When I bought the Bolt, I cross-shopped the Model 3 and the Leaf+. All three cars offer over 200 miles of range. Overall, the Bolt was the best package for me.
I don't like that Nissan still doesn't have thermal management for their battery. My 2012 had lost 20% of its capacity in 5 years. Going to a new Leaf would get me over 200 miles of range, but for how long? Then there was availability. The Leaf+ didn't hit the market until the 2019 model year.
I love that the Tesla is lower slung than the Bolt, and you cannot beat its DCFC rates. I also like that it is RWD. Even though I live in a very snowy region (Syracuse, NY - we average 10' of snow per year), modern traction control and good snow tires do just fine in the snow. What I dislike about the Tesla is the interior user interface. That tablet stuck on the dash looks terrible. And no instrument panel in front of the driver? Sure it cuts cost but no thank you! Elon wants us to think of the thing as a self-driving car from the future, but I just want a car I can enjoy driving. When asked about the lack of instrument panel, he famously stated "you won't miss it". I find that to be rather arrogant as I most certainly would miss it.
The Bolt isn't amazing at any one thing, but it is a good overall car. I prefer a hatchback to a sedan, although I wish it wasn't so tall. I do like the driver interface that Chevy has come up with for their EVs. It's DCFC rate is lower than I'd want, but fast enough to live with. I also like that I could get one fully loaded for the same price as an entry-level Model 3, thanks to dealer discounts. Big pluses for me are 1) heated rear seats for the kids and 2) integrated roof rails since I frequently carry a cargo box or kayaks on the roof.
So that's why I bought a Bolt.
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Cars I'm looking out now are a different story. I have my Bolt for travelling. Now I want something that's just plain fun, but affordable. The Miata of EVs if you will. I have always preferred small sporty cars. Before I had kids, my main drivers were a Honda Prelude and then a Honda S2000. Then the cars got bigger and slower when I had kids. Now that they are older, and I have a little wiggle room in my budget, I want something fun again as a third car. But I'm not going back to gas. The Mini is really the first and only car that fits that niche today.
