[wws]

A friend of mine has been in the solar and alternative energy business for many years. Besides being a fellow Volt owner, he also hosts a local weekly radio program where he talks about various topics in the energy field. This weeks program is on EVs and the Bolt in particular: http://cinnamonsolar.com/bestev/

 

[Milenkod]

I love "The Energy Show" podcast. I listen to that every week. It inspired me to do PV solar at home and I bought a 2017 Volt last month. A few co-workers that also have solar also listen. Highly recommended show (and past episodes) if you are considering solar for your home..for sure!

 

[Barry]

"Best" depends on your needs. Best for the money when you don't need much range might be a cheap used Leaf. Best new one available today if you need good range: you could make a great case for the Bolt. You could also make a good case for a Volt for maximum flexibility, depending on your definition of EV. Best for prestige and performance: probably Model S. There is no one "best."

 

[Bacardi]

We could also argue that GM's own Spark EV would be the "Best EV for the money" as a commuter along side with an ICE AWD SUV to handle roadtrips especially in the event the Volt/Spark EV/Bolt are too small for your road trips...

 

[NYRob]

"Best" depends on your needs. Best for the money when you don't need much range might be a cheap used Leaf. Best new one available today if you need good range: you could make a great case for the Bolt. You could also make a good case for a Volt for maximum flexibility, depending on your definition of EV. Best for prestige and performance: probably Model S. There is no one "best."

Thank you for posting that Barry!

I always get a little annoyed at "Best" proclamations because as you stated "There is no one "best".

 

[wws]

I posted the link because I thought folks might be interested in my friends podcast, not to stir up any angst. The basis for his "best EV for the money" is largely MSRP/AER - with some consideration for modern performance, safety, and infotainment features. It is a reasonable metric. Bolt EV is clearly a tough act to follow, though everyone hopes the Model 3 will be pretty good in its own right.

Obviously there are many other "bests" that could be discussed. And then there are used cars which are almost always a better value than new cars.

 

[Ladogaboy]

"Best" depends on your needs. Best for the money when you don't need much range might be a cheap used Leaf. Best new one available today if you need good range: you could make a great case for the Bolt. You could also make a good case for a Volt for maximum flexibility, depending on your definition of EV. Best for prestige and performance: probably Model S. There is no one "best."

Best for the money typically implies value, and most people think of the Volt as a hybrid. No new BEV comes close to the Bolt EV in terms of value generally speaking. Sure, if you don't need > 100 miles of range and don't care about resale value, you could make an argument for the Ioniq EV or i3.

 

[DonC]

I thought it was a nice podcast. Yes it's hard to talk about the best but, at this point, the Bolt EV really is in a class by itself. That's just kinda a fact. At some point there will be more competition but until that shakes out there isn't a lot of competition. The bigger issue is whether you want a hybrid for longer trips, and the podcast deals with that as well.