The Chevrolet Bolt, widely touted as the first affordable, mass-market EV with a respectable range, isn’t selling like many expected and this year, is lagging behind the outdated Nissan Leaf in sales.
According to sales statistics published by InsideEVs, a total of 3,092 Chevrolet Bolts were sold in the first three months of 2017.
By comparison, 3,287 Nissan Leafs have been sold, placing the Bolt sixth in the list of highest-selling plug-in vehicles also behind the Tesla Model X, Toyota Prius Prime, Chevrolet Volt and Tesla Model S.
Sluggish sales for the Bolt have surprised many pundits especially considering its EPA-rated 238 mile range and sticker price of $37,495 before government rebates. The Leaf by comparison, has an electric range of just 107 miles and starts at just over $30,000.
As Jalopnik points out, a key explanation for the slow sales is that the Bolt won’t be introduced to all U.S. states until September. In March, the Bolt was only available in California, Oregan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, New York and New Jersey.
What’s more, many Nissan dealers are offering 2017 Leaf models for almost half price, seemingly to make way for the new-and-improved Leaf set to launch for the 2018 model year.
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