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5 Reasons To Buy A 2019 Chevrolet Volt, And 5 Reasons To Pass

Those that have been paying attention to this space may have noticed that we have a soft spot for the Chevrolet Volt. Ultimately, there’s no reason outlined here that can eclipse the perks of living with one, but we still feel obligated to address a few minor shortcomings we perceive the Volt to have. We nevertheless consider it a strong buy, and consider it to be one of the strongest products in the Chevrolet portfolio, if not the entire General Motors portfolio.

We’ll start by outlining our top five reasons why to buy a 2019 Chevrolet Volt:

1. An Ideal Combination Of Efficiency, Technology, And Utility

The second-generation 2019 Chevrolet Volt is the take-home pick of multiple GMA staff members for a reason. We almost never have to use gasoline, and charging it is cheaper than filling up. The interior keeps things essential but nicely accented with technology like an 8-inch touch screen, several pages of information that breaks down everything from total fuel economy to driving habits, and a configurable digital instrument panel. No other Chevrolet passenger cars can do this, besides the Bolt EV. The liftback design also provides 33 cubic feet with the second row folded nice and flat. The storage space is good enough for camping gear, boxed Ikea furniture, or even a full set of autocross tires.

2019 Chevrolet Volt - Exterior - First Drive - September 2018 003

2. Crisp, Modern Styling

The 2019 Chevrolet Volt did well not to have any visual changes, because the design is as clean and confident now as when it launched in 2016. Sure, it might not appear as alien as the first-generation Chevy Volt, and the front fascia looks far too close to the more conventional Chevrolet Cruze, but these are not essentially bad things. At least, we don’t think so.

2019 Chevrolet Volt - Interior - First Drive - September 2018 001

 

3. A Highly Refined PHEV Drivetrain

Other makes are just getting into the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle scene, and it shows. The integration and synchronicity between the gasoline generator engine and the electric batteries in some of these products are pretty unrefined. By that we mean that the engine drone is more than just an offset to the serenity of electric driving, they can be downright aggravating (when they have to turn on). Not so in the 2019 Chevrolet Volt. It’s as polished as it gets.2016 Chevrolet Volt engine bay 002

4. Plenty Of Electrified Punch

With 294 lb-ft of torque, the 2019 Chevrolet Volt is a bit of a sleeper, and has spritely city driving dynamics. Though the power from the batteries and the engine are easily scrubbed into dust as the low-rolling Michelin tires struggle to find any semblance of grip off the line. It’s easy to figure out how to drive around the lack of traction, however. Rather than mashing the throttle, it’s better to be gradually fed until around 15 miles per hour or so. Then put it to the floor.

2016 Chevy Volt-National Battery Day-2015

5. It’s Made In America – For Now

The 2019 Chevrolet Volt is built within sight of GM’s global headquarters at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, along with the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CT6 and Chevrolet Impala. The D-Ham plant has received over a billion dollars in tooling investments and upgrades since 2009, and built the first-generation Chevrolet Volt, as well. If American made is your thing, the Chevy Volt is one of the few plug-in hyrbid vehicles that fit in this bracket. But with GM’s uneasy emphasis on the Chinese market as of late, who knows what will happen in the future.

2016 Chevrolet Volt Charge Light

5 Reasons Not To Buy:

1. Rear Window Visibility Needs Improvement

While the standard backup camera negates most of the rear visibility concerns, there’s almost no use for the rearview mirror in the 2019 Chevrolet Volt. That’s because the rear window returns just a smidgen of visibility from the viewpoint of the driver’s seat. The first-generation Chevy Volt alleviated this by having a small pane of glass, separate from the main rear window, positioned just at the base of the hatch. This is just one of the things we miss from the first-generation Volt that strangely didn’t make to gen two.

2019 Chevrolet Volt - Exterior - First Drive - September 2018 004

2. No More Pedestrian Alert Horn

*chirp*chirp*chirp*chirp*. It was fun pushing the little pedestrian warning alert button at the end of the wiper control stalk in the first-generation Chevrolet Volt. It doubled as a nice greeting sound when pulling up to or leaving grandma’s house, rather than committing to the full volume of a standard car horn. This charming feature was replaced by an aural sound effect in the second-generation Chevrolet Volt. The intention is to notify blind pedestrians of the car’s presence at low speed, or a full stop. It’s a neat feature, but lacks the soul of the original solution.

2016 Volt headroom

3. Poor Rear Seat Headroom

The tapered roofline of the 2019 Chevrolet Volt may be highly aerodynamic, but sets up rear occupants for uncomfortably low amounts of headroom, even for those who aren’t even six feet tall. Additionally, rear leg room is just alright, unless you’re the poor soul strapped in the middle seat, straddling the battery pack housing. We’ll take this time to remind that the first-generation Volt didn’t even have a middle seat, and the current setup is primarily intended for child seats – not adults.

