I am now 14 months into a two-year lease on a 2024 Chevy Blazer EV, and I am, finally, loving it. It is neither a perfect electric vehicle nor a perfect fit for me, but it nonetheless rocks. It is a constant reminder that today’s electric cars are amazing, and that tomorrow’s will be even better.
That’s got me excited to finish up my lease with the Blazer. So excited, in fact, that I’m leaning towards buying one after my lease expires. Here’s why.
A Rocky Start, For Me And The Blazer EV
Perhaps you haven’t heard: The Blazer EV did not get off to a great start. It almost did, winning Motor Trend’s SUV Of The Year award before even going on sale. But then it stranded our own Kevin Williams during an early review, and became Edmunds’ problem child.
One of the first freelance stories I helped with at InsideEVs was about how the Blazer, Lyriq and Ultium platform went “off the rails.” There was a stop sale and an emergency price cut.
Gallery: 2024 Chevy Blazer EV Long-Term Owner Review
Six months after that debacle, I drove home a 2024 Chevy Blazer LT2 in Radiant Red Tricoat. The botched launch met with lower-than-expected demand for this EV, leading Chevy to fire-sale its existing inventory.
Despite a $52,000 sticker, I’m leasing the Blazer EV for $8,000 spread over two years, or $333 per month all in, with nothing down. (The actual deal structure was $2,000 due at signing and $273 a month, but I list one-pays and zero-down numbers for transparency.)
We got off to a rough start. The car flashed an exclamation mark icon—its equivalent of a check-engine light—and told me it detected faults with the low- and high-voltage batteries. You really don’t want to be having trouble with your battery almost immediately. At the same time, the headliner around the moonroof was already rattling. I started to feel like I may have purchased a lemon.
Then It Was A Lovely Car To Own
All of my fears about this car have been unfounded. I expected range anxiety, electronic problems and buggy software. I got a seamless route planner, enough range to never worry and quick, easy-to-use software I like. I haven’t had any issues since those early days, and while the rattle took a few visits to address, it was the only noise in an otherwise silent car.
Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs
I’ve found it perfectly suited for the driving I actually do, which falls into four main buckets: bopping around urban San Diego, cruising down the highway at 75 mph, soaring down mountain roads and trundling down first roads and dirt trails. The Blazer is not the best at any of these things, but it is shockingly good at all of them. I’ve careened down mountainous switchbacks and camped in its cargo area in the mountains surrounding Big Bear Lake. It truly does it all.
In every one of the scenarios, it is quieter, quicker, more predictable and better-handling than a gas crossover. The gas crossovers I take to the mountains and desert spoil everything with rackety, clacking, charmless four-cylinder engines hunt for power; my Blazer just glides.
Of course, it’s far from lithe. The biggest problem with General Motors’ EVs is that they are all beasts of burden. The Blazer EV clocks in at just over 5,300 pounds, about the same as a crew-cab gas Chevy Silverado 1500. Despite this, the Blazer corners flatter than any gas analogue, and with its well-tuned one-pedal driving mode I never have to use the friction brakes.
Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs
It’s effortlessly smooth when I have to face Los Angeles rush hour traffic, and was long-legged and comfortable on my nine-hour drive to Zion National Park. Here, and on the highway, its size pays off. The wide, leatherette bucket seats, big cupholders and large uncovered storage spaces make it feel spacious for long highway slogs. The rear seat is plenty comfortable for two adults or three kids, and the cargo area is big enough to swallow our dog’s crate, both of our bikes, all of our camping gear or a cooler and a bunch of firewood.
As an all-around hauler, then, it’s faultless. Gas equivalents offer more storage space and longer highway range, but none are this quiet, smooth or effortless.
Growing Pains
The main problems with the Blazer aren’t really its fault, but a consequence of its timing. Large legacy automakers are still learning how to make great EVs, and some of those shortcomings shine through in the Blazer. Despite its larger size, it doesn’t actually have more space to haul stuff than a Tesla Model Y.
It lacks a front trunk in part due to Chevy’s bizarre decision to offer it with front-wheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive, front-biased all-wheel-drive and rear-biased all-wheel drive powertrains. Its heater and A/C system are efficient and handle cold weather well, but don’t blow as aggressively as I’d like in extreme temperatures. Real-world 70-mph highway range is closer to 250 miles, too, as the 279-mile rating assumes 55% city driving.
On a weeklong camping trip to Zion and Bryce National Park, the Blazer swallowed a ton of gear.
Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs
Then there’s the charging issue. Because GM wanted its Ultium cells to work across the lineup, the Blazer uses essentially the same batteries as cars like the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Hummer EV.
But the fewer cells you have in this arrangement, the lower the pack voltage is going to be. In this case, despite being a 400-volt-class architecture, the Blazer operates below 300 volts. This means it takes a lot of current to hit its 150-kilowatt max charging speed, and rarely stays there. In the real world, it takes me 40 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%, and I only tend to travel around 170 miles between stops.
These are a reflection of EV life in 2025: Car companies are advancing rapidly, and today’s cars will be out of date soon, if they aren’t already. The Blazer, then, is not the tip of the spear.
Photo by: Mack Hogan/InsideEVs
Why I Love It
I’m ok with that. In fact, I’ll probably stick with the Blazer EV. The deal was structured in a way that will make it hard for me to buy out my lease, but I have already seen nearly equivalent used Blazers trading at $23,000. At this price, the car is a no-brainer. I’ll likely buy one. Really, I’d be hard-pressed to find anything under $30,000 this refined, spacious, responsive, packed with tech and easy to maintain. Remember, the battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles, and data shows batteries rarely fail.
If you’re worried about not having CarPlay, note that Google Maps is also included for eight years. I personally have no problem using the car’s built-in Spotify or YouTube Music App, or just using Bluetooth, but if that turns you off, look for a Honda Prologue instead. Either way, paying around $25,000 seems completely reasonable.
For that price, you’ll get a true multi-tool. I’ve taken my Blazer EV fifteen miles on dirt, 1,200 miles on a road trip and 9,000 miles over the past year and a half. It’s been the same in every scenario: quiet, competent, and drama-free. I’m looking forward to the next eight months.
And I may end up having one for a lot longer than that.
Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com
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