Test drive: 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV balances efficiency and style

• The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV should make shopping lists

• We dig the Blazer EV’s design, efficiency, and build quality

• Blazer EV rear seat comfort varies by person, and the iOS app needs a redo

Unlike soap-bar-styled EVs eking out that extra range the Chevy Blazer EV charts its own distinctly American path.

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV sports a different, eye-catching design that is wrapped around a spacious, well-built cabin. After recently living with one for a week and taking it on a road trip, we found it to be surprisingly efficient. But with a rear seat that won’t fit everyone perfectly, an uneasy range meter, and an underwhelming iOS app, it’s not perfect.

Based on this extended drive, here are the pros and cons of the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Pro: Chevy Blazer EV has Camaro-like style

It’s as if designers rolled a Camaro into the studio and just said, “yes.” As in, all of it. Thankfully, they skipped the gun-slit greenhouse. The front end is distinct with the LED daytime running lights emphasizing the Blazer EV’s width. The taillights keep it in the family and are related to the latest Traverse and Equinox. Both have light shows that can be on while charging. The taillights are charge indicators and the bars “fill up” as the battery charges. The curved front and rear fenders also show Camaro influence. Overall, it’s sharp, and distinctive. 

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Inside, there’s a lot going on. My Dad got in and exclaimed: “This is cool! It’s…a bit like the Batmobile. There should be flames that come out of the vents.” My RS tester had a red interior, and it was a lot to take in visually. There are shiny chrome bits, vents with twisty bits, a real volume knob and climate control buttons. It feels normal in a way that fits in with Chevy’s ICE models.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Con: Rear seat comfort varies by person in the Chevy Blazer EV

With the front seat positioned properly for my 5-foot-10 build I slid comfortably into the rear seat without issue. There was plenty of leg, knee, foot, and headroom and the outboard seats felt comfortable. However my mother and wife both commented without prompting that the rear seat was uncomfortable. The rear seatback design has child seat LATCH anchor points integrated into the lower portion—rather than recessed between the cushions, as in most vehicles. This splits the lower portion of the seatback and hits some people in an uncomfortable position low in the back. My wife also found the rear seat seat belt mounting point hit her in an uncomfortable position on her neck. The center rear seat is sunken and narrow and it’s not going to be comfortable for anyone.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Pro: Chevrolet Blazer EV impresses with efficiency

For larger EVs such as this, the bar for excellent efficiency is 3.0 mi/kwh. Around town in mixed suburban driving the Blazer EV had no issues averaging 3.0 mi/kwh despite paying no heed to efficiency and just driving as one would normally. On two highway 200-plus-mile road trips the Blazer EV averaged 2.7 and 2.5 mi/kwh respectively with the cruise control set at over 70 mph, ambient temps hovering in the mid to upper 70s, and the climate control set to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Strong wind and rain lowered the efficiency on the latter.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Con: The Blazer EV has trouble guessing its range

Pay attention to the battery state of charge–just like you would a gas gauge–and don’t put as much stock in the range display in the Blazer EV. While previous GM EVs including the Chevy Bolt EV were right on the mark, range seemed more of a wild guess in this Blazer EV, and consistently the range display would say the Blazer EV could go further than it would be able to (this might have had to do with how it had recently been driven). Interestingly, integrated Google Maps for navigation realized this and told me when I would need to charge to reach my destination—despite the range meter saying I’d make it.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Pro: Chevy Blazer EV feels well built

Build quality was solid with everything feeling well screwed together. The panel gaps were tight, the doors closed with a solid thunk, and everything I touched, clicked, twisted, or grabbed didn’t wiggle, creak, or feel cheap.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Con: Chevy’s iOS app feels behind

Software-defined vehicles present an opportunity to be controlled remotely with a smartphone. Chevrolet’s iOS app, which is the same app as the Cadillac and GMC app with a different skin, feels a full iteration behind what you’ll find from Rivian, Lucid, or Tesla. Open the app and it will say when it was last updated. Spoiler: It’ll be a little while ago—usually 30 to 50 minutes. That’s not the car’s current status. Is it charging? Is it locked? Pull down from the top of the screen to refresh the app and it’ll take minutes, not seconds to retrieve the actual status. And executing a command, like starting or unlocking, takes seconds and feels too slow.

The Chevy iOS app aside, the Blazer EV feels like a taste of the Bowtie’s future. A familiar and normal future that happens to be powered by batteries and not gasoline. It’s appealing and should be on Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y cross-shopping lists.

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2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS AWD

Base price: $58,590, including $1,395 destination fee

Price as tested: $60,710

Drivetrain: 288 hp combined, dual-motor AWD

EPA range: 279 miles

The hits: Sharp design inside and out, efficiency, solid build quality

The misses: Rear seat comfort for some, range meter is guessometer, iOS app experience