[tradosaurus]

I'm looking at buying a 2022 Bolt 2LT at a local dealership once the battery recall has been completed. The dealership is also offering to pay to install a fast charger (labor only) at my house.

I test drove a Bolt a year ago and should have pulled the trigger then.

I have a 50 mile round trip to work and will for the next 6 years so I think the Bolt would work out great. Not planning on long trips.

Would you buy your Bolt again? Even without the $7500 fed incentive the price is still better than most electric cars.

 

[PSM450]

No, I regretted it the first day I drove the car 50 miles, seats were awful

 

[hallcp]

Weren't the seats improved for 2022? I thought the reviewers said so.

 

[Voldar]

The Bolt EV is a great little car that can handle things a lot better than people think.
The Bolt EV is not for road warriors (driving over its range every day, without the possibility to charge while at the destination). But it's plenty for the "normal people" who drive about a 50-150 mile commute daily, who like to go in weekends to places situated at about 100-120 miles away from home, and who go in vacation to places at 300-400 miles far from home. Driving the Bolt EV more than 500 miles per day is doable but it is not fast. Consider in this case that you will be driving an ICEV at about 51-52 mph in average to cover that distance.
I would buy a new Bolt EV with my eyes closed. The charging infrastructure here is 98% made of DCFC of 125 A output, so the 10 mins I would gain with an Ioniq 5 or EV6 over the Bolt EV doesn't make up for the 10 000 $ price difference.

The seats "problem" was known since 2017 and if someone still complains about them in 2022, well, that's more on them, not the car. I find the seats in my Bolt (2019) confy. And I am a 205 pounds guy. I did a lot of 300+ miles trips on my Bolt EV and never had a problem with them.
The 2022 are even better, they say. I didn't test them myself though. But from the looks of them, yes, they seem better. Even though for me they weren't a problem. Nor for my wife.

 

[djhodny]

Yes I'd buy it again, in a heartbeat, without any doubt. You'll enjoy the 50 mile commute, and it will be the most fun part of the day to the point where you'll be sad when it's over. Yes, the seats in my 2020 are improved over my first Bolt, a 2017,.and unless you have an oversized derriere, seats are ok.

 

[ElderGeek]

Absolutely! Approaching 1 year ownership.

 

[atc98092]

Yes, the seats were changed for '22, and I have no problems with them. But no, I wouldn't get the Bolt again. It's not that it doesn't do all it's supposed to. But I gave up two options from my last car that I thought I wouldn't really care about, and I was wrong. I really miss the seat memory, as it's quite a difference of position between myself and my wife. In other cars it wasn't all that different, (and those cars had memory), but for whatever reason we sit quite differently in the Bolt. The other is dual zone HVAC. Again, it's the preferences between my wife and I, with her wanting it colder and me wanting more heat. I thought we could live with it, but I was wrong. But that is on me. I knew all of that when I made the decision. Not blaming the car for something I knew it didn't have.

Things I can live with is the lower DC charging speeds, and the range being a bit lower than I'd like. Of course, since I'm stuck right now with the 80% charge limitation, that has really hurt me for driving range, as it makes a trip to my parents home require a quick stop for a top off so I don't get home with a single digit range number.

That's not to say that I wouldn't consider another GM EV. Depending on the options available, the Equinox EV might be just fine for me. I know the new Cadillac would be OK as well, but it's a touch pricy.

 

[RacerX00]

I'd buy every single Bolt in the world that I could afford to buy and then when they got recalled swap them and trade out into something else. I have PTSD jumping through these recall hoops but give me 10 Bolts and I can turn that into 150k with the benefit of hindsight

Car is great, don't let anyone talk you out of it. Listen to their criticisms and try the car out for yourself. You're not going to get S-class perfection in a car that could be had for under $20k used easy in the now fantasy world where **** didn't go haywire.

GM has been a nightmare for some to deal with but there's the valid question to be asked in how much better another OEM would have done. I disagree with many in that GM has been way more awful at implementation of resolutions than others, personally.

So no problems with the car. A lot of problems with the time consuming and at this point emotional drama of having to deal with the recall... I want to say bureaucracy as the nicest way to put it.

Also, don't be scared of fires. Nothing to be scared of. As long as you know people perceive that it will go on fire, sometimes irrationally, that's all you need to know. If you wind up in a pre-recalled battery I wouldn't stress about it one bit, not even in a '17 or '19 (the years with the most fires).

 

[Terry Hancock]

Only that last sale of March and April 2021, when Bolt prices hit 20K for a new machine. Our family was unable to ignore those prices, for a nice little EV. However, 35 to 50K pricing demands Ultium and fast charging. The BEV2 is now antiquated. More and competitive choices appear daily. The biggest killer is not range, but rather speed of charging by DCFC. The Bolt remains great for up to 200 mile total round trips.

