GM has unveiled the new version of the Chevy Bolt, its popular, affordable EV with an upgraded battery and an otherwise very similar package to its last iteration, and we’re on the scene at a special event for Bolt owners at Universal Studios Hollywood to get you all the info you need.
The Chevy Bolt was originally released in the 2017 model year. It was GM’s first real, modern effort at an EV, designed to be all-electric rather than a compliance car like the old Chevy Spark EV. (GM did previously design the EV1 from the ground up, but it came along before the lithium ion era of EVs, and was decidedly a compliance car).
It was also a great car. Not only was it a good size unlike the ridiculous land yachts we’re seeing so many of today, it had a phenomenal price, especially near the end of the model’s life. It was good enough to be Electrek’s vehicle of the year for 2022.
But, due to an extended recall and because the Bolt used GM’s first-gen EV platform, rather than its whiz-bang new “Ultium” system, GM retired the vehicle in late 2023, even though it was having its best sales year ever.
But, that wasn’t the end for the model. After declaring the Bolt dead but before ending production on it, GM said that it would bring back an Ultium-based Chevy Bolt (which our publisher Seth Weintraub has taken to calling the “Boltium”).
And now, it’s finally time for the official unveiling, and we’re on hand at Universal Studios Hollywood for a “Bolt Block Party” showing off the new vehicle.
Meet the new Bolt, same as the old Bolt
When Chevy retired the Bolt and said they would bring it back later, we expected it to be similar, but perhaps not this similar. From the exterior, the new Bolt and the old Bolt EUV are nearly indistinguishable.
The front fascia is slightly modified with a black line between the headlights and no black border around the fake grille, and the rear has different taillights (placed higher up, a big demand from Bolt owners), and slightly more paint on the bumper. That’s about it. But we knew all that already, after seeing it charging in public last week.
Now we’re getting information on the interior and specs, which are the juicy updates we were hoping to hear changes on.
GM hasn’t publicized 0-60 times yet, but the Bolt will use the same motor as the Equinox EV, which gives 210hp. That’s about the same as the previous Bolt, and it weighs a similar amount, so we’re imagining similar performance as the 6-ish seconds 0-60 of the previous Bolt – peppy and more than enough for any daily needs, but not a sportscar.
In particular, the original Bolt’s main technical limitation was its low DC charge speed. It maxed out at 50kW, but often was even slower than that. In a world where many vehicles can now charge at 200kW+ speeds, the new Bolt needed an update.
Thankfully, it got one. The new Bolt is now capable of a 150kW charge rate, with a 10-80% charge in 26 minutes. GM says this is about three times faster than the previous generation.
This is due to a new 65kWh LFP battery, utilizing GM’s Ultium EV platform. The previous Bolt used LG cells, and was built before GM developed Ultium. This led the Bolt to be the only vehicle in GM’s EV stable on a different technology, and is what necessitated its retirement and retooling.
Not only does the Bolt charge faster, it also has new discharging capabilities… in the form of bidirectional charging. The new Bolt supports GM Energy’s V2H home products, and can offload power at 9.6kW(!).
However, in terms of V2L onboard power, there are no 120V plugs available, your only options to power devices are the included USB-C ports (2 front data+power, 2 rear power only).
The new battery also offers 255 miles of range (GM estimate). That’s a bit more than before, which is nice, plus you can charge to 100% every night because it’s LFP. But the DC charge speeds are really the bigger story here. Faster DC charge rates enable more seamless roadtrips.
Further enabling those roadtrips is the Bolt’s new NACS port, allowing it to use the Tesla Supercharger network. An adapter is still available to use on CCS networks, but Superchargers are typically a better experience, and the whole industry is moving in that direction at this point.
Another major change is in the Bolt’s software. The previous one had CarPlay, but this one won’t.
A lot of people are unhappy about that, and I understand the unhappiness. People have gotten used to CarPlay (or Android Auto), and lots of people love it, because it’s so much better than the software from whatever 2010s-era vehicle they came from. Infotainment systems have been horrendous in vehicles for a long time.
However, I argue that these phone-based car UIs aren’t actually that great. They are inherently generic, and unable to be tied deeply into vehicle functions in a way that provides a single coherent interface. That’s why I actually liked the UI in the Blazer EV, GM’s first implementation of its post-CarPlay solution, and continue to think that GM made an acceptable choice here.
So, I do think the Bolt UI will turn out okay. GM may take a little time to iron out some kinks, but in the longer term, I think this solution is better, and will enable over-the-air updates which saves time and trouble for everyone.
It also has available SuperCruise as an option, and happens to be the second vehicle in GM’s stable that has access to the new “route following” feature, previously only available on the Cadillac Vistiq, which will change lanes and take highway interchanges for you. Pretty neat for the cheapest EV in GM’s lineup to get a Cadillac feature before everything else does.
