2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS RWD First Test: Range Before Rally Sport!
It may look like a Hot Wheels car inside and out, but the Blazer EV puts practicality first.
Pros
- Excellent real-world driving range
- Brisk acceleration
- Spacious interior
Cons
- Minimal fun factor
- Needs better brakes
- Middling charging rates
After a tumultuous first year of production with recalls and a temporary production halt, the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV lands with more power and features across the lineup. And while the all-wheel-drive version of the Blazer EV clinched our 2024 SUV of the Year (SUVOTY) award, this 2025 Blazer EV RS rear-wheel-drive variant is the one we’ve welcomed to our fleet of long-term test vehicles. Now that we’ve become acquainted with our new long-range SUV, it’s time to dive deeper into the 2025 Blazer EV RS RWD with our battery of performance tests to learn how the single-motor SUV compares to our SUVOTY winner and other rear-wheel-drive electric SUVs.
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Keeping Up With Appearances
Chevrolet’s RS (short for Rally Sport) package historically applies a sportier treatment to the automaker’s models, and our 2025 Blazer EV RS RWD initially gives the impression it follows that tradition. It’s distinguished from the lower-level Blazer EV LT model with its front light bar, 21-inch wheels, and black badging. Additionally, the RS trim is the only version of the Blazer EV offered with rear-wheel drive, a setup that uses a single motor driving the back wheels. And while all-wheel-drive models use a dual-motor setup, the rear-drive RS employs a much more powerful motor in the back, to the tune of 365 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque. It also comes standard with the larger of two battery packs available with the Blazer EV, with 102-kWh usable capacity rather than the smaller pack’s 85-kWh maximum.
The 2025 Chevy Blazer EV RS RWD’s solid specs translate to good off-the-line performance, to the tune of a 5.7-second 0–60-mph time. You don’t have to do anything special to get that zippy acceleration other than pinning the pedal to the floor. Keep the accelerator depressed for a quarter mile, and the Blazer EV covers the distance in 14.2 seconds at 100.5 mph.
These numbers mean it’s much quicker than the all-wheel-drive model that won our SUV of the Year award. The 2024 Blazer EV RS AWD we tested previously accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds and ran the quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at 93.1 mph. Granted, our long-term car is more powerful than that 2024 Blazer EV RS AWD, which produces 288 hp and 333 lb-ft of torque with both motors combined. Still, the 2025 Blazer EV RS RWD doles out its better performance despite weighing about 200 pounds more, tipping our scales at 5,438 pounds versus our SUVOTY winner’s 5,235. And while Chevrolet increased the output of the dual-motor 2025 Blazer EV to 300 hp and 355 lb-ft, we don’t expect AWD models to have a significant acceleration advantage over our Blazer EV RS RWD.
As for the Blazer EV’s competitors, the rear-wheel-drive Ford Mustang Mach-E we tested accelerated to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds and completed the quarter mile in 14.6 seconds at 94.8 mph. A pre-refresh Kia EV6 GT-Line with RWD took 6.5 seconds and needed 15.0 seconds for the quarter mile, crossing the line at 95.0 mph. More recently, a 2024 Volkswagen ID4 Pro S delivered a quicker 0–60-mph sprint than this Blazer EV RS RWD, clocking in at 5.6 seconds and covering the quarter mile in 14.2 seconds, though its 97.2-mph trap speed was slower than the Blazer EV’s number.
So while the Blazer EV RS RWD is right where it needs to be in terms of acceleration, the rest of the driving experience is set up with comfort as a priority over sportiness. The single-motor Blazer is a cushy cruiser, wafting over most pavement without unsettling its occupants. The steering is light and commands low effort in the default driving mode. If you want more steering feel, you’re out of luck. Choosing Sport mode merely beefs up the effort required to turn the wheel without supplying any more actual feedback—at low speeds, it can be quite annoying to make a 90-degree turn. Indeed, the wheel rotates 3.4 turns lock to lock, so you find yourself cranking away at the tiller like a captain piloting a pirate ship through a stormy sea. That’s especially true when making tight maneuvers in a parking lot.
Fortunately, the Blazer EV handles well in daily driving. While the steering is light, it is also direct enough for a driver to easily hold the midsize SUV’s line on freeway ramps. As covered earlier, there’s more than enough torque to merge confidently onto a bustling interstate.
Unfortunately, the brakes don’t slow the SUV with the gusto we would like. Panic stopping from 60 mph takes 129 feet, and the Blazer EV’s body feels floaty as the nose dives forward. For the sake of comparison, the Volkswagen ID4 Pro S needed 119 feet to stop from 60. Using the one-pedal regenerative braking for more gradual stops can be jerky and abrupt, however, so it’s taken us some time to adapt to the way the Blazer EV is calibrated.
