Amazing what can happen in a few months with enough motivation. Like, magically finding an extra seven miles of EPA-estimated range.
Late on Friday, General Motors announced the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt is now on sale, costs $28,995 (including the $1,395 destination fee), and has 262 miles of EPA-estimated range. That makes the Chevy Bolt the least expensive EV on sale in America today, a crown the Nissan Leaf had up until today.
Notably, this all comes with caveats. The Bolt’s range is EPA estimated at this point and not EPA rated. Further, somehow, somewhere, and it’s unclear why, the Bolt magically has 7 more miles of estimated range than it did when the debuted in the fall. Originally, the Bolt was returning with an estimated 255 miles of range. Notably, this extra range must’ve been found recently because Chevrolet’s own website and build configurator still touts 255 miles of driving range.
But that 255-mile rating would have seen the Bolt checking in with less range than every single Leaf model, which has 259 miles of EPA-rated range in top-shelf Platinum+ trim. Base Leaf models check in with 303 miles of EPA-rated range, which is 41 more miles of range than the Bolt. But those 41 miles of range cost $2,490 more. That’s no small sum even in these expensive times.
The Bolt is well-appointed even in base form with an 11.3-inch touchscreen with Google built-in, though no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (the Leaf has both), adaptive cruise control, automatic climate control, and a Tesla-like NACS charging port. Notably, the Bolt is available with GM’s fantastic Level 2 hands-free driver-assist system known as Super Cruise, though not at $28,995.
Chevrolet said the 2027 Bolt is on sale now and arriving at dealers.
Note–This story has been updated with more detailed specifics about the Leaf’s range and trims compared agains the Bolt. Originally this article mistakenly swapped the top Leaf Platinum+ with the base S+ EPA-rated range ratings.
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