The interior has had a refresh with larger display, added ambient lighting, and cupholders which can be rearranged to accommodate larger cups. It also has more dash storage for passengers. And it still has a physical volume knob and HVAC buttons (and it has a heat pump, for more efficient winter heating).
Rear cargo space is the same as the outgoing Bolt EUV (including quite a large underfloor storage area) at 16 cubic feet with the seats up, or 57 with the seats down. Incidentally, with the seats down, this is actually the same amount of cargo space as the Equinox EV, which is 20 inches longer than the Bolt. Quite a feat of packaging efficiency here.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, price and availability. Chevy says the car will launch in the early months of 2026 with an RS trim at around $32k, and an LT comfort package at $29,990. Later, there will an LT trim with base price $28,995 – and all of those include destination charges, which are usually around $1k, so that’s the real price you’ll pay. That’s quite an attractive price, and as of right now, makes it the cheapest EV announced in America.
Quick first drive impressions
We got a chance to get behind the wheel in a very, very limited capacity on the Universal Studios backlot. So, only low-speed driving, and only for a very short amount of drive time.
But in that short amount of time, we didn’t notice any particular issues with the drive experience. The Bolt has access to various drive modes, including a customizable “My Mode” where you can set different steering weight, brake feel, acceleration feel, and turn fake motor sounds on or off.
The regenerative braking system isn’t exactly the same as the old Bolt, which we considered one of that vehicle’s strengths (and perhaps the best regen system available on the market). Its system is more like other current GM offerings, with options for “low” or “high” one-pedal mode, or to just use blended brakes.
We kept regen on “high” and acceleration to “sport” for the short drive, and were satisfied with how the car felt to drive. The regen might have taken just a tiny bit longer to ramp up than I’d have liked, but the throttle response was as peppy as I’d want, given the 210hp available. A little more power would be nice, but it’s a commuter car and did not feel wanting for power at all.
With regen on high, the car would come to a complete stop without pressing the brake pedal. It did this smoothly and without issue, even on hills. Interestingly enough, this is something that the Bolt, a $30k car, performs better at than the Porsche Macan EV, an $80k+ car, which came to a stop less smoothly than the Bolt did. Well done, GM.
We couldn’t really tell much about handling on our short backlot drive, or comfort on rough roads (except for the 200 feet of cobblestone we drove on at a speed of <10mph…). We didn’t note any significant problems with these, but we’ll have to get back to you after a real test later.
Electrek’s Take
One interesting thing about this unveiling is its timing – or rather, the timing of another unveiling which happened just about 24 hours ago. That’s when Tesla finally took the wraps off its long-promised “more affordable” EV, which turned out to just be a stripped-down version of its Model 3/Y with a still disappointingly-high $37k-$40k base price.
Tesla’s timing for that announcement could have been an attempt to steal the wind from the Bolt’s sails, but given the pricing of that vehicle compared to this one, we’re thinking that there may not be much cannibalization.
My main disappointment in the Bolt is that the new model is based on the EUV version, rather than the EV version. The previous iteration of the Bolt originally came in a smaller version dubbed the EV, with a six-inches-longer EUV version coming later. The EV actually sold in higher numbers than the EUV throughout the model’s life, but it was also available for longer.
But when Chevy announced it would bring back the Bolt, it said the new version would be EUV-only. At the time I found this folly, and I still do. We need smaller cars, not larger ones. While the EUV is still a more reasonably-sized vehicle than almost anything else on the road, I am still disappointed that it is moving in the wrong direction as far as size goes.
Nevertheless, in the current US environment where everyone seems determined to make using roads as unsafe as possible, the EUV is still smaller than the vast majority of cars available
And the price, well, that’s really the kicker. After republicans raised the price of every EV by $7,500 during an affordability crisis, with unwise tariffs also inflating consumer prices at the same time, it’s getting harder to buy a vehicle.
But the Bolt now joins the fray as one of the most affordable EVs out there, alongside the new Nissan Leaf which will cost under 30k (and even less, once a future lower-spec trim is announced), and significantly cheaper than other low-ish-priced EVs like the Equinox EV, Ioniq 5, and the aforementioned “more affordable” standard Model 3/Y.
That’s a big deal, and it makes the new Bolt a similar calculation as when it earned Electrek’s Vehicle of the Year. But now, it doesn’t even have the main downside it had at the time – its low DC charge rate, and battery questions during what was a messy recall. Both of those problems were solved here, leaving a calculation with few downsides.
We’re still at the event right now for the next few hours, so if you’ve got any questions that you’d like us to check on or relay to GM employees, let us know in the comments and we’ll see if we can get some answers (especially you Bolt owners). And, we just got all this info, so we’ll be updating this article as we digest more.
Update: To answer a few of your questions: it does have a heat pump, it does have a rear torsion bar (no rear multi-link suspension), it does still make an annoying “bong bong bong” sound whenever the door is open and there’s no way to turn it off, and it does have bidirectional V2H capability (at 9.6kW!!! on the cheapest EV in America! Wow!) and is compatible with GM Energy’s home products
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