The most objectionable aspect we found in the Blazer EV RS RWD’s driving dynamics is something most drivers won’t experience, but it was revealed during our at-the-limit testing, nonetheless: We experienced understeer to a heinous degree while lapping our figure-eight test track. Even with traction control disabled, stability control intervenes to smite any whiff of sliding or wiggling. While this rear-wheel-drive model’s 26.6-second lap time beat our SUVOTY winner’s 27.4-second effort, the experience of attempting to drive it in any way that resembles “Rally Sport” is far from rewarding.
Matters of More Practical Concerns
While the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS RWD leans toward the sedate side, the electric SUV is multifaceted enough to provide some appeal in other aspects. Its handsome exterior design gives way to a spacious interior. Not only do front-row occupants sit with a comfortable distance between their shoulders, but second-row passengers can luxuriate with 38.9 inches of legroom. What’s more, rear-seat passengers have their own vents, USB-C ports, and seat heaters.
The front row is also well equipped with driver-seat memory settings, heated and ventilated seats, and a wireless charging pad situated just in front of the armrest. Trunk space measures 25.8 cubic feet with the back seats in place and 59.8 cubic feet with the second row folded down (slightly less without the pano roof). That’s just shy of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Volkswagen ID4. Subjectively, the cargo area feels generous, however, and there’s more storage under the floor. Unfortunately, Chevy doesn’t equip a frunk under the Blazer’s hood.
And while our test car’s black exterior skews sleek and stealthy, the Adrenaline Red interior has genuine shock value. The cabin’s futuristic ambiance is pushed further by the standard 17.7-inch touchscreen and 11.0-inch driver-display combo. Some might take issue with the absence of Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but the display’s built-in Google applications and installable third-party apps should cover most of your infotainment needs. Logging into your Google account allows you to access your saved pins in Google Maps, for example. Fear not if you don’t subscribe to YouTube Music; other streaming apps such as Spotify are also available through the Google Play Store. This may not be the best car for audiophiles, however. Our car’s eight-speaker Bose audio setup isn’t particularly dazzling, and we don’t even want to think about what the standard arrangement sounds like.
Rear-wheel-drive versions of the Blazer EV RS receive strong crash test ratings from NHTSA, with five stars given in every evaluated category. The standard suite of driver assistance tech encompasses the essentials and more, such as front automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear-seat occupant reminder, and automatic high-beams. A 360-degree camera system is also included. However, Chevy doesn’t offer Super Cruise on rear-drive models. While most of the safety tech has been helpful in our day-to-day driving, the blind-spot monitoring tends to be overactive and flag traffic moving in the opposite direction when you activate the turn signal, which can be startling as you attempt to make a left turn.
Driving range and charging speeds are, of course, the other aspects of EV ownership that prospective Blazer shoppers should know about. The Blazer EV RS RWD maxes out at 190 kW, which means it can make the most out of Electrify America’s 150-kW Level 3 chargers, but the rate is too slow to reach the ultra-fast speeds of stations with 350-kW connectors. The charging rate is quicker than that of the ID4 and Mustang Mach-E but falls short of the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
In our testing, we recovered 97 miles of range in 15 minutes and charged from 5 to 80 percent in 46 minutes. It’s worth noting the Blazer EV struggles to sustain its peak charging rate and drops off frequently after the first 15 minutes while using Level 3 stations. In our experience, it drew an average of 111 kW as it charged from 5 to 80 percent. Still, an EPA-certified range of 334 miles, backed up by our real-world range-testing result of 275 miles, ensures you’ll spend more time on the road and less time plugged in.
Still the King?
With pricing beginning at $55,695 and an as-tested price of $58,880, the 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS RWD is competitive with its rivals. The 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E begins at $39,090, the 2024 Kia GT-Line RWD started at $54,295 (2025s are delayed), and the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Limited RWD starts at $55,775. The 2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium RWD begins at $42,685, but the extended-range battery comes as a pricey $4,000 option.
For some, the Chevy Blazer EV RS RWD will be a right-sized choice with the added benefit of style, range, and onboard tech. Although it’s well equipped for daily driving, its handling and driver engagement are a mixed bag, opening the doors for shoppers to consider other choices. One thing’s for certain: This Blazer EV RS RWD improves on the standard set forth previously by our SUVOTY winner.
Billy Rehbock's passion for cars started with his dad's Volkswagen Jetta GLX, his mom's Cabriolet, and his own Hot Wheels collection. A USC graduate with a Master of Science in journalism, he's an associate editor for the MotorTrend Buyer's Guide and covers everything from sports cars to SUVs.
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