[AaronCatolico1]

Read up on "Range per charge."

If you're taking that off the Bolt dashboard, it's based upon the previous driver's use of the heater, his freeway speeds and several other factors.

If you clear the history and drive it yourself in warm weather, it's likely to be close to the original 238 miles.

jack vines

Temperatures are rather warm here. I'm sure the guy who currently has the car would be aware of doing this. To me, it just seems strange that this car is only a 2017 and had a recall not too long ago on the battery, but yet, the new battery has 101,898 miles on it. Unless the guy never got the recall and just wasn't aware that there was one. If so, I don't think that I should even inform him about it. If I do, he'll most likely go get the recall himself, then sell the car to someone else at a much higher price lol. I won't get the deal in this case lol.

 

[AaronCatolico1]

wonder how many miles since the battery was replaced.

Well, that's the thing.....I'm thinking that maybe he never had the battery replaced when he was supposed to. How could it be a 2017, have the battery replaced in 2022, but yet, there's still 101,898 miles on it? That wouldn't make any sense.

 

[AaronCatolico1]

Used Bolt Buyer's Guide

@AaronCatolico1, the range number you're looking at has nothing to do with the battery's health or degradation. It's just an estimate based on recent driving and the outside temperature for the current state of charge. The range goes down in cold weather and when you drive fast. A 2017 Bolt should have had its battery replaced under recall in the last 2.5 years, so it should be in good condition and performing close to a new battery. The EPA estimated range for replaced batteries is 259 miles, which assumes warm weather and a mix of city and highway driving. Using the linked guide you can check when the battery was replaced and see how much warranty is left on it.

The deal looks alright to me, but it really depends on how you feel about a high mileage vehicle. EV components don't tend to wear out, and the battery should be pretty new. But everything else can wear out, like on any car: steering, suspension, etc. And a 2017 is due for some maintenance. It needs all of the coolant replaced, and will probably need a new 12-volt battery soon, if that hasn't been replaced already.

Right now it's easy to find buyback 2020-2022 Bolts, often for as little as $15,000-17,000, and with low mileage. And buybacks come with a 12-month, 12,000 mile warranty. So you might look into those. Just beware the caveats mentioned in the guide about the 80% charge limit.

Okay, but the thing that doesn't make any sense is that the guy from the dealership says the maximum range is currently 185 miles per charge. The original range back in 2017 was around 238+ miles. He even sent me a screenshot of the battery at 100% charge which did show 185 miles. How do I get the screen to show the actual range if this is not it? I agree, the recall should have been within the last 2.5 years which means that the vehicle should not be showing 101,898k miles on it. Unless he someone just wasn't aware of this recall. What do you think or how do I find out for sure what the actual range is and mileage? Thanks.