2022 Chevy Bolt EV Review

Electric vehicle enthusiasts might remember the Great EV War of 2016-2017, when Chevrolet and Tesla were racing to produce the first affordable long-range EV. The Chevrolet Bolt won the battle and enjoyed a nearly yearlong head start before the first Tesla Model 3 made its way to an owner's garage. However, the overwhelmingly higher sales figures for the 3 reveal Tesla won the war.

For 2022, Chevrolet is significantly revamping the Bolt to fix the issues that made the previous iteration hard to love. On the docket are new seats, a redesigned cabin and updated styling that, to our eyes, looks less dorky than it did before. Will the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt dethrone the sporty Model 3 at the top of our rankings of the Best Electric Cars? It's hard to tell without firsthand experience, but we'll be on the front lines for GEVW II.

One thing hasn't changed for 2022: the powertrain. The Bolt EV uses a single electric motor that drives the front wheels and develops 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. It is fed by a 65-kWh battery pack that should deliver an estimated 259 miles of range. It has the same range as last year's Bolt and should be enough for most people's daily driving. We've also found that Bolt overperforms a little; we eked out 277 miles in our real-world driving test.

As with all EVs, charging using a standard three-prong outlet is a pitifully slow affair, adding roughly 4 miles of charge per hour. Chevy is offering a new charging cord for the Bolt that supports both 120-volt and 240-volt connections. You can potentially use this cord to recharge at home with 240-volt power instead of purchasing a separate charging station. Since not every household has a free 240-volt outlet, Chevrolet is partnering with Qmerit to provide complimentary basic outlet installation for anyone who buys or leases a Bolt (some exclusions apply). Fully recharging a nearly empty battery will take about nine hours this way.

Chevrolet has also upgraded the 2022 Bolt's onboard charger to draw up to 11 kilowatts, but you'll have to install a special charging station to pull that extra juice. Going this route drops the recharging time to approximately seven hours. The Bolt still supports DC fast charging too. On long road trips, you can use one of these chargers to potentially add up to 100 miles of range in 30 minutes.

The 2022 Bolt's interior is more conventionally styled, with a large central touchscreen nicely integrated into the dashboard design. Chevy has also replaced the previous drive mode shifter with buttons. Each button (Drive, Reverse, etc.) has a distinctive shape and placement so the driver can select the correct button without looking down.

One of our literal sore spots with the previous Bolt should be corrected for 2022. Previously, we found the front seats uncomfortable and too thinly cushioned. Chevy says it has redesigned the seats, and we're hoping that means more generous padding and support.

The Bolt is dimensionally unchanged, so there's just as much passenger headroom and legroom as before. We found the previous Bolt to be surprisingly spacious for four adults, though the cabin itself is on the narrow side. With no spatial modifications to speak of, the refreshed Bolt will be just as accommodating.

The Bolt EV is more generously equipped than its predecessor. A suite of safety features is now standard, including forward collision warning, emergency automatic braking and lane keeping assist. On the options list are blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera and — finally — adaptive cruise control. Unfortunately, GM's fantastic Super Cruise system is not available on the Bolt hatchback, but it is optional on the related Chevrolet Bolt EUV crossover.

The 10.2-inch touchscreen is the same size as last year, but the interface changes from a Bolt-unique UI to the Chevy Infotainment 3 interface found on other Chevrolet and GM products. We've found this system to be useful and easy to operate in other applications, and there's no reason to believe it won't be the same for the 2022 Bolt.

The upgraded system now supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you don't have to be plugged in to control your phone. A wireless charging pad, Wi-Fi hotspot and an integrated navigation system are all available. There's no word on whether you can watch Netflix on the main screen while the car is parked, but multimedia entertainment will likely remain Tesla's forte.