The Chevy Equinox EV Is a Best Seller with a Major Weakness

The Chevy Equinox EV is one of the most affordable electric SUVs on the market. It’s also one of the best-selling in the U.S. In the first half of 2025, about 27,000 units were sold, making it making it the top-selling non‑Tesla EV. In case you are curious, it was led by the Tesla Model Y at about 155k units sold and followed by the Ford Mustang Mach‑E about 21k units and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 at about 19k.

The Equinox EV hits a sweet spot for everyday drivers, offering over 315 miles of range in its front-wheel-drive version and a starting price around $34,995. It’s designed for real-world use, with generous space, easy-to-use tech, and one of the best value-to-range ratios in the market. Financing options like 0% APR and low lease rates make it especially appealing to budget-conscious buyers making the switch to electric. There’s a lot to like, but there’s one major wrinkle that Chevy needs to improve and that’s the Equinox’s charging capabilities. 

This has led to a lot of social media buzz about Chevy Equinox EV charging challenges. Here’s one of several long Reddit posts, this one by doddy99: 

“I've had my Equinox about 5 months. My GM Ultium home charger stopped working this week. No apparent reason … it appears to be the charger (red light blinking x 4). Not the outlet.

I live in the middle of LA, and I've gotta say it was a shiteshow. No fast chargers available, mostly out of order, or a few in use. And no slow chargers close to my home.

I went to a shopping center with 4 EVgo fast chargers. NONE of them worked. All 'under maintenance.' I ended up spending half my day finding a charger that worked to get a 20% charge. So I'll have to do this again tomorrow.

It seems to me that the public charging infrastructure has not worked out even in a major city that supports and subsidizes EVs. It seems more than half of chargers are out of order. I was alarmed how hard it was to get a decent charge in middle of city. And I'm concerned at home charging is perhaps fickle as well, and is now costing massive chunks of time.”

MajesticNet6755 responded with: 

“As soon as you bought your Equinox EV, you should have then bought a Tesla adapter, and then subscribed to Tesla’s supercharger app.

…There are no if, ands, or buts, about the fact that Tesla’s supercharger network just works. It takes range anxiety and dials it down to zero.”

londo64 agreed and added:

“This is the exact same thing I did. Tesla superchargers are better than majority of the public charging options that are available to us in Canada. 

…Tesla NACS adapter has been a god send honestly. I would recommend you buy it as well. It will definitely pay for itself and will help you out of a jam”

The Chevy Equinox EV seems to have an electrical design weakness that hampers its charge rate. Hopefully, GM will make improvements in upcoming model years. 

The popular YouTube channel “State of Charge” did an analysis of the Chevy Equinox EV’s charging with the goal of understanding how different chargers impact real-world charging times and efficiency.

Low Battery Voltage means High Current Needs

One key difference with the Equinox EV is its low battery pack voltage. While most EVs maintain over 300 volts even when empty, the Equinox drops to around 260 volts at lower states of charge. This means it must pull far more current to achieve its 150-kW peak charge rate, approaching 500 amps.

Most 150 kW DC fast chargers are limited to 350 amps, which caps the Equinox’s actual charge rate to around 100 kW or less. Only 350 kW stations, which can deliver 500 amps, allow the vehicle to approach its theoretical charging peak. However, only about 45% of highway corridor DC fast charger sites are 350 kW.

State of Charge found the following charge rates:

• 50 miles: 6.5 to 10 minutes depending on charger and session
• 100 miles: 13 to 20.5 minutes
• 150 miles: Roughly 25 to 28 minutes regardless of charger
• 200 miles: 39 to 43 minutes, showing only a 2-minute difference between charger types

Thermal throttling seems to flatten out what should be a larger advantage for 350 kW chargers.

Final Verdict: The Chevy Equinox EV is Not a Great Fast Charger

The Equinox EV offers respectable range, with over 300 miles verified in a 70 mph highway test. That long range helps reduce charging stops. However, when charging is needed, it tends to be slower than most of its direct rivals.

Compared to vehicles like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y, or Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Equinox EV lags behind in charging speed. While the hardware supports 150 kW peak charging, its thermal management and low battery voltage limit real-world performance.

Should You Still Buy One?

This does not mean the Chevy Equinox EV is a poor choice overall. Most EV owners charge at home, where the Equinox performs well with its 48-amp Level 2 capability. It is especially suitable for drivers who don’t rely heavily on public charging or who rarely take long-distance trips.

Those who depend on public charging, whether due to apartment living or frequent travel, should be aware that charging sessions with the Equinox EV could take 10 to 20 minutes longer than with competing models.

Please Drop Your Thoughts in the Comments Below

If you own a Chevy Equinox EV, how has your charging experience been so far?

Do you trust Tesla’s Supercharger network more than the general public charging infrastructure?

Chris Johnston is the author of SAE’s comprehensive book on electric vehicles, "The Arrival of The Electric Car." His coverage on Torque News focuses on electric vehicles. Chris has decades of product management experience in telematics, mobile computing, and wireless communications. Chris has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA. He lives in Seattle. When not working, Chris enjoys restoring classic wooden boats, open water swimming, cycling and flying (as a private pilot). You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn and follow his work on X at ChrisJohnstonEV.

Image sources: Chevy media kit, Tesla media kit