$30K Shootout: Which Affordable New EV Is Best? Chevy Bolt vs MINI SE 

oh nooo you always loved him so much, how sad to see him go 😩

It gets easier... Where are you located?

@matthew anderson Lansing, Michigan. There is one Electrify America on the west side and one Charge Point on the East Side. We're still waiting on the final inspection of our home charger.

@@lizburgess4398 we use to only use the fast chargers now we only use them maybe once every week or two. Most of the time we just have it plugged into the 110v charger that came in the trunk. There was a learning curve on the fast chargers for me anyways. The apps for ea and charge point ironed out most of the issues I used to run into.

@@lizburgess4398 oh it snows where you are too? I'm in Phoenix so I think our temperature helps

@matthew anderson thanks, I'm sure once our charger is inspected and turned on, we'll charge at home too.

Which is 99% of the driving that all drivers do. Most people are not on the road every weekend. In fact for long road trips I have made it a practice for the last 20 years to get a rental I never put those type of road trip miles on my cars

Real question: does he still have his dog as his background pic?

@@mauriceetal1426 Ouch! Best not to ask. :)

Probably has worse clothes

To be honest with these cars are nowhere near the same level the bolt is far superior and if you want a more cushy ride get a bolt euv

@@sonnyonny4900 I agree- I have a Bolt on order. Reinstating the tax credit (plus $4000 more incentives here in Vermont) made this an incredible deal.

Also the Bolt gets a $7,500 tax credit. No comparison

Just wait a couple years won't have the same range

I'm 20k miles in with zero issues. I've done a few 2000 mile road trips. I've seen the old bolts at 100k miles

Or jus don’t get an EV cuz they are just as bad as engines

You might be surprised. I live way out in the burbs and my Mini has handled my trips surprisingly well.

I would rather drive something from the 80s or 90s then drive the Chevy EV

@@hitman74 I would agree

@@hitman74 My EV costs me $0.46 to drive 30 miles and my ICE cost me $3.19 to drive 30 miles…. I will stick with the EV…

Yup! 65 miles a day for me. I do have 10kw charging at work. But it's good to know I could skip charging 3 days and still be okay. I'd buy gas once a week when I drove ICE, so similar experience.

We're looking forward to traveling with ours. Ii just wish it. Could tow our teardrop camper (1200 lbs).

I've done several 2000 mile road trips in my 22 bolt. It's definitely not the best but it can do it. I factor double the time from what Google maps says

@@lizburgess4398 There are a couple of couples that tow an Aliner camper with there Bolt. In fact they did a series on what tow hitch to use and everything

Yes, as a current EV owner, I don’t reccomend getting an EV because of the lack of chargers. It’s great for local driving but when it comes to further distances, it becomes an issue, I’ve had times where I’ve gone to chargers and the system is down or it’s full so it could be a headache… besides that, it’s a great vehicle but I am looking towards maybe trading in my bolt for the new Prius coming out

We love our Bolt EUV. We had an electrician trench across our yard to install a separate meter. Off peak rates will be .07. It was over $3000, but, we still can't use it because the utility has one guy that has to inspect it. The city inspector okayed it last week. Until the utility gets here, there's no meter. So frustrating! Electrify America is about 8 miles away and are offline a lot! Trying to charge the bolt on 110 will take several days. We're having Chevy install a 220 outlet for backup to use the dual charger that came with the car. To get the 7 cent rate, the charger has to be hard wired and on a separate meter. Do you think we'll live long enough to make it worthwhile?

Your commute is 300 miles?

@@toskin6395 200-250 for work as I go from one inspection to another + the trip home. Most is highway miles 60-70mph.

The tax credit will be on the 2023 tax return, right?

I use H&R Block tax software and it has a section to identify the make and model, VIN, and day or purchase. You might have to identify the credit amount for your vehicle and that should be it. The software did the rest.

@@hlyles32 use form 8936 and rule 25. I am not an accountant, but I did a lot reading. I missed the income level by $364, and my car was $3,898 higher than allowed.

