The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt Edges Out Nissan Leaf With More Range for Less Money

Amazing what can happen in a few months with enough motivation. Like, magically finding an extra seven miles of EPA-estimated range.

Late on Friday, General Motors announced the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt is now on sale, costs $28,995 (including the $1,395 destination fee), and has 262 miles of EPA-estimated range. That makes the Chevy Bolt the least expensive EV on sale in America today, with more range than the Nissan Leaf.

The Chevrolet Bolt both costs less and goes further than the Leaf, which was previously, until hours ago, the value leader.

Notably, this all comes with caveats. The Bolt’s range is EPA estimated at this point and not EPA rated. Further, somehow, somewhere, and it’s unclear why, the Bolt magically has 7 more miles of estimated range than it did when the debuted in the fall. Originally, the Bolt was returning with an estimated 255 miles of range. Notably, this extra range must’ve been found recently because Chevrolet’s own website and build configurator still touts 255 miles of driving range.

But that 255-mile rating would have seen the Bolt checking in with less range than the Leaf, which has 259 miles of EPA-rated range, though the Bolt still costs less money than the Leaf. The price delta? The Leaf is $2,490 more expensive than the Bolt. That’s no small sum even in these expensive times.

The Bolt is well-appointed even in base form with an 11.3-inch touchscreen with Google built-in, though no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto (the Leaf has both), adaptive cruise control, automatic climate control, and a Tesla-like NACS charging port. Notably, the Bolt is available with GM’s fantastic Level 2 hands-free driver-assist system known as Super Cruise, though not at $28,995.

Chevrolet said the 2027 Bolt is on sale now and arriving at dealers.

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