// ENGADGET — MONDO
2027 Chevrolet Bolt Review: RIP to the GOAT of low-cost electric motoring
Like a budget-minded phoenix, the Bolt is back — but not for long.
Since its debut a decade ago, the Chevrolet Bolt has offered a value-minded EV in a simple, practical package. Today, at $28,995 (including destination fees), the 2027 edition is the cheapest EV on the American market. It's about $10,000 less than that original Bolt, and a killer deal.
A deal that is, sadly, more or less dead. This stalwart EV is not long for this world, risen from the ashes of a disastrous, multi-billion-dollar recall and eventual production hiatus, but set to return to them in just a few months' time. That's a shame, because this is no-frills, no-emissions motoring at its finest.
The current-generation Bolt is the latest in a line of notable, electrified hero cars with a bowtie on the front. Chevrolet got in the game with the EV1 way back in 1996, but it was the 2010 Volt that signaled the brand's intent to find new, affordable ways to propel our cars.
When the Bolt came along in 2016, it not only forced vehicle pundits worldwide to improve their enunciation, but showed that Chevrolet was just getting started on its electrification journey. Starting at under $40,000, the Bolt was a compelling package, and it got even better in 2021 with the release of the second-generation model and its upscaled version, the Bolt EUV.
Then came the fires, the recall, and before long all that brand equity Chevrolet had been building went right out the window.
That stop-sale of the Bolt was a painful thing, so much so that I figured we'd never see another one. But here it is, the 2027 edition, with a few choice updates meant as a strong send-off for this significant but sadly stymied machine.
The biggest upgrade is a wholly new, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack. It's rated for 65-kilowatt-hours of capacity, providing an EPA-estimated 262 miles of range for the LT trim I tested. It has a single motor that delivers 210 horsepower and 169 pound-feet of torque to the front wheels.
Quickest EV on the road? Hardly. Fun and torquey? Yes indeed, just like the earlier Bolt and even Volt before it.
It now charges via NACS port, so Supercharger support is baked in, and it should go without saying that the unfortunate battery woes that plagued the model have now been fixed. But otherwise it's much the same as it was before, in the same hatchback shape that's every bit as practical as the various crossover SUVs swarming dealership lots.