Tesla Model 3 vs Chevy Bolt - An opinion from someone who owns BOTH

[Music] [Music] [Music] you what's up guys got a video today answering some questions that I get a lot I've been around the forums for the Chevy bolt and the Tesla Facebook pages and Twitter and whatnot and I I get the question a lot what are the differences between the Chevy bolt and the Tesla Model 3 well I happen to own a Chevy bolt I also happen to own a Tesla Model 3 which you guys have probably already seen but just in case you haven't there you go and his name is max Q I'm sitting in our 2017 Chevy bolt and I think I've got a unique perspective on this car because I've had it for over a year now and I've also been driving a Model three-hour red Model 3 that we had since January so I've driven both of these cars for almost a year so I've got a unique perspective I think on ownership of these cars here's my thoughts [Music] [Music] one of the biggest complaints that I've seen on the forums and on Twitter is that the bolt seats are uncomfortable and I would agree with that they're not terribly uncomfortable for just traveling you know around town or whatnot but on road trips or longer trips they're not very comfortable to me that's a valid complaint and if you're smaller they might be more comfortable I'm five ten and about two hundred pounds and to me they're not very comfortable for for longer trips when I'm just driving around town which is the majority probably ninety percent of what I did when I was driving the bolt all the time they were fun the seats were fine I didn't have a problem with just driving around town you know twenty thirty miles even maybe an hour not that big of a deal but longer trips they definitely will get to you and there's not a lot of wiggle room in them to kind of shift around because the seats are narrow that's my thoughts on the bolts seats [Music] one of the things I really like about the the bolt is the surround rear view camera or the overhead camera view so when you go into reverse it gives you an overhead camera view where you can see and it makes it really easy like when you're backing into a spot or parking into a spot you can see the lines in the parking space so you can see if you're centered that is a really cool feature it's one of the it's probably my favorite thing about the bolt and I hope that other car manufacturers implement this in the future here we are sitting in the model 3 and I think the first thing that you think of when you sit in the model 3 is you think of tech and I think that when most people think of Tesla they think of tech and I think that's a very accurate perception that they have because when my friends sit in this car they look at the center screen and they just go wow they're just they're blown away and for good reason it is a WOW factor when you see the screen and when I explain to them that you get over-the-air updates and how the car just keeps getting better and better over time and I explained to them on my red van 89 car when I got it in 2017 it didn't have rear heated seats and then all of a sudden a couple of months later I did an update and it has rear heated seats and then I explained to them how the braking has gotten better on these cars because they do an over-the-air update and that's just something that just wires people it completely floors them and I think that is a big advantage that that Tesla has over GM and some of these other people is their tech and when I think what I like better about the Tesla Model 3 versus the bolt that's one of the first things I think of is the tech and when you see the tech in the bolt and you see the tech in the model 3 it's clear that once far better than the other but that's one of the things I like better about the model 3 I think the storage and the Chevy bolt is pretty good you can fold down the seats basically just like the model three you can fold the seats forward and that gives you quite a bit of trunk space if you pop you know open the hatchback lay down the seats I've fitted things in this little car so it's nice the opening is really big I mean for the size of the car it is it's really big whereas the model three the the trunk openings big but it's not a hatchback so it's somewhat more limited on what you can fit in there what you can stack up but there's definitely more carrying room if you fold the seats down in the model three I think yeah it certainly looks that way but that's my opinion and I you know on the on the trunk space the model three also has a front trunk which most people call a front the Chevy bolt does not have a front with the model three it's not a huge front but it's nice I can put my racket ball bag in there you can put a carry-on bag in there and what I like to use it most for is when I go pick up pizza I can put the pizza in the front so it doesn't smell up my car so it's a nice little feature that I think the bolt misses out on [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we have taken this bolt on a few different trips in fact we took the bolt up to pick up when we picked up VIN 89 the model 3 that was been 89 when we went to Morgan Hill to pick that up we drove the bolt up there and that was not fun when we got up there I took the whole family basically it was two kids and two adults and when we got up there I had to charge in fact I charged I had to charge on the way up there which wasn't so bad I pulled in and was able to find a Annie Vigo station in charge but when we got up there I needed to charge to come back and everywhere that I found on plug share two different charging stations I went to both of them had a Nissan Leaf sent them I had no idea how long they were gonna be there it was at both of them were at shopping malls and I had a little bit of a range anxiety for the first time in the bolt I couldn't figure out where I wanted to charge to me with the supercharger network that Tesla has that's a non-issue and it's faster to me that's the biggest advantage right now that Tesla has over anyone is the supercharger network [Music] so let's talk mobile apps GM has their mobile app and then Tesla has their mobile app and you can look at the two apps and you can tell which one is a tech company the Tesla app is way more slick it looks more refined the bolt app works most most of the time I did have some bugs with it where it didn't want to connect to the it didn't want to connect to the car but I'll put a couple of screenshots of the bolt app over here and then I'll put a couple of screenshots of the Tesla mobile app over here and that way I'll just scroll through the different screens on the app and not what you can see the difference between the two and you can tell by just the look of it one looks way more refined and you know it just looks like a newer the bolt app just looks more it looks outdated it does work my 18 year old used our bolt for quite a while and it was nice to be able to look and see in the in the bolt app that it has this section called hard accelerations and it was funny because I could monitor you know how fast he was driving or how fast he was accelerating and I could question anymore hey what look like you were kind of you had ten hard accelerations today what was that about and just kind of joking around about it he's a good driver so I'm just more of joking around but it's it's a cool little feature about that app but when you look at both apps as a whole the Tesla is is way nicer way more refined I've never had it crash I've never had any problems with it connecting so if I was to choose between the mobile apps I would certainly choose the Tesla mobile app over the the bolt app one of the things that I've always liked about the bolt is how you sit up versus the model through you kind of sit down and it's more of a sports sedan type feel whereas the bolt you sit up you can see very well even with the display in front or behind the the the steering wheel you can still see in front of you very well the view is great in this car and you know I don't have anything bad to say about about the view it's it's been great it's one of the things I liked about it when we first got it another thing I would choose on the Tesla Model 3 over the bolt is the horn I'm just kidding I could care less about the horn one thing I liked about the model 3 over the Chevy bolt is the ability to have a wireless charging pad in the car as far as I know there's no option for that for the bolt and while it doesn't come stock in the model 3 what comes stock is a pad that you lay your phone on and you can plug your phone up but as an aftermarket option you can buy what I use is a nomad wireless charging pad and it's very simple to plug up you just put it in replace of the pad and you plug it in to the USB ports that are in the center console and you just lay your phone on the pad and it charges wirelessly now you have to have a phone that can do qi wireless charging but it's a great option and I love that ability to be able to charge my phone wirelessly they don't have to plug it up and it's one of the things I do like about the model 3 over the bolt [Music] so would I buy a Chevy bolt or would I buy a model three that's a tough question because it depends on what kind of deal you can get for a Chevy bolt when we got this Chevy bolt it was a smoking deal we paid $200 a little over $200 a month for this car and I don't think they're going for that now but I felt like it was a steal and I we we couldn't pass it up so and at that time we didn't have any Tesla's we just had a Fiat 500e and this was our second evie and so it was a great lease when we got it we didn't want to buy it because I knew there were other V's coming out in the near future and I wanted to see what else came out and I didn't want to have to commit to buying it I wasn't sure what kind of value they were going to hold and so forth so that is the reason we leased it it was a great deal and but now that the the mid-range model 3 is out the standard range will probably be out I would say within six months depending on Ilan time but with a Chevy Volt I've seen where they're not it doesn't seem like they're offering them for the price that I'm I'm getting them or that I got it so I think that if I was if it was right now I would probably buy a if my budget was in that range I would probably buy a mid-range model three and with the tax credits and all that you're getting a car with more range with more features with the glass roof you're getting a supercharger network so there's a lot of things that you're getting that you're not getting with the bolt and I think it's I think it's just a nicer car and cost wise I don't think it's you're going to be a whole lot a lot different but that's just my opinion this has been a fun video to do I appreciate you guys watching if you or anyone you know is looking to buy a Tesla please use my referral code it's Marc ma RC 5 7 9 6 9 again it's Marc ma RC 5 7 9 6 9 I'll put a link to the referral code in the description of the video I appreciate you guys watching and I will see you guys next time

