Although the Chevy Bolt EV seemingly wasn’t part of GM’s future product roadmap while the automaker rolls out its Ultium-based electric vehicles, a new generation of the crossover has been announced, and is scheduled to debut next year. In the meantime, here’s everything we know about the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV.
Previous-generation Chevy Bolt EV
Shortly after GM confirmed it would discontinue the Bolt, the automaker reversed course and in July 2023, it announced that a new generation of the EV would eventually be introduced. During an interview earlier that summer, CEO Mary Barra stated that “Bolt is something that has built up a lot of loyalty and equity” and added that she couldn’t discuss future projects, seemingly hinting at the return of the Chevy Bolt.
“We were trying to be capital-efficient,” Barra said. “But the Bolt has great brand recognition and high customer ratings. We finally decided to do the work to move the Bolt to Ultium. Also, I was getting letters from people who were mad at me for killing the Bolt.”
Previous-generation Chevy Bolt EV
Model Line
Following GM’s Winning with Simplicity strategy, we’re expecting one, maybe two trim levels for the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV in order to reduce complexity and production costs. The Bolt could be available in 1LT and 2LT equipment groups, but trim levels such as RS and Activ are highly unlikely. That said, the Bolt EV could offer a sporty appearance package such as the Midnight/Sport Edition package added to the 2025 Chevy Blazer EV, or a selection of LPO or dealer-installed appearance options. A limited number of paint colors can also be expected along with one interior colorway.
GM Authority’s rendering of the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV
Exterior
The next-generation Bolt EV will be based on the outgoing Bolt EUV, which was slightly bigger than the Bolt EV. We’re expecting revised exterior styling to bear a family resemblance with the brand’s other EVs, including the Chevy Equinox EV and Chevy Blazer EV crossovers along with the Chevy Silverado EV pickup. We imagine a two-tier lighting setup with a thin strip at the edge of the hood, acting as the daytime running lights and turn signals, while the headlamps would be positioned lower in the front fascia. We also figure the Bolt would feature full-width taillamps integrating a fretted pattern, as currently seen on the Equinox EV.
GM Authority’s rendering of the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV
Interior
On the inside, the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV is expected to feature new materials, a new steering wheel and a revised overall design, with the two-panel driver instrument cluster and infotainment system touchscreen found in other affordable Chevy models such as the Equinox EV and the all-new, gas-powered 2025 Chevy Equinox. Since it’s based on the Chevy Bolt EUV, the new Bolt EV would offer more rear-seat legroom.
The new Bolt should obviously run the latest Google built-in interface with navigation and SiriusXM with 360L capability, connected apps, personalized profiles for each driver’s settings and voice recognition. As with all Ultium-based GM EVs, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto won’t be available. GM might offer Super Cruise as an option, as it was offered on the Bolt EUV.
Previous-generation Chevy Bolt EV
Mechanical
It’s unclear at this time which Ultium Drive motor will propel the next-generation, front-wheel-drive Bolt, or if a new motor will be introduced. The Equinox EV’s motor in front-wheel-drive units produces 213 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. In comparison, the first-gen Bolt EV and Bolt EUV was equipped with an electric motor that generated 200 horsepower and 266 pound-feet.
The 2026 Chevy Bolt EV is also expected to adopt the North American Charging Standard, or NACS, as GM is planning to integrate the charging tech into all its new EVs starting in 2025.
Previous-generation 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV
Platform
In order to save costs, the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV won’t be a clean-sheet design. It will continue to be supported by the GM BEV2 platform, but will use Ultium technology along with an Ultium Drive motor. However, the Bolt EV will use LFP batteries instead of the pouch-style cells currently found in GM’s other electric vehicles, again aiming to cut down on production costs.
“In the process, we are saving billions in capital and engineering expense, delivering a significantly cost-improved battery pack using purchased LFP cells, we’re getting to market at least two years faster, and our unit costs will be substantially lower,” Barra said during GM’s Q3 2023 earnings presentation. “This will be our first employment in North America of LFP technology in the Ultium platform.”
Unknown at this time is the capacity of the Bolt EV’s LFP battery pack. However, GM should normally target a driving range of at least 300 miles. The Equinox EV’s driving range is pegged at 319 miles on a full charge, when equipped with FWD, while the old Bolt EV’s range was rated at 259 miles on a full charge. In addition, GM announced back in August 2023 that all GM Ultium EVs would offer Vehicle-to-Home technology by 2026, meaning the Bolt EV would be compatible as well.
