[NY-Rob]

We can complain all we like about this feature or that feature, etc on the Bolt, but at least everything seems to work compared to other vehicles...

I have been driving a comfortable, nicely loaded 2019 Nissan Altima Enterprise rental for the last few days as my daughter's car is in the shop for body work and she is now driving my Bolt.

Here's what I've observed on this $30K + 2019 vehicle with 12K miles on it...

• Infotainment system crashes/reboots at least four to five times on my 25mi commute when running Android Auto from my 2019 LG Smartphone- the same phone/USB cable combo that work perfectly when connected to my Bolt.
• Heated leather seat gets so hot on even the lowest setting (only hi or low compared to three settings on the Bolt) that I have to turn it off after a few min to let it cool down then switch it back on again to re-heat for another session.
• "Automatic Anti-Glare" rear view mirror indicates it's working... but absolutely refuses to dim, reflecting full strength headlights directly in my eyes from cars/trucks behind me. No option to tip up like old mirrors!

Only plus... bringing my EV driving skills (since 2012) to the Altima I'm averaging 43mpg at the end of my 50mi daily commute.

 

[Smaldogs]

I bought exactly what I thought I was buying in July when we purchased a 2019 loaded Bolt EV Premier for 32,500. Everything just works as advertised. A friend last year bought a dual motor model 3 loaded for 66,000 and he is happy with the car. After driving my Bolt his reaction was WOW! AND ITS HALF PRICE.

 

[ZoomZoom]

I bought exactly what I thought I was buying in July when we purchased a 2019 loaded Bolt EV Premier for 32,500. Everything just works as advertised. A friend last year bought a dual motor model 3 loaded for 66,000 and he is happy with the car. After driving my Bolt his reaction was WOW! AND ITS HALF PRICE.

I've test driven a Model 3 3 times now, twice after owning a 2019 Bolt. They both drive nice. I personally would take the M3 because of the tech, but otherwise nothing else is superior ... it's not worse either. It's the tech that has me. I would strongly suggest that anyone with any EV, drive the competition when you can. Make an effort so that if/when you get to the point of buying another you will be better educated at what you personally value/like because it's easy to get caught up in the new car showroom experience.

 

[Packard V8]

There are very few buyers who comparison shop the entire field and then make a rational, reasoned decision. Most buy whatever strikes their fancy and then find justification after the fact.

Having lived with the Bolt for more than two years, we still love it. However, if lowest cost had been the determining factor, we'd be driving a used lease return i3. If cost were no concern and if they'd been available two-and-a-half-years ago, we'd probably have been driving a $50,000 Dual Motor Performance Model 3. The Bolt is still the sweet spot in BEVs.

jack vines

 

[billatq]

There are very few buyers who comparison shop the entire field and then make a rational, reasoned decision. Most buy whatever strikes their fancy and then find justification after the fact.

I typically buy cars this way. Turns out that if you went to fueleconomy.gov and sorted by non-hybrid efficiency a few years back, you'd end up with a VW Golf TDI. Fast forward a few years, the only realistically priced EV with the range we'd wanted was the Bolt EV, and the VW settlement, Federal credit and state benefits nicely subsidized that. Had the TM3 been available then for a similar price, there's a decent chance we would have ended up with that.

For the second EV, I wanted an inexpensive used vehicle that would be easy to park on the street and landed on the Fiat 500e after looking at the Smart fortwo, Chevy Spark, Mitsubishi MiEV and Leaf.

The fortwo/MiEV are somewhat limited in size of the motor and batteries, though you can get an MiEV equipped with ChaDeMo. The Leaf is good on range, comfort, capacity and cost, but the batteries don't last forever unless you have just the right weather. I seriously considered the Spark, but the 500e was more fun to drive and the finishes were slightly better. It would have been nice to have CCS, but the Bolt is nicer for longer drives. It also didn't hurt that you can get a 500e off lease for $6k in California at the right time, and it would have been more for me to get a Spark.