The all-new Equinox EV is the most recent addition to General Motors’ lineup of electric vehicles. It follows the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq, both of which we also tested. We found it to be a pleasant and easy-to-live-with SUV that holds its own against a cadre of similarly-sized and priced electric models. It’s quick and quiet, rides comfortably, has a robust driving range, and relatively speedy home charging.
You can add value to the Equinox EV’s selling points, too, as it’s one of the least expensive electric models you can buy. Further (literally), owners will benefit from a longer driving range than EVs such as the Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia Niro EV, Nissan Ariya, Subaru Solterra, and Toyota bZ4X.
That’s not to say the Equinox EV is without its own set of faults; we found some of the controls to be either unintuitive or inconvenient to use, and it’s extremely disappointing that neither Android Auto nor Apple CarPlay capability are available, unlike in its gas-powered Equinox counterpart.
One other point that’s worth mentioning is that the Equinox EV proved to be a better vehicle overall than the mechanically similar and just-slightly-larger (but also more expensive) Chevrolet Blazer EV.
“The Equinox EV isn’t without its quirks, but it’s a much more pleasant driving experience than the Blazer EV,” said one of our testers.
Another tester went further, stating, “This car makes the Blazer EV seem pretty irrelevant. It feels almost as large on the inside, yet its handling is a bit more nimble. You get about the same driving range, the same interior tech, and available Super Cruise.”
We bought a 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV 2LT with optional all-wheel drive for $50,740—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review. The Equinox EV is assembled in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.
Driving experience
With 288 horsepower from dual electric motors, the 2024 Equinox EV all-wheel drive we tested builds speed effortlessly. It feels zippier than the average gasoline-powered vehicle, especially at lower speeds, due to the way electric motors produce instantaneous torque. But, the six seconds it takes the Equinox EV to go from 0 to 60 mph trails some rival EVs by more than a second.
We found the “one-pedal driving” mode (in which you can brake the car just by taking your foot off the accelerator pedal) smooth to operate, making it easy to time stopping points without having to step on the brake pedal. If you prefer to not use one-pedal driving regularly, you can also utilize a paddle on the left side of the steering wheel that allows you to add strong regenerative braking on-demand just by pulling it toward you.
EPA-estimated driving range for the all-wheel-drive version (Chevy refers to it as “eAWD”) we tested is pegged at a robust 285 miles. Front-wheel-drive models, which produce less power, are estimated at 319 miles of driving range. Our tested all-wheel-drive model managed a competitive 304 miles in our 70-mph highway-range test, exceeding its EPA estimate by 19 miles.
An 11.5-kilowatt onboard charger allows relatively quick home charging of the 85-kilowatt-hour battery, adding about 33 miles of range per hour. Unfortunately, the Equinox EV’s mediocre 150-kW maximum acceptance at public DC fast chargers means it won’t charge as quickly on a road trip as some EVs.
Ride comfort is an Equinox EV strong suit. The suspension absorbs bumps effectively, helping the SUV cruise down the road in a more relaxed manner than the Blazer EV. It has quicker steering than the Blazer, but the suspension system also allows the body to lean over more through turns, which keeps the Equinox EV from feeling all that sporty. Still, it acquitted itself well when pushed to its limits through our avoidance-maneuver test and around the twisty road course at our track.
The Equinox EV also turned in a hearty braking performance with competitively short stopping distances, particularly on our dry surface. Our drivers also appreciated that the brake pedal felt fairly “normal” and easy to modulate out on the road, proving free of the grabby sensations that plague some EVs due to their regenerative-braking systems, beyond a bit of “touchiness” at low speeds.
Cabin comfort
Thanks to its whisper-quiet electric drive and low levels of road and wind noise, the cabin stays hushed. Similar to the Blazer EV, the front seats aren’t bad from a comfort standpoint, but the flat shape doesn’t hold you in place very well through turns. Front headroom is plentiful and the armrests are well-placed, though the center one suffers from extremely hard padding. We found the left footrest to be too close and upright for optimal comfort, causing some drivers to move the seat more rearward than they wanted so as to not feel cramped.
More than anything, though, it takes a while to get used to how deep the dashboard is—you feel like you’re sitting quite far away from the base of the windshield and the hood, which is an odd sensation. Outward visibility is compromised by the Equinox EV’s extremely thick windshield pillars and rather chopped windows most of the way around the vehicle.
The rear seat is fairly roomy, with enough knee- and headroom for average-sized adults. The seat padding is reasonably plush, but the bottom cushion is short in length and low in height, which together result in very little under-leg support. Unlike in many SUVs, the seatback can’t be reclined, and it’s at too upright of an angle.
Controls and usability
Like several other EVs, the Equinox has retractable exterior door handles that become flush when the car is locked, or it starts moving. We found them annoying to use. Not only is the handle awkward, since you grab just the end of it to open the door, but—unlike in most vehicles with this setup—a popped-out handle doesn’t necessarily mean the door is unlocked. In the Equinox EV’s case, if you walk up to the car with the key fob, the proximity sensing pops out all four door handles. But while the driver's door or passenger side front door unlock with a pull of their handle, the two rear doors remain locked unless the driver pulls their handle first.
Other everyday usability aspects are either inconvenient or require some initial familiarity. For example, the center infotainment touchscreen is crowded with apps, shortcuts, and buttons, which make it overwhelming to use. The left steering wheel stalk has a complicated secondary function for the windshield- and rear-window wipers, making it easy to accidentally activate them. The right stalk serves as the electronic gear selector, and its operation can take some getting used to. We also don’t like that the emergency flashers button is hidden high up on the overhead console. Not only is the button small, but its out-of-view location makes it difficult to find quickly in an emergency situation.
Glaringly, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are not available. Instead, the car has a Google-based infotainment system that requires owners to log into their Google account to access certain features.
Active safety and driver assistance
Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Some of the Equinox EV’s safety warnings are communicated via vibrations to the driver’s seat (called the “Safety Alert Seat”), a feature we’ve appreciated in numerous other General Motors products.
GM’s excellent Super Cruise active driving assistance system, which combines adaptive cruise control and lane centering assistance, is available on the Equinox EV, and was equipped on our test model. The system allows for hands-free driving on pre-mapped highways and some two-lane roads, and we think it’s a good stress-reliever—particularly in congested traffic. The system is also capable of changing lanes on its own to get around slower vehicles when driving on the highway.
We’re happy to see that both a rear occupant alert system and a belt minder come standard. The former is designed to remind the driver—based on rear-door logic—to check the rear seat at the end of a trip to help prevent children and pets from suffering heatstroke or hypothermia if unintentionally left behind in the vehicle. The rear belt minder alerts the driver if a rear passenger unbuckles their seat belt during the trip.