Previous-generation 2023 Chevy Bolt EUV
Launch Timing And Pricing
As for pricing, nothing has been confirmed at the moment, yet GM recently stated that the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV would be the most affordable electric vehicle in the U.S. market when it launches. When it goes on sale, the Equinox EV 1LT will start at $34,995 including the destination freight charge, so we can expect the Bolt to be priced from just below $30K. However, Stellantis recently stated that it would soon debut a $25,000 Jeep EV, and Ford is currently working on a low-cost EV platform as well. The next-gen Bolt certainly won’t lack competition.
Production of the first-generation Bolt EV, along with the short-lived Chevy Bolt EUV, ended in December 2023 as the GM Orion Assembly plant in Michigan will be retooling to manufacture the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. However, the company has confirmed that the next-generation Bolt will be built at the GM Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas. The 2026 Chevy Bolt EV should be unveiled in the summer or fall of the 2025 calendar year.
We’ll keep this article updated as we learn more about the 2026 Chevy Bolt EV, so be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Bolt EV news, Chevy news, GM electric vehicle news, GM Ultium powetrain news, GM technology news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Comments
I will wait to see how GM handles the upcoming Bolt but if Tesla actually does make a 25K vehicle and with the Kia EV3 coming, I fear that GM will be dropping the ball yet again.
Bolt (25K) vehicle needed to be new all new from the Ground up like the EV3 and Tesla car and the ones coming from Ford and others.
Why does GM always try to take the short cut, it mostly never pans out.
The Bolt was / is fine. Put the Ultium battery, motor and control electronic in the same car and it will be OK. No need to reinvent the wheel!
@Eric
Have you seen the Kia EV3 by any chance?
If you think the current Bolt interior will be competitive then I am not sure what to say to that.
I would assume that Hyundai version will be pretty close behind.
Tesla and Ford have announced a vehicle within that price range of 25K as well.
More will follow.
But sure, the Bolt should show up with a slight Nip and Tuck and it will be fine.
Article says, to save costs, vehicle will remain on BEV2 but Barra then says this will be the first Ultium platform to use cheaper batteries.
Which is it?
BEV2 is the chassis, not the drivetrain/power unit.
Love my 22 Bolt. Hoping that the new one is out in time for my expiring lease late next Spring. No point in a huge makeover, the equinox dash would be cool but I can live with my current version. If you want a complete remake , you are going to miss the point of getting an affordable ev for the masses.
How you save money is by not having to redesign your whole car every year. The switch to Ultium is already a big enough re-engineering investment. If they keep the refreshes to a minimum it keeps the cost down while still being able to provide a quality product. I mean look at the shit show most companies first model year becomes (CyberTruck anyone?) If design changes don’t help bring the price down or improve the quality then you don’t need them just for buzz sake.
The $25k Tesla is dead and the EV3 is targeting a starting price “near” $30k. I don’t think there will be as much competition for this as you do…
bruh nobody cares abt these electric cars got damn
Yet here you are…
Some of us do, some of us like the technological aspect of EV’s, some like the torque, some like not having to use gas….saying “nobody” is inaccurate, just say that YOU don’t and call it a day….or, if you truly don’t care stop reading about them and posting to threads about them.
Isn’t currently barely halfway through 2024? Or did I accidentally fall asleep for a year or two?
LFP battery with NACS as primary charger (CCS adapter for secondary) in FWD will do, but we need 2 different battery ranges: 250 mile (400 km) and 375 mile (600 km) to cater to different customer needs and price tag of $25K for base trim.
Definitely Leaf will be there in US market at an affordable price and EV3 is still unknown. Equally unknown is Tesla $25K car.
With battery cost set to fall further and Chinese EV exports increasing, its important the GM does launch Bolt as mainstream car.
They could offer AWD, a much desired option as the basis for an RS trim. Adding the AWD Assist motor can add up to 90 additional HP. They could also offer the same AWD drive train with two different power output levels through software with the higher output varient producing over 300 HP.
