Chevrolet has seen a massive increase in the sales of its Bolt platform, specially the EUV version, and for good reason. For the EUV starting price of $27,200 (before incentives), it’s a fantastic deal in the electric car world. Our test vehicle here is a fully loaded Premier with all of the packages (Redline, Sun & Sound, and Super Cruise) for $36,890. For nearly 250 miles of range, a slow but decent DC fast charging (DCFC) rate of 50kW, improved features, and great onboard technology along with a very comfortable ride, we can see why the EUV is a top seller in its segment.
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
For 2023, Chevy has updated the EUV LT and Premier trims for the Redline Edition Trim ($495). While this won’t add any stiffer suspension or more power, it does add some unique trim touches on the exterior and the interior. Exterior wise, the refreshed Bolt (from MY2022+) got the additional model, the EUV, while offering restyled front and rear fascias. Previously owning a 2019 Chevy Bolt ourselves, we found a few oddities during our time with the 2023 EUV. We noticed the LED headlights (which were nicer than our HIDs in our Bolt) were pointed really far down so that the beam of light made it difficult to see at night (it seems like an adjustment can be made). Another concern of ours was having the rear brake lights further down in the bumper compared to other vehicles. Some other manufactures have done this — in the past and currently — but it would have been nice to have them on the rear running “taillights.” It just seemed a little odd to us considering how the previous Bolt’s had them up higher.
Regardless of those oddities, the Bolt’s exterior looks great, especially with the Redline Edition accents our test model had here.
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
The biggest change on the interior for the Redline Edition is just the leather seats, as they are black with red stitching. It would have been nice if the dashboard elements also had the same red stitching instead of white or black stitching. The seats in this EUV are powered for the driver, heated and ventilated for both front seats (heated rear too). They feel very comfortable compared to the 1st-gen Bolt seats, which I described as “a plastic lawn chair with cloth.” It’s great to see these features at the price point that is the Bolt EUV. The panoramic sunroof is a first for the Bolt platform and allows a lot of natural light to come in, and the opening is fairly large. Just be aware, it cuts into rear seat headroom as well.
Speaking of rear seat room, thanks to the extra 3 inches of space compared to the Bolt EV, the Bolt EUV has a great backseat. The only caveat is: watch out for the C-pillar when climbing into the backseat, as it sits very low and we found ourselves hitting our heads getting in an out. Cargo space is a tad smaller than in the EV, but we barely noticed in our week of testing and running to Costco.
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
As far as technology, the Bolt EUV has the usual bluetooth, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto (it is wireless now!), and basic safety features standard on the Premier (optional on LT). But what I wanted to talk about was Super Cruise. Our tester had this $2,200 option, and while we will save our driving impressions with this feature for the video, the short summary is that we are impressed with the system. It does not seem to be as advanced as what you find in the Cadillac Lyriq or GMC Hummer EV, but it is great that Chevy offers a system such as this when a lot of its competitors in the segment don’t offer this technology. We do wish there was auto lane change like in the GMC or Cadillac, but GM has to reserve some of these higher end tech features for the new EVs. (We can’t wait to test out the Cadillac and Hummer’s Super Cruise later this year.)
Image courtesy of Tyler Boggs | CleanTechnica
Lastly, let’s talk about what some would call the Achilles heel of the Bolt, which is the DCFC rate of 50kW. Having previously owned a 2019 Bolt with the same DCFC rate, I do wish Chevy would have been able to increase this charging rate (it did increase AC charging from 7.2kW to 11kW), but this seems to be reserved for the Ultium technology that is upcoming. Is it a deal breaker? Honestly, it isn’t. Having put 21,000 miles on our previous Bolt, we never had an issue with the slower rate of charging, it would just be a “nice to have” for road tripping. Many Bolt owners who road trip would agree that faster DC fast charging would be nice. Even in all of our roadtrips to Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania from Ohio, the Bolt was a champ for road tripping and this EUV would be so very comfortable, especially with Super Cruise.
Price wise, you really cannot find another EV that gives you the best bang for your buck when it comes to affordability. I hope more manufactures can do the same and produce more EVs that cost somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000. As we see from the numbers, the EUV and EV are selling quite well.
Want to see what we think of Super Cruise and our driving impressions? Click here to check out our video and find out what we think about the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Premier Redline Edition. Thanks to Chevy for sending us the 2023 Bolt EUV!
Related Story: Video: 2023 Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid SX Touring Review
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