Chevrolet Bolt EV Review: Features, Performance, and Verdict

The car you see above is the Chevrolet Bolt. There are three important things you need to know about it: it’s a hatchback, it’s fully-electric, and it costs a whopping 174,500 Dirhams in the UAE. By the time you’re done reading this review, you’ll learn more about the Bolt but also be in a better position to understand if you should invest your hard-earned money into an electric vehicle or stick with a petrol-powered car.

Exterior

The Chevrolet Bolt is a bit of an oddball, as it sits right in the middle of being a hatchback and a compact SUV. Its styling and ground clearance match those of a hatchback, but its height and overall dimensions are closer to those of a compact SUV. Despite lacking traditional components such as an engine, radiator, or exhaust pipe, the Bolt looks very much like a regular car. This is a great thing, as the designers have managed to differentiate it from other models in the brand’s lineup without making it look awkward.

Interior

The interior of the Chevrolet Bolt is a bright, spacious, and pleasant place to be, featuring a two-tone color scheme that livens up the dashboard, door panels, and fabric seats. While there are plenty of convenient storage spaces and large cupholders, there is an unacceptable amount of hard plastic throughout the cabin, which you wouldn’t expect when paying over 170,000 Dirhams.

In the back, there’s a surprising amount of headroom and legroom. Since there’s no protruding transmission tunnel, the flat floor allows three adults to sit quite comfortably. Although there aren’t any rear A/C vents, the Bolt does offer two USB charging ports, something that is sure to be loved by the younger crowd.

Features

In terms of features, the Chevrolet Bolt is moderately equipped. It offers:

• Cruise control
• Six airbags
• Automatic air conditioning
• Digital instrument cluster called the Driver Information Center, customizable to show relevant information such as Timer, Avg Speed, Tire Pressure, etc.

The 10.2-inch infotainment screen takes center stage, offering Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, along with several charts to help you understand and improve your electric vehicle driving skills. However, features such as leather upholstery, mood lighting, and wireless charging have been restricted to other markets around the world.

Drive

Powering the Chevrolet Bolt is a 60-kWh battery that produces the equivalent of 204 horsepower and 360 Nm of torque. While it doesn’t sound like much, the Bolt has been tuned for acceleration rather than top speed, making it feel fast when you put your foot down. In fact, it feels much faster than its claimed time of 7.3 seconds to reach 100 km/h.

Like all other EVs, the Bolt is equipped with regenerative braking. Each time you press the brake pedal, it converts the kinetic energy from moving forward into electricity, storing it in the battery for later use.

Regenerative braking in the Bolt is automatic. Chevrolet has also added two mechanisms to maximize the benefits of regenerative braking:

• Regen on Demand: Controlled by a paddle behind the steering wheel, it increases the braking force to create more electricity.
• One Pedal Driving: Achieved when driving in Low mode, allowing you to slow down and stop by simply lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal. This reduces energy waste, enhances convenience, maximizes driving range, and extends brake life.

Next, let's address the important questions: how many kilometers can you get on a full charge, and how long does it take to charge? The Bolt claims a NEDC range of 520 km per charge, but the WLTP average of 380 km is more realistic and is what you’re likely to see in your instrument cluster.

In terms of charge times, it solely depends on the type of charger used. A regular home socket provides 12 km of driving range for each hour of charging, translating to 31 hours for a full charge.

A slightly faster charger, such as those typically found in malls, provides 40 km of driving range for each hour of charging, meaning you would still need 9.5 hours for a full charge. Super-fast chargers can recharge the entire battery in 1.5 hours, but there are only eight of them in Dubai.

Many people compare owning an EV to a petrol-powered car, but they are vastly different. While both the Bolt EV and a petrol car might provide 380 km on a full "tank," the difference is that when you’re running low in a petrol car, you can fill up in 10 minutes and drive another 380 kilometers. In an EV, you might need to wait 10 hours for the same range.

Let’s share an experience to illustrate this point. As the Bolt was running low on charge, I went to charge it up yesterday. Unfortunately, the first charger I tried didn’t work. I drove further to reach a second charger, which also didn’t work. Thankfully, I found a third charger that was working, but since the car needed nearly 7 hours to charge, I had no choice but to pay for a cab to take me back to the office, which defeats the purpose of having a car.

Verdict

Electric Vehicles have been in the market for several years now, but they’ve struggled to take off. This is largely due to their high prices and the inconveniences associated with owning one. If you’re determined to drive a vehicle that’s good for the environment, perhaps a hybrid like the Camry Hybrid we recently tested is a better option, as it provides all the benefits of an EV without the hassle. However, if you want an EV and nothing but an EV, there is some good news: the Bolt comes with a 3-year, 100,000 km warranty and a separate 8-year/160,000 km warranty on the battery.