at the plug.
People using it for commuting that can charge where they sleep won’t really sacrifice
at all.
Like any vehicle, know your needs.
The two Bolts share the same cabin look, a big improvement over the first generation’s
interior.
I had to squint to tell if this was real or molded stitching.
At that point what’s the difference?
Premier models get leather seats, these updated chairs are another improvement, they’re
much more supportive now.
There’s a very good surround view camera system, found only in luxury cars a few years
back.
There are some budget grade plastics but the overall vibe from behind the wheel is a positive
one, especially in the Nightshift Blue colorway.
There’s even ambient light piping across the dashboard that didn’t photograph well.
Skateboard platforms allow for extra storage spaces.
Neither Bolts are huge cars but there are the expected places to squirrel things away.
The center console is especially deep, this is a pretty big jar of peanut butter.
Who doesn’t keep one of those in their car?
The user interface is exceptionally easy to use with excellent response.
There are voice commands using Alexa, I couldn’t sign into it so you’ll have to try that
yourself.
There’s wireless phone charging.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay don’t require a cord so that makes it all easy.
So there’s like three extra inches of legroom in the back compared to the regular Bolt?
Yup, you can really tell the difference when it comes to knee leg and foot room but I’m
a professional and kind of sensitive to that kind of thing.
Whatever, We’re both 5 foot nine and yeah legroom is great, cushions are high enough
so that thigh support is excellent, in fact they could actually be dropped down an inch
or two because headroom is maybe a little bit on the tight side.
At least the door openings are big enough so that car seats go in and out without any
issues.
Door pockets, those are pretty big and you can put change here but does anybody can we
change anymore?
My big pet peeve of course, there’s a no pocket here and the kids are going to fight
over that.
No separate climate zone back here or adjustable vents but I do like that there are both kind
of USB ports.
And check it out, heated seats, that’s a surprise.
There’s no spine here, the floor is bolt flat.
Get it?
And leg room might be improved but the EUV is no wider than the regular Bolt so I would
keep it to two adults back here.
Three would be a crowd.
With just a couple they could put refreshing beverage is back here it’s much more civilized
with just a couple here.
As far as design goes, the EUV seems to be a popular choice in my casual parking lot
opinion poll.
A number of folks came up to ask what it was.
Even though it doesn’t look too avant-garde, people seemed to know right off the bat it
was an EV.
It got more thumbs up than expected.
EUV’s rear end has a much smoother line than the other Bolt which looks like a budget
hatchback.
There’s some inspiration from Chevy Blazer here.
The two Bolts share a beak with this interesting detail so from dead on they look the same.
The Silver Flare Metallic has just a hint of blue in it.
Nice paint.
With Bolt EUV being about a half foot longer than Bolt classic you might be thinking there’s
gotta be a little bit more cargo room right?
Not really.
In fact, on GMs press site, the cargo numbers for the EUV are oddly (if insignificantly)
smaller than Bolt EV.
Can’t tell you why.
There’s no spare so there’s lots of space under the floor.
It’s an easy reach to drop the seatbacks and in total that’s 57 cubic feet to fill
up.
Not bad for a smaller vehicle.
No 40/20/40 split but I get it at this price.
And if you want a totally flat floor, it’s a thing in the EUV.
Seats up, there’s 16.3 cubic feet to load up on TP which turns out to be 5 packs of
the 2-ply.
Pretty standard for a hatchback this size.
And for those that will flag me about loading so high the rearward vision is blocked, Chevy
has you covered with a digital rearview mirror.
Technology for the win.
It gives a wide view of traffic.
Let’s move on to Red Light Green Light
Green Light- The new pricing makes this an affordable EV with good range, what many people
are asking for.
The EUV gets a sleeker look, it’s amazing what a little length and a new back end can
do.
The improved cabin is stuffed with features, creature comforts and Super Cruise.
The carpool gang will appreciate the extra legroom and comfortable seats.
Yellow Light- EUVs svelte design and extra room come with a small cost and range penalty.
It’s zippy fun, but push it hard and the suspension shows a lack of polish.
There’s extra leg room in back but no added width.
It’s best for two adults there.
Red Light- Road trippers will lament Bolt’s slower commercial charging speed.
No spare tire always gets a ding from me.
Eventually Super Cruise will require owners to pay.
Welcome to the future of subscription services.
There’s also the long shadow of the LG Chem battery recall which, has to be a strong reason
why GM has dropped the price so dramatically in a market where prices are rising.
Also, competitors still enjoy the federal tax credit.
The value readjustment should get people into Chevy stores to take a look, this is a good
deal.
Playing armchair product planter for a moment, if I were Chevy I would ditch the Bolt EV
and only make the Bolt EUV.
This looks better, it’s a little bit roomier and having two Bolts in the marketplace is
confusing.
In my opinion this is the better Bolt.
It’s not without its baggage, but if you want an affordable electric vehicle with loads
of range, buckets of features and tons of practicality, It’s tough to beat the Bolts.
Either one of them.
(but really go with the EUV).
No doubt, Bolt got stung from the battery recall.
Still, have to hand it to GM for stepping up to do the right thing fairly quickly.
I get it if people don’t trust this car after all that.
For now there’s no way to know if the pack issues are solved.
Only time will tell.
And it’s not as if other EVs haven’t caught fire as well.
It’s a very rare event.
And gas cars catch fire as well.
A reminder that I’ve got a price quote service and if you use it, it benefits this channel.
I like that.
But please use any of them like Cars.com because that way you’re armed with as much information
as you possibly can get.
It’s hard to buy a car these days and use mine and you get invoice pricing right away,
not that you’re gonna be paying invoice pricing.
These days you’ll be lucky to get it for MSRP.
But shop smart OK?
I want you to get a good deal.
And one thing I see time and time again?
People tend to overbuy.
They’ll go for a three-row crossover because every other leap year, the in-laws visit and
maybe, just maybe they need the room when going out for dinner.
Or maybe it’s all-wheel drive that may never be taken advantage of.
Bolt isn’t available with AWD.
That’s okay.
The upcoming Equinox will have it.
If you NEED it.
Hope you got something out of my look at the Chevy Bolt EUV.
Instead of a fun fact I’m gonna leave you with an opinion because a lot of people on
my channel have left the comment that there are no good affordable electric vehicles and
I don’t think that’s true.
This is Exhibit A.
The Chevy Bolt is a very well done vehicle.
Yes it has a black eye because of the battery recall, you know that could actually be an
opportunity, these are very inexpensive on the used market and they come with a brand-new
battery.
General Motors is replacing all of them, such a good deal.
And yeah it’s no luxury car but that’s the way it works folks this is an entry level
car.
It’s not supposed to be a luxury vehicle, it’s a base car.
It’s very well done.
Really.
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the comments.
OK?
All right.
That’s Driven, I’m Tom Voelk