To understand why the Chevy Equinox EV was named the inaugural Breakthrough Vehicle of the Year at InsideEVs, you have to understand what this award is about.
This is about the transition to sustainable transportation, and here at InsideEVs, we are all too aware of the daunting barriers to that goal. EVs don’t yet offer all of the capabilities consumers want. They are confusing to use and, in many cases, not fully refined in their experience. They are reliant on an unreliable and arcane series of charging networks. Most of all, they still cost too much. So we designed these awards to recognize the products that are tearing down the barriers between us and the electric future we want. The EV market needs a hero.
In 2024, the Chevy Equinox EV is the best one we’ve got.
(Welcome to The Breakthrough Awards, InsideEVs' year-end awards program recognizing the EVs, people and technologies that are paving the way for our clean energy transition. Read about the awards and the other contenders below.)
The Metric That Matters
Americans have been waiting for a car like this for so long that many thought it’d never come. Since before Elon Musk promised a cheaper Tesla. Before the Bolt. Before the rise of cheap Chinese EVs. Since before electric cars got embroiled in the culture wars, the tax credit debacles and the elevation of Tesla to juggernaut status, the people’s demands haven’t changed. Consumers want a long-range, affordable EV that’s cool enough to actually desire.
The Equinox EV is that car.
Gallery: 2024 Breakthrough Award Winner: The Chevy Equinox EV
There are two numbers you need to know: $48,397 and $27,495. The first is the average new-car transaction price as of September, per Kelley Blue Book. The second is how much a base-model 2025 Chevy Equinox EV LT costs after the $7,500 federal clean vehicle tax credit, including the destination charge. It is a stylish electric crossover with room for four, up to 319 miles of range, a slick Google-powered infotainment system, and it costs $20,000 less than the average new car.
It is not only cheaper than average; it is cheaper than its gas competition. The internal-combustion Equinox starts at $29,995. The Toyota RAV4 kicks off at $30,245. And you can’t get a new Honda CR-V for less than $31,450.
The magnitude of General Motors’ achievement cannot be overstated. For the first time ever, it is cheaper to get an EV than a gas vehicle in one of the car market’s most vital segments.
“The more I think about it, the more convinced I am of the massive scale of this breakthrough,” InsideEVs Senior Reporter Tim Levin said. “Apart from those rather compromised models [like the Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf], the EV market has always been for the well-heeled. For years and years, advocates, industry researchers and car buyers (me!) have been clamoring for attractive electric options that don’t break the bank. With the Equinox EV, Chevy has delivered.”
To be sure, there are holes in the value argument. Price parity requires a federal tax credit, which the incoming president has vowed to repeal. And, as with the gas vehicles I listed, the base price is for a relatively stripped-down version. If you want an all-wheel-drive model with all of the bells and whistles, prepare to pay around $35,000 after tax credits and certainly more with options. But across its trims, the Equinox EV is priced comparably with or below its internal combustion competition.
A Better Experience
With that one barrier broken down, it’s amazing how quickly you can convince the average American to go electric.
The 213-horsepower front-wheel-driver version is more potent and quicker to 60 than its gas-powered competition, though our EV-spoiled staff noted it feels dreadfully slow and squishy by electric standards. Opt for all-wheel drive—as most Americans probably will—and you get 288 hp and 346 lb-ft of torque. That’ll get it to 60 in under six seconds, making it likely the quickest vehicle most compact crossover buyers have ever owned.
It’ll notch off that 0-60 mph run in near silence and cost almost nothing to run. For those with home charging, they’ll wake up every day with a full battery, and never think of range beyond the occasional road trips. Those trips shouldn’t be an issue, either. The FWD Equinox offers 319 miles of range and—for 2025—the AWD model’s max range goes from 285 miles to 307 miles. Both variants can charge at Tesla Superchargers with an adapter, too, so a good charging station is never out of reach. A Tesla NACS-equipped version is in the cards for later as well.
The Equinox EV will also plan your route for you, taking most of the hassle out of planning road trips yourself. Unfortunately, GM’s built-in route planner doesn’t seem to use Tesla Superchargers yet—at least, not in my personally leased Blazer EV—but hopefully that’s coming via an over-the-air update. At least its driver aids are even better. The Equinox EV offers Super Cruise, GM’s hands-off, eyes-on highway assistant, and it’s still our favorite driver assistance system on sale. It’s confident, reliable and safe, with worry-free hands-off driving and automated lane changes. Our editors couldn’t stop raving about it.
