Although only slightly more than 20,000 examples were sold in the U.S. in 2020, the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric crossover is single-handedly responsible for making Chevy the second best-selling EV brand in the United States of America.
Electric Vehicle Sales - 2020 - USA
| MODEL | YTD 20 / YTD 19 | YTD 20 | YTD 19 | YTD 20 SHARE | YTD 19 SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TESLA MODEL 3 | -1.61% | 171,000 | 173,794 | 56% | 68% |
| TESLA MODEL X | +61.28% | 37,000 | 22,941 | 12% | 9% |
| TESLA MODEL Y | * | 31,300 | 0 | 10% | 0% |
| TESLA MODEL S | +6.34% | 20,700 | 19,465 | 7% | 8% |
| CHEVROLET BOLT EV | +26.41% | 20,754 | 16,418 | 7% | 6% |
| NISSAN LEAF | -22.65% | 9,564 | 12,365 | 3% | 5% |
| PORSCHE TAYCAN | +3,295.38% | 4,414 | 130 | 1% | 0% |
| JAGUAR I-PACE | * | 1,946 | 0 | 1% | 0% |
| AUDI E-TRON | +10.24% | 5,919 | 5,369 | 2% | 2% |
| AUDI E-TRON SPORTBACK | * | 1,283 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| VOLKSWAGEN E-GOLF | -84.23% | 767 | 4,863 | 0% | 2% |
| FORD MUSTANG MACH-E | * | 3 | 0 | 0% | 0% |
| TOTAL | +19.31% | 304,650 | 255,345 |
It should be noted that the following models are not included in the sales comparison, since their manufacturers do not publish figures for the BEV variants of each nameplate:
- BMW i3
- Honda Clarity
- Hyundai Ioniq
- Hyundai Kona
- Kia Niro
Tesla leads the charts by an enormous margin. The Model 3 on its own accounted for 56 percent of the EV market, making it the clear leader despite a drop from 68 percent of market share in 2019. Total Tesla sales (expressed in surprisingly round numbers) amounted to 260,000, or 85 percent of America’s EV sector.
According to the official figures, the Bolt EV narrowly outsold the Tesla Model S, but was well down on the Model X and Model Y, and not even close to the Model 3.
In comparison with non-Tesla EVs, however, the Chevy performed very strongly. Bolt EV were more than double those of the Nissan Leaf, and nearly three times better than the combined performance of the Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback.
Encouraging though this must be for GM, it is only the beginning of the story. The Bolt EV will shortly receive a midcycle enhancement (MCE) which was intended for the 2021 model but was pushed back to the 2022 model year due to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The refreshed, 2022 Bolt EV will go on sale in the summer of 2021, at around the same time as the introduction of the technically similar, though larger, Chevrolet Bolt EUV.
And there will be more EVs to come from Chevrolet after that. A lot more. As GM Authority exclusively reported in November, EVs are expected to make up around 40 percent of General Motors vehicles sold in the U.S. by the end of 2025.
Chevrolet, GM’s most popular brand in the U.S., will be a major part of this push. Future Chevy electric models on sale by then are expected to include a compact crossover, a mid-size crossover, a full-size pickup, a low-roof model and a van. At that point, annual sales of under 21,000 electric Chevy vehicles will surely be a thing of the past, and the Bow Tie brand may no longer be merely the country’s second most popular EV marque.
We’ll be following GM’s electric transition very closely as it unfolds, so be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Bolt EV news, Chevrolet news, General Motors electric vehicle news and ongoing GM news coverage.
Comments
Why did GM decide to make this look like a dork mobile instead of something cool? The design of this thing is horrible.
Cause dorks are the only people who drive EVs.
I’m glad the Bolt beat 20K again. Cant wight for the refresh
You’re gonna spend another 20k replacing the battery after 100,000 miles.
Just wait biden’s going to make the meal as post office drive electric mini trucks and he’s going to order half a million of them, guess who is he going to give the order to not Tesla, but definitely GM or Ford
When the mail will be even later waiting for trucks to recharge Biden’s just going to blame Trump!
Why is Biden so quick to try to replace the Grumman LLV, seems like unnecessary spending. He should focus on the pandemic at hand. And gm should focus on making more competitive vehicles for the free market.
Trump had the economy going better then obummer until covid. Trump should of cancelled the EV money so Barra couldn’t cancel gas.
The contract to replace the Grumman LLV has been long in the works, with WKHS well in the running to win the contract. The US Postal Service has delayed awarding the contract due to covid19 several times now and Workhorse is the only all electric truck in the running.
Tesla leads the sales not because their Cars are competent (are any EV’s) but because they’re aren’t “big auto”
As owner of a Chevy Volt, one of the best cars I ever had, I will never trade it for a Bolt. SUV’s and crossovers are not for me and I’m not willing to buy one for the simple reason that I don’t like them. If GM doesn’t produce an EV or EREV sedan, when the time comes to trade my Volt it will be for a Tesla Model S.
I agree with jwl. We work hard to make our homes and yards look nice so why would we park an ugly car in the driveway. The EUV may change things for the a Bolt. Hope so.
All those benefits of the Bolt are real. I understand. But my pastel silver green Volt does all that too and looks great in the driveway. If a person is retired the Volts are perfect. We are on our third and love them.
A Chevy Cruze with a manual tranny gets better mileage for half the price.
I’m retired and today I traded my 2018 Volt LT (with leather and most of the bells and whistles) on a 2020 Bolt Premier. The Bolt was discounted, including the free bonus of $3,000 from my GM MasterCard, from $44,429 to $23,939. There is no comparison. The Bolt is easier for a senior to enter and exit, easier to see out and the regen paddles and one pedal driving actually stop the car, not just slow it to a crawl. The displays are bright and cheerful. If I want to travel long distance to an area without charging, I’ll rent a cheap car and save the wear and tear on the Bolt. And areas without charging will be history with (unfortunately) the current administration.
Just bought a 2020 Bolt for more than 46% off MSRP. It’s a fantastic car. My only complaint is that mine is Cajun Red, but the bird’s eye view camera shows a white simulated vehicle. Very happy.
Mary Barra is a bigger failure then oblamer.