Leasing a 2017 Volt

LT trim with bose, comfort package (heated steering wheel and seats), siren red tintcoat, ash interior. $352/mo with tax, $0 down, 15,000 miles per year, 36 months. I live in Michigan so there are absolutely no deals on Volts here, so I certainly overpaid relative to California. We get half the CCR that CARB states get, and dealers are unwilling to negotiate much. I did have the full GM employee discount though, which helped a bit.

Things I like about the Volt:
Incredible infotainment and overall engineering.
Ride feels like you're driving a more substantial, more upscale car.
Very peppy car. Definitely more power than the LEAF.
The steering wheel just feels good. Meaty. I like.
Regen. Like seriously, my old LEAF had none compared to this thing. And that regen paddle. O.M.G.
I really like the ash interior over the black-only option on LEAF SL.


Things I don't like:
Huge rear blindspots. Couldn't imagine driving this car without the rear camera.
Impractical rear seating.
When the genset kicks in, eww. Vibrations and burning smells- it overall kills the experience.


Things that are meh:
Bose. Better than stock, but I think aftermarket might have provided a superior value. Might need to tweak the settings a little.
Styling. I like the rear style and the side profile. Don't like the front. At least it doesn't look like a cute catfish like the LEAF (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Price. I could have got a Chevy Bonus Tag Volt for $1500 off which would have brought the lease down to under $300/mo with tax, but I really liked that red color.

You get the adaptive cruise control?

We miss the Volt, if they had offered that technology in a small crossover it would have been irresistible.

Let's hope it holds up well. Unfortunately, Gen 2 Volt received a very poor reliability rating score in Consumer Reports. It is a shame given how many really nice improvements it has over Gen 1.

Please keep us in the loop.

this is the price with a GM employee discount? wow...

Just a quick update now that I've had it for over a month- I'm not in love with the Volt. Don't get me wrong, it's a good car and it's fun to drive, but when I got the LEAF, I immediately fell in love with it and I loved the car through to the end. This Volt feels more like a normal car. It's not as special. I can't put my finger on it.

I'm also starting to notice (in addition to interior rattles) some disconcerting noises coming from the drivetrain. Heavy regen makes some weird noises, and now that it's cold, heavy acceleration also makes some faint non-linear moaning noises. My old LEAF made some similar strange noises in extreme cold (below 0F), so maybe I'll just see if it improves come spring. I don't want to imply the car is a piece of crap- I'm just really picky about noises coming from a silent car.

LTLFTcomposite said:

You get the adaptive cruise control?

Click to expand...

Nope, didn't really need it. To get it I would have to bump up to the Premium trim. I'm not on the highway enough or experience enough traffic for this to have any value for me.

LTLFTcomposite said:

We miss the Volt, if they had offered that technology in a small crossover it would have been irresistible.

Click to expand...

I agree. The size of the Volt is its biggest weakness. I would love to see the technology in either a small crossover or a larger LEAF-like hatchback.

DaveinOlyWA said:

this is the price with a GM employee discount? wow...

Click to expand...

I live in Michigan, so I don't get the CARB CCR and I don't get any state incentives (in fact, Michigan penalizes EV/PHEV drivers with higher registration costs). GMS only saves me about $2400 on the Volt. Non-CARB lessees are totally screwed with the way GM is marketing the Volt here. But with my current tax situation, if I purchased instead of leased, I would only be able to qualify for roughly the amount that I got in CCR for the tax credit, so the lease vs buy comparison was a wash for me. Looking back, I should have bought it or went with a 24 month lease.

kubel said:

Just a quick update now that I've had it for over a month- I'm not in love with the Volt. Don't get me wrong, it's a good car and it's fun to drive, but when I got the LEAF, I immediately fell in love with it and I loved the car through to the end. This Volt feels more like a normal car. It's not as special. I can't put my finger on it.

Click to expand...

well, it is a regular car, granted a car with a "gimmick" but the days of Hybrids being different and cool died the day Tesla and the LEAF showed up. The range challenges, no gas EVER, etc. was all part of the love.

like any love, its accepting the highs and the lows because you know deep down nothing is perfect. The Volt with its gas backup simply takes out the challenges... its really not any fun.

DaveinOlyWA said:

kubel said:

Just a quick update now that I've had it for over a month- I'm not in love with the Volt. Don't get me wrong, it's a good car and it's fun to drive, but when I got the LEAF, I immediately fell in love with it and I loved the car through to the end. This Volt feels more like a normal car. It's not as special. I can't put my finger on it.

Click to expand...

well, it is a regular car, granted a car with a "gimmick" but the days of Hybrids being different and cool died the day Tesla and the LEAF showed up. The range challenges, no gas EVER, etc. was all part of the love.

like any love, its accepting the highs and the lows because you know deep down nothing is perfect. The Volt with its gas backup simply takes out the challenges... its really not any fun.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it is a regular car with a gimmick, it's more like my 3 year old leaf, but when it reaches the same electric range as my Leaf, it turns on the generator to keep going, if you need to.

Firetruck41 said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

kubel said:

Just a quick update now that I've had it for over a month- I'm not in love with the Volt. Don't get me wrong, it's a good car and it's fun to drive, but when I got the LEAF, I immediately fell in love with it and I loved the car through to the end. This Volt feels more like a normal car. It's not as special. I can't put my finger on it.

Click to expand...

well, it is a regular car, granted a car with a "gimmick" but the days of Hybrids being different and cool died the day Tesla and the LEAF showed up. The range challenges, no gas EVER, etc. was all part of the love.

like any love, its accepting the highs and the lows because you know deep down nothing is perfect. The Volt with its gas backup simply takes out the challenges... its really not any fun.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it is a regular car with a gimmick, it's more like my 3 year old leaf, but when it reaches the same electric range as my Leaf, it turns on the generator to keep going, if you need to.

Click to expand...

I know a guy with a Volt hitting like 50,000 miles by now who treats it like an EV. He never burns gas unless forced to. But he lucky. has 18 mile one way commute which charging 2 blocks away...

oh forgot to mention; he loves his Volt but hates GM for forcing him to buy the car. He really regrets not getting a LEAF...