Top Safety PickTop Safety Pick criteria

2020 Chevrolet Bolt

small car / 4-door hatchback

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention

Fully electric
2020 Chevrolet Bolt 4-door hatchback
2019 Chevrolet Bolt shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Headlights
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system
Superior

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Optional lane departure warning
  • Optional lane departure prevention

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2017-21 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier 4-door hatchback

The Chevrolet Bolt was introduced in the 2017 model year. The car is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1713
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 12
Footrest (cm) 7
Left toepan (cm) 4
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 1
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 3
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 7
Upper dash (cm) 8
Lower instrument panel (cm) 7

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1713
Head
HIC-15 92
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 15
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Femur (kN)
Left 0.1
Right 0.0
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 1
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.64
Right 0.39
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 1.1
Right 0.4
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 59
Right 48

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2017-21 models

Tested vehicle: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV LT Fast Charging 4-door hatchback

The Chevrolet Bolt was introduced in the 2017 model year. The car is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s head contacted the right side of the frontal airbag but began to move into the gap between the frontal and side curtain airbags, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. The inflated side curtain airbag has sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects.
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the passenger-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame and dashboard after the crash test indicates that the passenger’s survival space was maintained reasonably well.

The dummy's head contacted the frontal airbag so far to the right that it moved into the gap in coverage between the frontal and side curtain airbags.

The passenger’s space was maintained reasonably well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side

Test ID CEP1904
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 16
Footrest (cm) 9
Right toepan (cm) 5
Center toepan (cm) 3
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 2
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 7
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 8
Upper dash (cm) 10
Right lower dash (cm) 9

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CEP1904
Head
HIC-15 91
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 11
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 16
Femur (kN)
Left 0.0
Right 0.8
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 3
Right 3
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.45
Right 0.37
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.5
Right 1.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 43
Right 26

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEP1904
Head
HIC-15 40
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.5
Extension bending moment (Nm) 11
Maximum Nij 0.16
Chest maximum compression (mm) 28
Femur (kN)
Left 0.2
Right 0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.25
Right 0.26
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.6
Right 0.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 27
Right 39

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2017-21 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV LT 4-door hatchback

The Chevrolet Bolt was introduced in the 2017 model year. The car is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the moderate overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during forward movement and rebound.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF1703
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 4
Left (cm) 7
Center (cm) 6
Right (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 9
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) -1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -4
Rearward (cm) -4
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF1703
Head
HIC-15 245
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.7
Extension bending moment (Nm) 13
Maximum Nij 0.18
Chest maximum compression (mm) 24
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.3
Femur force - right (kN) 0.4
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.19
Maximum tibia index - right 0.23
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.2
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 0.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 46
Right 101

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2017-21 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV LT 4-door hatchback

The Chevrolet Bolt was introduced in the 2017 model year. The car is a plug-in battery-electric vehicle with no gasoline or diesel engine to help power the car.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain airbag.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES1705
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -19.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES1705
Head HIC-15 178
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 44
Lateral force (kN) 1.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 43
Average deflection (mm) 39
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.40
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.89
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.5
Acetabulum force (kN) 0.5
Combined force (kN) 1.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 82
A-P moment (Nm) -21

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES1705
Head HIC-15 217
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 17
Lateral force (kN) 0.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 25
Average deflection (mm) 24
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 1.64
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.21
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.3
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.7
Combined force (kN) 1.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 71
A-P moment (Nm) -34

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2017-23 models

Tested vehicle: 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV LT 4-door hatchback

Overall evaluation
Curb weight3,493 lbs
Peak force20,042 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio5.74

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 40
Distance below top of head (mm) -14
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 18.2
Head contact time (ms) 67
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 118
Max neck tension (N) 424

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

  • Premier trim equipped with Driver Confidence II package
Low-beam headlight typeHID projector
High-beam headlight typeHID projector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination High-beam assist credit

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves, fair on the sharp left curve and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual right curve and fair on the sharp right and both left curves.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and on both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • Premier trim equipped with Driver Confidence II package
Low-beam headlight type HID projector
High-beam headlight type HID projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? Yes
Overall rating
Applies to 2018-21 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 97.1 m None
Straightaway left edge 53.7 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 71.5 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 48.0 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 62.1 m None
150m radius left curve, right edge 47.5 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 124.5 m
Straightaway left edge 105.6 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 75.4 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 72.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 62.0 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 60.6 m

Trim level(s)

  • All trims
Low-beam headlight typeHID projector
High-beam headlight typeHID projector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves, fair on the sharp left curve and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual right curve and fair on the sharp right and both left curves.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • All trims
Low-beam headlight type HID projector
High-beam headlight type HID projector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2018-21 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 97.1 m None
Straightaway left edge 53.7 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 71.5 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 48.0 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 62.1 m None
150m radius left curve, right edge 47.5 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 124.5 m
Straightaway left edge 105.6 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 75.4 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 72.5 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 62.0 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 60.6 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Optional Automatic Emergency Braking
  • Optional Forward Collision Alert

Package name

  • Optional Driver Confidence II Package

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2020-21 models

Superior
Superior
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2017-23 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimEV LT
Seat type cloth

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimEV LT
Seat type cloth
1 2 3
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 4-6
Force (lbs) could not measure
Clearance angle (degrees) 80
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 4-6
Force (lbs) 7
Clearance angle (degrees) 78
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 4-6
Force (lbs) 6
Clearance angle (degrees) 81
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 4-6
Force (lbs) could not measure
Clearance angle (degrees) 84
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Rating applies to 2017-23 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimEV Premier
Seat type leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimEV Premier
Seat type leather
1 2 3
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 4-6
Force (lbs) could not measure
Clearance angle (degrees) 75
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 4-6
Force (lbs) 13
Clearance angle (degrees) 76
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 4-6
Force (lbs) 12
Clearance angle (degrees) 88
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) could not measure
Clearance angle (degrees) 85
Tether anchor
Location Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation