The new Chevrolet Bolt is a fun and eco-friendly electric car offering value for money, efficiency, and a great infotainment system.

Introduced in 2017, no one can fault the Chevrolet Bolt for arriving late to the electric car party. And its arrival was impressive, with the industry praising its spacious cabin, impressive range, and fun-to-drive capability. Half a decade later, the model has managed to retain and sharpen those selling points, right up to the value propositions of the latest 2023 Chevrolet Bolt.

The Bolt isn't perfect. The ride quality could be better, and the DC fast charging is comparatively slow. Even so, the new Bolt is an economical and very sensible pick considering the low price. The model’s EPA-estimated 259 miles of range on a full belly provides plenty of juice both for daily driving and occasional road trips. A real-world range test saw the car gunning for 278 miles. Tesla got here longer than the little Bolt, but the new entrant quickly won over the industry as a leading eco-friendly commuter.

The new crop of innovative EVs filling the market recently leaves the Bolt struggling for visibility, but the current price cut by a whopping $5,900 effectively adds affordability to the model’s growing selling points. It means the 2023 Chevy Bolt offers even more value for money, with its efficiency, and practicality more than compensating for its older architecture and cheap materials. Let’s check out the latest America’s no.1 EV for the masses.

Related: These Are The 10 Cheapest Electric Cars You Can Buy Right Now

The 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV remains part of the first-gen Bolt introduced back in 2017, with no major changes. We realize this news has a mediocre ring to it, but the Bolt has a lot more to compensate for its aging architecture. We've already mentioned that the 2023 model year tags a much lower price.

Chevrolet also introduced a new exterior color along with an optional illuminated charge port. As usual, Chevy sells the EV with just two trims – 1LT and 2LT. The price drop this year makes the 1LT even more attractive, with equipment including heated/power side mirrors, automatic climate control, and a sizable infotainment display screen.

Even after adding the extra $3,200 to unlock the heated front seats, power-adjustable driver’s seat, leather upholstery, and a handful of extra safety features, the 2LT is still less than $30,000, giving the Bolt a strong case for value and comfort.

Sure, some competitors offer more and even travel further than the Bolt, but they do so by taking a lot more of your money. If you thought value is the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt's strongest suit, you're right on the money. It's always been a relatively inexpensive EV, and now it’s offering a bit more while asking for a lot less.

We remember back in 2015 when rumors started flying about Chevrolet’s then-upcoming EV. Some pundits thought the “Bolt” name an unlikely choice for the car, with someone at GM Authority suggesting the name "uBolt" as a nod to the Jamaican gold medalist Usain Bolt – the greatest sprinter of all time.

Well, Chevrolet stuck with “Bolt,” and the car certainly lives up to its name. Like Usain, the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt is adept at speedy takeoffs, waking up to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. However, the Bolt offers much more than fast acceleration. The cabin is traditionally spacious for its small size, and the range is remarkably further than its competitor’s max range.

Bolt gets an all-electric range of 259 miles on a full charge, an excellent range for an EV that isn’t a Tesla. The 2023 Bolt’s peppy powertrain includes an e-motor linked to a 65 kWh lithium battery to generate a combined 200 horses and 266 lb-ft of torque. That power travels to the front wheels via a standard single-speed automatic transmission.

You can charge your Bolt at public charging stations or at home using a 120-volt (Level 1) portable charging cord or an optional dual-level charging cord. You can also schedule your Bolt to charge at off-peak hours. Chevy says the Bolt should get 4 miles worth of juice in an hour if you’re using the Level 1 charging cord – a full charge in seven hours using a 240-volt outlet. A DC fast-charging station cuts the time to 30 minutes per 100 miles worth of juice.

Related: 5 Best Used Electric Cars

The 2023 Chevrolet Bolt can sit five people in its petite body, although the front-row passengers will be happier than their comrades in the rear cabin. However, two adult second-row passengers will be just as happy as the front-row passengers for a short commute. The Bolt also accommodates child car seats via two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats and a tether anchor for the rear-middle seat.

As for the interior design quality, it’s even nicer than the previous model years. Although the hard plastics are still there, the textures are softer and look better. The rest of the interior is of high-quality materials to create an overall sleek and stylish appeal.

The 2023 Chevy Bolt also scores bonus points with its sharp (though sluggish) and intuitive infotainment system. It has physical controls and includes a generously sized 10.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, a Wi-Fi hotspot, two USB ports, Bluetooth, and a six-speaker audio system. Optional infotainment features add a seven-speaker Bose audio system, two rear USB ports, wireless device charging, and a seven-speaker Bose audio system.

You also get automatic climate control, push-button and remote starts, proximity keyless entry, and an 8-inch digital gauge cluster as additional standard features. The trunk offers 16.6 cu-ft of cargo volume, 57.0 cu-ft with the rear seats folded down. You also get a hidden stash compartment beneath the trunk floor.

The 2023 Chevrolet Bolt’s closest rivals are the company’s own Bolt EUV and the Nissan Leaf. Without much ado, the Bolt is a better pick over the Leaf, and that’s not only because the latter manages a maximum 212 miles of range against the Bolt’s 259. The Bolt also has better fuel efficiency, a more refined cabin, more modern infotainment tech, and larger cargo capacity.

As for the company’s own EUV, it’s only better because it’s an SUV with a more accommodating rear seat. Other than that, both models share the same powertrain and road manners. If anything, the the Bolt EV is cheaper and has a longer range of 259 miles against the EUV’s 247.

The only notable advantage the EUV has over the Bolt EV is its GM's Super Cruise semi-autonomous drive mode feature. Finally, US News ranked the 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV no. 1 in the electric car category with an 8.0/10 score drawn from 39 pieces of research and data elements from various sources. It says so much about a model rumored to get discontinued.

Philip Uwaoma, this bearded black male from Nigeria, has written more than two million words in articles published on various websites, including toylist.com, rehabaid.com, and autoquarterly.com. After not getting credit for his work on Auto Quarterly, Philip is now convinced that ghostwriting sucks. He has no dog, no wife- yet- and he loves Rolls Royce a little too much.