They're Selling The Chevy Bolt For How Much?!

Vehicle Specs +

• EPA estimate: 259 miles on a full charge
• 127 city/108 highway MPGe
• 200 Horsepower
• 8 Year/100k mile battery limited warranty
• DC Fast Charging capability
• Keyless push start button
• 164"L x 70"W x 63"H

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If I told you that the best value car deal out there was an electric vehicle from a legacy car maker, you would be right to doubt me. If I then went on to tell you that the EV we’re going to be talking about can be purchased brand new for less than $20,000, you’d call blasphemy. Yet that is exactly what we’re going to discuss today, because the Chevy Bolt is the car everybody should be looking to buy right now.

For the longest time, pundits of the EV market have stressed affordability as the main detractor for why electric cars are not sustainable. There is truth behind that as up until recently, most electric vehicles come at a premium price tag. Even with more consumer friendly options out there now, you’d still be hard pressed to find a brand new EV for less than $30,000 not named Kandi. Well that has changed as Chevy dealerships around the country have been low key selling 2020 Bolt EVs at a shockingly low price tag. For example, just a few weeks ago my co-worker purchased a Bolt LT for just $22,000 out the door. This wasn’t a used car either. It was absolutely brand new. 

You’re getting a fully electric car that has an EPA estimated range of 259 miles for the price of a Toyota Prius.

In some extreme cases, I’ve even seen listings for the Bolt EV at $17,000. Think of the magnitude of these price drops as the MSRP of the little hatchback was originally at around $36,000. You’re getting a fully electric car that has an EPA estimated range of 259 miles for the price of a Toyota Prius. That’s almost the amount of range I had on my Tesla Model 3 Mid-Range. Keep in mind, I purchased that car for roughly $38,000 after all the discounts and rebates were all said and done.

If this was 2019 (when I bought the Tesla) and the Chevy Bolt was sitting in front of me at this price point right now, I would not be driving a Model 3 today. Yes, Tesla has many different things that the Bolt can’t offer drivers, but when it comes to sheer value per dollar amount, I can honestly say that I don’t see any car out there right now offering as good of an overall package as what these Bolts give at $20,000.

Everything we love about the electric life is here as well. In my case here in California, driving an EV means we qualify for a clean air vehicle decal. By sending the DMV $22, your car can drive on the diamond lane without any additional passengers. That may seem like a trivial thing to certain people, but if you’ve ever driven on a Californian freeway, you’d understand that this privilege is worth way more than all the luxury a Mercedes or BMW can give you in traffic. My 40 minute to an hour commute from LA County to Orange County is effectively cut in half thanks to my Model 3’s ability to gain access to the carpool lane. At around the $20,000 mark, depending on your dealership location, this is the cheapest vehicle to gain entry into this commuting bliss. 

For $20,000 you can wake up every morning to a fully charged car. No more gas stations, no more smog checks, and no more oil changes. Once again, there isn’t another mass consumer car that lets you enter into the EV lifestyle at this low of a price tag. Excluding the Kandi cars in this discussion, a new 2021 Nissan Leaf is about $30,000 and can only hit 150 miles on a charge. It’s not even a competitive discussion in my book.

Look, this isn’t a review nor do we need to talk about the features of the Bolt EV. There are plenty of videos out there covering this car. I just want to bring awareness to buyers out there who have a certain stigma regarding the switch to an electric car. There are plenty of consumers who had a valid argument about this segment of the car industry pricing the everyday man or woman out of the market. GM and Chevrolet dealerships are basically giving these cars away to buyers at a loss right now. While a refresh to the Bolt EV line is inbound, that doesn’t change the fact that you can get your hands behind the wheel of a brand new 2020 Bolt EV for cheaper than what it would cost to buy a Honda Civic. So for all the people hesitating to jump onto the EV path due to price concerns, the ball is in your court now thanks to Chevy.

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