Chevy’s 2026 Equinox EV Trades Big Thrills For Small Bills

Out of the Big Three (Ford, Stellantis, and General Motors), it seems that only GM is still putting effort into carrying the electric vehicles torch. Ford is in the process of converting its Lightning truck to a range-extended hybrid, leaving only the Mach-E for the Big Blue Oval, and Stellantis is struggling to stay afloat after sunsetting its plug-in hybrids and offering a small handful of EVs like the Dodge Charger Daytona and Fiat 500e.

Meanwhile, Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC are churning out EVs. One such model, and a hotly anticipated one at that, is the Chevy Equinox EV, the battery powered counterpart of the perennially popular crossover. 

As my least stereotypical “car guy” opinion, I like crossover SUVs, and after a stint selling Chevys at a dealership I have a slight fondness for the Equinox and its attempt at generally no nonsense transportation. The idea of the 2026 Equinox EV is taking that no nonsense approach even further by removing the internal combustion from the equation entirely, and providing a passage into the world of battery-electric at a price that’s easier to stomach. Let’s see if it delivers on that idea.

Mechanically, the Equinox EV shares the important architecture parts with the Cadillac Optiq, and while as of now there is no Buick or GMC equivalent, I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed. While we are still waiting for the return of the Bolt, the Equinox EV is the smallest EV that GM produces. Funnily enough Chevy doesn’t list the battery capacity of the Equinox EV anywhere on its site, but confirmed that it has an 85 kilowatt-hour capacity when SlashGear first drove it in 2024.

The Equinox I drove was a front-wheel drive model with a single 220 horsepower motor, compared to the dual motor all-wheel drive 300 horsepower model. The need for less electrical juice means more range, up to 319 miles if you play your cards right and drive towards the cautious side. For comparison, the all-wheel drive model gets an estimated 307 miles on a charge.

Driving-wise, it’s perfectly acceptable transportation and not much more than that. The acceleration isn’t pokey or puttering (or whatever the EV equivalent is), but it isn’t all that exciting. I didn’t expect to be wowed by a relatively heavy EV with 220 horsepower, though. It’s not athletic, to put it in a more diplomatic way. I surmise that the all-wheel drive version would be a little livelier, given the extra juice. This single-motor model feels a little slow, given what we’ve come to expect from an EV.

The inside, unsurprisingly, is very Equinox-like, right down to the 1960s Chevy Impala taillight-shaped HVAC vents. In fact, there are very few differences between the interior of the gas-powered Equinox and the Equinox EV. I’ve driven Equinoxes of several model years, and this is much of the same. It’s functional and approaching “Nice,” but it’s not a luxury car by any means. Plus, it doesn’t have Apple CarPlay, which was a bit of an annoyance. 

The general lack of buttons in newer GM vehicles takes getting used to. The interior was a nice respite from the last gasps of winter cold, but it didn’t stand out all that much apart from being somewhere moderately comfortable to sit in while going from place to place.

One of the biggest selling points of the Equinox EV (and, if we’re being real, the gas powered Equinox too) is the price. It’s billed as one of the least expensive EVs on the market, and with a base MSRP of $34,995, only rivals like the Nissan Leaf and the revived Chevy Bolt beat it out with prices just under $30,000. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is exactly $5 more expensive than the Equinox. This particular Equinox EV, however, with its decent amount of bells, whistles, bits, and baubles sits a bit higher in the price bracket.

The 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV LT 2, as opposed to the LT 1 trim, gives you leather-like “EvoTex” seats, a big sunroof, roof rails, and the ability to get GM’s Level 2 semi-autonomous “Super Cruise” technology. It has a base price of $41,900. This particular example was fitted with the “Active Safety Package 3” which includes the aforementioned Super Cruise; it’s a $3,355 option. 

The $3,100 “Convenience Package II” gives you fancier 21-inch wheels, ventilated front seats, a heads-up display, dual-zone climate control, and LED headlights. Add in the destination charge of $1,395 and you get to to $49,750 for the second-least-expensive GM EV. Interestingly, the distinctive color–a purple-y “Galaxy Gray Metallic”–is a no-cost option, which is nice.

Nearly $50,000–and without all-wheel drive–might be a tougher sell. For comparison, the base price (before any extras) of an all-wheel drive equipped Equinox LT 2 is $45,095. The extra bit of power and handling surety that AWD gives you might just be worth it. Competition is a little slim for the Equinox EV. With it being an SUV, it’s rivals are primarily Ford’s Mustang Mach-E and the Tesla Model Y.

Getting into the numbers, all three options get you roughly around 300 miles of driving for within the $50,000 range when you mess around with options, and all are available with all-wheel drive. Plus, all three are now capable of charging at Tesla Supercharger stations. Tesla gives you the least options and is priced at $39,990 before destination charge. It has a range of 321 miles, but the all wheel drive version–priced at $41,990–has only 294 miles of range.

Without getting into the weeds on Ford’s somewhat confusing pricing structure on the Mach-E, to get an equivalent to the Equinox EV that I tested, when it comes to interior options, you’d be spending over $46,000, as the extended battery option puts the range up to 320 miles. Without it, the range is a paltry 260 miles.

The 2026 Chevy Equinox EV LT 2 that I drove did not wow me, but it didn’t disappoint me, either. It is not in any way an interesting or particularly exciting vehicle to drive. But here’s a huge caveat: Chevy didn’t design it to be one. The regular Equinox isn’t either. It’s basic transportation that is, in this particular case, entirely electric: a somewhat more futuristic extension of what the gas-powered Equinox sets out to do. 

On those terms, I would consider the Equinox EV a success. Would I buy one? Probably not, but I’m also not the demographic of who would typically buy a regular Equinox either. I would lean towards the smaller and generally more exciting (and less expensive) Nissan Leaf. It’s a more compelling vehicle and wholly different from the rest of Nissan’s lineup.

If you are already one of the millions of people who have bought an Equinox, though, and you want something that’s more of the same (in a good, familiar way), then you should consider an Equinox EV. If you just want an electric SUV for a good price, the Equinox might also be the best option, although with the demise of the federal tax credit for EVs, it could pay to shop around and see what kind of manufacturer deals you can score.