2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Is Now Dead, Was A Fantastic EV

The 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV (and Bolt EV) is now officially out of production, which means if you want one, you’re out of luck unless your local Chevrolet dealer still has some in stock. The irony here is that the Bolt is also currently one of the best-selling new electric vehicles (EV) here in Canada. As a matter of fact, Bolt sales in 2023 were at their highest since the car first hit our market back in 2017. It’s the classic case of GM killing off a product that people actually want. Except, there’s a good reason this time, which I shall explain below. Since I love the Bolt for everything it represents, and because it has followed me along my career of reviewing cars, I figured I’d give it a proper send off.

2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Review: The Inflated One

The car you’re seeing here, of course, is the EUV, the spinoff “crossover” version of an already popular little EV. Chevrolet added this version to the Bolt lineup during the 2022 mid-cycle refresh. It’s only slightly more bloated and lifted than the car on which it’s based for a bit more passenger and cargo room. Underneath the inflated body still lies the same Bolt we all know and love.Me, personally, I would basically get the regular Bolt since I consider it to be spacious and practical enough, without the need of excess fat and body roll (more on that later). I also find that the Bolt EUV looks a little weird. But I will say that my Redline example did look sorta cool with its fully blacked out body and wheels, complemented by a subtle… red line on the wheels and mirrors.The first reason Chevrolet is killing off the Bolt is because it wants to consolidate all of its future EVs on its new Ultium dedicated architecture. Remember, the Bolt was built during a time when carmakers (except Tesla) were essentially modifying existing internal combustion engine (ICE) platforms for electric duty. Underneath the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV (and Bolt EV) is actually a heavily modified Chevrolet Spark EV.This old-school thinking of building an electric vehicle is also costing GM quite a lot of money. As a matter of fact, GM is a bit of a victim of its own success with this car. It never intended to sell the Bolt in masses, but the car ended up being so great and so affordable over the years, that Chevrolet had to keep building a car on which it was making very little profit.Perhaps that’s also why GM decided to discount the fuck out these things. The Bolt EUV/EV, especially recently, has been a tremendous bargain. For reference, a regular Bolt EV kicks off at $41,569. The EUV LT starts just about $2,000 over that ($46,674 for a Premier), while the Redline Edition package is a $570 standalone option that’s available on both models. But if you happen to live in a heavily subsidized place like I do here in Quebec, the Bolt EV/EUV becomes a serious steal. For instance, we get up to $12,000 on the purchase of a new EV here, which means the car is essentially the same price as a Honda Civic, minus fuel bills.

Not As Hot Hatchy As The Regular Car

One of the reasons I love the regular Bolt EV is because it drives like a true hot hatchback. I’ve always said its driving dynamics should have been those of an electric Golf GTI. Slap a sportier suspension on it and a good set of tires, and you’ll be setting quicker lap times than some gas-powered hot hatchbacks on an autocross course.Unfortunately, the EUV loses some of that charm as the larger size and height lead to slightly clumsier handling. It’s not that bad in the sense that the Bolt EUV still makes zipping around town a ton of fun thanks to its overall small size and stiff chassis, but it did lose some of the Bolt’s dynamic prowess and gained noticeable body roll in the process. Then again, since the EUV is mostly targeted at small families, none of that matters.Power still comes courtesy of a 65-kWh, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery lodged underneath the car’s floor. All Bolts, including the EUV, are front-wheel driven, pumping out 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. This allows this little bugger to be rather quick off the line thanks to the instantaneous thrust of that front AC motor. But you’d better hold that wheel tight, because there’s a ton of torque steer!Although it’s running on 7-year old technology, the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV is still tremendously competitive from a range standpoint. According to Natural Resources Canada, the EUV is good for a claimed 397 km on a single charge in ideal conditions. I mean, I’ve seen expensive electric Audis do less than that. Perhaps the Bolt’s only real letdown and where it shows its age is in its 50-kW charging rate. That’s rather low considering that Teslas and Hyundais currently pull their electrons at over 200 kW.Thanks to the 2022 refresh, the Bolt EUV has a nicely well decorated interior, plenty of up to date technology and enough comfort for long drives. Chevrolet finally fixed the god-awful hard seats of the previous model. Most of the hard plastics have also been replaced by soft-touched materials and a bit too much gloss black for my taste. Still, it looks totally appropriate considering how much GM is asking for these things.I like how Chevrolet doesn’t go down the Tesla lane by smashing a giant screen in the driver’s face. The Bolt still has a conventional gauge pod, with one, neatly organized circular readout for speed, range and regenerative braking performance as well as energy consumption readouts.The main infotainment screen houses most of the car’s main features, has clean graphics, operates quickly, includes wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay as well as a Wi-Fi hotspot. It’s never a pain to use. The Bolt also still lets you operate most of its main controls, like volume and HVAC, through good-old physical buttons and switches, a handy feature when wearing a pair of gloves during winter.Speaking of which, I drove the Bolt during cold weather, at the beginning of December where the thermometer hung between 0 and -5 degrees Celsius. Using my home level 2 charger, I was able to preheat its cabin thanks to its handy remote start feature directly from the key fob. Doing so granted me a consumption average of 25.2 kWh/100 km, which translates into 260 km of real-world range. Remember, during winter, an EV can lose anywhere between 30 and 50% of its advertised range.Total passenger space is frankly decent in the EUV thanks to a slightly stretched wheelbase. I had no issue setting up the baby’s shell back there and I didn’t need to move the passenger seat forward. The trunk is on the small side though, especially when the seats are in place (453 liters). However, the car’s upright shape and the removable “fake floor” allowed me to sit the baby stroller upright and still have room for a set of groceries. It did required me to recall my Tetris skills, but the Bolt EUV delivered. We ended up using it as a family vehicle for the week, with enough room for the baby, the dog and all our gear.Of course, the final reason why the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV needs to go is because its technology is old when facing new, more sophisticated EVs. Most models now come out of the box with heat pumps, battery conditioning systems, more range, faster charging speeds and different battery chemistries, like LFP.It’s only normal then to see GM throw in the towel and move onto newer models, like the Blazer and Equinox EV twins. The Bolt will return, says GM, but I’m afraid that it won’t be the simple, fun and incredibly reliable urban runabout that it once was. If you want my honest opinion, this is without question one of the best vehicles the General has ever built.

Clavey’s Corner is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Prices and trim levels discussed in this article reflect the Canadian car market.

Special thanks: Chevrolet Canada

Photography: Guillaume Fournier

Contact the author: [email protected]