The 2LT and RS versions could be offered with an 8 module 70 kWh Ultium battery with just over 300 miles range with 150 KW charging in the 2LT and twice that in the 2RS by splitting the battery in half and using 800 volt charging. The lower cost 1LT and 1RS versions could use a smaller 6 module 53 kWh battery good for around 250 miles. I would seriously consider deleting DC fast charging in the base 1LT trim and only sticking with a 11 Kw Level 2 charger to fill a low cost urban commuter role.
I think all variants should be offered with a heat pump based HVAC system standard and bi-directional charging optional.
Holy cow Larry4pyro. Why not just add the kitchen sink too?
What you are not getting here is that the new Bolt is going to be a low priced EV. Doing everything you suggest will get you a much higher priced vehicle. Why? There are already many offerings in that segment now.
Let the Bolt be the intro EV for GM. Keep it cheap. It doesn’t need AWD, dual motors, 300 HP and all that.
I agree with you. Thats why I’m saying the LT trims be FWD and the 1LT have a battery a bit smaller than the Volt with 250 instead of 300 mile range. Also make the L3 charger in the 1LT trim optional to save cost. Everything else, heat pump, variable battery sizing and mixed battery chemistry are part of the Ultium system and would cost more, to incorporate lesser features. Ultium is also designed to work with bi-directional charging but I’m saying the home electronics should be optional.
I believe lower battery costs and lower manufacturing cost through scale will make a $25K Bolt possible. This Bolt should be cheaper than an equivalent ICE vehicle to purchase after the tax credit, offer far more functionality, have lower operating costs and last significantly longer.
Eagerly waiting for more true info and pics of this new Bolt. Everything in the article had been said months ago on here and other sites.
Love my current Bolt EV 2 LT very much. I don’t care about faster charging because I charge at home. Don’t really think it’s the nicest looking vehicle, but I got it for the efficiency and low price and I’m loving being gas free. However, from what little I have read about this new one, it’s looking more and more likely that my next CAR will be a Tesla Model 3 SEDAN. It’s bad enough that my current Bolt is trying to be a tiny SUV. The EUV is less appealing to me due to higher price and the me-too CUV look. It’s a mistake for GM to bring the “new” Bolt out on the EUV trim.
If my 2023 Bolt had another inch of travel in the suspension I would be very satisfied, bottoms out too easily. Most consumers don’t want a sedan, that’s why the Malibu is being discontinued asap. The Tesla model 3 hasn’t had any competition until lately. Tesla is like Toyota, they don’t totally revamp the vehicle every generation. They improve the technology, not the platform. It cuts down on development costs, styling can be tweaked without a lot of time and investment. The Bolt can be improved without a clean sheet approach. Mini hasn’t really changed their design much over the last two decades or it wouldn’t look like a Mini. Improving drivetrains and technology are paramount, keep it simple. They aren’t competing with luxury vehicles. Just affordable, fun transportation.
As an older guy who is currently using public transport and rideshares, I could actually be interested in this vehicle and I will continue to look for news about it as the time passes’
TBH, I would also be interested in a new version of the Volt.
I agree, the Bolt should have returned as the EV model, not the EUV…will now just be the usual inter GM model zero sum competition.. yes, the Bolt EV was smaller and cheaper..isn’t that the point? GM went with Mary Barra daily driver…so sad.
All they need to do is update the battery system to charge faster (150+kW) up from the current 50 kW, and keep the price where it is, power where it is, and space as is. I fear with the Equinox EV out, it will not be worth it, they will make it too expensive or with too small of a range. The best thing about the current Bolt is its range for the price, better than the Model 3 in the real world.
If I had to redesign it myself, maybe make it closer in size and profile to the last gen Cruze with a battery about 75% the size of the Equinox EV, and the better aero will have it around the same range for a lower price. No more power needed than current. No more content needed on the low trims, maybe offer some nicer trims with ventilated seats and super cruise option.
I know it’s just a rendering, but I’m hoping the new Bolt front end looks more like the Blazer EV than the Equinox EV! I’m anxiously awaiting news updates and the official release of the Bolt, looking to get one next year when they come out.
Just saw the 2025 Blazer EV has a new color: Habenero Orange. I was just going to get a new Bolt in white, but I would go with the orange color if it made it to the Bolt.
Can someone explain to me why, when I rate an individual’s comment, it changes both positive and negative ratings back to 0! I feel terrible when this happens because the person took the time to write a comment and I’m sure the person would like feedback. Now, I don’t leave any feedback since this has happened too many times. Has anyone else experienced this happen to them?