The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt took an odd route to return to the road.
The electric subcompact SUV was originally introduced in 2022 as the Bolt EUV electric utility vehicle and discontinued in 2023 with no plans to replace it. After its fans started complaining, Chevrolet decided to bring it back, just not immediately.
It picked up the tooling from the assembly plant in Michigan that was building it and shipped it to another factory in Kansas, but made a few updates along the way. It’s just called the Bolt now, even though it uses the same body as the Bolt EUV. Things are much different under the skin.
Notably, Chevrolet changed the battery technology from NMC, or nickel manganese cobalt, to LFP, or lithium iron phosphate. LFPs are cheaper to manufacture than NMCs. They use fewer rare earths and are more durable. The main drawback is they’re not as energy dense, so they weigh more at the same storage capacity. In this case, 65 kWh.
Chevrolet also swapped in a newer electric motor that’s rated 210 horsepower and 169 lb-ft of torque, while the old one was 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. It also changed the gearing, so the acceleration’s pretty much the same, about 7 seconds to 60 mph. More important for many customers, the range has been increased a bit from 247 miles per charge to 262 miles per charge.
Those charges are a lot faster, too. The Bolt EUV had a maximum charge rate of 55 kW, while the Bolt’s has been increased to 150 kW. That allows it to fill from 10% to 80% in less than a half hour, while the Bolt EUV needed close to an hour. It also comes from the factory with an NACS-type charge port and is compatible with the newest Tesla Superchargers.
Another advantage is that, while it’s usually recommended that you only charge an electric car with an NMC battery up to 80% on a daily basis to preserve its long-term life, you can charge an LFP battery to 100% every time, even on a fast charger. That makes it a much more useful long-hauler.
It takes about 55 minutes to go all the way to 100% at a fast-charging station, but that extra 20% represents about 50 extra miles of driving, about an hour extra between charges, which makes a big difference when you plan on a road trip.
Read Also: THE CHEVROLET BOLT IS BEING BUILT IN TINY BATCHES
Despite all of this, Chevy managed to keep the price reasonable at $28,995. That makes it the cheapest car currently built in America by an American brand. The Slate pickup is set to claim that title later this year at $26,400, but it’s a two-seater rated for 205 miles of range. If you want the five-seat SUV version, you’re looking at $31,400 and possibly less range. The heavier, boxy SUV is an accessory kit for the pickup, not a production model, so it doesn’t get a formal efficiency rating in that configuration.
The Bolt is available in two trims. The base model is the LT, while the RS lists for $32,995. The RS is mechanically identical to the LT, but swaps its cloth upholstery for Chevy’s Evotex synthetic leather-like material. It gets heated and ventilated front seats, adjustable ambient lighting, roof rails and black 17-inch wheels.
The Bolt EUV’s interior was also redesigned with new displays for the instrument cluster and infotainment system touchscreen, which now runs on Google built-in and does not offer Android Auto or Apple CarPlay integration. Apps must be loaded into the vehicle, which has its own connectivity with an eight-year subscription included in the purchase price.
The RS is also available with a $1,195 tech package that adds a digital rearview mirror, a surround camera, wireless charging, and a couple other features, and you can add GM’s hands-free Super Cruise highway driving system on top of that for another $3,255.
Despite being a subcompact SUV, the Bolt is roomy enough for a six-foot-tall passenger to fit behind a six-foot-tall passenger with room to spare. The cargo area looks kind of small when you open the hatchback, but you can drop the floor to make it bigger. Unfortunately, that’s because it doesn’t come with a spare tire, just a fix-a-flat kit.
The powertrain is well-matched to the car and it has a one-pedal drive mode that uses the electric motor to brake and charge the battery when you take your foot off of the accelerator. The 262-mile range rating is spot-on, if not conservative. I saw better efficiency than that at times during my week with the car.
MORE CHEVROLET NEWS FROM AMERICAN CARS AND RACING
The ride quality isn’t anything special and pretty much what you’d expect from a subcompact SUV. It’s comfortable enough for cruising around, but not very sporty in curves.
The Bolt’s most direct competition is the $31,635 Nissan Leaf, which isn’t as roomy, but delivers up to 303 miles per charge at that price. The larger Chevrolet Equinox EV is more likely to steal customers at $36,795 with 319 miles of range.
At least for the next year, because the Bolt is being discontinued again sometime in 2027. Chevrolet hasn’t said what, if anything, will replace it, but GM has been working on a new affordable electric vehicle platform.
In the meantime, anyone still in the market for an affordable electric vehicle should give it a look. It may be the cheapest, but it doesn’t feel cheap.
