It took a while for an American automaker to deliver a $35,000 long-range EV, but it’s finally here. The vaunted $34,995 Chevrolet Equinox EV 1LT is shipping to dealerships now, meaning Americans will imminently be able to get their hands on a well-sized electric crossover for a hair under 35 grand including freight.
Wait, didn’t the Equinox EV already land in showrooms earlier this year? Well, yes, but not this version. Likely due to a short 2024 model year, Chevrolet elected to delay the introduction of the cheapest Equinox EV to the 2025 model year. That model year is finally here, which means Americans have a new cheap EV option with some specs that sound great on paper.
Let’s start with qualification for incentives. The Equinox EV 1LT is eligible for the full $7,500 EV credit, meaning the net price works out to $27,495 including freight. Yes, that should make it effectively cheaper than a combustion-powered Chevrolet Equinox, which feels like a big deal. Sure, the end price is a few grand higher than the $30,000 pre-freight price Chevrolet touted when unveiling the Equinox EV, but it’s still cheap, especially given the direction of the overall market.
So, what do you get for the money? Well, the least expensive model won’t have standard two-tone paint or all-wheel-drive, but it does claim an EPA-estimated range of 319 miles from an 85 kWh battery pack, and a peak DC fast charging rate of 150 kW. Those definitely aren’t numbers to sneeze at, as they put the base Equinox EV in the competitive set with more expensive EVs like the Volkswagen ID.4 Pro and the Tesla Model Y. Good stuff.
At the same time, don’t expect the base Equinox EV to be a slouch. That single electric motor up front kicks out 220 horsepower and 243 lb.-ft. of torque, meaning it ought to keep up with traffic no problem. Chevrolet claims a zero-to-60 mph time of eight seconds flat, and in the grander competitive set of compact crossovers regardless of powertrain, that’s very much a sufficient number.
So, what are you missing out on with an electric vehicle this inexpensive? Well, mostly creature comforts. Sure, you get a massive 17.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, but that’s about it. If you want heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, be prepared to shell out an extra $1,455 for the Comfort Package and $545 for the bundled Active Safety Package 2, the contents of the former also including a textile-wrapped steering wheel, a 360-degree camera system, an eight-way power driver’s seat, adjustable lumbar support, and traffic sign recognition. I reckon that’s good value, but if you want more, things get dramatically more expensive. For instance, if you want illuminated vanity mirrors, the cheapest way into those is by way of the $8,300 Convenience Package. Weird.
Still, it’s hard not to see huge value here. While not as inexpensive as the previous-generation Bolt, the base model Equinox EV offers substantially more range, a roomier and larger form, and three times the peak charging speed, all for $34,995 including freight before the tax credit or $27,495 after it. America needs cheap EVs and it seems like it’s finally getting them.
(Photo credits: Chevrolet)
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For everyone wringing their hands about cheap Chinese EVs killing the US auto industry, this is the answer. Adequate power, decent range, fast charging. I’m impressed.
This vehicle is heavily subsidized. Just like China…
For a family CUV that hauls kids to soccer, not everyone needs a sub 5 second 0-60. People may want buttons, too.
$27k these days is equivalent to about $20k 10 years ago. That’s a bargain in today’s car market.
I test drove the $40k Equinox model a few weeks ago and liked it very much. The lease deal offered was astounding: $270/mos. 0 down 36000. .
It’s not my kind of car but I honestly don’t hate it in the slightest. And the 8s 0-60 is, in practical terms, totally fine for normal people. The important factors are range, charge time and cost, not whether you can beat everyone else to the next traffic light.
I wouldn’t touch an EV unless it had access to Tesla’s Supercharger network, the CCS network is unusable. 150KW charging is plenty fast, I hardly notice a difference in my Tesla between the 2. The stat that needs better reporting is the charging curve, particularly in cold climates. A 25 min charge could be a 90 min charge if the car lacks the ability to warm up its own battery en route, and throttles you to 20kw for 40 min until it warms up.
This was the Bolt’s Achilles’ heel, winter charging was painfully slow even at 50kw, but just comically slow at 15kw. Even on a warm summer afternoon, it would only charge at 50kw for a short spurt.
Definitely a short-coming on road-trip EVs. But as with a similar decision of “do I need that 3rd row”, it’s a matter of how much will you need it? Home and work charging may have you covered for 95%+ of use cases.
True, not everyone will take an EV on road trips. I used to believe I needed a gas car for road trips until I got a Tesla. It was not possible in any of the 4 EVs I owned previously.. now its just about as convenient as gas.
GM has access to the Tesla Supercharger network.
How does that work? Do they just need an adapter or has the port been changed? Huge win and it makes this a compelling choice, granted you can preheat the battery and it actually charges above 85kw for more than 10 min.
I’ll have to read up on charging times with this guy. I love my Tesla, but the network and simplicity of charging is its biggest pro – Type in your destination and the car navigates to your destination and/or charger on its own, preheating the battery automatically. No more Plugshare apps or 20+ charging apps and clumsy payment options/broken-offline chargers. With Tesla you just plug in and walk away.
I WILL get hate for this, but 8 second 0-60 on an EV is kind of a slouch in today’s world.
deservedly. only a handful of drivers even care about 0-60.
this is like complaining about the 0-60 in a base camry
It is slow, comparatively speaking, but it’s also more than adequate, especially in an EV. The situations when I tend to want full acceleration (e.g. passing, changing lanes in traffic, etc.) lend themselves to an EV’s instant torque. You just put your foot down and go, with no delay for a transmission to shift down or a turbo to spool up. An EV that can do 0-60 in 8 seconds feels significantly different in the real world driving situations than an ICE vehicle with the same 0-60 time.
