Value-Packed Electric Crossover: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV First Drive Review

Few manufacturers are making more of a commitment to go electric than General Motors, and the Chevrolet brand is the spearpoint of that campaign. It now has an assortment of crossovers and trucks running on battery power, with more coming. 

The latest in the lineup is the Chevrolet Equinox EV. It’s not just a standard Equinox with a battery drivetrain shoved under the hood. Chevy started out with an all-new, skateboard-like platform that provides a number of advantages, including class-above passenger and cargo space. 

With the coming of the 2025 model year, Chevy has a broad range of trim packages available for Equinox EV buyers. And, at a time when EVs generally cost thousands more than comparable gas models, that means you can find some versions coming in at under $30,000 — after factoring in current federal tax credits. Better yet, they still offer surprisingly good range and performance.

In short: As it continues rolling out more EVs, General Motors isn’t ignoring the low end of the market, and the new Chevrolet Equinox EV is one of the most affordable products out there. Better yet, it offers reasonable performance, surprisingly good range, and nice features. This is true even in its base package — which comes in under $30,000 after federal tax credits.

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV Review

First introduced in 2004, the Chevrolet Equinox is one of the most familiar — and popular — products in the bowtie brand’s lineup. Now, Chevy has rolled out an all-electric version of the compact crossover. And, it has a lot going for it, from its stylish exterior to its roomy interior.

It also comes in a variety of different trim packages with a choice of front or all-wheel drive. And, all versions deliver reasonable range of as much as 319 miles per charge.

One of the most appealing attributes: factor in federal tax credits, and you can plug yourself into the base 1LT FWD package with — as that trim ID suggests — front-wheel-drive for just over $27,000 before delivery fees.

Another plus: the Equinox EV’s battery pack can charge reasonably quickly. Plug into one of the newest public chargers, and you’ll add 70 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes.

Design

Chevrolet designers intentionally picked up on the look of the conventional gas model, albeit adopting a more sleek and aero-streamlined shape. The grille is completely sealed, for example, since there’s no engine under the hood needing cooling air. It’s highlighted by a light bar that runs corner to corner, just below the hood.

The silhouette reveals a large C-pillar where the gas model has a rear half-window. For those who want a more distinctive look, Equinox EV offers a two-tone paint option, white on the LT and black on the RS.

While some battery-electric vehicles, such as the Genesis Electrified GV70, replace the traditional gas engine with an all-electric powertrain, Chevy went with an all-new platform for the Equinox EV. That optimizes the design — with wheels pushed out to the corners, for one thing, and eliminating the traditional transmission tunnel.

That translates into class-above passenger space and reasonable cargo space, with a flat load floor for someone stuck in the middle of the second row. The cabin itself has a neat, modern, and decidedly high-tech look and feel.

You’ll find a digital gauge cluster and, depending on the trim and options, up to a 17.7-inch edge-to-edge infotainment display. Other features include onboard navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, also dependent upon trim.

2025 Equinox EV Drivetrain

If you’ve checked out the larger Chevrolet Blazer EV, you may have been dazzled — and perhaps baffled — by all the different drivetrain options. These include front, all-wheel, and even rear-wheel-drive. With Equinox, Chevrolet has made things a bit easier to digest with just FWD or AWD packages. 

With single-motor front-drive models, you’ll get up to 319 miles range. The twin-motor AWD Equinox EV packages do sacrifice some range but still manage a reasonable 285 miles per charge. That’s better than a number of competing battery-electric vehicles.

In base trim, that single motor turns out a decent, if not exhilarating, 213 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. That’s still a big improvement over the gas-powered Equinox, which makes 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet from its turbocharged 1.5L engine.

The EV’s upgraded eAWD system bumps that to a much more compelling 290 horsepower and 333 pound-feet of torque. The twin-motor Equinox EV can launch from 0 to 60 in just under 6 seconds.

If performance is your game, you might consider the bigger Chevy EV. The SS package gives meaning to the name Blazer. At 557 horsepower, it will hit 60 in under 4 seconds, the factory claims.

Driving Impressions

Some battery-electric vehicles can be difficult to adjust to for first-time buyers. Not so the Equinox EV, which has the basic look and feel of the more familiar gas model down right.

True, it can take a few minutes to figure out all the various controls. Do you want to switch on brake regeneration, for example, and, if so, at what level? Once you get those settings right, Equinox EV drives much like its gas-powered sibling.

Acceleration is smooth and consistent, a bit more linear than the gas model. And it’s a lot quieter, too. Steering is reasonably similar to the conventional Equinox, as well, with a moderate amount of road feel.

And, because the heaviest part of the crossover, the battery pack, is mounted below the load floor, you wind up with a center of gravity lower than the gas model. That translates into surprisingly good handling around sharp corners, as I discovered during a long day of driving through the Minnesota countryside.

For me, one of the appealing features is the ability to adjust brake regen, as I previously noted. In technical terms, that impacts the amount of kinetic energy recaptured during braking and coasting and then returned to the battery pack to extend range. Turn regen to either mode and you get what other automakers call a One-Pedal driving function.

When enabled, you can effectively use the throttle alone to both accelerate and decelerate — much like downshifting a manual transmission several gears, except you can come to a complete stop in One-Pedal Mode.

I found I rarely used the brake pedal as I traveled a long and circuitous route, which included urban, suburban, and freeway legs. The “High” setting was especially useful in stop-and-go traffic, though I preferred the normal setting in other situations.

Super Cruise

One of the biggest drawbacks of the Chevrolet Equinox EV is the lack of both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Parent General Motors has imperiously ruled that buyers should prefer its own connectivity technology. And it does a reasonably good job of integrating with your phone while providing many app functions, such as streaming audio, through the system built into the electric SUV. You’ll have to decide if the trade-off is worth it.

One big plus: depending upon trim, Equinox EV offers GM’s impressive Super Cruise technology. I personally consider this the best hands-free system out there, and it’s routinely ranked above Tesla’s Autopilot by authorities such as Consumer Reports.

You’ll have to keep your eyes on the road and remain at the ready to take control, if needed, but that seems to happen less and less with each update. GM recently announced it is doubling the range on which Super Cruise can operate, to around 700,000 miles of U.S. and Canadian roadways. That will include not only freeways and divided highways, but also numerous undivided two-lane roads, such as portions of California’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway.

2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV: The Last Word

EV sales mushroomed between 2019 and 2023 and even though the growth rate slowed last year, there were still about 1.2 million Americans who went electric. A new study by J.D. Power forecasts similar demand in 2025. If you’re among those willing to plug in, the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV provides good reason.

I’m not sure I would go as far as Chevy brand chief Scott Bell by calling it “a game-changer,” but it is one of the best options now available in the compact crossover class. It boasts an attractive design, a roomy interior, solid performance, useful range, and good features and technology — despite the weird strategy concerning Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Then there’s the price tag. With the typical EV currently costing around $55,000, you can get into the base version of the Chevy for barely half that now that the full range of trim packages are available.

On the whole, the 2025 Chevy Equinox EV is a product that should catch your eye if you’re in the market for a compact electric vehicle.