Pardon this first-person account, but if you are thinking about buying or leasing an electric vehicle (EV) this year, this might be of help. Given what I do for a living, I know a lot of people who drive EVs, all different makes and models, and about 99% love the car they have. Our family has really enjoyed driving a Chevy Volt since 2014 (plug-in hybrid, or PHEV) and a Chevy Bolt (all-electric) since that came out a few years later. (Back when we got that Volt, we wrote a blog series about it – boy has the EV market come a long way in 10 short years!) Both cars are great for the money. We have had a decade of very low maintenance costs.

Now Chevy has two new all-electric cars on the market – the Equinox EV, a small SUV, and the Blazer EV, a mid-sized SUV. My family has been interested in trading in our Volt or Bolt for one of those newer models. We just had to wait until they appeared at a dealer near our home.

On May 18, Green Energy Consumers Alliance hosted a tour of the Whitman River Hydro facility in beautiful Westminster, Massachusetts. At the tour, we had a few of our EV ambassadors proudly display their rides. So, I was happy to borrow a brand-new Blazer from Quirk Chevrolet in Braintree, MA. They sent me off with a fully loaded all-wheel-drive Blazer EV and I must say that the ride was incredibly comfortable (with excellent technology), about 65 miles each way.

The Chevrolet Blazer at our Whitman Hydro event 

I told attendees of the hydro tour that the Blazer is excellent, but I was waiting to test drive the Equinox EV that was coming soon. Why? The Equinox EV is a bit smaller, more efficient (more miles per kilowatt-hour) and less expensive, all things to our liking. 

As it happens, Quirk got some Equinoxes in on May 24, so the family went to Braintree for a test drive. Same great ride as the Blazer with a great price. As a result, we ordered one in Riptide Blue (nice color at no extra charge, the red is cool but costs $495).

Here are some facts about the Chevy EVs: 

• Volt: General Motors (GM), Chevy’s parent company stopped making them. A mistake in our book. Rumor has it that GM will start making another PHEV at some point soon. 

• Bolt: GM also stopped making them for now, another huge mistake, but will be making them in Kansas by late 2025. The Bolt has been a great car for us. When we got it, it was the most affordable EV you can get with a range of over 250-mile range on a 60 kilowatt-hour (kWh) hour battery. The Bolt does have some minor deficiencies: Its fast charge speed (90 miles in 30 minutes from 50 kilowatts (kW)) is on the low end of the spectrum compared to other EVs.  And it does not handle bumps well. But the world needs more affordable EVs, so hopefully GM will produce a lot of the new Bolts while giving it a smoother ride.  

• Blazer EV: Mid-size SUV. The AWD version has a 279-mile range. The rear-wheel drive version has a range of 324 miles. Its fast charger is at 150-190 kW, a big improvement over the Bolt.  The “2LT” version has an MSRP of about $50,000, but it’s eligible for a $7,500 tax credit, $3,500 state rebate, Drive Green discounts (from at least two eastern Mass. dealers), and manufacturer’s incentives. The lease price is very good too with the state’s MOR-EV rebate pretty much covering the payment due at signing.  

• Equinox EV: Slightly smaller than the Blazer. The AWD has a 285-mile range on an 85-kWh battery. The front-wheel drive version, which we are getting, has a range of 319 miles. Its fast charger is at 150 kW and can charge 70-80 miles in 10 minutes, a big improvement over the Bolt.  The “2LT” version has an MSRP of $43,295, but it’s also eligible for a $7,500 tax credit, a $3,500 state rebate, Drive Green discounts (from at least two eastern Mass. dealers), and manufacturer’s incentives. With that modest MSRP and all those incentives, the Equinox EV is the most affordable EV on the market with a range over 300 miles. The lease price is excellent with the state’s MOR-EV rebate, pretty much covering the payment due at signing.  

Our family has been a fan of Chevy EVs ever since the Volt, but of course, there are lots of other excellent makes and models out there. And now, with federal tax credits benefiting both buyers and lessors, there are many EVs available at lower prices than the average new car with a gasoline engine. For more information on available EVs, including but not limited to the Blazer and Equinox, visit GreenEnergyConsumers.org/DriveGreen.

 We’re looking forward to picking up our new Equinox EV soon (it’s in transit). It checks all the boxes we had on our list. You don’t have to buy an Equinox just because we did, but whatever you do, if you can make your next car an EV, do it. Our Drive Green team is here to help!