Who owns, or owned, a Chevy volt?
Posted by Wetdogg72@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 45 comments
My wife has been looking at Chevy volts since she has to drive a ways for work and gas prices are eating us alive. Any advice from any of you that have/had them? Things to look out for etc? We would like a hybrid, not just electric.. we have a friend who has a volt and she loves it
ThirdSunRising@reddit
I have a 2012 Chevy Volt with almost 200,000 miles on it. It has been an absolutely great car, incredibly reliable, no repairs really.
The software has a bit of a version 1.0 feel to it, and more than once I’ve had weird trouble codes show up that were eliminated by simply rebooting (disconnect the 12v battery, wait a bit, reconnect) but that’s the only trouble I’ve ever had. Incredibly well made machine, would recommend
Dolphin_Princess@reddit
My gf went from a Honda Fit to a Volt to a Tesla Model Y
She liked the Volt over the Fit because it was easier to drive
But she REALLY liked the Tesla over the volt because it sat higher on the ground and was even easier to drive and own. There was no reason to have a hybrid or a plug in compared to BEV, she quickly realized that there was never a need to go more than 400 miles.
I would strongly recommend the Bolt over the Volt, or even better a used Tesla if its within budget
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
We don’t really want a Tesla though they are pretty cool.. I don’t think they key teslas like they used to and I’m in a super blue state
Dolphin_Princess@reddit
I drive a CT and live in Bellevue just east of Seattle (one of the most blue cities) and its fine, because Teslas come with sentry mode and key-ing a car is criminal offense.
That aside, I do still highly recommend the Bolt over the Volt, what you will find when owning a plug in electric is that you will use only electric and wonder why an engine is even in the car.
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
I live near Tacoma! Lol
Dolphin_Princess@reddit
Let me put this into perspective:
If you buy the volt, you get 40 (gen1) or 50 (gen2) miles of range. This will get you to Renton and back but not enough to get to Seattle/Bellevue and back. Which means you still need to burn gasoline anyways whenever you need to do something in the big city.
If you buy the bolt, you get 260 miles of range, this is enough to go to Seattle, past Everett, all the way to Burlington, then back down to Bothell, past Bellevue, then return to Tacoma on a single charge. Alternatively, you can head South to Portland to shop tax free and back.
Not often do people make trips further than Burlington or Portland, and even if they do, they as humans need to stop for food/restroom and that would be a time to easily charge up because there are chargers everywhere alongside I-5
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
The wife does not want to rely on electricity alone is the problem.. she’s looking at a 2018 volt in federal way lol if gas prices would return to the $2.50 range it wouldn’t be an issue and she would just use the Volvo.. right now tho.. $6 a gallon for premium.. killing us and a lot of other people. We happen to have a 2010 Sebring sedan that takes cheap gas, has a fairly small tank and gets 400 plus miles a tank! But she hates the car and refuses to drive it
HerefortheTuna@reddit
Well then sell the Sebring and the Volvo and buy an EV or PHEV
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
I drive the Sebring, MIL also drives it, so that’s a no go. The Volvo is high mileage, and I’d be surprised if we got 5k for it
Dolphin_Princess@reddit
Well if she likes it then she likes it
There isnt anything wrong with the volt, solid commuter car gets the job done.
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
She’s pretty convinced that’s what she wants, and when that happens, not much I can say or do to change her mind
HerefortheTuna@reddit
Look up the common issues and get. pPI
EuroCanadian2@reddit
The wise man knows when not to try to hard to sway his wife's opinion.
EuroCanadian2@reddit
I think we can count on high gas prices for the rest of this year at least. Although, maybe we will have economic collapse and that will bring gas prices down....
Maybe if the Republicans get wiped out badly enough in November (like Orban was) things will stabilize and slowly start to correct. But it takes a lot long longer to build than demolish (see the East Wing as an example).
Blackandred13@reddit
Gas is going to be high for a long time, because even after the strait of Hormuz opens, the oil fields will take months to get Back up.
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
Rent one.. interesting.. never thought of that!
Blackandred13@reddit
Turo in Tacoma has a 2017 Volt and 6 Bolts for rent
camel2021@reddit
Chevy Bolt EVs can be had for a song.
Parking_Abalone_1232@reddit
Has she considered a new Prius PHEV?
About the same range on battery and the gas engine is really efficient.
jack_mohat@reddit
The main reason to consider the volt is they are way cheaper than prius. I doubt someone asking about a car from 2018 would be considering a brand new $34k vehicle
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
Exactly.. can’t afford a new car
Temporary_Source_469@reddit
You should really be looking at a used Bolt, you’d be surprised how affordable they are.
I bought a 25 Equinox EV last year, and it was the best decision I made. Why pay for fuel if you don’t have to. And since you’re selling, install a 14-50 EV rated outlet, and use a 40 amp plug in level 2 charger. Take it with you to the next place, and get a little more for the house.
Trust me. Full electric is the way to go.
Horror-Food69420@reddit
Between my partner and I, we’ve had a 2015 Volt and a 2019 Bolt.
This Volt is a first gen so it’s not as nice as the one you’re looking at it but it’s still been a fine car, pretty reliable. It still has about 90% of its original range too. Though, as others have mentioned, the people at the Chevy dealers have no idea what to do with them, even in the PNW. We’ll probably have to dump it whenever a major enough issue comes up, but it isn’t showing any signs of that.
The Bolt on the other hand is such an easy vehicle to own. Requires hardly any maintenance and has a brand new battery with warranty from the recall program. Has a great range too. But if she would rather have the PHEV, the Volt has been pretty good but long term serviceability is a question mark.
maxsilver@reddit
I loved my Volts dearly (drove the Gen 1, then the Gen 2, for almost a decade)
Be aware, Volts have zero inches of ground clearance. If you live anywhere with speed bumps, potholes, inclines of any kind, be prepared to scrape the ground. If anything catches on the bottom of the car, it could crack your EV battery case, which totals the car out.
