Compare the2023 Nissan LeafVS 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Leaf have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chevrolet Bolt EUV doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Leaf has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Bolt EUV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Leaf has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Bolt EUV doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Leaf has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Bolt EUV’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Leaf has standard rear cross-path warning to warn the driver of approaching traffic to help avoid a collision. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Bolt EUV.

The Leaf SV PLUS’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Bolt EUV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Leaf and the Bolt EUV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights and around view monitors.

The Leaf’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Bolt EUV’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Leaf’s reliability 48 points higher than the Bolt EUV.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 5 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 14 more horsepower (214 vs. 200) than the Bolt EUV’s electric motor.

As tested in Motor Trend the Leaf PLUS is faster than the Chevrolet Bolt EUV:

For better stopping power the Leaf’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Bolt EUV:

The Leaf’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Bolt EUV are solid, not vented.

The Leaf stops much shorter than the Bolt EUV:

The Leaf has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Leaf flat and controlled during cornering. The Bolt EUV’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Leaf is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Bolt EUV.

The Leaf handles at .77 G’s, while the Bolt EUV Premier pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Leaf S’ turning circle is 3.5 feet tighter than the Bolt EUV’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.3 feet). The Leaf SV PLUS’ turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Bolt EUV’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.3 feet).

The Leaf has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Bolt EUV.

The Leaf has a much larger cargo volume than the Bolt EUV with its rear seat up (23.6 vs. 16.3 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Leaf easier. The Leaf’s trunk lift-over height is 28.6 inches, while the Bolt EUV’s liftover is 30.3 inches.

The Leaf’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Bolt EUV’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports® chose the Nissan Leaf as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chevrolet Bolt EUV isn't recommended.