The Chevrolet Bolt is back. While the discontinuation of the old model at the peak of its popularity initially felt like a classic instance of GM tripping over its own shoelaces, the company saw the outcry and promptly set about re-engineering its entry-level EV. We’re talking new battery cells, a new charging system, real technical updates that have meaning. Mind you, if you want the new Bolt’s headline feature, you’re going to be in for a bit of a shock.
Between hands-off capability on Lidar-mapped roadways and the willingness to actually stay close to a leading car in stop-and-go traffic, Super Cruise is a pretty slick bit of kit. The sort of thing that makes a genuine difference for big-mileage commuters, and a big draw of the old Bolt EUV. Unsurprisingly, Chevrolet’s also positioning Super Cruise as the new Bolt’s killer app, but as with anything that seems like a good deal these days, there’s a catch.
While the new Chevrolet Bolt starts at $28,995, you can’t just tack Super Cruise onto a base model and call it a day. GM simply won’t let you. Instead, you need to run a gauntlet of option packages that will see the sticker price absolutely balloon. The $3,255 Super Cruise package alone, including a three-year subscription, already costs 11.2 percent of the Bolt LT’s starting price, and that’s before you consider the prerequisites.
The cascade kicks off with the Super Cruise package, which requires the $1,695 Technology Package. While this includes some nice stuff like a wireless smartphone charger, a 360-degree camera system, traffic sign recognition, and automatic wipers, it also has small potatoes like ambient lighting and one of those awful rearview mirrors that doubles as a camera. We aren’t done yet, however, because guess what? Spec’ing the Technology Package on the Bolt LT requires another flippin’ package.
It’s called the EvoTex package, it’s $795, and it basically amounts to pleather upholstery. Alright, so it does augment the faux leather with ventilated front seats, but it also includes a curious addition that shows just how aggressive Chevrolet’s been with the base price of the Bolt: a fold-down rear seat center armrest. Oh yeah, just one small thing to note, I’m pretty sure you can guess what it is at this point: Ticking the box for the EvoTex package requires yet another package.
This time, it’s the $995 Comfort Package, which adds a power driver’s seat, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Heated seats are generally a good idea on an EV as localized heating is more efficient than effectively having a space heater behind the dashboard, but the revamped Bolt comes with a heat pump that should do alright in near-freezing conditions.
Still, add it all up, and you’re looking at roughly a 23 percent premium over the base price if you want a new Chevrolet Bolt with Super Cruise, and that $35,655 optioned-up price gives the Bolt some real competition. If you’re willing to go hands-on, the new Nissan Leaf features Level 2 advanced driver assistance even on the cheapest S+ model, but $35,725 gets you the mid-range SV+ trim. Not only does it feature 288 miles of range, which can make a difference on the rare occasion you’re trying to use all of it, but it also gives drivers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Granted, the addition of forward parking sensors doesn’t quite make up for the lack of a heated steering wheel or ventilated front seats, but the new Leaf is the closest rival to the new Bolt out there.
On the other hand, Ford’s been heaping thousands of dollars in discounts on leftover 2025 Mustang Mach-E crossovers, which means that $39,995 sticker price can fall as far as the low 30s. The specs are good: 260 miles of range, lifetime hands-free highway driving for an extra $2,495, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, plus what the base Mach-E loses in features to a well-equipped Bolt, it picks right back up in size and overall maturity. This one could very well be worth an extra few grand.
So, while the new Chevrolet Bolt is cheap for a new EV, the options you want might result in a far bigger price tag than you expected. At this end of the market, an extra $6,600 is an enormous amount of money, and we aren’t even jumping up a trim level. Want a sportier-looking Bolt RS with Super Cruise? Be prepared to pay $37,445. Yep, for that sort of upcharge, I’ll probably just keep my hands on the wheel.
Top graphic image: Chevrolet
This also doesn’t offer android auto / carplay, at all, right? Because GM can design infotainment better than thousands of employees of major software manufacturers?
The new “Bolt” deserves the TwitX treatment. “The Bolt, formerly known as the Bolt EUV”.
And “the Leaf, formerly known as the Ariya”..
When I bought the 2018 Forester that my daughter drives now we were sold on the the EyeSight ACC and safety system. This was only available as part of $4K or $5K trim package. The next year it was standard on all models, including the base.
I have a 2023; I skipped the packages and went to the all-in “Premier”. I love my supercruise, and all the features it came with. But what i’m now worried about, after reading this, is that mine was only 3-year subscription – I hope not!
$6660.. well Hail Satan !!!
It’s an old guy thing to say, but I can’t imagine the increased stress I’d feel if the car itself was doing the driving while I sat by passively. One of the issues with age is the experience of occasionally encountering examples of incompetence from highly regarded people/organizations that should have caught it. The 737 MAX MCAS system is an example. I’m grateful for the ability to exempt myself from supercruise and its ilk.
The automatic lane centering in my old car reminded me of the 737 MAX MCAS. If a semi was veering over in the lane I was currently occupying and I moved over a bit to give it space, the automatic steering would kick in and fight me to move back to the center of the lane. I always felt like it was actively trying to kill me when it did that.
Also weird stuff happens in construction zones, or if one lane becomes 2 or 2 become one.
I have a 2025 Mach-E with Blue Cruise, and the system is really excellent. That being said, I pay more attention to the road when using it than when I’m not cause I am always worried it is going to do something insane.
It definitely has issues when in the right lane and it comes upon an exit…due to the lack of lines, on the exit side of the road, about a quarter of the time it isn’t sure if it should stay in it’s lane or veer off the road.
I look at it another way. GM won’t make you pay for something you don’t want. Win! I would only want the comfort package because my wife loves heated seats.
What if you want Supercruise, but not the pleather?
(Totally agree with your wife on the heated seats though- won’t have a car without that now)
this only works if the package you desire is Comfort.