- The Chevrolet Bolt, absent from the market since the 2023 model year, will come back for a limited run as a 2027 model
- It will likely be America’s least-expensive electric vehicle (EV)
The Bolt is back. Chevrolet has brought its Chevy Bolt electric vehicle (EV) back for a “limited run” as a 2027 model, starting early next year.
The Bolt was the best-selling non-Tesla EV in America when General Motors canceled it after the 2023 model year. That sounds like an odd decision, but it made sense at the time. The company had built an all-new EV platform that would let it use common batteries and parts to build vehicles in many classes. That left the Bolt as the only GM EV using an older battery technology.
However, it also left Chevrolet without a true entry-level EV. Its Equinox EV, starting at $34,995, was slightly too large and expensive to compete with a newly redesigned Nissan Leaf.
The reborn Bolt will fill that role. At $29,990 including destination fees, it becomes the least expensive new EV in America. Chevrolet says an even more affordable version, at $28,995, will be available “later in the model year.”
GM has not said how many it plans to build. The phrase “limited run” suggests that the company may have a more thoroughly updated version in the works for the 2028 model year.
Sort of New
- The 2027 Bolt is closer to a refreshed design than a truly new car
- It gets a redesigned interior, new battery tech, and faster charging speeds than the 2023 model
If the Bolt looks familiar, it should. What Chevrolet has done is closer to a refreshed model than an all-new design. It uses the slightly stretched proportions of the Bolt EUV from 2023, with a mild nip-and-tuck to bring it visually up to date.
New battery technology gives it a GM-estimated range of 255 miles (the EPA hasn’t confirmed the company’s math yet). It uses a Tesla-style North American Charging System (NACS) port, allowing it to recharge from Tesla Supercharger stations. It should complete that charging much faster than before. Chevrolet says it can charge from 10% to 80% in 26 minutes at a DC fast charger, about 2.5 times the speed of the retired model.
A single motor gives it 210 horsepower, which should feel quite zippy in a car this small.
A drastically updated interior offers an 11-inch digital screen for the driver and an 11.3-inch central touchscreen. GM has moved away from Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the only automaker to abandon the phone projection systems. But the 2027 Bolt has built-in Google apps and wireless phone charging.
For Many Shoppers, It’s Now a Matter of Bolt vs. Leaf
- The Bolt will battle the Nissan Leaf for control of the inexpensive EV market
Its low price means the Bolt will do battle with the all-new Nissan Leaf for your attention. The Leaf, which starts at $31,485, brings more range (up to 303 miles), more torque, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the fight. The Bolt brings more backseat space, a heat pump that will help it hold onto more range in cold temperatures, and the option of GM’s Super Cruise hands-free highway driving system.
