The Chevrolet Equinox EV is a very important electric car. It’s so important that InsideEVs has chosen it as our inaugural “Breakthrough EV Of The Year.” While the electric Equinox offers sleek styling and impressive range, its best attribute is its price point.
Starting at $34,995 in base LT form, the Equinox EV offers what's probably the best range-to-price ratio in the entire industry right now. For example, the Equinox EV undercuts the Volkswagen ID.4’s $41,160 sticker price by $6,165. Yet, the Equinox can travel 113 additional EPA-rated miles. Add in the EV tax credit and the price drops as low as $27,495. But that’s not all.
If you currently own or lease a 2010 or newer non-GM vehicle, you will be able to get an additional $1,500 off the purchase or lease of a new Equinox EV. Prospective owners who have a Costco membership are able to shave another $1,000 off the MSRP of the car. Since these offers can be stacked, a Costco member with, say, a 2018 Tesla Model 3 will pay just $24,995 for a new model.
But there are ways to get into an Equinox EV for even less. We’ve seen several U.S. dealerships advertising new 2025 Equinox EV LTs with steep discounts, like this one in Michigan selling a car for $29,040. Add in the tax credits and you’re potentially looking at a new, high-range EV for around $23,000 after taxes and dealer fees.
Now, you need to make sure the advertised offer is what the dealer is actually going to honor, but the point is that we’re seeing Equinox EVs at prices far lower than expected as 2024 winds to a close. (Additionally, the Equinox EV lineup was simplified for 2025, so the one you want for a cheap deal is the 2025 Equinox EV LT.)
There’s no doubt the Equinox EV is a compelling case on paper. But all this begs the question: with these ultra-low prices, is now the time to buy an electric Equinox?
The Equinox EV: Tech Specs
The Chevrolet Equinox EV’s most impressive attribute is its range. All Equinox EV variants come with an 85.0 kilowatt-hour usable battery pack. The base front-wheel-drive version can travel 319 miles on a charge and the $40,295 all-wheel-drive can manage a respectable 307 miles. Our own Tom Moloughney recorded 303 miles of range at 70-mph in the front-drive version. The FWD model creates 213 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. The AWD manages 288 horsepower and 333 pound-feet.
While the power is okay, there’s one big limitation: the weight. The front motor Equinox EV weighs 4,923 pounds and the all-wheel-drive tips the scales at 5,073 pounds. This makes the Equinox EV one of the heaviest non-luxury electric crossovers on the road. The omnipresent Model Y, which manages 320 miles of range, weighs 4,154, a far cry from the Equinox EV. This weight takes a hit on performance. The FWD can accelerate to sixty in 8.0 seconds and the AWD can accomplish a more venerable 5.9 seconds.
Nevertheless, consumers purchasing an affordable electric crossover probably don’t care about performance and weight, but they do care about charging. The Equinox EV comes as standard with an 11.5-kilowatt (48 amp) onboard charger, allowing for a Level 2 charge time of just 7.5 hours. On the AWD RS trim, Chevrolet offers a $1,295 onboard charger that can accept 80 amps or 19.2 kilowatts. This drops the charge time to just 4.5 hours.
While it charges fast enough on a Level 2 plug, its DC fast charging capabilities are just okay. Tom recorded a 20 to 80% charge time of 34 minutes, which is not groundbreaking. For comparison, the Kia EV6 crossover can manage 20 to 80% in just 17 minutes, thanks to its incredibly high-voltage battery pack. It’s not bad, but doable—and miles better than the recently discontinued Chevrolet Bolt EUV.
Trims And Options
When it comes to trims and options, the Equinox EV is one of the weirdest vehicles in Chevrolet’s lineup. The base LT version comes low on features, what you’d expect for a car with a low price point. The entry-level Equinox offers a light dusting of features including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, a 17.7-inch display, cloth seats, and a six-speaker sound system. But the option packages get a bit confusing.
GM offers a $1,455 Comfort Package and a $545 Active Safety Package, though these must be added together. Therefore, the $2,000 combined package comes with a 360-degree camera, traffic sign recognition, heated front seats, a power driver's seat, and a heated leather steering wheel. But then there's an $8,300 Convenience Package. It comes with ambient lighting, trailer hitch guidance, auto-dimming mirrors, a wireless phone charger, a power liftgate, and a front LED lightbar.
Even more odd is the $11,400 Convenience Package II, which comes with 21-inch wheels, dual zone climate controls, a head-up display, heated rear seats, venilated front leatherette seats, and memory seat functionality. Drivers can choose either the Convenience I or II package. Nevertheless, the Convenience Package II costs a staggering 33.9% of the car’s MSRP. Supercruise hardware is available for $3,355 with 3 years included.
The more pricey RS version comes with additional features, as you’d expect. It features sporty 21-inch black wheels, ambient lighting, leatherette seating material, heated and powered front seats, wireless phone charging, and auto-dimming mirrors. The Convenience Package II is available, though it starts at a more digestible $3,095. It comes with ventilated front seats, a head-up display, dual-zone climate control, and a digital rearview mirror.
One thing to note is that the higher-end Equinox EV variants are often the ones that dealers add more incentives to.
Should I Buy One?
The Equinox EV is not the perfect electric car, but it comes pretty close, all things considered. It doesn’t have the best charging capabilities and it won’t knock your socks off, but it’s a solid crossover with an even better starting price.
Considering the incentives that both dealers and GM are offering, the Equinox EV is incredibly affordable. It undercuts just about every other crossover on the market, gasoline or electric, all while offering over 300 miles of range.
We recommend the base version as it is the same vehicle, just with fewer options. Instead of adding on $10,000 to $15,000 in options, it’s better to just buy a more premium vehicle, like a Tesla Model Y or a mid-level Kia EV6. Those offer better performance, driving dynamics, charging speeds and other features.
Even at $34,995 with no incentives, the Equinox EV is an excellent deal. But for prices encroaching upon the $23,000 mark, there is simply no reason for interested buyers not to buy one.
Andrew Lambrecht is an industrial engineering student, TEDx speaker, and freelance writer based in the Carolinas. He has previously written for Forbes Wheels and co-hosts The Current Review EV and technology podcast. Andrew is a former intern at Lucid Motors, where he worked on the charging validation team.
