Overview & Reviews

The 2013 Chevrolet Volt gets a number of worthwhile upgrades. A new "Hold" mode makes it possible to save all-electric operation for times when it's most efficient to do so. A new Low Emissions package grants the Volt access to HOV lanes in California and New York. New options include a center rear armrest and forward collision and lane departure warning systems.

• Appealing standard features
• Useful 300-mile maximum range
• Excellent crash test scores.
• Low monthly fuel cost in normal driving

• Questionable value
• No power front seats.
• Cramped two-person backseat
• Touchy brakes

User Reviews:

Showing 21 through 30 of 65.00

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  Great car! just needs a few minor tweaks. - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By 62235volt - May 14 - 2:16 pm

  1) Driving in D utilizes slightly more kW than when driving in L. [upshift into D and see the increase on the battery draw display then shift back to L]. Use D when you want to coast instead of regen braking. 2) Needs separate SPORT MODE button. 3) OnStar needs faster data acquisition and more data viewing options. 30/60/90 day & 6 month mileage display. Yes..many of the cons are relatively minor. Yet, overall, the car functions very well to what the MAIN purpose of the intent was…to be an efficient commuter car. ..a home run in that respect. But when you add in the cons and other notes against the price of the car, I give it a strong triple.

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  5k review - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By electric77 - May 13 - 9:38 pm

  5000 miles, 5 months, and 11 gallons of fuel into owning the 2013 Volt, Im amazed at how impressed I am with this car. I nearly always make my 43 mile round trip commute without using a drop of gasoline and only about $1.40 worth of electricity. However, the best part about owning it is how well it is engineered and the smooth and silent surge of power from the electric drivetrain. Although the sticker price will scare a few people away the real price after rebates was just slightly less than a similarly equipped Honda Accord would have been. My electric range has been between 34 miles on a cold day in January and 50 mildly driven miles on a warm spring day.

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  Best car I have ever owned - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By joncab5 - May 13 - 2:00 pm

  I have had the car for 8 months and still have not yet visited a gas station. My commute is only 18 miles and I have charging abilities at work. My biggest surprise regarding this vehicle is the Chevy brand. I am not a snob, but my previous vehicles are Lexus, Porsche, BMW, MBZ and the more I read about the Volt the better it sounds. I then test drove one out of curiosity and was shocked at the build quality. It is outstanding. What most people dont understand is there is a timer on the internal charging system that allows it to start charging at midnight. In California EV owners get very, very cheap electricity starting at midnight. So I am paying very little for energy.

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  Volt Volt Baby! - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By s_shawn_l - May 3 - 3:10 pm

  Ive had my 2013 Volt for about six weeks and 2,200 miles. Typically by this time after a new car purchase, Ive found pros and cons associated with my purchase. I cant find any cons to speak of with this one (thats a first). Its everything I had hoped it would be, but more. Ive taken a couple of day trips utilizing the gas mode, and still have managed to keep my total mpg around 160. Almost every day someone asks me about my Volt it draws alot of attention. Im a rolling commercial for this vehicle. Very happy with my purchase.

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  Volt problem - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By wligon - April 28 - 5:58 pm

  My wife drove our Volt to a friends house. When she parked and turned off the car, she realized that she had parked someone in She quickly pushed the power button and shifted to reverse. Nothing happened! The power button was lit on the console but there was no power. Pushing the power button again gave the message: "initializing--wait to shift" This continued for about an hour until the car sensed the battery was running down and shut itself off . After the shutdown, it restarted and operated normally but for an hour it was dead! Chevy told us they had never seen this. We conclude you absolutely must wait for everything to come up before shifting! Software needs a fix.

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  Enjoying the first 1000 miles - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By gwtx - April 26 - 4:08 pm

  Ive had the car for a month and put on about 1,000 miles. Ive yet to put gas in the car, so from the EV perspective it works exactly as advertised. I bought it with all the bells and whistles. The interior isnt bad. Its a bit cramped and there isnt a lot of space in the back seat. The lack of electric seat adjustments is a major negative. My wife literally has to get out of the car to adjust the seat. We trade back and forth driving the car, so were constantly pumping the lever to raise or lower the seat. Its very inconvenient. The other complaint is that the voice recognition and navigation system is a complete train wreck. Simple instructions like "Drive Home" or "Destination Home" are impossible. If you dont know the exact… command name in the list, the voice recognition is completely useless. I dont understand why I can tell my phone to "drive to bass hall" and it gives me directions to the door, but the Chevy nav system completely freaks out. Then, when it tries to send you to something ridiculous, like Baskeall, TX, (I dont think such a place exists), canceling the instructions takes several minutes. You have to wait for it to calculate the results and then talk your way through several menus before you can tell it delete the waypoint. Then it asks you which waypoint to delete (of the one available). Chevy could fix this with a software download. Lets hope they do. On the plus side, the car drives very well. It doesnt have power in the traditional sense, but it really takes off. Its very smooth, nimble handling, and--of course--extremely quiet. Im glad I bought the car and will consider the ELR when it comes out. In the meantime, though, Chevy needs to do some work on the voice commands and nav system.

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  Well, done - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By jwarmuth - April 17 - 9:47 am

  This is a commuter vehicle, not a sports car, not a truck, not a travel vehicle... For what this car is designed for, the execution is near perfect. I drive less than 20 miles a day, dont live in SoCal and it does get pretty cold here in the winter. The technology is ahead of the competition. The vehicles instant torque is pretty fun off the line, it is quite, it has all sort of electronic gizmos, a appealing exterior and interior design. The vehicle is smaller, but is not a lightweight, meaning the car is pretty heavy, but if you have to pack batteries, an electic motor and an engine, this adds up. Driving in the snow could be cured with winter/snow tires

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  The most misunderstood car in America - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By pvolt - March 26 - 8:54 pm

  This is a wonderful car, plain and simple. Everyone seems to want to make it only about whether or not the battery will pay for itself but that really misses the point. This is a stylish, distinctive, comfortable car that is really fun to drive and has, as one of its many features, a minimal need for gas. It costs under $30,000 despite what everyone says. If you buy one you can get a $3,000 rebate, a $7,500 tax refund. And for $30,000 its a terrific car. I traded in a Prius V (that also cost $30,000 BTW) and its a WAY better car. I have owned BMWs, Jaguars, Audis, Mercedes and many other "fine" cars and this is different but equal or better than them all!

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  Chevy Hit It Out of the Ball Park - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By hbbob - March 21 - 11:16 am

  Incredibly electronically sophisticated vehicle. Light years ahead of any other hybrid or electrical car on the road today. I installed a 240 volt charge station to speed up the recharging process, plus it reduces the cost of each full charge from 13kw used to 10kw. For me in Calif., it costs $1.70 for each full charge. I normally get 43 miles on each charge and on gas anywhere from 45-60 mpg (light foot on the throttle). Assuming 10k miles/yr and 10% of the miles on gas, the total cost would be about $460/yr or a $2,000/yr savings over our other gas costs for 10k miles/yr. The volt cost $32k after all rebates. Do the math...this car is a no brainer!

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  Nice Car - 2013 Chevrolet Volt
  By racer0608 - February 26 - 8:39 pm

  The more I drive it the more I like it in spite of its quirks. This car handles like its on rails. It has very good acceleration and rides like a BMW. I am 6ft 230lbs. My size is pushing the limits on this car. I dont find the seats to be very comfortable. The generator is loud especially when it first turns on and is trying to build a buffer in the battery. Once settled down after a minute or two it really drives like a dream. I like this car.