[Rainystateguy]

I have a question for Bolt EUV owners.

I'm thinking about buying a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, but one thing's giving me and my loved ones pause. When I spoke with a Bolt EV owner who works at one of the car dealerships I went to, he said that he doesn't drive his Bolt EV on highways when it rains hard (thunderstorms) here in Florida. He says the EV is "all torque" and a small car, so according to him it slips and hydroplanes easily. He says he drives on side-roads and stays off the highway when it's raining hard.

Is that your experience too with the EUV? Or is the EUV safe to ride in a rainstorm on highways? If not, what precautionary measures would I need to take?

I have had my Bolt EV for two years. I live in the Pacific Northwest, so yes, it rains a lot here. I have had no problem with driving in the rain. Some Bolt owners replace their tires, either permanently or just during the wet season, with better gripping tires. I have not felt the need to do that.

 

[Goose]

I’ve had my 2 Bolts for 4 years now and have not had issues with driving in rain. Never used the stock OEM low rolling resistance tires so I have no experience with those. Had them swapped out with all weather tires from day one. First 3 years was Nokian WRG4 and now Michelin CrossClimate 2.
During the winter I use Michelin X-ice 3 and X-ice snow.
Starting from a dead stop will require feathering the throttle especially when going uphill.

 

[iwatson]

Aqua planation has nothing to do with wheel spinning on wet road while under hard acceleration.

I made an assumption that there's a possibility that the individual who told our OP about hydroplaning on the highway, actually was over using the throttle in a high water situation and became alarmed thinking that the car was more susceptible to hydroplaning. We all seem to agree that the car's weight combined with it's OEM LRR tires requires caution and skill during driving under lower traction weather. I could easily see how adding too much throttle, even at higher speed would compound the problem. I have never personally experienced enough water and speed to feel uneasy, but I'm a very cautious driver, actually I'm a commercial driver, so when encountering flooding or high water, I generally slow my speed. Of course I have no way to know for sure if my assumption could be correct, and no way to know if it's not correct. But individual driver's skill levels are anybody's guess, and as other's have said that is indeed a factor. The point I was trying to make, and I think it's the same point as others have said, is that one person's experience is not indicative that the Bolt is inherently more dangerous than any other vehicle on the road. Any vehicle, even a City transit bus (which is what I drive for a living) could hydroplane under the right conditions. The Bolt's design and tires means that it will handle differently than other vehicles that a driver may be used to driving. Wheels that slip, for any reason equal loss of control. The Bolt's wheels can slip easily under the right conditions.

 

[davidjmelv]

I did a buyback for my 2017 Bolt last year (39,000 miles plus) and it drove fine in bad weather. That said, the OEM self-sealing Michelins are fine with some drivers and hated by others (including me). They are not very sticky, and while they are highly efficient, I would characterize them as "low performance". I would imagine that at half original tread depth in heavy Florida rain they would easily hydroplane at full highway speed (not excess, but at the speed limit if it is 65mph). Replacing them with better rated tires (see tire rack or consumer reports) would inspire more confidence in slippery conditions. I had mine up in Northwest NJ, where you need all-season tires at the very least, and replaced mine with ones I liked much better. This is not a problem with the car, it is a tire problem.

 

[PaulH]

I think this is more of a function of the tires than anything else. I have no problems driving in hard rain on Michigan roads, but my Bolt (and the OEM tires) only have about 13,000 miles on it.

The OEM tires are Michelin low rolling resistance tires. That low rolling resistance means better range, but less grippiness.

If the Bolt EV owner you spoke with likes to accelerate hard, that would do 2 things:
1. Tend to cause more tire slip
2. Tend to wear out the tires more quickly
Really, if he wants to drive like that, he should get different tires that are designed more for performance rather than range.

