2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV Review: Affordable Electric Does Exist

Four hundred and ninety three.

As I park the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV up at its drop-off point, its digital instrument panel shows I’ve travelled 493 kilometers on a single charge. That’s 306 miles, far beyond the 259-mile (417-km) official range. The screen has stopped providing range estimates—it simply flashes “Low”—but that makes the Bolt one of the longest-range EVs to ever pass through the AutoGuide battery of tests.

What’s more, it’s also one of the most affordable. For 2022 Chevrolet has chopped the price of its dedicated EV, along with giving it a substantial facelift and interior refresh. The result is a likeable, budget-friendly hatchback that proves switching to electric doesn’t mean spending big bucks.

Editor’s Note: This test drive originally took place in mid-August 2021. The Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV recall happened shortly after. With GM restarting production on April 4, we now feel confident publishing the review.

The Bolt EV has been around since 2017. Over the years, Chevrolet has quietly expanded its range, with the 2020 model clocking in at the afore-mentioned 259 miles (417 km). So nothing has changed there—but then again, nothing really needed to. The Bolt’s range is unmatched in the sub-compact segment, pipping the Hyundai Kona EV by a single mile.

Similarly, the drivetrain carries over. Based on Chevrolet’s older BEV2 electric vehicle platform, not Ultium, it carries a 65.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack low in the floor. The 150-kW motor produces an even 200 horsepower, and 266 pound-feet. A single-speed transmission sends that power to the front wheels alone. This is the case for the related Bolt EUV too, despite its faux-crossover shape.

Changes are afoot inside the Bolt, too. In fact, Chevy’s designers have taken the opposite approach here: the interior is now more “regular car” than before. Or less unique, depending on your perspective. The white plastic of the 2020 model we last tested is gone, with an upright, black section now sitting in front of the passenger. While some considered the white cheap-looking, I’d argue the new look isn’t much better, and the addition of swathes of piano black means this one collects dust and fingerprints like nothing else. The climate controls do look much nicer, however.

Chevrolet has switched to its push-button shifter, which now forms a bridge over the under-console storage cubby. Drinks now sit behind the shifter, which is an objectively worse place for them. Yeah, I said it.

The Bolt’s tidy dimensions and short overhangs give it a fishbowl-like view out from the driver’s seat. The rising beltline and thick C-pillars do limit visibility over the shoulders, however. Rear-seat passengers won’t love a window line that comes up to their chin, either. That said, there’s a healthy 36.5 inches (927 mm) of rear legroom,

And up front? Chevrolet made a big song and dance about its improved seats, after the old ones drew plenty of criticism. A combination of a flat cushion and little lower back support results in them feeling more like perches than seats.

It tracks that an EV should have a robust tech suite. The Bolt does, with Chevy’s well-liked system occupying the 10.25-inch screen embedded within the dashboard. New for 2022 is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and it all works seamlessly. Both the phone menus and the native ones respond quickly to taps, and the color-coding makes it easy to access via peripheral vision. The one miss is the redundant rotary knob below the home button. It’s used to select icons on the screen, but when it’s that close, why bother?

I’m a big fan of the Bolt’s digital instrument cluster. The customizable setup provides plenty of information, but the best feature is to the left of the screen. Chevrolet doesn’t share a remaining battery percentage, only a range. Rather, a range of ranges: there’s the current estimate based on recent driving habits, plus the optimum, as well as the heavy-foot alternative. This real-time display gives drivers a clearer picture not just of the remaining range, but how their driving directly impacts it.

The Bolt is the EV equivalent of an economy car, so its outright feature count is only acceptable, not exceptional. Wireless charging is optional (in the US, not Canada), which makes this one of the few cars to offer wireless phone pairing without the requisite Qi pad. The same option package brings in a Bose seven-speaker sound-system. We couldn’t test it, but the stock six-speaker setup was fine. Heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, heated exterior mirrors, eight-way power driver’s seat, and Wi-Fi hotspot are all standard features.

On the safety front, every 2022 Bolt EV comes with automated emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, rear parking sensors, lane keep and departure assists, auto high beams, and Chevy’s useful Teen Driver profile. Adaptive cruise control is an option in the US; sorry, Canadians, no feet-off highway time for you.

Oh, I get to quote myself! Here it goes:

“The Bolt feels tailor-made for big-city driving. It’s a torquey little thing, yet the go-pedal is calibrated to make it easy to meter out exactly as much thrust as you’d like.”

That’s from the 2020 review, and it’s just as relevant here. The Bolt is remarkably easy to drive, remaining one of my favorite cars to wheel around downtown. The combination of excellent visibility, short overhangs, and instant-on torque makes the Bolt EV a cinch to slot into gaps in traffic. The option of one-pedal driving is here too, and it persists even through on/off cycles. Regenerative braking is strong, but not abrupt. As is often the case with these things, it takes a day or two to get used to, and then it becomes second nature. I kept it on for most of the loan period, which no doubt contributed to that long range.

Steering effort and weight are both minimal. This tester resists the more severe pogoing over rough terrain that its 2020 predecessor succumbed to. Put simply, the Bolt EV is a quiet, comfortable ride, easily capable of longer drives. If only those seats were more supportive. Power does taper off around highway passing speeds, but the Bolt never lacks power. The low center of gravity and econo-spec tires make it weirdly entertaining to fling around a curvy backroad, too.

And that final range? I drove without AC when it was bearable, and kept to surface roads unless it became unreasonable. At 5 miles (8 km) per kWh, that makes the Bolt EV incredibly efficient. It is the very opposite of the Hummer EV, from the same parent company no less.

The Bolt sees a huge price cut for 2022, dropping the US entry cost to just $32,495, including destination. That’s for the 1LT trim, with the fancier 2LT coming in for a few grand more. Options are limited to premium paints, the new dual-level charge cord, an uprated infotainment package, and adaptive cruise control.

Things are different in Canada. The latter two packages aren’t even offered, and the Bolt comes in just one trim. The machine-faced aluminum wheels are optional, however. As equipped, this tester rings in at $40,888 CAD, $900 CAD more than base.

That makes the Bolt one of the most affordable all-electric models on the market. The small-battery Nissan Leaf undercuts it, but there you’re sacrificing a whole lot of range. Same with the Hyundai Ioniq Electric—no, not the Ioniq 5, that’s a whole other beast. The Korean brand’s closest analog is the $35,245 ($45,724 CAD) Kona Electric. Arguably that’s more of an EUV competitor, however.

The 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV remains an impressive little all-electric option. It doesn’t have the shine of newness anymore, and the supposedly grown-up interior redesign makes it a little more bland. Larger EVs from numerous mainstream automakers have eclipsed it in space, pace, and range, too.

Yet there are still shoppers who eschew the idea of buying “too much car.” They want what covers their needs, and nothing else. For those who still value a city-sized hatchback, but want to make the jump to zero emissions, the Bolt is a straight-forward, easy-to-live with option.

FAQs

How much does the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV cost?

The Bolt is one of the most affordable electric cars on the market, starting from just $32,495 ($39,998 CAD).

When can you buy the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV?

The Bolt EV and EUV were taken off sale Q3 2021 due to the battery recall; production restarts on April 4. American buyers can find the Bolt EV on the American website; Canada had not yet restarted sales at the time of writing.

What is the range of the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV?

The official figure is 259 miles (417 km). We did almost 20-percent better.