Compare the2023 Chevrolet BoltVS 2023 Tesla Model S

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Model S doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Bolt offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model S only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

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

The Bolt has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model S doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Bolt and the Model S have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Bolt is safer than the Tesla Model S:

	Bolt	Model S
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	24%	30%
Neck Stress	239 lbs.	247 lbs.
Neck Compression	17 lbs.	28 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	137/187 lbs.	467/415 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Bolt is safer than the Tesla Model S:

	Bolt	Model S
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	74	160
Hip Force	297 lbs.	339 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	330	449
Hip Force	417 lbs.	785 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are over 19 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bolt’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is ranked 28th, below the industry average.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Bolt gets better mileage than the Model S:

			MPGe
Bolt
	FWD	Electric Motor	131 city/109 hwy
Model S
	AWD	Electric Motors	124 city/115 hwy
		Plaid Electric Motors	119 city/112 hwy
		Plaid 21" Wheels Electric Motors	102 city/99 hwy

Tires and Wheels

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 Model S 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 Model S doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Bolt’s turning circle is 5.5 feet tighter than the Model S’ (34.8 feet vs. 40.3 feet).

Chassis

The Chevrolet Bolt may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 950 to 1150 pounds less than the Tesla Model S.

The Bolt is 2 feet, 10.5 inches shorter than the Model S, making the Bolt easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Bolt is 8.7 inches narrower than the Model S, making the Bolt easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

Passenger Space

The Bolt has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear hip room than the Model S.

Ergonomics

The Bolt’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model S has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

The Bolt’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model S’ cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

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

Consumer Reports rated the Bolt’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Model S’ headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Bolt’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Model S’ headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Bolt’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model S doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Bolt has standard extendable sun visors. The Model S doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Bolt owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bolt will cost $10775 to $14560 less than the Model S over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Bolt is less expensive to operate than the Model S because typical repairs cost much less on the Bolt than the Model S, including $671 less for a water pump, $32 less for front brake pads, $176 less for front struts and $407 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Bolt will be $57067 to $96496 less than for the Tesla Model S.

Recommendations

The Bolt was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2017. The Model S hasn’t been picked since 2016.

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

The Chevrolet Bolt outsold the Tesla Model S by 820 units during 2022.