Reliability, what owners report, and what it costs to keep.
AVOIR's read: a solid ownership case with specific caveats below.
Owners have filed 172 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV, and it carries 8 recalls. These are owner allegations rather than confirmed defects, but the pattern of what people complain about is the most useful signal a used buyer has.
| Area | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 56 | 33% |
| Steering | 21 | 12% |
| Unknown or other | 14 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 9 | 5% |
| Electrical system | 7 | 4% |
| Vehicle speed control | 6 | 3% |
| Electrical system | 5 | 3% |
| Power train | 4 | 2% |
| Electrical system | 4 | 2% |
| Power train | 3 | 2% |
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint records, trimmed for length.
Steering rack is starting to fail at under 47000 miles, car pulls to right during acceleration and pulls left when decelerating. Steering wheel does not return to the center and a slight left pull on the wheel has to be
NHTSA complaint: Steering
GM installed Advanced Monitoring Software on the car rather than replace the battery. The software detected a battery fault. Under the battery recall if a fault is detected the battery is replaced free of charge. GM is r
NHTSA complaint: Fuel/propulsion system
General Motors is using the arbitrary 6,213-mile tracking window of Recall 944 to deny coverage for a diagnosed Cell Section 3 hardware failure at 123,582 miles. However, this vehicle is directly impacted by the failure
NHTSA complaint: Electrical system
Steering stiffened over several weeks. Then steering wheel would not automatically return to center while turning while driving. Diagnosed by service as a fault with steering column. This is apparently very common in C
NHTSA complaint: Steering
After putting washer fluid in, my son closed the hood. The hood did not latch. He tried again but it still didn’t latch. He lifted the hood to find the hood striker had come off the hood. There was nothing to hold the h
NHTSA complaint: Structure
When driving the car through a busy intersection there was a sudden, brief surge of acceleration, followed by deceleration and the vehicle cutting all motor power and becoming inoperable. The MIL lamp illuminated and th
NHTSA complaint: Power train
Accelerating to merge onto the highway the accelerator pedal got stuck under the all weather mat (provided and installed by the manufacturer). When I took my foot off the pedal the vehicle continued to accelerate. I had
NHTSA complaint: Vehicle speed control
I purchased a 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV in late 2023, already equipped with GM's recall diagnostic software (part of NHTSA Recall 21V650), which monitored battery health and limited charging to 80%. After the monitoring per
NHTSA complaint: Fuel/propulsion system
NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV. Recalls are free to have fixed at a franchised dealer regardless of who owns the car now, but only if they were never done, so check the VIN of the specific car rather than trusting the model.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. The door-handle cable inside the rear doors may be too long, allowing contact with the window when it is opened, possibly damaging the cable. A damaged cable may cause the rear door to open unintentionally when the
Risk: If the rear door opens while driving, or the door handle fails to open the rear door, there is an increased risk of injury to the rear passengers.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear inside door-handle cables, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2020. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV vehicles. These vehicles may have an improperly cast front left brake caliper that can fracture during a high-pressure braking event.
Risk: If a brake caliper fractures and brake fluid is lost, the vehicle may experience reduced brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the casting lot number on the front left brake caliper and replace it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may cont
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2021 GMC Canyon and Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500, Yukon, Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV and Chevrolet Blazer, Camaro, Colorado, Equinox, Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500, Suburban and Tahoe vehicles. Incorrect bolts m
Risk: If a seat belt assembly is not properly attached to the vehicle, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the suspect bolts, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8785, Cadillac customer ser
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV and 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV vehicles. The high voltage battery could catch fire when charged to full or nearly full capacity.
Risk: A battery fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to take the following interim steps: Set the Target Charge Level feature in their vehicle to limit the charge level to 90%, charge their vehicle more frequently, avoid depleting th
| Reliability raw | 75 | good |
|---|---|---|
| Longevity est. | 76 | good |
| Maintenance | 88 | excellent |
| Depreciation | 43 | below average |
| Performance | 55 | average |
| Efficiency | 89 | excellent |
| Safety | 100 | excellent |
Percentile ranks against other wagons in the catalog.
What stands behind each score for this car:
Owners have filed 172 complaints with NHTSA for this model-year, and electrical system is the most reported area with 56 of them (33%). There are 8 recalls on record. Check any specific car against its VIN before buying.
AVOIR scores its reliability 75/100 (good) from NHTSA recall campaigns and complaint density. That figure is a raw complaint count, not yet adjusted for sales volume, so a high-volume model scores worse than it deserves.
AVOIR scores its longevity 76/100, but that figure is an estimate built from the powertrain and the brand's record, not a measurement. A 2020 car has no 200,000-mile population to observe yet, so treat it as a prior rather than evidence.
AVOIR's read: worth a look, because a solid ownership case with specific caveats below. Its overall ownership score is 75/100. Condition, mileage and service history still matter more than any score, so get a pre-purchase inspection on the specific car.
Sources: NHTSA recalls and complaints, EPA fuel economy, IIHS awards, and live market listings. A score describes a model-year, not the individual car in front of you. Get a pre-purchase inspection.