UPDATE: Chevy stopped making the Volt in 2019.
A few years ago, my husband and I went to test drive some new cars with the intention of getting a hybrid. We walked into the dealership focused on a Honda Civic Hybrid... we walked out with a Honda Pilot. While not a large car by any means compared to today's SUV standards and while not as much of a gas guzzler as a minivan, the Pilot is not exactly what you would call fuel efficient.
⚡️ Chevy Volt
Since then I've been watching every new release. Hybrids and electric cars have come a long way in just the past few years. Recently, I had the opportunity to drive a Chevy Volt electric car. Since this is a lifestyle blog, I will leave the in-depth, technical car reviews to review blogs and automotive comparative sites, and focus on how this car might fit into the modern mom entrepreneur's life.
{despite my daughter's funny face in this pic, she really LOVED the Chevy Volt!}
🌟 Style
The Volt comes in eight colors. The black model we had was nice and somewhat sleek, but I would not call these high fashion cars. They are cute, but not adorable. There is most definitely a difference. The car does, however, offer a super quiet, smooth ride.
🚙 Room
Mom entrepreneurs need a ton of room in their vehicles. Between kids, dogs, and work, I haul a lot on any given day. I was surprised by the amount of legroom in the Volt. Then again, my kids are ages 5 and 8, and they don't need as much leg room in the back as adults. However, the way the backseats are designed, it felt as if they had their own partitioned seats, and they loved that aspect of the car. If you had four adults in the car, or two adults and two teenagers sitting in the back, it might get a little tight.
The trunk space is ample for this car, and I like how it opens into the backseat. We tested it out with a grocery trip (still a LOT of room in the trunk, and we bought a week's worth of food for four...including me, and I eat a lot!). We also loaded it up for our kids' first fishing lesson, and there was still room in the trunk even after fishing poles, tackle boxes, three folding chairs, and two coolers.
⛽️ Mileage and charging
In addition to the cost, this is where the Volt loses points in the family-friendly arena for me. I ended up having to fully charge the Volt both nights I had it using a 120V plug outlet (standard home outlet), since we quickly used up the reported 20-40 miles you can go on electric just going to the grocery store, coffee shop, and running two other errands near our home. The Chevy literature claims that, after the electric is done, you should get about 375 miles on a full tank of gas, in non-extreme weather temps. Each day, my dashboard claimed I had about 273-275 miles of gas available after the electric was done. Portland, Oregon weather is mild year-round: we never have extreme heat or extreme cold, so I would think our electric should have lasted longer and we should have had more gas mileage.
Meanwhile, if you can't wait the 10-hours it takes to fully charge the Volt on a standard 120V home outlet, they claim "you can also install a 240V charge station, which can charge Volt in as little as four hours... A 240V Charging Station is strongly recommended for consumers who plan to charge in extreme weather conditions (over 95° F or below 20° F) on a regular basis."
So, in addition to the $30-40K you'll put down for the car, you can choose to also buy a 240V home charging station for $490, which comes with installation costs roughly around $1500.
💵 Cost
The Chevy Volt starts at around $31K. The one we were given to test drive was around $40K. For this mom, that's a lot of money for something that falls short of offering the convenience it advertises.
My family liked the Chevy Volt, and truly enjoyed driving it around town. It's a quiet, smooth ride. My kids' favorite part: the rear camera that turned on automatically when we drove in reverse.
However, as much as I want to save the earth wherever and whenever I can, it also has to make sense for everyday living, and this car doesn't quite meet this busy family of four's needs in terms of cost savings (you're trading the cost of gas for the cost of electricity), overall costs (the reps couldn't answer my repair cost questions), space, and convenience.
If you're in the market for a new car, I would suggest at least test driving a Chevy Volt. I definitely recommend doing full research on the specs of the car, and Chevy has an FAQ page online that is fairly comprehensive yet easy to navigate, so you can decide whether or not it's right for your family.
Heather says
Great review!
We are just beginning to think about moving away from the "mommy mobile" to another small, fuel efficient vehicle. We've had a Prius for almost 6 years and love it! A volt might be a good option to check out. . . .thanks for the info.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Thanks Heather! Personally I think I would choose the Prius over the Volt, but the Volt is definitely worth checking out!
Adrian says
Hi Marlynn,
I clicked on this without realizing it was you, then did a double take when I saw your cute face in the pic! I know HER!
I have a Toyota Highlander Hybrid and I've been disappointed with it in some ways. The dealer promised us mileage in the 40's, but I've never even hit the 30's with it (grumble). It does have the 3rd row seats which I wanted, but in order to use them, you have to either be a midget, or a double amputee, and I lose all but 10" of trunk room when I have the 3rd row up, so it's basically a 5 passenger car rather than a 7 passenger. Not bad for my family of four, but I frequently have a herd of Scouts that I like to cart around and they don't travel light! It's 4WD, but we didn't get enough snow last year to test it out well. I'd be happy to trade it in on a Honda Pilot - I think that would be a better choice for us.
Marlynn Jayme Schotland says
Hi Adrian! Yep, it's me :) We have a Pilot that is about 4 years old and LOVE it. Seriously L-O-V-E it. I think the newer models are bigger than the one we have but it is great & I think it will last us as our kids (and their friends) grow!