 

[rEddieKilowatt]

Yes I'd buy it again, in a heartbeat, without any doubt. You'll enjoy the 50 mile commute, and it will be the most fun part of the day to the point where you'll be sad when it's over. Yes, the seats in my 2020 are improved over my first Bolt, a 2017,.and unless you have an oversized derriere, seats are ok.

I've had my 2020 Bolt Premier for just over one year and put on 18xxx miles. I have a 60 mile round trip commute. I love it! I agree with djhodny that driving the bolt is one of the most enjoyable things I do. Just about the perfect car (I traded in my 2017 GTI for the Bolt). Long trips are doable and quite enjoyable, and my trip to Madison, WI, to see my son is virtually free as there are free DCFC stops in Tomah and Madison. But fast charging along the way is a must and will add time.
Get the Bolt; you won't regret it.

 

[Voldar]

One last thing : the Bolt EV is the only car I owned and that puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Even after more than 3 years of ownership, I make up excuses even now to get out and drive it, even in the middle of the night.

 

[Ian W.]

Yes, yes, yes. I would buy my Bolt again in a heartbeat. I got mine (2017) ten months ago and I now enjoy the new battery with better range and a new warranty. I like smaller cars and to find an affordable small EV with big range is amazing. Sure, the seats could be a lot better, so I bought a comfy gel pad which really helps. And the slow "fast charging" if you need it can be a pain. But the car itself - fast and smooth with many neat features - makes it very worthwhile. I just wish I could have talked my wife into buying one when they were abundant and reasonably-priced. Ian (Toronto)

 

[RacerX00]

One last thing : the Bolt EV is the only car I owned and that puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. Even after more than 3 years of ownership, I make up excuses even now to get out and drive it, even in the middle of the night.

Me and this guy don't always get a long, but I get good feels when he says things like this. That has to mean something about the car.

 

[trm2]

When the Bolt first came out the seats were truly awful. Actually, that is giving them too much credit.

We bought a Bolt EUV for my wife last year and I was ready to dump my Model S to get the EUV for myself, then the recall hit the 2022s also.

I would absolutely buy another EUV, but there is no way I would buy another Tesla. I’m just looking for the right replacement for the Model S.

 

[oldskipro]

I'm looking at buying a 2022 Bolt 2LT at a local dealership once the battery recall has been completed. The dealership is also offering to pay to install a fast charger (labor only) at my house.

I test drove a Bolt a year ago and should have pulled the trigger then.

I have a 50 mile round trip to work and will for the next 6 years so I think the Bolt would work out great. Not planning on long trips.

Would you buy your Bolt again? Even without the $7500 fed incentive the price is still better than most electric cars.

Absolutely! Swapped my 2019 for a 2022 and could not be happier!

 

[evtinker]

If I had it to do over again, I would purchase a used 2017-2019 Premier instead of the then new 2020 LT I did buy. I love the car, and I do seem to just try to find excuses to drive somewhere, but for less money I could have had a few more options like roof rails, and still ended up with the new larger battery anyway.

 

[NortonCommando]

... I have PTSD jumping through these recall hoops ...

GM has been a nightmare for some to deal with but there's the valid question to be asked in how much better another OEM would have done.

Also, don't be scared of fires. Nothing to be scared of.... If you wind up in a pre-recalled battery I wouldn't stress about it one bit, not even in a '17 or '19 (the years with the most fires).

I don't understand this sort of reaction to a Fantastic Recall!
What better resolution could gm and LG give to the customer than a Brand New Battery Pack with a new warranty?
It was easy peasy for me and I think great PR for gm to just give every Bolt a new pack!

But then later Racer makes it sound like it's "No Big Deal"...

btw, I also don't understand the seat issue that some complain of.
The Bolt seat sits high above the ground compared to many cars, which make getting in easier for some!
Short people have to slide over that outside bolster and on mine that area is starting to show wear.
Oh, well, I can't hop into the drivers seat..or could I???
And it is the best car I've ever owned!!

 

[EVGeek]

Great question. Really not sure.
My OOP was $22K for a '19 Premier (swapped into a 2022 EUV Premier).
No doubt, I would do it again at that price.

Zero chance of doing it again and "investing" $44k incl. taxes and fees.
I would be looking at newer technology from GM and others.

 

[Greenfan]

Buying a bolt again without the year-end discounts or rebates would be a hard choice.Buying another ICE car would be out of the question after owning the 2019 bolt ev. it,s been an adventure with few regrets, now that the battery has been replaced.

 

[Alex_G]

I most certainly would. By far the best car I've had and with the gas prices over C$2 per liter it's almost a free ride 😀