2017 Chevrolet Volt Autocross2

4. Wants To Be A Hot Hatch, Isn’t

It’s frustrating that that a car with nearly 300 lb-ft of torque has far too little hardware that seem to support that power. From a lack of a limited slip differential, to the bird boned half-shafts, to the sub-par braking, and to the low-friction rubber… it all saps away from what could have been a hot hatch driving experience if GM considered the performance potential for the 2019 Chevrolet Volt. But we won’t get too far into it here. For more, read our learnings from autocrossing the Chevy Volt for a few seasons.

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Exterior 015

5. You’d Rather Go Full EV

Hey, we get it, you’d rather live a more compromised life, where your only method of increasing the range on a vehicle is waiting up to several hours for it to charge. And then only after to maintain a strict driving radius. Some people would rather not have the convenience of the 2019 Chevrolet Volt, which can utilize both the gas station infrastructure and the electrical grid seamlessly. As we’ve learned from a road trip with the Chevrolet Bolt EV, going full plug-in is a commitment full of newfound obstacles. But some people would rather be challenged this way, and we’re not here to judge.

Did we miss something? Do you agree? Sound off in the comments.

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The GM Authority staff is comprised of columnists, interns, and other reporters who provide coverage of the latest General Motors news.

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Comments

  1. how about the price tag as a reason not to buy?

    i really like it but without the $7500 federal tax credit, it is going to be really tough to move these units.

    i wish they’d make a trim with less ev range. as i recall, you could go 55 miles or so on battery alone. what about a version that goes 1/2 or 1/4 that?

    i think they need to come up with a version that competes with the new honda insight. that gets 50+ mpg for about $25K and it has an EV range that is trivial … maybe like 1 or 2 miles.

    Reply
  2. “several hours for it to charge.”

    In California, next month the last Level 3 charging arrays will be deployed on the I-10 corridor. If you take a nap in the back of your Bolt EV, you’ll be able to drive from the California-Oregon border to Arizona, gas free – and have it take a nap’s worth of added travel time.

    That’s the problem with the Volt. Gas is getting expensive and long-range is getting cheaper. A Volt SUV however… makes a lot more sense, as the added weight and AC and girth will benefit the range extender – versus a more costly battery.

    I totally agree GM should add more performance. A Pontiac Jolt with rear-bias AWD on the backside of the Bolt chassis (has the slots for it), would be a Model 3 beater.

    Reply
    1. Our ’13 Volt has plenty of room for a rear motor too. I am impatiently waiting for GM to pull their heads out of said rear ends!.. so I lifted ours by 3 inches in the meantime.

      Reply
  3. If your goal is to reduce greenhouse gases the Voltec powertrain in the Volt is a better way to convince people to make the change, better even than an all electric BEV. Why? The average non EV enthusiast driver is worried over things like range anxiety, and other changes to their driving conditions. The Voltec eliminates many of these concerns and even though it has to use gas, over 90% of the trips will be all electric. What’s better 5% of the population driving all electric or 50% or more of the population still using gas for trips beyond 50 miles and electricity for everything else? At least until battery costs come done to a point that they are more affordable and a charging infrastructure capable of supporting the needs of orders of magnitude more BEVs is in place.

    The GM engineers have come up with a bril!iant design with the Voltec, one in my opinion, that provides a usable bridge to the future. Unfortunately the management doing the product planning have failed miserably in not offering it in GM SUVs and trucks.

    Reply
    1. I totally agree with you especially when I am driving my 12mpg Silverado – see my comment above, thx.

      Reply
    2. Here we are in 2025 and all of a sudden in 2024 EREVs become the most popular way to electrify cars.

      Reply
  4. To Buy: #3 mentions engine drone. Our 17 is much louder than our 12, which you seldom heard.
    Not To Buy: #2 Yes, we miss the pedestrian beep. Or as we called it, The Road Runner sound. #3 Never noticed the rear head room. The dogs haven’t commented at all. #5, “full EV”. I don’t think so. Our 1st Volt was just plain wonderful. Our 2nd is just plain PERFECT ! Meets or exceeds all expectations.

    Reply
  5. I love my 2018, I do not like the lack of visibility form the deletion of glass in the back hatch.

    Reply
  6. Should have been marketed as a real crossover, to all electric that is, once infrastructure and charging time gets reasonable.

    Reply
  7. Not to buy: no longer produced and real bad resale values. I was in a market for a used 13-15 and was shocked to see them listed for less than Prius that cost 20k less to start with!! Many sat for 2 months even at kbb prices in a hot market (SF bay area) Ended up with Prius as I may resale after kid goes to college. I wanted to geek out with volt though…

    Reply

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