It's like driving a high performance car. If you use that performance to the limit all the time, you should get tires suited for that type of driving. But you don't have to floor the accelerator at every stop light. If you drive normally, then in my admittedly limited experience, the OEM tires are fine, even in hard rain, even on the highway. As my tires get more miles and start to wear out, that experience may change. Then I'll just replace the tires.

Edit: Clarification - I have a 2020 EV LT, not a 2022 EUV. The torque and tires are the same, but the EUV wheelbase is 3 inches longer, which should make it feel a little more stable at high speeds.

I agree with others. It is safe to drive in rain. But because of the high torque you must drive very softly. Don’t accelerate fast the wheels will break free.

 

[Mark Swanson]

My 2019 Bolt Premier used to slip and slide like a greased pig in PNW rainstorms. I really hated the stock tires. I bought Michelin Cross Climate IIs and I love them.

 

[Alathorne]

I have a question for Bolt EUV owners.

I'm thinking about buying a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, but one thing's giving me and my loved ones pause. When I spoke with a Bolt EV owner who works at one of the car dealerships I went to, he said that he doesn't drive his Bolt EV on highways when it rains hard (thunderstorms) here in Florida. He says the EV is "all torque" and a small car, so according to him it slips and hydroplanes easily. He says he drives on side-roads and stays off the highway when it's raining hard.

Is that your experience too with the EUV? Or is the EUV safe to ride in a rainstorm on highways? If not, what precautionary measures would I need to take?

I have a 2019 Bolt. I have had zero problems with the car drivability regardless of the weather in upstate NY. Just curious, did the dealer employee try to steer you to an ICEV?

 

[ComputerDoc]

I have a question for Bolt EUV owners.

I'm thinking about buying a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, but one thing's giving me and my loved ones pause. When I spoke with a Bolt EV owner who works at one of the car dealerships I went to, he said that he doesn't drive his Bolt EV on highways when it rains hard (thunderstorms) here in Florida. He says the EV is "all torque" and a small car, so according to him it slips and hydroplanes easily. He says he drives on side-roads and stays off the highway when it's raining hard........

And if so.... does that caveat apply to both the EV and EUV?

 

[Mark Swanson]

I have a 2019 Bolt. I have had zero problems with the car drivability regardless of the weather in upstate NY. Just curious, did the dealer employee try to steer you to an ICEV?

No.

 

[ComputerDoc]

I have embarrassed many awd on interstate traveling across Midwest on stock tires with 4 inches of snow. It is small but quite heavy and if you know how to drive it, it will preform like much bigger vehicle. And with snow tires it is one of the best small vehicle's i have ever experienced in bad weather. Factory tires have tendency to have less grip with a lot of water on the road and you have to use hard stopping. If you keep this on mind and keep more distance and do more defensive driving you will be just fine with Bolt and stock tires.

Your point about "keep more distance" is really key IMO.
Any car can hydroplane under "right" conditions. I've seen a car in front of me suddenly hydroplane on a straight freeway and do a 360.
Under higher risk conditions (heavy rain, recent rain on a previously dry road, potential for black ice, snow, bumper to bumper traffic, aggressive drivers at rush hour, etc) possibly the biggest safety factor I can give myself is following distance. That's why I love the mode of Driver Information that show how many SECONDS behind the car in front of me I am. It's hard set to start informing me any moment I've got less than 2.5 seconds between me and the car in front of me. Makes sense if something's going to go south. Probably takes maybe a full second to realize what's going on and come up with what if anything (steer around? go on the shoulder? brake? pray? hit the horn?) best to react, leaving 1.5 seconds to execute evasion/avoidance.
Before I had that display on the Bolt I thought I was pretty darn conservative about following distance... but was surprised at just how far back I have to be at 70 mph to have 2.5 seconds.

IMO having follow distance routinely on DIC does more for my well being than tire pressure.

 

[Nosam]

I have a question for Bolt EUV owners.

