The 2021 Chevy Bolt’s Cabin Quality Will Make You Feel ‘Slighted,’ but It Still Won This Award
Tesla may currently be the most famous automaker for EVs, but Chevy has a few tricks up its sleeves. The Chevy Bolt is Chevy’s entry into the affordable EV market, and it’s quite impressive in a few ways. In fact, despite having a lackluster cabin, the 2021 Chevy Bolt still won an award for being the best compact EV on the market right now.
The best EVs, including the Chevy Bolt
Created by the publication’s team of experts and engineers, Good Housekeeping recently published a list of the best EVs on the market for 2021. Since the EV market is still growing, some of the winners are expected due to a lack of competition. For example, in the “Best Electric Sedan” category, the Tesla Model 3 won that award. Similarly, the Ford Mustang Mach-E won in the “Best Electric Compact SUV” category.
The Chevy Bolt, meanwhile, won in the “Best Electric Compact Car” category. The fact that the Bolt and the Model 3 were in different categories definitely helped the Bolt’s chances, but regardless, it’s earned its spot on Good Housekeeping’s list.
Why the 2021 Chevy Bolt is the best compact electric car
Despite being a compact car, the Bolt is bigger on the inside. According to Good Housekeeping, the Bolt’s cabin “feels expansive,” and as such, there’s plenty of legroom for passengers as well as cargo space for groceries or luggage. With that being said, the Bolt’s cabin quality may not be top of the line. Good Housekeeping wrote that “Both the driver and passengers will feel slighted by the interior cabin quality.”
As far as tech goes, the Bolt doesn’t offer anything out of the ordinary for its $36,000 price tag. It has a 10.2-inch touch screen display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a Teen Driver system. However, smart safety features are mostly optional on the Bolt. So, while the Bolt’s not a perfect car, it’s actually pretty quick for what it can do and how much it costs.
To be clear, the Bolt isn’t a sports car by any means, but Good Housekeeping wrote that it definitely can be fast. The Bolt’s electric motor generates about 200 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to go from 0 to 60 MPH in about 6.5 seconds. The Bolt’s battery is also impressive. It can get about 259 miles on a single charge. However, when it comes to recharging the Chevy Bolt, it’s not going to be that quick.
How Good Housekeeping created this list
According to Good Housekeeping, what its team of engineers and experts did wasn’t that unusual for a review site. They test drove the cars. However, these methods were more complex than just driving cars around for a few hours. Good Housekeeping said that it tried to look at the models “holistically” and that it also considered mundane things like where the cup holders are or how easy it is to install car seats for kids.
EVs are slightly different from regular gas-powered cars, of course, and as such, Good Housekeeping did some extra testing for these EVs. The team looked for things that EV customers look for, such as how far an EV can go on a single charge, how fast it takes to charge, and how easy it is to access the charging port. Good Housekeeping also compared prices between the EV and its equivalent standard or hybrid version before making a final decision.
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