Plus, the Equinox benefits from built-in Google Maps and a slick software suite for its standard 17.7-inch display. You can also add 3rd-party route planning, music, podcast and charging apps via the Google Play Store, a consolation prize for those who bemoan GM’s decision to ditch Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
I don’t miss it in my Blazer, and after an adjustment period, I don’t expect most customers to miss it in their Equinox. Comfortable, stylish EVs with flagship, home-grown software are the future. The Equinox EV is the cheapest way into that club.
Leading On Cost, But Not Quite Technology
Cheapest rarely means best, however, and that holds true here. We’re impressed by the Google-powered operating system, but not the entire end-to-end software experience.
Tesla’s route-planning and software experience is miles ahead of Chevy’s. Its app is world-class, while the MyChevrolet app is so slow and inconsistent that I get next to no value from it. And while GM is democratizing the long-range EV, it’s using battery size, not efficiency, to deliver that experience.
The AWD Equinox EV’s rated efficiency of 2.86 miles per kWh (35 kWh per 100 miles) puts it behind the long-range all-wheel-drive versions of the Volkswagen ID.4, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E. Buyers won’t care, as range and price trump efficiency in the marketplace. But it’s a reminder that GM doesn’t exactly have a technology lead on that crucial metric which will, over time, unlock more range and cost advantages.
Some of our judges noted this lack of a cutting-edge. “Although it’s pleasant and cheap, the car fundamentally does nothing new in the EV space. Not saying it’s a bad car, but where’s the breakthrough? Where’s the technical advancement?” Staff Writer Kevin Williams asked.
Certainly not in battery chemistry or thermal management, I’ll tell you that much. The Equinox EV’s battery pack may be a 400-volt-class system, but its true nominal voltage is 288 volts. At low states of charge, it’s closer to 250 volts. This may sound like technical jargon, but here’s why it’s important: When charging, most 150-kW chargers cannot provide enough current to supply the low-voltage battery with 150 kW of power.
So while the Equinox EV is rated for a similar peak charging rate as cars like the ID.4 and Mach-E, its real-world charging performance is far slower. At a normal 150-kW charger, it will take around 50 minutes to go from 10-80%. On a 350-kW charger or a Tesla Supercharger, it can do the trick in about 40 minutes.
That’s behind the pack, and indicative of what Contributing Editor Abigail Bassett says is GM’s original sin.
“As innovative as the company can be, the bean counters consistently undermine every product that GM makes. The Equinox is no different,” Bassett said. Both Tim Levin and I also experienced rattles in our Equinox EV test cars, and I’ve had a few in my Blazer EV, more evidence of GM cutting costs.
A Winning Compromise
There’s a reason we need bean counters. Someone needs to cut costs to deliver a cheap product. While the Equinox EV is still a compromise, it’s a far, far more compelling compromise than the affordable EVs that have come before it. The Nissan Leaf had a paltry range, God-awful thermal management and no real fast-charging. The Bolt felt like an economy car and couldn’t charge quickly enough for a real road trip. The Equinox EV sacrifices a bit of charging performance and some interior bits to deliver the specs Americans demand at a price they can afford.
Don’t take this as idle praise. We believe the Equinox EV will convince far more people to go electric in part because it’s already winning over our staff.
“I personally leased a 2024 Equinox EV 2RS and have brought two personal friends of mine to the dealer to check them out. They both drove home in an Equinox EV,” Contributing Editor and YouTube’s State of Charge host Tom Molougney said.
“On a personal note, I’m considering leasing one because it meets my needs, is cost-effective, and offers Super Cruise, which I love. It’s basically a reliable and safe Tesla, without being a Tesla,” Bassett added. Despite being the lone defector on our judging panel, voting for the Cybertruck over the Equinox, Williams still says he’s considering leasing the Chevy. I would have one myself, but the deal I got on the Blazer EV was even cheaper than the Equinox EV at the time, and my dirt-road adventures necessitate the Blazer’s better ground clearance.
None of us think it’s the coolest EV on sale. It isn’t the most high-tech, nor the flashiest. It looks sleek, but it’s not as sexy as striking as some options out there. But you’re not going to win America over on marketing alone. Offering a cleaner solution on ideology alone just isn’t working.
To win, EVs need a dollars-and-cents argument. They’re already better on the road. They’re already cooler. They’re already nicer. They just need to be more attainable. Its reliance on the tax credit means the Equinox EV isn’t all the way there. But it’s the closest an automaker has come to delivering the revolutionary experience you want at a price you can afford.
Editor-in-chief Patrick George said it best: “Put simply, the Equinox EV is exactly what the market needs right now.”
Contact the author: Mack.hogan@insideevs.com.
2025 Chevy Equinox
