My daughter is shopping for an ev she is looking at a bolt

[Supervstech]

The dealership she is shopping at has one where the charge will only go to 150.
They have no explanation for the issue.
They want market value for the car...
She wisely is asking me about it.
I told her to go on the ev forums and get info, and she is, but i thought id post it here because you guys were so helpful with my leaf shopping.

Thanks!

 

[time2roll]

Bolt 2020 and newer says rated 259 miles. 150 is a huge red flag that I would not buy except at a deep 50% discount.
Even the 2017-2019 models with 238 miles showing 150 is bad news.

150 miles can easily cramp your style.

I thought some of these had a battery recall. Could be the recall has not been corrected and the car is software limited. Still not encouraging.

 

[740GLE]

Unless she needs a car asap, it’s a buyers market, keep shopping.

If I were in the market I’d look at the Leaf over the bolt.

 

[Danke]

I’ve seen used EV’s really cheap because some of the the early models out there had small batteries. And now that they’re used have even lower capacity. For five or six grand you can get a battery pack from China that is around three times the capacity of the original battery. Just gotta do the work of installing it yourself.

 

[fromport]

The dealership she is shopping at has one where the charge will only go to 150.
They have no explanation for the issue.
They want market value for the car...
She wisely is asking me about it.
I told her to go on the ev forums and get info, and she is, but i thought id post it here because you guys were so helpful with my leaf shopping.

Thanks!

https://www.chevybolt.org/ is for me what diysolarforum is for my solar ;-)
I normally charge to 80% every day because that is enough for my daily driving.
I easily get 250+ miles of range (@80% charge) in the summer but as you know, in the winter that is a lot less.
I currently see with both my 2020 & 2023 bolts 160-190 miles of range @ 80% each morning.

A lot of bolts were re-purchased by GM because of possible faulty batteries. Instead of putting new batteries in all bolts, software was installed that will limit charging to only 80% for 6200 miles (10k km). If during those 6200 miles an abnormality is seen, a message will pop up on the display, charging will be limited to 30% (hopefully enough to make it to the dealer) and the car will be fitted with a new battery.
Look at cargurus.com for comparable bolts in your area.
There are insane deals to be made at the moment.

My EV history:
3 yr Nissan leaf 30k miles
3yr Toyota RAV4ev 34k
3yr Toyota RAV4ev 25k
3yr 2019 Chevy bolt 38K5
current: 35 months 2020 Chevy bolt 35k miles
current: 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV 4k miles with comma 3

 

[Alkaline]

Used model 3 performance with under 30k miles are going for $24K which to me is a great car, a lot better than the cyber flop.

Never buy a new Tesla!

 

[400bird]

Is the battery really cold and are they running the cabin heater full blast? That lowers the range guess - o - meter.
There are settings in the screen to limit max SOC.

The Bolt only DC fast charges at 50-55kW, so it makes even an occasional trip longer. Most newer EVs charge at 150-350kW, that takes an hour charge stop down to 15 minutes.

We got the new battery on our 2019 and have the 259 mile range battery.

 

[zanydroid]

Bolt is a nice car but Chevy is at the tier of dealership where they’re either regularly full of shit, on copium, or out to exploit people that don’t go in with a plan. All of the above.

When I looked at the bolt the local dealer had a tricked out one for $50k and insisted it was a much better value than just buying a Model Y.

 

[zanydroid]

The 2024 Hyundai Kona looks good in this segment. Lease is needed to harvest the EV tax credit unless Kona is made in NA, etc

 

[G00SE]

The 2024 Hyundai Kona looks good in this segment. Lease is needed to harvest the EV tax credit unless Kona is made in NA, etc

Even the used Kona/niro appear to be stellar options. I know @ksmithaz1 has a ton of insight on them.
I imagine for OP that price is a factor hence a used bolt. Typically the most affordable of the 200+ range EVs. The Korean platforms are a bit more money, but also seem to offer more if they catch her interest.
I’d only buy a bolt that had zero mechanical/historical questions. Meaning the one she’s looking at would be a hard no. There’s bolts everywhere. No need to settle for a crapshoot