Channel: Marc Benton

Views: 240,413

Rating: 4.5671434 out of 5

Keywords: tesla, model 3, chevy, bolt, chevy bolt, p3d, tesla model 3, supercharger, supercharging, ccs

Id: EoH8nZcmMO0

Length: 14min 15sec (855 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 07 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/vita10gy]

Thoughts on the differences finally start about 2:05

Seats are uncomfortable in the Bolt for long trips.

The overhead camera view in the Bolt is good

OTA's in the Tesla - Good.

3 has more space, probably, but Bolt has the bigger opening. No frunk in Bolt.

Charging the Tesla on the go is way better.

The Telsa app is "more refined" (although it sounds like the Bolt app does more things, so..)

You sit higher in the Bolt

The phone area in the Tesla is nice, but you need to by a wireless charger to really make it shine

Which you should buy: Depends. The Bolt can be so much cheaper and has leases available. Probably a mid range 3 depending on the deals out there for the Bolt.

[u/red_stripe05]

I'm a huge Tesla fan, and was a day 1 reservation holder. When the Bolt leases in California got super cheap in October 2017, I decided to go ahead and get one. I got the Premier with all options packages. Cost $10,700 for a one time payment and I have no monthly payments. I got over $3,700 in incentives after the fact, so my total out of pocket cost for the most expensive Bolt was $7,000. I put the whole $10.7k on a credit card with a SoCal dealer and they shipped it to my house via car trailer. It was pretty awesome, and I'd say it was less stressful and a way better process than even Tesla has. Just emailed some paperwork, and gave them my credit card number, and a few weeks later the car arrived at my house. For $7k, I get to drive it 3 years/45k miles. Can't beat that. The sales tax on the Model 3 at the time was around $5k, and depreciation a pretty large unknown, so I figured I would try out the Bolt and then put it up on Turo or keep it as a spare car once I got my Model 3.

