2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV consumer reviews

It has been a month since I have purchased it... I have considered many cars at the time but with heavy discounts from M.S.R.P, Bolt came on the top of my list. Once I test drove it...I was sold. Since I have put 2,000 miles on it. Likes: performance, design and looks, regenerative one pedal driving, interior space OK: handling, interior, cargo room, easy charging Dislikes: comfort of front seats, unknown resale value 4-5 years from now

At current gas prices, my old hybrid SUV cost 14 to 16 cents/mile. My Bolt costs four (4) cents/mi! Plus there's no oil change, no tune-ups, no smog tests, no trips to the gas station. 0-60 in 6.5 secs. My range is 248 miles normal driving, up to 300. It's not a luxury car, but is sure is quiet. And it has all this fancy safety stuff. With only 2% of the moving parts of an internal combustion car, it will be much more reliable - per Consumer Reports "shockingly good". A new era in cars is here.

This is my 2nd Bolt, must fun/reliable car I’ve ever had. This is the highest tech car at this price point. It truly is a smart car, pleasure to use daily. 25 words won’t do justice.

I was bound and determined to get from Rochester, NY to my sister’s in New Jersey in my Bolt about 350 miles! In late April, my car’s upper range is now charging to 279 miles! Woo Hoo! Medium range about 237 and lower 194. So I decided to see about my trip to New Jersey. Here are some of the lessons I learned along the way. Lesson No. 1: Fast Charges are few and far between! I started by calling Chevy Dealerships in Syracuse, Cortland and Binghamton. None had a fast charge and they weren’t any help and didn’t offer to help me locate dealers that may have one. I downloaded apps for ChargeHub, EVgo, Charge Point, Blink, myChevrolet and Greenlots. They were not very consistent with each other in listing stations. Some listed private charging stations which were no help to me. My favorite map was ChargeHub. But I was glad I had EVgo because I that was the brand at one of my stops. As I mentioned earlier, there is only one public fast charge available in the Greater Rochester Area. There is a Fast Charge Desert between Rochester and Albany. The closest Fast Charge to Rochester traveling East is in the Hannaford Market in Guilderland NY about 216 miles away. The closest station was the Chevrolet Dealership in Elmira NY, 118 miles away. I decided to head to Elmira to be on the safe side from there I planned to reach NJ via Route 360 South to Elmira and Binghamton, 81 South from Binghamton to Rt. 380 (bypassing Scranton) to a final stop on route 80 East. Lesson No. 2: 90 Miles in 30 minutes is a myth! When I got to the Elmira station, there was a car blocking the fast charge. SURPRISE! ! I went into the service counter and asked if someone could help me connect to the fast charge. The service counter person responded “well I don’t know anything about that I can’t help you”. “Well you better, I need to use it and get to NJ”. He finally found someone in the service bay who met me at the charge, with a pal who grudgingly moved the truck. He had a key but had never used the charge before. We were both surprised that getting back to 80% charge would take me over an hour. He didn’t understand that one, neither did I. But hey, it was my big adventure, and it was a nice day so I took a walk and read my book. Lesson No. 3: You’re kind of on your own! My next stop was the Southern Tier Visitors Center south of Binghamton. Funny thing about this stop was that you couldn’t access it from Rt. 81 South. So I had to pass it, and turn around at the next exit about 6 miles away and get access it from 81 North. It is a very nice rest stop with two fast ports. But, no one knew how to work them! The young lady at the Information Desk said “I don’t know anything about it”, they just put it in and left”. Finally, the maintenance guy and the coffee lady came out and together we figured it out! High Fives all around and I was even offered a cup of coffee while I waited another hour or so. The last stop on Route 80 was at the Holiday Inn at Budd Lake. Here the restaurant Chef and I figured out the charging station. Which cost $13.00 on my EVgo account and took about 45 minutes. I made it to Allendale New Jersey with miles to spare! The trip home was easier, as I was leaving with a full charge and went directly to Binghamton via Route 17. From there it was back to the Elmira Chevrolet and home. Only two stops with 50 miles left. Conclusions? Don’t get me wrong, I love my Chevy Bolt – and the idea of no emissions! However, I don’t think Chevrolet supports this car. I couldn’t do this trip on a Sunday or after dealership hours. It is also my experience that neither the salespersons nor the service people know anything about the car. When I bought the car I was told it would be no problem charging on the go. Seeing EV chargers around town I believed him. Later I learned that the EV chargers we see at libraries and municipalities usually are slow chargers, meaning they will charge from 5-12 miles an hour. Honestly I don’t even see the point of these as you would need a few hours at least to get the mileage it took to get there. Finally, being a proud optimist, I do believe in electric cars. I hope that in the future the companies will agree on a universal connector, inform their sales people who can advise buyers of the pros and cons of their vehicle. Until then, I will continue to enjoy the adventure!

This is an amazing car. Fun to drive and excellent handling. No issues with battery range covering the State from one end to the other. Comfortable and quiet. One-pedal driving is a piece of cake and gets you way over the rated range. Appreciate the many safety features such as in lane reminders, distance warnings and blind spot alerts. The acceleration is fantastic—0 to 60 in six seconds. Chevrolet hit this one out of the park. Can’t wait to see what’s next (GM, if you’re reading this I could really use an EV van).

After owning two Volts and loving them, I was ready to go all electric and the Bolt EV fit my needs. With a range of roughly 235 miles between charging, it more than suits my lifestyle. The torque is incredible and the ride is excellent with the Premier trim. The seats are much better in the Premier. The 360 camera view really comes in handy as does the review mirror camera. There is plenty of headroom and legroom for my family and that's saying a lot since we are all 6' tall or taller. There isn't a lot of storage behind the back seats but if you utilize the space under the false floor, it's really quite impressive. I have installed Level 2 charging at my house so I can charge overnight. I'm so glad I made the leap to all electric. I'm also able to take advantage of the federal tax credit for electric vehicles which makes it even more affordable.

This car is a hoot to drive. It’s a great affordable way to ease into the EV world. Reliable, fast little car that has a small crossover feel. Ample opportunities in New England to drive in all sort of weather, charge at home or out on town. One pedal driving brings some fun back on the roadways. At 250 miles per full charge, it stands up there with the big boys.

Great driving experience. One pedal driving is easy and fun. Handles well. Plenty of room inside. With a few added packages you get all the safety features you need. Also great range on the battery.

Wow. This is a really nice car. I looked at the Tesla Model 3 and it is an impressive car but not quite there yet in terms of quality and service availability where I live. This car is built very well and you can tell that GM put a lot of engineering into this car. I purchased the Premier with all the options. It is a great car and is very fun to drive.

It's super fast and efficient. My kid loved the stylings of this car. However the price tag is a bit steep so we'll wait. I love the idea of an electric vehicle.