There’s also the $4k usd used ev tax credit available for 2022 and older with a sales price under 25k and not having a used ev rebate claimed last year by prior owner

 

[fromport]

Related:

Tesla, Audi, And Nissan EVs Have Minimal Winter Range Loss

EVs retain 70 percent of their range on average in freezing temperatures, data from a new study showed.

insideevs.com

 

[Steve_S]

Certain Chevy Bolt EV And EUV Owners Offered $1,400 Payout In Battery Recall​

Certain Chevy Bolt EV And EUV Owners Offered $1,400 Payout In Battery Recall

For 2020 to 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV owners, the ongoing battery recall is winding down with a $1,400 payout after a final software update.

www.forbes.com

And there is much more General Malaise there...

Hertz is selling off a bunch of Tesla Model-3's which are a good deal.
Until GM/Ford/Stellas-Antics are all using NACS and are capable of proper fast charging, I would not touch a Legacy Automaker... they still have to catch up Big Time !

 

[Solar Guppy]

On the Bolt ( and Volt), the range is based on previous driving, so if there is high loads like lots of full power starts, or being on, but not moving in cold or hot weather with climate control running. ( I have own 2 Volts and One Bolt, currently no EV's in the household ). So factory new sitting on the lot showing 150 miles range is not really a concern.

100% of the Bolts were recalled in 2022 and full battery replacement provided due to LG cell issues with folded tabs in the battery packs, also the same cells are used in the Solar Storage batteries and they were recalled as well, a very bad couple of years for LG.

 

[OffgridMatty]

I have a 2021 Kona that has been a great intro into the EV world. I wanted a Model 3, but the hassle of getting one and the lack of reasonable repair options kept me away. The Kona is leased and I got the full EV credit as a result as a point of sale discount. The car is a bit on the small side for me, but as a daily commuter it is amazing. Plenty fast enough and range that allows for all my needs except long trips. I am upgrading to a model Y once the lease is up.

 

[time2roll]

+1 for waiting for a NACS connector or consider a Tesla.

 

[Osmethne]

Yeah if you want to do road trips then nacs is essential.

Also don't buy an ev where you suspect the battery might have an issue. This is not like a gasoline engine. You often have to replace the whole shebang. Fixing these packs at the component level is often difficult to impossible.

Mini Cooper makes a cheap EV which it seems everyone forgot about. Not great range though.

 

[millsan1]

FWIW, whenever I go to a charging station, Bolt's are the slowest charging vehicles there. And I mean painfully slow. I saw a lady come in at les s than 10%, and to charge to 80% took 90 minutes. As a comparison, my car from 10-80 takes about 25.

 

[fromport]

Bolt's are the slowest charging vehicles there.

Yep, but I have driven close to 80k miles in 3 different Bolts over the years and I used (not so ) quick charging only 6 times so far. The rest was done charging at home. For me it is the perfect car. Reliable, drives really great. The Daewoo design studio imo really know how to design a car that is ultra practical, luxurious and at the right price. I bought my 2023 EUV and intend to drive it till the wheels fall off. YMMV

 

[millsan1]

Yep, but I have driven close to 80k miles in 3 different Bolts over the years and I used (not so ) quick charging only 6 times so far. The rest was done charging at home. For me it is the perfect car. Reliable, drives really great. The Daewoo design studio imo really know how to design a car that is ultra practical, luxurious and at the right price. I bought my 2023 EUV and intend to drive it till the wheels fall off. YMMV

Yes, not commenting on the car itself, just the charging. If charging at home, which is what I do vast majority of the time, it is a non issue. But if you will be relying on DC chargers, the time investment of sitting there is a lot.

 

[Supervstech]

Yeah, she lives in an apartment complex, she will only be able to charge at work...
Idk of its practical for her.