We recently got an Ioniq 5. It's the best family car we've ever had, with a massive interior, nice build, and plenty of zip. Fast recharging is awesome. The main negatives are the handling (it turns like a bigger crossover because of the wheelbase) and the infotainment setup (great with smartphone integration, lousy without). We also liked the Mach-E in a test drive. The Model Y wasn't a consideration because we weren't willing to give Elon Musk a penny.

Just purchased a Bolt. I think it's a great car for the price. In NJ no sales tax and $4K state rebate the purchase will be net around $20K with all incentives. It's really a utility to get around town at this price. I'll keep it for 10 years as a secondary transportation. No reason to pay twice as much for anything similar.

We went with the Bolt EUV because we didn't want to spend the extra money stepping up to an Ioniq, VW, or Volvo. We also don't qualify for the tax credit.

This is a car for all the daily driving we do, and it's plenty comfortable for the short hauls. We're not taking a family road trip in it (3 kids and a dog) but we wouldn't be able to fit our five-person family of fully grown people plus the big dog in any SUV. It definitely has less trunk space than our other SUV (Mazda CX-5), but it's doable for grocery runs etc. It is nice with the little under-trunk space as I put the first aid bag, ice scraper, etc. in there to make more room for groceries.

After test-driving, I did get a 2023 Bolt EUV Premier to get the bit of extra space over the EV and to get all the safety bells and whistles over the LT, because my 20 year old and two teenagers will be driving this car. The 2023 doesn't have the battery issues that the 2022 did (and all those batteries got replaced anyway). It's really fun to drive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was in an Ioniq last week. Very (pleasantly) surprised at how much room there was in back seat as well as the cargo area. It was really nice. It is also like $20k more than the Bolt. Factor in the tax credit (I think the Bolt is eligible) and it is almost a 2 for 1. If you are truly agnostic I don't know how you can pay 2x as much.

this is OP and this is a little bit where I am (though we won't qualify for the tax credit due to income so the difference between the top of the line Bolt EUV and the Hyundai SEL is $10k).

At $10k I'd Ioniq.

Anonymous wrote:If you keep cars a long time, I know Hyundai does have long warranties but I would rather have an out of warranty chevy than an out of warranty Hyundai..

And if this is a long term car, I would avoid VW/Audi (lol) and Polestar.

If you keep cars 5y or whatever, get the one you like best.

No Chevy's are junk. Dad was a mechanic. I have been around cars all my life.

The Bolt is fine.

The Ioniq is better technology at this point in time and Hyundai is way more reliable then Chevy at this point in time.

Anonymous wrote:If you keep cars a long time, I know Hyundai does have long warranties but I would rather have an out of warranty chevy than an out of warranty Hyundai..

And if this is a long term car, I would avoid VW/Audi (lol) and Polestar.

If you keep cars 5y or whatever, get the one you like best.

Our last Chevy was a nightmare and they couldn't/wouldn't fix it under warranty.

If you keep cars a long time, I know Hyundai does have long warranties but I would rather have an out of warranty chevy than an out of warranty Hyundai..

And if this is a long term car, I would avoid VW/Audi (lol) and Polestar.

If you keep cars 5y or whatever, get the one you like best.

I bought a Chevy Bolt in 2019 and love the car.

Bolt is older technology. It came out a couple years ago and was great at the time. Since then, EV technology has moved a lot further. Go with the Ioniq.

We just bought an Ioniq 5 and we love it.
We didn't even consider the bolt because of the size (two kids and a dog plus all of their sports gear) but also because, at least the last time we flew, the Bolt is still prohibited in the BWI daily parking garage. Why would I buy a car that I may have trouble finding parking for?

Anonymous wrote:I was in an Ioniq last week. Very (pleasantly) surprised at how much room there was in back seat as well as the cargo area. It was really nice. It is also like $20k more than the Bolt. Factor in the tax credit (I think the Bolt is eligible) and it is almost a 2 for 1. If you are truly agnostic I don't know how you can pay 2x as much.

this is OP and this is a little bit where I am (though we won't qualify for the tax credit due to income so the difference between the top of the line Bolt EUV and the Hyundai SEL is $10k).

I was in an Ioniq last week. Very (pleasantly) surprised at how much room there was in back seat as well as the cargo area. It was really nice. It is also like $20k more than the Bolt. Factor in the tax credit (I think the Bolt is eligible) and it is almost a 2 for 1. If you are truly agnostic I don't know how you can pay 2x as much.

I’ve been in an Ioniq and it was nice

Ioniq 5 looks like a much nicer car and gets rave reviews. The Bolt is just a basic car, it’s cheap and it’s a lot cheaper because of tax credit eligibility.

So if you really want an electric car and cost is most important to you then the answer is obvious.

Before dropping $50k on an Ioniq 5 though, I would recommend shopping that price range better. Check out the VW ID.4, Audi Q4 etron, Toyota BZR4 and Polestar 2 first.

I think we are either going to get the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or the Chevy Bolt EUV. We've driven both and they're both fine. I am very practical and not a car person. The Ioniq 5 was probably a little nicer but i'm not sure if it was $10k nicer. Why would I spend the extra money on it? I am totally serious in asking that question. I see people say it's apples to oranges, the Ioniq is so much better, etc., but I would like to know what I'm missing because it's all the same to me. If anything, I like driving a smaller car so would lean towards the Bolt. What makes them so different that people say the Bolt shouldn't even be $40k tricked out but the Ioniq is a great value at $50k? I am looking for specific considerations that might help me decide.

Thanks.