Good Reasons for This Compact Electric SUV To Be In Your Garage
The 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV is a 300+ mile all-electric range compact SUV that easily can handle the majority of all a family’s errands and commuting needs.
This is exactly the type electric vehicle auto manufacturers should be concentrating on. There is nothing gimmicky about the Equinox EV, which is a good thing. It provides efficient and economical transportation with most of the features drivers want. The fact it emits no emission from its electric drive rather than gasoline engine’s petroleum combustion is a positive, and should not stop anyone from considering the Equinox EV if this type and size vehicle fits their lifestyle.
The bottom line: If you are shopping to replace your current gasoline-powered SUV there is no reason for not visiting your Chevrolet dealer to seriously consider the Equinox EV. The time is now to drop preconceived negative thoughts, misconceptions and opinions about electric cars.
To get started, here are the key elements of the 2026 Equinox EV.
Front-wheel drive with electric all-wheel drive (eAWD) options
Developed from the ground-up as a fully electric SUV using the Ultium Platform
Regenerative braking with one-pedal driving
Three trims: LT 1; LT 2; RS
Power and Driving Range
Front-Wheel Drive
Single electric motor
220 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque
319 All Electric Range (AER)
All-Wheel Drive (eAWD)
Dual electric motors
300 horsepower and 355 pound-feet of torque
307 mile AER
Charging
Level 1/120V @ 11.5 kW: 1-4 miles in an hour
Level 2/240V @ 11.5 kW: up to 36 miles of range per hour of charging. 0%-100% in 24 hours like we did with the ChargePoint Home Flex charger.
DC Fast Charging @ 150kW: up to 70 miles of range added in 10 minutes
250,000 public charging points in the USA and Canada
Tesla Super Charger network (NACS) access with the provided CCS to NACS adapter
Feature Highlights: RS Trim
Seating for five adults
Power front seats: 8-way for the driver and 6-way for the passenger
Heated and ventilated front; heated rear outboard seats
Dual zone automatic climate control
Super Cruise
Panoramic sunroof
21-inch aluminum wheels
1,500-pound tow rating with tow package
Power, remote and hands-free lift gate
Behind the Wheel: Equinox EV RS FWD
Clean Fleet Report drove 205 miles through Southern California on a variety of road surfaces, averaging a very respectable 3.5 miles per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The drive route we chose was to demonstrate how the expected buyer will use the Equinox EV. It will be the go-to vehicle as an everyday egg-and-butter-getter, transportation for the kids to their music lessons and sports games and for commuting. Its 300+ miles of all-electric driving range, ample cargo space and fast charging (250 miles in about 30 minutes) make it viable for longer road trips.
Our intent was to re-create a typical city/urban drive experience to convey there is no mystique to owing an electric vehicle. The Equinox EV does everything a gasoline-powered car can do, but smoother, quieter and more economically.
Performance was strong with 0-60 mph in about 7 seconds which is plenty quick for freeway merging. Acceleration in an EV is smooth, linear and seamless as there are no internal combustion (gasoline) engine parts like pistons, rods and valves to create a vibration and with no transmission to shift up or down. All you get is quiet when accelerating and decelerating.
One-pedal driving with regenerative braking did exactly what it was designed to do. When mastered (a very short learning curve) one-pedal driving lets the electric motors do the slowing and stopping, all the while returning energy to the battery that in-turn can increase driving range. One of the best parts of driving an EV is slowing to a stop without pressing on the brake pedal.
There are four driver-selectable drive modes—Normal (default), Sport, Snow/Ice and My Mode. Normal will get the best range, and Sport is for enhanced responsiveness with Snow/Ice self-explanatory. My Mode gives the driver ride customizations including steering, braking, acceleration feel and motor sound. Yes, Chevrolet has programmed-in simulated engine sounds that can be set in the infotainment screen. Some people just can’t get used to driving a car with no engine noise, so they prefer to enhance their experience.
The available SuperCruise, demonstrated here, offers hands-free driving, including the ability to automatically change lanes.
Front- or All-Wheel Drive
Speaking with a Chevrolet engineer about the choice between front- or all-wheel drive, it was suggested those with wet, slick and snowy road conditions may opt for all-wheel drive, while front-wheel drive in drier parts of the country would suffice. Another consideration is the front-wheel drive Equinox EV has the longer range (319 miles) over the all-wheel drive version (307 miles) by estimated 12 miles. This i difference is important and can be a psychological factor for some buyers going all electric, depending on your daily driver cycle and charging set-up.
Exterior
It may carry an Equinox badge, but there is little to connect the Equinox EV with its gasoline-powered sibling. The wheelbase, length, and width are all more on the EV, while the height is nearly the same. Two additional difference are the ride height—lower on the EV—and the curb weight, 4,200 pounds versus 3,475 for gasoline-powered Equinox due to the battery.
The Equinox EV has flush door handles and walk-up approach lighting, a rounded, smooth nose with an LED light strip running from fender to fender. The laid-back windshield continues to the roof with rails, ending in a spoiler on the power operated hands-free lift gate. The 19-inch or 21-inch aluminum wheels both look good, filing the wheelwells nicely.
Welcome
Interior
Sliding into the drivers seat may at first cause a perplexed look as there is no Start button. Just press the brake pedal and the 11-inch driver information and the 17-inch infotainment screens come to life with bright colors and cool graphics. There is a lot of screen before you, including a head-up display, but everything is easy to understand and navigate.
The six-speaker audio system has FM with SiriusXM and Google Built-in, but no Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or AM radio. There is wireless phone charging, Wi-Fi hot spot, USB-C ports and power outlets.
Seating is for five adults, with the flat rear floor giving 38 inches of leg room. Seats are covered in Evotex, a synthetic material designed to look and feel like leather but with more durability and stain resistance. The heated and ventilated front seats, with “RS” embossed into the headrests, are 8-way power adjustable for the driver (with memory) and 6-way for the passenger, both with lumbar. The outbound rear seats are heated on the LT 2 and RS trims.
Cargo space behind the upright rear seats, that fold 60:40, is 28.8 cubic feet, but grows to 63.5 cubic feet when seats are laid flat. There is additional under-floor storage, but no front trunk/frunk.
Safety
The Equinox EV comes standard with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) branded as Chevrolet Safety Assist. The ADAS package includes automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist and departure warning, rear park assist, reverse automatic braking, rear cross traffic braking, blind zone steering assist and forward collision alert. Additional safety technology includes adaptive cruise control and HD Surround Vision camera and a rear camera.
Pricing and Availability
The 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV comes in three trims with either front or all-wheel drive. These base prices include the $1,395 destination charge. We drove the RS trim that, with a base price of $44,500, $6.845 in options and the destination fee, the final price was $51,345.
LT 1 FWD $36,795 AWD $40,095LT 2 FWD $43,595 AWD $46,895RS FWD $45,895 AWD $49,195
Observations: 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV
Chevrolet has three all-electric SUVs—smallest-to-largest, Bolt, Equinox and Blazer. All three will easily fit into your daily routine—except that routine will no longer include stops at a gas station. There are pretty good reasons, enumerated above, why this should be one of the competitively priced EVs on your SUV shopping list.
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Story and photos/videos by John Faulkner.
The post Road Test: 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV first appeared on Clean Fleet Report.
