Chevy Bolt EV One Year Review

We purchased our 2022 Chevy Bolt EV 1LT on August 13, 2022 and recorded this video on September 2, 2023. One Year, three weeks, and 23,295 miles later, these are our thoughts. I asked you for questions a week or so ago, and I'll address those first. @rp9674 @Qrail @vinsonhelton7141 @erics3937 @Chevrolet @GeneralMotors
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - Collision warning and lane keep assist
03:54 - Efficiency and cost to charge
09:00 - Battery degradation
11:23 - Tires
14:15 - Reliability
16:39 - Paint
17:11 - Road trips
18:27 - Efficiency through the seasons
20:12 - Charge time
23:55 - value

[@EV-Darryl]

Great video! Thanks for setting the naysayers straight. Some of the comments on my channel give me a headache. People, who know nothing about a Chevy bolt make comments that are wrong! We know it’s limitations but love the huge savings, that’s all we try to express. Thanks again, keep up the good work.

[@wassiswallylokhankin191]

Happy to watch a positive video from a fellow Bolter! I've had my 2019 Premier since brand new (that includes 4 Canadian winters) and am still honeymooning with it. Kudos to GM, they have created a masterpiece!

[@2335467]

Finally bought my redline edition bolt, LT2. It was hard because Bolt was no longer being made. Many dealerships wanted it as much as $5,000 over MSRP. I told them no, continued to search and got my bolt at MSRP. I got it partly from your enthusiasm and now 2 weeks in I love it, hopefully next week will get my charger installed at home. I have been using free level 2 chargers provided by the town I live in.

[@bravenkind7843]

Great video. I was shopping for my first EV and found the same info. The new 2024 tax credit was a fantastic deal for my bolt ev. Decided to buy one and have had no regrets! The dc fast charging time is the only real downside but it’s not much of one if you enjoy taking breaks and seeing new places. I’ve discovered a lot of new things already road tripping with mine.

[@GeorgeKnighton]

Your viewer who was interested in battery degradation might want to look up Eric's (News Coulomb) video and test of degradation at the point his battery was replaced. Eric was not called in for battery replacement until he had 156,000 miles on his car. His older first generation Bolt EV had been thoroughly abused during that period, because he takes long trips for work, and therefore does frequent DC charging sessions, which are hard on the battery. On being called in, he took the opportunity to drain the battery down and then charge it to 100%. This is as careful as test as anyone can do, and in his test he found that the battery capacity had degraded by 10%. 10% over 156,000 miles of hard charging. We do not need to worry about battery degradation with the Chevy Bolt EV.

[@Qrail]

Yes, indeed. I was an early adapter with my 2011 Leaf. The battery technology is much improved now. Thank for the information.

[@wassiswallylokhankin191]

Couldn't agree more! When my old battery was being replaced as part of GM recall last year, I had it tested at the dealership. It turned out that, after almost 85K miles of active everyday use, my old battery degradation was about 2%. Which means that the battery is likely to outlive the car. Good-bye EV haters.

[@bresina63]

One thing, I do in the winter in Wisconsin. I bought a 12v electric blanket. I have a Chevy Spark EV which really lowers it's miles in the winter. I turn the electric seat heater on and the electric blanket. It's like being in a sandwich. Hardly run my heater.

[@jonathonalsop2120]

I guess I picked the right day to check KZbin for Bolt videos, great overview after a year of ownership.

[@mystreteacher]

Ive had a 2023 Bolt EUV for about a week. The Bolt lane assist is much gentler than a lane assist we had on a Rogue week rental earlier this year.

[@jasanmiguel]

Very well done. More reviewers should be this precise.

[@SpinnerEV]

Thanks!

[@kristenjohnson1808]

This is easily the best review video I've watched. We're looking at buying our Bolt EV this weekend-just waiting for a thumbs up from our electrician. Thank you for being so detailed, it's very much appreciated!

