- The heavily updated 2027 Chevrolet Bolt made a surprise appearance at the GM Forward event in New York this week.
- It could easily be mistaken for the old Bolt, but under the skin, it adds new batteries, better fast-charging, modern software and a Tesla-style charging port.
- The updated Bolt goes on sale early next year with a $28,995 price tag, making it America’s cheapest new EV.
A sequel isn’t always guaranteed to be a hit. That’s true about movies, TV shows, books, hit albums—and certainly cars, too. It’s not uncommon in the automotive world for a new model to launch to huge praise, only for its second generation to miss the mark.
The good news is that by all outward appearances, the mostly-new 2027 Chevrolet Bolt seems poised to avoid the fate of the Ford Mustang II or the second-generation Scion xB. If you loved the old Bolt, here’s some good news: you’re probably going to love this one, too.
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Source: Patrick George
I was pleasantly surprised to see the new Bolt in New Your City this week at the GM Forward event, where Chevy’s parent company showed off a raft of forthcoming technologies like eyes-off Super Cruise. That’s all very exciting, but before the festivities began, I had to go outside and check out the new Bolt.
To quickly recap: the last Chevy Bolt was an affordable EV hit, even with relatively slow DC fast-charging and just 247 miles of range in crossover-like EUV form. It ceased production in 2023, in part because it wasn’t profitable for General Motors to build, but now it’s back as a heavily updated (and money-making) model for 2027.
Photo by: Patrick George
It now gets contemporary GM batteries, better fast-charging, a Tesla-style charging port, an electric drive unit shared with the Equinox EV, modern safety equipment, GM’s Google Built-In operating system and other tweaks. It’s now good for a slightly better 255 miles of range, and all told, the package is compelling at $28,995.
Sadly, I didn’t get to drive this Bolt; only a handful of folks have gotten any real seat time with one yet. Until that happens, live impressions are all we have to go off of, but I like what I see so far.
The Bolt Is Still Small
2027 Chevrolet Bolt Live Photos
Photo by: Patrick George
I was a little bummed when I got the scoop that the next Bolt would come in the larger EUV form only, and that the old car’s smaller and original Bolt EV form would be retired. I liked the compact size of the first one. But Americans love a good crossover SUV, or at least, a tall hatchback that’s cosplaying as one, so the bigger Bolt won the day.
Photo by: Patrick George
Here’s the thing: it’s still tiny, though. The 2027 Bolt cut quite a figure on that block in Manhattan, parked next to the rest of GM’s EV lineup. Those cars are very good these days, but they’re huge. The Chevy Silverado EV, the various Cadillac SUVs, even the Equinox EV—all of them are pretty beefy machines. It’s wild to see the diminutive Bolt next to all of them.
2027 Chevrolet Bolt Live Photos
Photo by: Patrick George
But that’s actually a good thing. We need more smaller cars in America in general, especially good ones. And we need EVs that come in different form factors. The Bolt was quite popular as a city car, a fleet car or even some families’ second or third car thanks to its small size and thrifty price tag. GM could’ve easily turned this car into some gigantic SUV, but they kept it compact, and I’m happy for that.
Granted, I’m not surprised by this; GM’s been very clear that this new Bolt would carry over the basic body of the old one. But seeing is believing, especially parked next to a GMC Sierra EV truck.
The Design Changes Are Subtle, But Good
Photo by: Patrick George
You can totally be forgiven if you see the 2027 Bolt and miss it. The design changes here are… well, there barely are any. The front bumper and grille are slightly different. The rear taillights are new. The tailgate has been largely redesigned to be taller upon opening, so you’re less likely to whack your head on it. The fog lamps have been tweaked.
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV exterior
But it still manages to look modern and even a bit stylish—the front bumper design tweaks are enough to keep the Bolt looking fairly fresh. It likely won’t be considered an iconic design classic, but it’s meant to be an affordable, practical compact car and it executes that mission well.
Photo by: Patrick George
The Interior Runs A Familiar Playbook
For what it was, and what it cost, the old Bolt never had a bad interior, per se. (I’ve tested far worse at more expensive price tags, let’s just say that.) But the new Bolt gets some serious upgrades inside, care of the Chevy parts bin. And it seems to add some space as well.
When the Bolt first launched in 2017, it had a conventional PRNDL-style automatic gear selector. That later got swapped for a row of buttons on the center console. Both are gone entirely, giving way to the familiar gear-selector stalk to the right of the steering wheel, just like the Equinox EV and other GM cars.
That also opens up a better use of space in the cabin, with a gap between the two front seats where the center console once was. That’s a nice change that should make it feel roomier overall.
2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV interior
The Bolt’s old screen has been swapped out for an 11.3-inch unit, which is smaller overall than what’s in the Equinox EV but similar in function. Operating a Bolt with GM’s latest software suite should be a nice change—unless, of course, you love Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. If you’re married to those phone projection systems, maybe call your Nissan dealer instead.
2027 Chevrolet Bolt Live Photos
Photo by: Patrick George
Still, at least from my cursory glance on the street, the new Bolt doesn’t feel cheap or stripped-out inside. I’m especially fond of that colored trim piece across the dashboard, which seems to at least come in blue or light gray. The former is a nice touch here.
2027 Chevy Bolt Street View Verdict: I Like What I’m Seeing
All signs indicate the new Bolt is exactly what it needs to be: the old car, with some needed tweaks to run with today’s EVs, and the same sub-$30,000 price tag as before. As much as we like the Chevy Equinox EV, there has been a hole in GM’s electric lineup since the Bolt went on hiatus. It’s nice to see this return to form, and I think EV fans everywhere will feel the same way.
Photo by: Patrick George
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