I'm thinking about buying a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, but one thing's giving me and my loved ones pause. When I spoke with a Bolt EV owner who works at one of the car dealerships I went to, he said that he doesn't drive his Bolt EV on highways when it rains hard (thunderstorms) here in Florida. He says the EV is "all torque" and a small car, so according to him it slips and hydroplanes easily. He says he drives on side-roads and stays off the highway when it's raining hard.

Is that your experience too with the EUV? Or is the EUV safe to ride in a rainstorm on highways? If not, what precautionary measures would I need to take?

In two years, I have not had such an experience but I always use extreme caution in downpours. In other words, I do not drive as though there is no downpour. Perhaps this person has a tire problem.

 

[Vinson]

I talked to Michelin North America to ask them about the energy saver tire and if they had a comparable tire that was better in rain and snow and if it used GM TPC-Tire performance criteria if they did have one. Just curious. They do not have another tire that meets GM TPC which I don't care that much.
They have ratings of 10 out of 10 or 8 out of 10 for efficiency or braking etc. They are rated compared to another of their own tires. I asked what tires the energy saver was compared to to get 10 out of 10 for efficiency and 8 out of ten for braking and they said the Hydo Edge which isn't produced anymore. I then asked what were the measuring criteria for each value of 1 to 10 so I would know how much better a 8 was from a 9 and they could not answer that exactly unless I talked to an engineer.
The Hydro Edge was rated 7 out of 10 for efficiency.

 

[Godscar5]

I have a question for Bolt EUV owners.

I'm thinking about buying a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, but one thing's giving me and my loved ones pause. When I spoke with a Bolt EV owner who works at one of the car dealerships I went to, he said that he doesn't drive his Bolt EV on highways when it rains hard (thunderstorms) here in Florida. He says the EV is "all torque" and a small car, so according to him it slips and hydroplanes easily. He says he drives on side-roads and stays off the highway when it's raining hard.

Is that your experience too with the EUV? Or is the EUV safe to ride in a rainstorm on highways? If not, what precautionary measures would I need to take?

I have been driving electric cars for 20yrs, no problem in the rain.

 

[umbarger33]

I have a question for Bolt EUV owners.

I'm thinking about buying a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, but one thing's giving me and my loved ones pause. When I spoke with a Bolt EV owner who works at one of the car dealerships I went to, he said that he doesn't drive his Bolt EV on highways when it rains hard (thunderstorms) here in Florida. He says the EV is "all torque" and a small car, so according to him it slips and hydroplanes easily. He says he drives on side-roads and stays off the highway when it's raining hard.

Is that your experience too with the EUV? Or is the EUV safe to ride in a rainstorm on highways? If not, what precautionary measures would I need to take?

I have a 2022 Bolt EUV and also a Chrysler 300 with hemi I don't have problem with either one in rain But I could, it sounds like that fellow does not know to use torque giving the condition of the road.
Jim

 

[Raxstone]

I have a question for Bolt EUV owners.

I'm thinking about buying a 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV, but one thing's giving me and my loved ones pause. When I spoke with a Bolt EV owner who works at one of the car dealerships I went to, he said that he doesn't drive his Bolt EV on highways when it rains hard (thunderstorms) here in Florida. He says the EV is "all torque" and a small car, so according to him it slips and hydroplanes easily. He says he drives on side-roads and stays off the highway when it's raining hard.

Is that your experience too with the EUV? Or is the EUV safe to ride in a rainstorm on highways? If not, what precautionary measures would I need to take?

Don't dismiss that the Bolt weighs a LOT for a small car. That added weight helps to prevent hydroplaning.

 

[Martin D]

I am wondering if I will ever find out 🙄

“It never rains in California, but girl don’t they warn ya….”

 

[atc98092]

I've certainly driven on wet roads many times. It does rain just a touch in Seattle . The traction control seems a bit lax, as it's easy to spin the tires, wet or dry. But I've been on 70+MPH freeway trips and up and down many hills. Other than not hitting the throttle too hard, I haven't had any issues driving in the rain.