[@SpinnerEV]

No problem. Let me knowing you have any questions and best wishes on the electrician

[@annabbott1963]

Your channel definitely helped me decide to buy my '23 LT1 in mid May. Chevy should be sending you commission. I live in a more urban area where I cannot plug in at home. I opted for the $500 EV Go credit. There is an EV Go less than 2 miles away in a shopping center. I also exclusively charged at EV Go on all three short road trips I took this summer. I have put 2200 miles on the car and spent $200 of my credit. It's less than gas in my area for sure. I'm not even the only Bolt owner in my neighborhood. Or the only EV owner in my col-de-sac. My biggest frustration about EV's is constantly hearing that they aren't worth your time/money if you can't charge at home. If you live in an area that supports charging you're fine. It's been a great experience so far.

[@bresina63]

Talk to your employer, some will let you charge for free. Mine would let me charge level 1 for free whenever I wanted.

[@annabbott1963]

@@bresina63 I work at a corporate headquarters where there are 5 - 10 possibly more EV's parked in the same lot by other employees. I don't think it's practical to expect my employer to offer charging for all. Which would be the only fair offer. I didn't buy the car to save money or for convenience I bought it because I want to not use fossil fuel.

[@bresina63]

@@annabbott1963 Sometimes, major corporations like to help the environment. I worked for Cascades Tissue, a large recycling Corporation. All you can do is ask, and all they can say is no. What a cheap benefit for their employees plus it can be brought up to social media about their way to help global warming.

[@donnolin2032]

I own a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV. I live in Florida where we have been averaging 95-96 degrees for the months of July & August and the average of 4.3 kWh/mile is outstanding. I positively love this car.

[@davidhale9672]

5 minutes to fill a gas tank is really quick, and doesn’t include getting to the station. Great video. We are with you on all you say in this video. At five months, we are loving our 2LT. Started shopping for snow tires this morning. Hoping our love holds up through our first Vermont Winter.

[@hughtuller6344]

Thanks for the video. Very informative of real world conditions.

[@bee-liftvitalymikityukbeek363]

Thank you for very informative video!

[@Whatis2022]

This is a brilliant video --- Loved the analysis on time spent charging and money saved....Well done.

[@SpinnerEV]

Thanks!

[@jerrycoleman4970]

This was your best video yet. So thorough, and so very helpful. Thanks for all the time and effort.

[@SpinnerEV]

Thanks!

[@dlwiii3]

Just got my bolt today. Very happy about it. Looking forward to your advice and suggestions!

[@YoungatHeartAdventures]

Very thorough thanks! We have 2022 EUV same color. Love it! But we only have 14k on ours!

[@rp9674]

With the announced slow down of the EV plan, GM should continue Bolts production at least 1 more year, while we're waiting for the new Bolt. They could kill the gloss "piano" black and shiny dash trim. Add a tray in the console, maybe another USB port.

[@rockymtnmovies]

We have the same car, color, 2023 version. Picked up at the end of October. Loving the car so far. I love the get up and go if I need it. I don't have the super cruise and OK with that. We have a CR-V for snow in Colorado and haven't been to the gas station in weeks as it's always the Bolt that we pick to drive first. Sometimes the front wheel drive feels odd on the highway in the mountains. Like the tires feel flat occasionally. That isn't so great. Tire pressure is good. Could be the run flat tires. Otherwise, love that I'm not polluting. Everyone should be driving these. We have amazing incentives and rebates on both new and used in Colorado. If you make less than 75k, have an older car to get rid of, you can get 8k back on a used car. We went with new, though. Can't recommend this car enough though. It's pretty great. I tell people it's like have a BMW in a Chevy badge. A lot of fun to drive with pickup to get away from packs of goobers on the road. Another benefit is that I don't have to air out the garage when I pull it in the garage like the gas car. Can warm it up in cold weather before I go. So nice.

[@DS-mz7dy]

Hello, I have a 2017 Volt and I see that "initializing, please wait" message as well and on more than one occasion thrown it into gear with no problem, however, I will try to be more patient going forward. Thanks for the information. Chevy should lock out the gear shift (stick or buttons) until the initialization is complete, this would take care of the issue of impatient drivers. Just a thought. Glad you like your Bolt!

[@mariakepler1700]

Can’t wait to get one next year when my lease is up I want the color you have. But I’ll take it in any color.

[@nevco8774]

It looks like BOLT EUV allows shifting backwards using R button in just 1-2 seconds without any issue noticed.

[@nightwines]

Your comment about charge time on road trips v. daily use is excellent. I never looked at it that way before. You would also have to add in the time (and cost) of getting the oil changed in an ICE. Even if you did it yourself you would have to get the motor oil from the store which takes time and the time to do the change DYI. Additionally, it is extremely unlikely you can be in and out of a gas station on a consistent basis in 5 minutes. Some of the time (a lot?) you will be waiting on other cars at the pump and instead of just driving along in your electric you are forced to pull into a station with an ICE and then be on your way again, no doubt, missing a light here and there and/or waiting on traffic. On the flip side of things, when road tripping, a lot of the time you only have so much time on your hands to get things done. Like being on a vacation. All that extra time which is a LOT charging a car like that is lost. Even if you have an electric that takes 20 minutes and you are back at it there is no way, no how can you currently beat an ICE on a road trip. Take something like an elantra hybrid which is about 29,000 dollars. Its range on a full tank is about 500 miles. Driving at 70mph it will get about 48-49 MPG. If you went on a trip for a week that covered a 1000 miles it would cost a paltry 68.00 bucks for gas at 3.25 a gallon and you will be able to cover a LOT more ground much faster in the elantra because you would have only made ONE stop for gas and been in and out of the station faster then you can charge an electric. Not to missed here is also the fact that charging an electric on a fast charger is not recommended with frequency and it ain't free (your rare case doesn't count). Seems to me it makes sense if one can afford it to have one of each type of car. The electric for around home and your daily stuff and a ICE to go somewhere for the long haul. Great video thanks for sharing.

[@1025257]

I am getting 15KWH per 100 Km on my 23 EUV in Canada and loving it. BTW that equates to about 4.14 miles per KWH in U.S. speak. Thanks for your hard work on these videos.

[@SpinnerEV]

Nice. Thanks!

[@jerrymildredpetersen3177]

You really nailed it! I didn't realize our purchase dates were so similar. We got our '22 EUV Premier on Sept. 8 last year, so our first anniversary is in just five days. We have 17,817 miles on it right now. Lifetime average on the infotainment screen says 4.5 miles/kWh. Last November we took it on a 2,900 mile trip from Tampa to Michigan and back. This June we took it on a 2,000 mile trip to Ohio and back. Next month we plan to take it on a 4,000 mile trip to Arizona and back. We have had absolutely no problems with it yet. Like you, we appreciate the enforced break time for leg stretching, eating, etc. Most times, the car is ready to go before we are. My tires are about the same story as yours. We will upgrade them when they are worn enough, but they aren't bad enough to waste money replacing them early. As of August 31, our cost per mile, including quite a bit of free charging along with DCFC on trips is a hair under two cents per mile. We also have solar, but only get paid 5.7 cents/kWh for our excess production. Oh, and it only takes me about five seconds to charge. I can stand next to the car, grab the charge handle ,and plug it into the car without taking a single step. 😁

[@jcmib7]

I have paid little to nothing to drive the Bolt and Tesla. Because our energy provider does not charge for energy use at night. Still have 2yrs left out of the 5yr contract. During summer we pull about 20Kw per hour at night 😅 charging both cars and running the AC in the house.

[@hereigoagain5050]

Great review! So happy that GM decided to keep it in production. BTW. You need a new scale if it weights you at 265 lbs. Since President Trump is 215 lbs, I'd say you must be 190 lbs or 0.88 Trumps (my new measure for men's weights). :)

[@peteandtessTube]

I Love Our Bolt EUV!!!! Just needed to say that and I really love your videos which were and are part of my motivation to buy the Bolt. I have a CRV Hybrid which is a very nice car But I want to trade it in for a similar sized ev and I’m looking forward to test driving the Blazer EV. Right now I’m having fun test driving all the EV’s I can find out there. The Ariya is very nice and in the running but the Bolt is so great and my first Chevy that I’d like to stay with GM if possible. Again, this Bolt is so great. So quick, quiet, comfortable and totally reliable and convenient. I just plug it in a few hours a week and drive everywhere around town. I leave the car running with the air on so it’s comfortable when I get out of the grocery etc. so it’s been so economical I I really don’t think or worry about it. I’m in a town home with a garage so plugging in to the 240 is no problem. I wish I could get solar panels like you but probably won’t be able too. I loved your last insight/observation. I had one incident where the car didn’t start or didn’t go so I just turned it off for a few minutes and next press of Start and off we went. It’s like any computer…. Pretty much self correcting. Love your wife’s input. My wife loves the car too and I’ll say this for anyone who reads it. This is a nice, modern, comfortable car. There is nothing gimmicky or ev video gaming about it. It’s just a very nice and comfortable vehicle. We are senior citizens. All the safety bells and whistles are very welcome. I have not used Super Cruise and if I did or do, I would only use it as a driving assist on longer highway trips. But it’s Fun to Drive so self driving is not a priority. I’m listening while I’m typing and your video is just wonderful and I’m happy that you have taken part of your valuable time to do it. I guess I’m an early adapter and privileged and pleased to be one. To have something this cool in my lifetime of many new and used ICE cars, this thing is a sci-fi dream come true. To the skeptics, including some of my friends, I would just say just Try it… Drive it… I believe , like me, you’ll never go back.

[@jamesmatthew2677]

My 2023 EUV, bought in December, is currently at 3.7 mi./kWH lifetime - not great but, because I live in Vermont, was down to 2.7 during the winter. I probably won't reach 4.0 because temps are dropping again, but will likely reach the 3.8 that they advertise as the rated range for an EUV. I'm satisfied with that.

[@WestCoastChicano]

My Bolt is scheduled to be built the week of October 2nd. I ordered it in December. Hopefully I'll take delivery in late October or early November. Luckily I'll be paying MSRP. Gr8 vid as usual. 🚙 🇺🇸 🔌

[@josephpalacios7535]

What was the MSRP? I'm looking into doing something similar but don't know what price range to be looking at

[@SpinnerEV]

@josephpalacios7535 a 1LT is around 28-29k

[@JDDevice]

Dont forget the tires are self seal. I currently have a nail in my tire, and all tires are at 38psi

[@jensn6490]

I have the same mileage over the same time period, we both bought them at the same time. I have had zero issues so far. Favorite feature is the adaptive cruise control. Also no battery degradation at 24k miles. I only level 2 charge at home to 80%. This car will last forever at this rate. My biggest complaint is with the headrest angle being too sharp and not adjustable, second biggest complaint is the door chime volume being too loud, it won’t let me turn it down below half volume. I had the same key fab fault you experienced and all I did was turn it off and walk away like 50ft with the fab, waited a couple minutes and came back and it started up and shifted normally.

[@SpinnerEV]

Sounds good. I don’t have the adaptive cruise, but sometimes wish I did.

[@Qrail]

Thank you for answering my questions, and your commentary on your life with your car. Did I detect in your story that you used to own a Fiat 500e? I would be interested in that story, because a co-worker of mine used to have one on lease. He got a great deal on it, so if you had/have one, a report on that would be a fun read.

[@SpinnerEV]

We have a 2018 500e that we bought used. I drove it for 6 months and then got the Bolt. The Fiat is now my wife’s daily driver. She loves it. My commute was just a little far for it. We did a 10000 mile review a few months ago. 2018 Fiat 500e 10,000 Mile Review kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaOuc4h_npKomdk

[@Qrail]

Also, my year is up on the Energi PHEV. Since I am retired now, the Energi only made 2390 miles. With 48% of those miles in EV only. In hybrid mode, or battery hold mode, I obtained 71.4 miles per gallon. My mile per kWh was 5.27 over a 6 month time period. I hope this will give you and others reading, an idea that the PHEV is a viable alternative to a BEV. And my “other” road trip car is a 7 year old Audi PHEV. On my every other monthly trip to see my 93 year old Dad, the e-tron will average 46 mpg for an 835 mile trip. I fill up twice, and recharge on Level 2 ChargePoint chargers for a cost of about $2. (At a non disclosed location I get free level 2 charging that saves me another $2) the time to charge my small battery is enough time to eat at a Denny’s restaurant next to the charger. The A3 e-tron doesn’t quite measure up to my Fusion Energi. My EV only range is about 22 miles in the Audi, and 38 miles in the Ford. For running around town either one is fine, but the Ford uses regular gasoline and the Audi wants Premium. The Ford has a combined range of 618 miles, the Audi about 448 miles. Again, thanks for the story about your car, and documenting it on KZbin. You are an inspiration to some of us for the time spent putting the information on the internet. And now, the comment readers get additional information by watching your video, and I don’t have to start my own KZbin channel!!

[@Qrail]

@@SpinnerEV thank you.

[@OBrienHotrods]

I really enjoy your content on this car. I am currently looking at a lease on a 2023 2lt. With 7500 fed tax credit, 2250 local credit, and competitive lease rebate from GM I'll save over 11k from a new one, making my effective cost around 21k for a brand new one! Ridiculous value!

[@SpinnerEV]

Sound like it

[@ryanhennessy]

Love those numbers. Basically $2,000 saved in one year on gas and maintenance is pretty incredible.

[@ih8whatuchoose2b]

Do you strictly charge on a lvl II charger at home? I live in Western NY, where our winters can get pretty cold. I’ve own my BOLT for just over a month, and the third party Chevy assigned to install my lvl II been almost non existent in responding to my emails about when they’ll be scheduling to install. With that being said, I have been maintaining on a lvl I wall outlet, at my house. I drive 50 miles a day, round trip for work. With the lvl I, I get about 4-5 miles an hour. My long winded question is this: you mention your KWH average dropped to 2.3 in the winter. Did your actual charge speed, or time change as well? Or was it just how fast you drained the battery? Just so I can be prepared in the winter, and how much I need to press this company to get my level II installed. Thanks in advance!

[@SpinnerEV]

I pretty much only use the level 2 at home. The cold temps affected how much power the car used to drive (how quickly it drained) not how fast I charged. I’d recommend staying after the company to get your level 2 installed

[@Longsnowsm]

I have found that winter road trips in the Bolt have been painful for both efficiency and time taken to charge. Summer charging times are pretty easy to handle like you said. By the time you take care of what you need to do at the stop the car is pretty close to being ready to go. Winter trips that has not been the case for me. Charging sessions turn into 1hr+ sessions sadly so I feel like I am waiting a lot. All that being said I still like the features of the Bolt. My complaints center around that loss of efficiency and charging time. GM says they are bringing the Bolt back in 2025. I would like to see them address these issues. However GM insists on taking away Carplay and Android Auto. This is a bad move by GM to wall off the garden for subscriptions and more data mining. I am expecting a huge price drop on all used EV's. I see lots of people ordering the new refreshed M3 and dumping their existing M3's. The offers they are getting for their previous M3 are really bad. I think it means a flood of previous gen M3's will be coming. Maybe a good time to snag a lightly used M3 for a great price I guess. I am not much of a Tesla fan, but it could be a way for more people to get into an EV affordably. Thanks for the year in review video.

[@jerrycoleman4970]

Just read an article suggesting EV’s are harder on tires than are ICE cars. Did you by chance check tire wear at the one year mark? Thanks for all you do to enlighten and educate your fellow EV owners. Much appreciated

[@SpinnerEV]

I tried to show tread depth in this video. It didn’t seem like excessive wear to me.

[@gregoryh9534]

I have a 2014 Chevy Volt with 72000 miles on the original tires. Time for new tires now, and proving that EV's being hard on tires is not always true.

[@mowcowbell]

Like any car, EV or ICE, tire wear is greatly dependent upon driving habits. Sure EV's are heavier and regen braking is putting wear on tires (instead of brake pads).

[@davidrandall2742]

Thanks for the info. I have a '23 EUV Lt with driver and heated seat/wheel packages (I don't know if that makes it an Lt2). I got this as a commuter only, but ended up liking it so much I sold my five gas and diesel vehicles -- used car prices being crazy-high recently helped in that decision. I often see over 4-miles/kwh, but I don't often have to drive over 60mph, and usually only 55, which helps efficiency. I'm in Canada, but in the warmest part of Canada (it gets down to about 20F here), so I notice the difference in range in the Cold. I had to replace the tires withinn 5,000 miles due to flats, and chose Nokian Ones, which have been great, but use a little bit more energy to push them; they're much better in all other respects compared to the fragile stock michelins.

[@con-king]

Am I missing something on the math during your 'Value' section at the end? If a new vehicle is 28000 new, and you get the tax credit of 7500 (not including any state incentives) then the cost is 20,500. Which would be lower than a used vehicle currently. Are you not regretting waiting to buy the Bolt until after the tax credit? I only ask because I also received mine late last year and am wishing I had waited though I didn't know about the 7500 tax credit coming up and the 5000 state incentive from Colorado.

[@SpinnerEV]

I got the car when I needed it.

[@matthewjakubowski9020]

Are the regenerative break toggle switch near the shifting buttons and the lever located on the wheel able to work in conjunction with each other? Or is it more of an either/or automatic/manual function?

[@SpinnerEV]

I leave on pedal (regen) on and use the paddle as needed

[@matthewjakubowski9020]

@@SpinnerEV and you would just use the paddle if you were going down a hill? Is there added resistance/breaking to the vehicle when used?

[@SpinnerEV]

@matthewjakubowski9020 I use it whenever I need to slow down more than the regen that one pedal offers. If that doesn’t give enough, then the brake pedal. They all work together

[@rp9674]

It would have to be an extremely Steep Hill to use the regen paddle, or even one pedal come on maybe a steep hill with a stop at the bottom

[@carlosguzman-md2mt]

if you can find 11kw chargepoints you can road trip at 80 miles/hr

[@magnus966]

Miles per kwh isn't a measure of battery degradation but a measure of efficiency. True measure is how many kwh the battery has left of the 65kwh it started with. I doubt any Bolt owners will ever suffer much degradation unless they let the car sit at 100% all the time. GM is painfully conservative with the DC fast charging.

[@patrick39432]

Cost of solar panels figured into total?

[@SpinnerEV]

It isn’t because the solar panels are for more than just this one vehicle. They power everything in our home plus 3 EVs. We also have 52 panels that overproduce electricity that our electric provider pays us for since it goes back into the grid. We also didn’t get the solar panels for the car, we wanted them. We got our EVs after their installation. I suppose I could do the math and figure out what percentage of the cost would be applied to the Bolt. I didn’t include their cost, because they’re part of the house.

[@Carnutzjoe]

It’s funny I can get a nice used Bolt for about $20k that will do everything I want. …And a new one for under $30k. Meanwhile the guy over at Aptera is perfecting his perfect car, aimed at (as far as I can tell) a similar market but with much deeper pockets! The flying sperm will cost $>100k, if it ever goes into production.

[@rp9674]

Fiat 500e- has anyone noticed parasitic 12-volt battery drain when it sits too long? (23 Bolt EV 2LT) way more battery than I need, but it means the battery doesn't get his abused as much and I have room for degradation. Not using Gas makes it an easy win, no matter the downsides, cost, not supporting despotic regimes, pollution. I don't miss waiting for oil changes or smog checks. I

[@RoaringOrange]

5:30 YOur math is wrong. There is no way the company will pay you market price for electricity

[@SpinnerEV]

They pay us $0.03 per kWh less than what they charge us. I don’t recall the figure I used in this video, since it was filmed several months ago and the rate fluctuates slightly. I believe at the time we were paying $0.17 per kWh and they paid $0.14 per kWh. It’s an electric cooperative, which is a thing in Texas, and they treat us in a fair way.

[@truckinfool3550]

Get a 35-40 mpg Corolla or Civic and the fuel cost difference gets smaller, getting a 50 mpg hybrid closes the gap even more.

[@danielread1942]

Evs are trash and bs. You must have missed all the recalls and reviews on this POS.