Affordable is a word that rarely fits new EVs, which is why the 2027 Chevy Bolt is worth a close look. Gjeebs calls it one of the cheapest entry EVs going, with an after-destination starting price around 28,000 dollars across two trims. The LT lists at 28,995 dollars and the RS, for Rally Sport, at 32,995, with the tested car climbing to about 35,000 once options are added. Range is quoted at 262 miles from an LFP battery, and the headline feature is a native NACS charging port built in from the factory, which opens up much of the Tesla Supercharger network without an adapter. The review walks through space, tech, driving manners, and a real Supercharger charge test to see where it lands against pricier rivals.
The Bolt's problem is not the Bolt, it is where its price lands. Gjeebs points out that a loaded RS around 35,000 dollars butts right up against the entry Tesla Model 3, which the video cites at 36,990 dollars with more range and available Full Self-Driving. So the case for the Bolt rests on the things Tesla does not give you cheaply: physical climate buttons, a flat-floor back seat the host says fits a six-foot-three passenger behind a six-foot-three driver, a panoramic roof with a powered shade, and Google built in without needing Apple CarPlay. The video also walks through the warranty, noting three years and 36,000 miles overall against Tesla's longer bumper-to-bumper term, with both covering the battery for eight years and 100,000 miles. Worth adding from outside the video: a factory NACS port on a sub-30,000-dollar car is the clearest sign yet that the industry-wide shift to Tesla's connector has reached the cheap end of the market, not just premium EVs.
On charging, the test was not all smooth. Gjeebs reports three failed sessions at Walmart chargers and a V3 Supercharger that quit at 37 percent, before a V4 stall finally delivered a clean run of 10 to 80 percent in 33 minutes and 51 seconds, which he rates as solid for the class. Adaptive cruise is standard, Super Cruise is available on both trims, and he praises the crisp reversing camera and the built-in route planning with battery preconditioning. His main gripe is low-speed drivability, describing an occasional jerky, grabby throttle when inching into parking spots. Power off the line is peppy rather than fast, with a deliberate delay to keep the front tires from spinning.
On the trims, Gjeebs lays out what separates them. The RS adds ambient lighting and black wheels, while the base LT skips those, and a few comforts like ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel are available on both. He measured the V4 charge run at about 5.72 miles of range added per minute, which he calls solid for a car in this class with a smaller LFP pack. He is also complimentary about the cabin technology, praising the built-in Google system and route planning enough that he says he does not miss Apple CarPlay, though he flags plastic surfaces almost everywhere and a center screen tilted at an angle he initially disliked before warming to it. Keyless entry with no start button, so the car wakes as you sit down, is the small touch he keeps coming back to as the kind of convenience that makes the price feel generous.
Bottom line: Buy the cheaper LT and skip the options, and the Bolt is one of the easiest EV recommendations out there: cheap to run, genuinely roomy, and native NACS means road trips are not a headache. Load an RS up to 35,000 and you are shopping against a Model 3, which is a fight the Bolt was not built to win. The plastics are everywhere and the low-speed throttle needs polish, but as basic, honest transportation that plugs into the biggest fast-charging network in America, it does the job.
Commentary on a third-party video. Figures and claims are as presented in the source and have not been independently verified. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it.