GM brings back the $27,600 Bolt, then phases it out to make room

General Motors is bringing back the Chevrolet Bolt for a limited time, but not to permanently restart the brand's small-EV era. The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt starts at $27,600, which Business Insider notes makes it the cheapest new EV in the US. GM revived it after popular demand, but it is still being treated like a temporary occupant of the company’s manufacturing schedule.

That “limited time” line is doing a lot of work. GM discontinued the Bolt after its initial launch in 2015, then revived it last October due to popular demand. Yet GM also says it will only bring back the Bolt for a limited run because it is making space at its Kansas City manufacturing plant for other vehicles. In other words, the bargain EV is not losing because customers stopped wanting it. It is losing because production capacity is being re-allocated.

Business Insider’s on-the-ground take is simple: the Bolt is a just-enough car for most daily drivers. In a recent test drive in San Francisco, the report describes the Bolt as a small, peppy hatchback that feels built for practical commuting. The logic is less “buy a future spaceship” and more “get from point A to point B without bleeding money or hassle.” For buyers who need an efficient EV, not a gadget-packed lifestyle statement, the Bolt’s value proposition lands.

The case for small cars is also baked into why this matters beyond one model. The story frames a decade-long shift: America “fell out of love with small cars,” with drivers moving toward SUVs and automakers chasing higher margins on bigger vehicles. That shift is unfortunate, the report argues, because smaller cars often fit dense cities and tight parking realities better. The Bolt is described as about a foot shorter than the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla, which changes everything in day-to-day driving: easier maneuvering, easier squeezing past slower traffic, and fewer parking headaches. In the report’s own playful terms, it makes driving “incredibly annoying” for everyone else, because it can slip through where bigger cars struggle.

Then there is the space argument, where the Bolt tries to silence the “too small” objection. Business Insider says the Bolt has more cargo storage than its exterior size suggests. With the seats down, the car offers a little more than 56 cubic feet of cargo space, enough for “large grocery or Costco runs,” new IKEA furniture, or a camping trip for two.