Long story short, once I actually drove a RWD LR Model 3, I decided I preferred the Bolt for my own personal reasons:

1) Bolt regen is incredible and I get way more use out of the true "one-pedal" driving than I would have gotten from Autopilot. The Bolt's regen just is sooooo good and feels so natural that it changes how I think of driving. I can completely modulate all of my stop and go driving with one pedal. I never have to touch the brake pedal except for emergency situations. I do a lot of stop and go, in and out around crazy city streets with two kid daycare drop-offs. Using the brake pedal is completely necessary in the Model 3 to come to a stop and really annoyed me after months of getting used to the Bolt.

2) Bolt has more back seat space for two car seats, and is way easier to get my kids in and out of the car. There is actually more combined legroom in the Bolt compared to the Model 3, which really blew my mind when you see how small the Bolt's footprint is compared to the Model 3.

3) Easier to park and maneuver around our crazy bay area roads. The overhead view is fucking priceless when parallel parking, and it really pissed me off when I realized Tesla doesn't have that with all their tech.

4) Heated Steering Wheel. Again, how does Tesla not offer this. I use it daily in the Bolt and I love it.

5) Android Auto. I know its subjective, but I love just being able to say "hey google" and play any song I want or get directions or look up something while I'm driving and have it all be integrated into the awesome infotainment screen in the Bolt. Tesla's is really great too, but I just prefer Android.

6) Subjective, but to me the Bose sound system in my Premier Bolt is slightly punchier and sounds better when listening to music than the Model 3. Don't get my wrong, the Model 3 has a very nice and balanced sound system, I just preferred the Bolt's.

7) Availability of parts and dealing with insurance claims. It really hit home for me when I was driving to work one morning and hit a fucking flock of turkeys on interstate 80 in my Bolt. Destroyed my front bumper and the wheel well covers. The body shop was able to turn around my repair (order new bumper, parts for wheel well, etc) and I literally had it back 5 days from the time of the accident. Imagine if I'd had the same damage to a brand new Model 3, the thought still freaks me out. Hopefully this aspect is improving and availability of parts will soon no longer be an issue for Tesla.

Other than those things though, I love the Model 3 for what it is, and I love that all my coworkers and friends are buying them or seriously considering buying them. The Bolt is my fourth EV in 5 years, and I really do love it, despite its short comings, especially the seats. And when people ask me whether they should get a Bolt or Model 3, I almost always recommend the Model 3. But the Bolt shouldn't be shit upon by fanboys here, it really is a great little car and has some things that I wish Tesla would adopt or put into their cars.

​

​

[u/barjohn5670]

I too own both a Bolt Premier and a 3 LR RWD. A couple of notes missed on the Bolt. It has wireless charging for your cell phone if it fits in the pocket for wireless charging. However, if you will be using Apple Car Play or Android's version, they didn't make it wireless to the console display and you must plug in to the USB port. Once plugged into the USB port you don't need wireless charging. It also means you must remember to take the phone with you and not forget it in the pocket. If they had made the connection wireless you could have left the phone in your pocket. On the phone app, they recently updated it but it is still very slow to connect. It does have a nice feature now where you can have it send you a text when it leaves or arrives at a location (within a circle of that location). I use it to let me know when my wife arrives at our daughters (about 60 miles away) or when she is headed home so I can be ready to help her when she gets home. It also lets me know when she leaves home or arrives home. You can set up multiple locations and you can also have it locate the vehicle and display the location. The Tesla app does give you location and it is faster by far. When I bought the Bolt in 2017 I got it for $37,000 with every option. The CA rebate took $2,500 off of that price and the Federal Incentive took another $7,500 off so essentially for $27K. Assuming you could obtain it at the discounted price I paid, here in CA that would make it still quite a bit less than any current configuration of the Model 3 so it really depends on your finances as the medium range model 3 at $44K less $2.5K CA rebate and $3,750 Federal tax credit makes it $37,750 or about $10K more than the Bolt. For many buyers that is a large amount of money.

[u/tashtibet]

Bolt has heated steering wheel I don't like blasting heat whether in ICE or EV. Bolt one pedal drive is amazing. Tesla M3 update is exciting and it looks make people turn heads & ask lots of questions.

In the cold early morning drive, I've to use defroster a lot in M3 but not in Bolt-wondering if M3 has poor glass seal.

I hope people making comments own both the cars.

[u/majesticjg]

The guy who made the video put the logo of one of the cars all over his garage wall. The other car, he parks outside where he doesn't have to look at it. One of the brands he bought two cars from. The other, he hasn't bought since.

[u/gc2488]

When might leases be available for Tesla Model 3? Hope that the Model Y can be leased out of the gate.

[u/TheBurtReynold]

Great video, thank you!

Btw, you must do a mean George W impression.

[u/BruteSentiment]

Thank you for sharing! With the recent battery problems on my Volt, these were the two cars I just test drove and am considering. I’ll watch this after work!

[u/Teslaninja]

The cheaper one was sold 1412 times and the other one was sold more than 25000 times in the US last month.