Chevrolet developed the first-generation Volt as an alternative to the “pure” electric vehicles available at the time. By being able to cover roughly 56km (35mi) on battery power alone and then run on regular petrol after that, the Volt gave owners the opportunity to drive an EV without the having to suffer from the ‘range anxiety’ that usually comes with it.
For 2016, the Volt got a new body structure and styling to go with it. It now looks less like an EV and more like a regular compact sedan than the previous generation, and now has a revised plug-in hybrid powertrain which offers 85km (53mi) of all-electric range – or 25% more than the older model. To help test this claim, Jason Fenske took a Volt on a real-world 53 mile road test, to see if it could complete the route without the petrol engine stepping in.