Compare the2022 Chevrolet BoltVS 2021 Honda Clarity Fuel Cell

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Bolt are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Chevrolet Bolt has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Bolt offers optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Clarity Fuel Cell only offers a rear monitor.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Bolt’s optional cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Bolt and the Clarity Fuel Cell have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Bolt the rating of “Top Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 160 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Clarity Fuel Cell has not been tested, yet.

The Bolt’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are almost 3 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bolt’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 19th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 12th in reliability, above the industry average. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 27th.

The Bolt’s electric motor produces 26 more horsepower (200 vs. 174) and 45 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 221) than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Chevrolet Bolt is faster than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell:

On the EPA test cycle the Bolt gets better fuel mileage than the Clarity Fuel Cell (131 city/109 hwy vs. 68 city/67 hwy MPGe).

The Bolt stops much shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell:

The Bolt has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the Bolt can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

The Bolt handles at .80 G’s, while the Clarity Fuel Cell pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Bolt’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Clarity Fuel Cell’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Chevrolet Bolt may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 pounds less than the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.

The Bolt is 2 feet, 5.5 inches shorter than the Clarity Fuel Cell, making the Bolt easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Bolt has 1 inch more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front legroom and .8 inches more rear headroom than the Clarity Fuel Cell.

The Bolt has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Clarity Fuel Cell (16.6 vs. 11.8 cubic feet). The Bolt has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded (57 cubic feet).

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Bolt’s hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Clarity Fuel Cell’s useful trunk space.

The Bolt’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

The power windows standard on both the Bolt and the Clarity Fuel Cell have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Bolt is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Clarity Fuel Cell prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bolt has a standard rear wiper. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the Bolt detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

On extremely cold winter days, the Bolt’s optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Chevrolet Bolt offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Clarity Fuel Cell doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Bolt was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2017. The Clarity Fuel Cell has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Bolt was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2017. The Clarity Fuel Cell has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bolt as the 2017 North American Car of the Year. The Clarity Fuel Cell has never been chosen.

The Chevrolet Bolt outsold the Honda Clarity by almost five to one during 2020.