2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV SUVOTY Review: How Does the Runt of the Ultium Litter Fare?

The 2024 Chevy Equinox EV swaggered in on the coattails of last year’s SUV of the Year–winning Chevrolet Blazer EV with a hot design whose proportions struck many as superior, as well as an impressive value proposition predicated on a promised $35,000 starting price. Sadly, that loss-leader model had yet to hit the production line at the time of our testing, and the loaded RS AWD example Chevy sent us tiptoes deep into the Blazer EV’s price range, which dulled some of its value luster.

Still, the judges’ initial impressions were quite positive. Big, high-resolution screens and round outboard AC vents seemingly plucked from the Camaro parts bin, plus abundant red accents and stitching, make this interior almost seem worth Blazer EV money. Much of what originally attracted us to the Blazer EV is here, as well, from a well-executed one-pedal driving mode to a roomy rear seat—even Super Cruise. What used to be for Cadillacs only, Chevy now offers as a $2,700 stand-alone option, with the slight downside that on roads not mapped for hands-free driving, there is no lane centering, only ping-pongy lane departure assist.

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Soon other chinks in the Equinox’s armor began appearing. “What happened to all the engineering excellence?” features editor Scott Evans wondered. “They literally took it out to make this car.” The lower charging speed that prompted his query illustrated a shortcoming of the modularity that enables the broad size and price spectrum of Ultium vehicles: Varying battery capacity by changing the number of common modules dooms the smaller packs to lower charging speeds. Ten modules give the Equinox 288 volts to work with, limiting the peak charging rate to 150 kW. What’s more, that rate can’t be achieved at the amperage of a 150-kW station; you’ll need to hog a 350-kW charger for that, suffering the evil side-eyes doing so might provoke from others.

Being the runt of any litter brings challenges, and in our dynamic testing the Equinox felt burdened with big-boned architecture that gave it a heavy, understeering demeanor. These impressions were heightened by its high-effort steering, thick-rimmed steering wheel, and Chevy’s choice to drive the front wheels with 68 percent of the total torque. Simply swapping the induction-type “helper” motor to the front might dramatically improve dynamics. Undulating pavement set up a “bounce house situation,” and single-wheel impacts often sent reverberations through the chassis. “You start thinking how well this SUV hides its price-focused roots,” buyer’s guide director Zach Gale noted, “and then wham, you hear and feel the suspension hit a sudden bump at 50 mph, and there’s your reminder.”

Sealing the Equinox EV’s fate as a non-finalist was the lack of available screen-mirroring software like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—or any reasonable replacement. This was exacerbated by the fact some of the baked-in apps (such as Spotify, Waze, and even the native Google Maps navigation) seemed, well, half-baked and may eventually require additional subscriptions to use.

In the end, we wished we’d had a base front-drive model to evaluate, determining that at the top-spec AWD RS price point, the Equinox EV is no match for competitors such as the VW ID4, Hyundai Ioniq 5, or Tesla Model Y. As such, we almost unanimously preferred the (CarPlay-equipped) combustion-powered Equinox to the electric one, liking that version enough to bring it forward as a finalist.

This review was conducted as part of our 2025 SUV of the Year (SUVOTY) testing, where each vehicle is evaluated on our six key criteria: efficiency, design, safety, engineering excellence, value, and performance of intended function. Eligible vehicles must be all-new or significantly revised.

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