Chevrolet Bolt EV: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Chevrolet Bolt EV: 7 model years scored from 533 NHTSA owner complaints and 29 recall campaigns. Worst year 2020, best year 2021.
Chevrolet Bolt EV: which years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years the Chevrolet Bolt EV ranges from 56/100 in 2020 to 80/100 in 2021 — a 24-point spread, so which year you buy matters. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Electrical System (93 of them).
Safest years: 2021, 2022, 2023 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
No Bolt EV year is an AVOID, but the 2019 and 2020 cars are CAUTION verdicts at 66 and 56, and the years to buy are 2021 and 2023, which both score 80, once the battery recall paperwork is complete. The 2017 and 2018 cars have no complaints on file and are DATA PENDING. Electrical System is the top component in every scored year, 85 on the 2019 car and 93 on the 2020, and the recalls explain it: 20V701000 and 21V560000 cover the 2019 car for a high-voltage battery that could catch fire when charged to full, 21V650000 extends that to the 2020 to 2022 cars, and 24V481000 and 24V812000 recall those cars again because the diagnostic software fitted under the earlier campaign may have failed. Every Bolt from 2019 to 2023 also carries 22V930000 and 23V845000 for a seat belt pretensioner exhaust that can ignite carpet fibres after a crash. The 2020 car has eight recalls, five safety-critical; the 2022 has seven; the 2023 has three.
Read the guide
Used Chevrolet Volt, Bolt EV and Nissan Leaf: the years to avoid — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2021 (score 80). Worst: 2020 (score 56, CAUTION).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 80 | BUY | $1,840 | 60 | 3 |
| 2022 | 73 | BUY | $1,880 | 59 | 7 |
| 2021 | 80 | BUY | $1,994 | 67 | 5 |
| 2020 | 56 | CAUTION | $2,424 | 172 | 8 |
| 2019 | 67 | CAUTION | $2,495 | 175 | 6 |
| 2018 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,160 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,300 | 0 | 0 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Bolt EV, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Bolt EV
Across every Bolt EV model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Electrical System257 complaints across all Bolt EV years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System107 complaints across all Bolt EV years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Steering93 complaints across all Bolt EV years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Unknown Or Other70 complaints across all Bolt EV years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Power Train44 complaints across all Bolt EV years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Vehicle Speed Control13 complaints across all Bolt EV years · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement$520–$1,150
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Chevrolet Bolt EV years to buy?
2021, 2022, 2023 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2021 at 80/100, on 67 complaints and 5 recall campaigns.
Which Chevrolet Bolt EV years should I avoid?
The 2020 is the weakest year we score, at 56/100 (CAUTION), on 172 complaints and 8 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Chevrolet Bolt EV problem?
257 of the complaints filed against the Bolt EV across all its model years sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04