Six inches longer than the standard Bolt, the 2022 Bolt EUV is roomier, better equipped and has a more comfortable ride

When Chevrolet redesigned its Bolt for 2022, it remade the electric vehicle as two models: the Bolt EV (reviewed separately) and the Bolt EUV (Electric Utility Vehicle) – essentially a compact SUV – reviewed here. 

What’s the difference? With a length of 169.5 inches, the EUV is 6.3 inches longer, providing a slightly larger cabin with 3 inches of extra legroom. The larger footprint primarily impacts the rear seating area, offering 39.1 inches of total legroom, which, believe it or not, is the same back seat legroom available in a 2021 Cadillac XT5 – a car that’s 20.1 inches longer than the Bolt EUV. Chevrolet claims that despite their similar look, the 2022 Bolt EV and EUV do not have a single exterior body panel in common. The EUV is taller, longer and blockier. It reaches 60mph in 7 seconds. 

By John Coulter

The Bolt and “Second Bolt” have taken on a major role as the most affordable offerings in Chevrolet’s EV lineup, which General Motors plans to significantly expand. The company says it will launch 30 new EVs globally by 2025 and sell two-thirds of them in North America. GM hopes to sell 1 million electric vehicles by 2025 and knows that to do so, it must ease two top driver concerns: cost and battery range anxiety. 

GM has successfully addressed the two issues head-on with the Bolt EV and EUV. Both e-mobility cars have significantly reduced prices and their 240 to 250-mile ranges are competitively high. 

The Bolt EUV’s $33,000 base price is $3,500 less than the 2021 Bolt, and it undercuts one of its biggest competitors – the 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric – by $4,570. GM vehicles are no longer eligible for a $7,500 Federal tax credit, though the Bolt EV and EUV remain eligible for considerable state rebates, especially in California. Consult a Current EV associate to find out what credits and rebates are available. 

The EUV comes in two trims: EUV LT (MSRP: $33,000) and EUV Premier (MSRP: $37,500). Both Electric Utility Vehicles have been given a dose of SUV-like styling to make them slightly different-looking than the Bolt EV. The two EUV trims are around $2,000 more than the two EV trims. 

Provided with its own signature look, the 2022 EUV comes standard with an illuminated charge port, signature LED daytime running lamps with sequential turn signals, body-color door handles with a chrome strip, solar-absorbing glass, automatic on/off headlamps, body-color accented heated power outside mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators, chrome bodyside moldings, Gloss Black window surround moldings, 17" Machined-face aluminum wheels with carbon flash painted pockets and Michelin Energy Saver all-season tires with Selfseal technology. 

The EUV’s more muscular looks, more accommodating rear passenger compartment and available options such as a sunroof and Super Cruise provide drivers with a larger, 2nd option Bolt. Chevrolet strongly believes in full-sized SUVs. With 144.7 cubic feet of total cargo space, the 2021 Chevy Suburban is one of the biggest passenger vehicles on the road. So it’s easy to understand why the automaker built a Bolt EUV. 

The 2022 Bolt EUV is the first GM car outside the Cadillac brand to offer Super Cruise – a hands-off driving assist system that gets added to the car’s Adaptive Cruise Control. To use Super Cruise, drivers still need to keep their eyes on the road ahead, and the roads have to be “compatibly mapped” for the system to engage. Upgrades Super Cruise, with automated lane changing, requires electrical architecture that GM hasn’t created yet. Meaning Super Cruise is a taste of things to come, but not the whole package. 

The EV and EUV use the same powertrain: a 65kWh Lithium Ion Propulsion battery providing electric power to a front-mounted 200 horsepower electric motor. Because it weighs 90 pounds more than the EV, the EUV manages around 247 miles of driving range – about 9 miles less than its smaller sibling. 

The Bolt EUV’s fuel economy is excellent at 125/104/115 MPGe for city/highway/combined. The EPA estimates you’ll save $6,000 in fuel costs over 5 years by driving a Bolt EUV, compared to driving a comparable gas car. This is one of the highest fuel economy ratings projected by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=43954  

The EUV uses a one-pedal-driving mode which can be activated via a button on the center console. The electric vehicle’s Regenerative Braking on demand captures otherwise lost energy, even without using the brake pedal, sending the energy to the battery pack. DC fast charging adds about 100 miles of range every 30 minutes with a Level 3 connection. 

To make charging slightly easier and more efficient, Chevrolet provides what’s called a "Dual Level Charge Cord" as standard equipment. A changeable plug allows the cord to work with both 120-Volt and 240-Volt outlets. Using a 240-Volt outlet, the EUV’s battery gets replenished in around 7 hours. The EUV comes standard with DC Fast Charging compatibility, which adds 95 miles to the battery in 30 minutes. 

To ease anxiety about battery charging, Chevrolet is providing a new perk to its customers. Chevrolet will pay up to $1,000 for installing a charger brought to your home or business by a Qmerit electrician. 

Two more options Chevy added based on the most frequent requests made by Bolt customers. A sunroof and built-in navigation system are now available. 

Chevrolet has also addressed requests by Bolt owners for more comfortable seats, a more premium-looking interior, better displays and infotainment features and more active safety features. The EUV’s interior includes more soft-touch surfaces, LED lights and a larger 10.2-inch center touchscreen. The shift lever has been replaced by buttons. The Bolt has received some of the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the industry. Because the vehicle has attracted more new customers to GM than any of their other brands, GM went all out to get the 2022 Bolt EV and EUV right. 

Safety-wise, the EUV contains a Passenger Sensing System automatically switches the front passenger seat frontal airbag and knee airbag on or off and illuminates a status light that indicates whether the airbags are on or off. 10 airbags come with the car: 

• Frontal airbags for driver and front passenger 

• Knee airbags for driver and front passenger • Seat-mounted side-impact airbags for all outboard seating positions 

• Head-curtain airbags for all rows in outboard seating positions 

More safety features include: 

• OnStar & Chevrolet Connected Services 

• Rear Camera Mirror 

• Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert 

• Remote Star 

• Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning 

• Rear Cross Traffic Alert 

• Rear Parking Assist 

• Rear Seat Reminder 

• Remote panic alarm 

WRITTEN AUGUST 2021