I wonder what the 0 to 30 or 40mph is. How often are you going from a standstill to highway speed on any road? Or even the 30-60mph would be nice to see.
$27,495 before any other incentive is a pretty good deal. I wonder what will be the price range for the next Bolt EUV. It will probably have a smaller battery size but same motor as the Equinox EV.
Saw one yesterday for the first time. Honestly looks pretty good…..
I started to configure mine to carry a kayak (after having to search for the cheaper 2025 model) and depending on which package you get them in, it costs either $8,300 or $11,400 to add roof rails and then another $395 for the cross bars.
The same $8,300 or $11,400 upgrades are required to select the $925 factory installed trailer hitch.
I’m not at all interested until I see what the aftermarket offers, because I’m not paying $8,695 more to carry a kayak, or $9,425 to pull it.
Or you could just go to REI and get a Thule Wing Bar Evo (top of the line) rack system for about $660, then the Kayak holders for another $300.
No roof bars necessary.
The only way I’m buying a BEV with electric door handles is if the doors are built to be easily removable and there are aftermarket door options, like for the Jeep Wrangler.
I wouldn’t buy one of these for $1.
I remember a lot of people here saying this version wouldn’t exist, the price would be revised upwards, etc.
Now, of course it remains to be seen how many GM will actually produce, but lets at least acknowledge that this isn’t a $35K Tesla situation.
Right? Happy to see it be available soon. If they can advertise home charging incentives and options like Ford is, this may be a big hit (relatively speaking) in the appliance category of people movers.
Illuminated vanity mirrors aren’t on the base? That’s insane. I haven’t had a car newer than 2000 that didn’t have those!
Can’t tell if sarcasm or actually uses vanity mirrors…..
Haha not sarcasm. I don’t use them often, but I just have not seen unlit ones in so long that it shocked me.
My van doesn’t even have mirrors.
What is the van though? I mean my Miata doesn’t either, but it’s a 96 so it makes sense.
2019 Nissan NV3500 Passenger – due to the commercial nature, sure. But it’s an SL V8 “leather” heated seats, tri-climate control, navigation that’s woefully outdated, etc, so it’s an interesting omission on a passenger oriented version of the van,
Fair enough. Yeah that is weird.
That is weird. It’s like Honda not including variable intermittent wipers on the base CR-V LX or the lower Civic trims that knock on $30k. Civic Sport (nonhybrid) doesn’t have that yet has blind-spot monitor and keyless entry with remote start, go figure.
I have lighted vanity mirrors in my Mercedes.
I’ve probably used them 4 times in the past 11 years?
So not a deal killer.
Heated seats are more important to me – those get used all the time.
$27,495 ain’t THAT cheap, especially for a Chevy.
For a brand new EV that can easily accommodate a growing family though, it’s a darn good deal. It’s a full 10k below a RWD Model Y, and the Chevy comes with an actual interior.
FWIW it’s less than the starting price of a CX-50, Rav4, CRV, and just about any other ICE in it’s class.
But why would you buy a NEW car for a growing family? Buy a used rental minivan instead, it’ll be cheaper and you won’t feel as bad when its covered in diaper blowouts and spilled juice.
The kind of person who is actually going to feel bad about a vehicle that kids ride in getting dirty isn’t going to care if its new or used (and probably doesn’t actually have kids).
By definition someone with a growing family has kids. Or has pets and is kinda weird.
Either way that car is getting messy.
Right.
My point is new or used, parents of young kids accept their vehicle is going to be dirty and don’t stress about it.
The type of person who is going to buy something used “so that I don’t care if it gets dirty” isn’t a parent (or hasn’t learned their lesson yet).
This is like another version of the “why buy a Hyundai Sonata when you could buy a used S-Class.”
Buying a questionably beaten on 4-5 year old van with 60k+ miles – which is where most vans in the mid-$20k range show on Carmax, even accounting for Carmaxflation – isn’t automatically a more sound choice.
Edit: Also this is like the same price or less as every other midsize sedan or compact/midsize crossover equivalent (CR-V, RAV4, etc).
Buying a questionably beaten on 4-5 year old van with 60k+ miles – which is where most vans in the mid-$20k range show on Carmax, even accounting for Carmaxflation – isn’t automatically a more sound choice.
How much is a 4-5 year old Chevy with 60k+ miles?
Traverses run about the same as the minivans. An Equinox is in the high teens or about 5-6k less…which is in keeping with the original MSRPs of the vehicles. Not really sure what used Chevy prices have to do with the minivan comparison you made however. The buyer of the new car isn’t making an irresponsible choice by opting for no miles, a full warranty, etc.
If Cheap Bastard of people says it ain’t cheap then it ain’t cheap
COTD
https://infornicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/youre-god-damn-right.gif
It weighs less than 5,000 pounds too, which is a win for an Ultium car. Dear lord is that platform chunky…
I just bought a ’24 Eq EV. Here were the discounts/rebates/credits/etc. I received.
$7500 Fed Tax Credit
$5350 CO State Tax Credits
$1500 Competitive Rebate from GM (Own ’20 or newer non-GM vehicle)
$2500 Dealer price break from MSRP
0.9% GM financing for 36 mo.
I got the 3RS highly optioned (no super-cruise) MSRP $54380 for a selling price of $37530
Dayyymmnmm. Not too shabby.
Well done sure. Dang. That’s awesome!
Sounds like all but the $2500 dealer break will be applicable to this version too. Removing that, it’s a smoking hot $20,645 with 0.9% financing for the 1LT!
Colorado EV credits rule! Jealous