That's a bummer, but might be a legit 1st world problem. The rules seem to be changing by the day. 18 April is the next key date, after which, the number of that rate a full $7500 or close to that will shrink much more.

The Federal return makes it easy and it takes a few minutes at most. My State of California makes it very difficult, requiring all sorts of documentation.

The Mini should definitely be panned for it's range. That 130 range could easily become 90 to 100 miles in the cold

@@sonnyonny4900 yep... the mini is a terrible deal.

MX-30 is far better

Tires for EVs have to be engineered for the torque produced and overall vehicle weight. Does any tire manufacturer make 15" EV tires?

@@PC-vq5ud - I believe the only difference would be weight rating, and side wall. Typically EVs do support more weight per wheel, but most good tires will support enough to fit within specs. I’d want a 2 ply side wall, and a tire with a high weight rating likely has a 2 ply sidewall. The other EV spec difference would be low rolling resistance to increase fuel economy. Surely you are correct that nobody makes EV tires in 15’s because no manufacturer puts 15’s on EVs that I know of. You are not correct about EV torque affecting what tires are needed for EVs. I mean I’ve had even single ply sidewalls on 15” wheel vehicles with more torque, even more torque at low rpm than a Bolt- and that was never a concern. There is an Engineering Explained video you might want to see about using smaller wheels on EVs in which he uses formulas to calculate the change in range- which was significant for dropping wheel size by 2 inches- 8% per inch of wheel. That’s on paper- a true road test could yield something different. He also explains what difference LRR tires make for EV range- or any car range. There are a lot of Canadians on Bolt Forums using steel 15’s from Cruze’s on Bolts for winter tires. I would only personally want a 2 ply sidewall in case of emergency maneuvering.

BTW… I searched Tire Rack and found an “Eco Focus” tire with low noise in 215/65/15 that has a 2 ply sidewall, and a max load of 1565 lbs per tire- Hanook Kinergy ST. Tire rack’s first recommendation for a Bolt EUV with 215/50/17s is a Michelin CrossClimate2 if you select the “Eco Focus” filter. It has a 1521 lb rating per tire, is 25.5” OD, and weighs 24 lbs. The Hanook only weighs 20 lbs with a 25.9” OD, and has a higher tread wear rating. Before even taking wheel weight into account- that’s a 4 lb difference. I’m sure it’s possible to shed another 10 lbs of weight between a factory 17 and an aftermarket 15” wheel. I’d want to look closely at the weight ratings of the wheel though. One online sleuth found a 15” chromed aluminum Cruze Eco model wheel would fit a Bolt EV- I don’t know if the EUV is different- but surely appropriate specs can be found.

@@whynotthinkwhynot- Great research

@@PC-vq5ud -- Thanks! It’s either a sign that I don’t have anything to do in life, or it’s that I will be the owner of a Bolt EUV in the next few months- ok, both. The EUV only has an EPA estimated range of 247 miles, and a 70 mph range of 233 miles. That EE video shows a 8-15% increase in range on a Tesla Model 3 Performance using Tesla’s submissions to the EPA between 20”, 19”, and 18” wheels. I have a 200 mile trip I need to take where I won’t be able to charge anywhere but at the ends. I could use another route with chargers, but that would add 80 miles to the trip. If I can find a way to add 10% more range- that will give me more of a comfort zone for unknowns like wind, headlights, or 300-400 lb added cargo weight. FYI: I was not able to find a 215/60/15, and I just got lucky on a 65. More sidewall height means less issues with potholes too!!!

they should

Bolt EV and EUV both have LG NMC prismatic batteries. There was the Chevy Spark 2014 and some 2015 who had LFP. Right now, the only car you can buy in USA with LFP is Tesla model 3 RWD. Ford is planning building an LFP factory in USA in colab with CATL, and also, I've heard VW might make some models with LFP. Also Mercedes wants them, but it might not make their way to USA.

lfp for cheap cars is the best tech right now....

@@bytemark6508 Thanks for the info.