Blackandred13@reddit
I have a 2016 premier. I wish I bought full electric. The gas tank is pretty small and needs to be refilled often if you’re on a road trip. It drives terribly on gas mode and doesn’t get the mpg promised. Plus you don’t get much maintenance savings you would with a full EV. If you get one, 2016-2019 will have longer electric range and won’t need premium gas. Not worth getting 2015 or older in my opinion. Plus the 2016-2019 look nicer inside.
TheBobInSonoma@reddit
A lot of hybrids have that small gas tank problem to accommodate batteries. Hybrids are best at around town driving.
Sonoma & DIL bought an old Nissan Leaf as a 2nd car a couple years ago dirt cheap. Range was down to under 100 miles. They've used it for their 20 minute commutes and in town errands. Plug it into 110v every night.
Mettatuxet@reddit
Agreed. Full electric is a better experience than a hybrid.
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
She’s looking at a 2018
mpython1701@reddit
I have 3 first gen’s.
No-Door-4968@reddit
I had a gen1 and gen2 volt (as well as a model S and a 500e). I loved my Volts. Absolutely the best of both worlds. Not the most exciting car to drive but worlds better than the Prius in every conceivable way. My retired parents have one as well, none of ours have ever experienced any issues.
camel2021@reddit
I owned a 2012 Volt. I loved that car. It was a cutting edge vehicle. It was like driving in a utopia.
I would not buy one now. The batteries are getting too old, parts availability is horrid and dealers do not want to work on them.
They have BMS problems and the replacement is often on back order for 6 to 12 months.
If you do buy one, you will absolutely love it until it fails.
MagnetAccutron@reddit
Skip the Volt. I’ve owned 2. Great cars but now no longer in production. Finding a service facility is expensive and getting harder to locate.
Some Chevy dealers no longer have staff trained on them.
Have a look at the Bolt.
Ok-Armadillo-5634@reddit
Just get a Prius 2016 or newer.
DefrockedWizard1@reddit
when they brick, they're dead and they stopped making them a few years ago
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
What would cause it to brick?
DefrockedWizard1@reddit
batteries get old and die and are too expensive to replace
Ok-Armadillo-5634@reddit
Lot of aftermarket omes from china you can get.
EuroCanadian2@reddit
For elwctric cars: Can you set up a level 2 charger at home? How far is her drive to work? Does it cold in in winter where you live?
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
Oh.. her drive is about 40 miles one way
Hash-82@reddit
Definitely go full electric.
At 80 miles rt, 5 days a week + errands, you will be driving that car 2000+ miles a month.
During Biden admin, switching to a Model S (one of the lesser "efficient" BEVs due to it being full sized) saved us over $500 month in gas - after subtracting out cost to charge at home.
It wasn't such a savings for CY 2025, but boy are we loving it now!
Blackandred13@reddit
She should get a full electric. I’m assuming you have a car as well that can be for road trips if you don’t want to plan out charging. The volt will only
Get 40-45 miles electric, so she’d be empty by work, unless she can charge (level 2 to fill
Up in less than 8 hours). I only charge with a wall outlet, but I don’t commute.
Wetdogg72@reddit (OP)
No.. we are gonna sell our house. Washington state, so it’s pretty mild all year. Occasionally it gets cold
EuroCanadian2@reddit
Full electric is your best bet for lowest costs, but you have to charge somewhere. Any chance of charging at your new place?
Maybe have a look through r/volt to see what owners say.
If she just wants something small and utilitarian, there's always the Priusc. They are durable and efficient, but also small and basic, and you are always aware of the "small and basic" part when driving them.
YeahIGotNuthin@reddit
You might also look at the ford fusion energi. They made a fusion hybrid that was great, 40 mpg even in titanium trim (leather, sunroof, good stereo) but the energi is their plug in hybrid. I think it’s only 25 miles on the battery, but it’s a nicer car than the volt even if it’s a less-good PHEV. The SE version with cloth seats is cheaper but a little dour inside, easier to find for a test drive I bet, but the higher trim ones are a nice place to be. Like other American cars, they hold their value like sushi, so they make good used car deals.
They did the Cadillac ELR, which was a two door coupe version of the first volt. They were ridiculously expensive new, but these days they’re as cheap as a Volt but are absolutely wild looking.
We wound up with a BMW 330e. The 2016-2018 ones are about 14 miles on the battery, and after that we are getting 30 around town and nearly 40 on the highway. Takes 91 though, and the maintenance is expensive unless you DIY.
You may also consider pure hybrids, just for the lower buy-in. A rav4 hybrid gets 41 mpg in town, a 2020 one is pretty reasonable, and a previous generation Prius is 50 mpg and also pretty cheap now that the new one is out.
My brother went with a new civic hybrid last year and it’s fantastic, 50 mpg and actually about as quick and as good to drive as my BMW while also being better equipped. (He has a heated steering wheel and active cruise control and wireless phone charging. Also, he won’t have to change the cooling system like bmw owners do. I’m jealous of his car. Also, it will probably outlive me.) Long term, I can’t imagine a smarter commuter car than that one. You ain’t saving money today buying a $34,000 car, but you would be sitting pretty in ten years when it has been paid off five years already and you’re still ten years away from having to worry about it. If you’re really worried about the money, they’ll sell you one with cloth seats and a less good radio you have to plug your phone into, for like $30k. I would get the nicer one and enjoy the next 20 years that much more.
ScaryfatkidGT@reddit
They were pretty decent little cars… till Tesla came along and everyone panic dropped their hybrids for full electric…