@@bytemark6508 LFP batteries have lower energy density and weigh more. They cost substantially less to make. LFP are rated to have 50% to 100% more discharge/recharge cycles. Using 100% of your charge does not degrade the LFP as fast as NMC. The main disadvantage? They are all made in China currently.

Advanced Auto

You would enjoy the Kona over the Bolt trust me. The bolt is very uncomfortable, I’m 5’8 170lbs and the seats are very stiff even for me.

@@H8onG I'm 5'2 and I've been driving a mazda5 which is now 16 years old - comfort is not a huge thing for me. The biggest issue w the Kona is that the model is changing to something I find incredibly ugly. I want a blue one and I'm worried they arent even making it in blue any more because the Hyndai website 'build' feature does not have blue for the SE model. A few blue models came in stock near me and vanished quickly. My husband gets laid off in a week so there's no way we're buying a new car before he gets a new job - my 16 yo mazda is actually running fine. Its just a lot more car than i need any more, and i would love to never have ot go to the gas station again!

@@caraziegel7652 I understand what you are saying, we are just now really dipping into the whole EV thing and I’m not sure where you live but the infrastructure is still pretty bad in some areas unless you have a Tesla. I really think a hybrid is the way to go at the moment. A Corolla hybrid is a great option that is not to expensive. But honestly if it was me looking into a EV I would only buy a over priced Tesla if I really wanted one. If not just hold out a little longer and treat that Mazda well!

@@H8onG sure, but if i can charge and home and i only drive 40 miles a day, that doesnt matter to me. we still will have 2 gas cars. and last time i wanted to do a long trip, the dealer said my 16 yo car wasnt up for it, so I rented a car anyways.

@@caraziegel7652 if that’s the case, look into something like a Hyundai Santa Fe plug in hybrid. It does about 40 miles on pure electric driving. The wrangler also does the same. There are a few vehicles that accomplish what you need.

Cause they last just as long as an engine. Mines a 2013 with 200,000 miles still 90% of original range. And a new engine and transmission isn’t exactly cheap either.

No thanks. I don’t want to die in a ball of fire in a chinese car😅

sir this is america.

@@laloajuria4678 I would have thought the MG4 would be world wide

@@mrmawson2438 its a chinese ccp company making a british car......just let that percolate a little....

What year do you have. We have a 2023 Bolt EUV with stock leather seats. They are ok, not great and could still use some improvement. Did not care for the seats in the older bolts at all and that keep us from buying one along with the plasticy dash. 2022 updates are pretty nice overall.

@@fvvfvbbbb forgot to mention it was 2023 with maybe 150 miles on it.

Hmmm. We have a leased 2019. Have taken on 500 mile round trip road trip. Charging is an issue but had no issues with seats.

@@H8onG ours has about 2000 miles on it now and the leather has softened up a little. Hopefully yours will too. We do wish they were an inch or two wider. Seems there is room to have made them a little wider. There seems to be a weird fit at the shoulder blades too. In my opinion the seats went from a 4 to a 7. Still room for improvement for sure. Did the aftermarket leather help?

I disagree. I commute to work and grocery store and nothing else. I"m giving up a 5-speed manual mazda - vroom-vroom - to go electric. This review made me actually consider the mini

@@caraziegel7652 So you are okay charging the Mini twice as much as you would have to charge the Bolt? Interesting take, but the average person prefers range above all else so I don't expect many people to want the Mini over the Bolt, especially if they research Mini's reliability history.

@@treads2595 its a possibility. But you know, thats why there are lots of kinds of cars - because different people have different priorities

​@@caraziegel7652 I don't know how you use your EV, but mine just plugs in while I'm doing other things - takes 5 seconds to plug in when I park. It's not like it's a hassle to "charge twice as often" if the use case does not involve long stretches of driving.

Not really range is over blown and lots of households have multiple cars. The mini is a much more upscale and dynamic car. So for example my wife could have this to drive her 6 miles to work everyday like she does her current ICE mini We can drive my truck for going out of town. The bolt is a better only car for sure as it’s more useable range