MotorTrend announced today the Chevrolet Blazer EV as the winner of its Golden Calipers for SUV of the Year. The SUV of the Year winner stood out from the competition thanks in part to its head-turning looks, generous cabin space, expansive infotainment touchscreen, artful and intuitive user experience, and unprecedented powertrain choices.
The Blazer EV fulfills the promise established by another all-electric Chevy, the Bolt EV, MotorTrend’s 2017 Car of the Year. With Chevrolet’s second-generation, fully realized EV built from the ground up, General Motors is the first legacy automaker to truly incorporate cutting-edge EV principles, embracing innovative concepts employed by leading EV startups.
“Chevrolet has truly nailed the design and functionality with the Blazer EV, which looks and operates just as an industry-leading all-electric SUV should,” said MotorTrend Group head of editorial Ed Loh.
“The Chevy Blazer EV offers an effortless driving experience, seamlessly integrates into your lifestyle, and boasts user-friendliness that’s difficult to match. In such a competitive market, the Blazer EV is a sensibly packaged crossover that will be a great option for a wide range of EV consumers. For these reasons and more, the Chevy Blazer EV is our 2024 winner of the Golden Calipers.”
The Chevrolet Blazer EV was judged the winner from an incredibly diverse field of 40 all-new or significantly updated SUV models and variants by excelling against the MotorTrend Of The Year awards’ six key criteria: safety, efficiency, value, advancement in design, engineering excellence, and performance of intended function.
MotorTrend judges agreed the Blazer EV has real presence, with bold, chiseled body lines and a sleek, modern design. However, good design isn’t only about aesthetics; it encompasses sensible, useful functionality. For example, the Blazer EV is ready to drive as soon as you sit behind the wheel. A seat-pressure sensor knows you’re there, eliminating the need for a start button. In the cabin, there’s abundant space enabled by the long wheelbase, with a huge rear seat and a large cargo area; it feels big inside without being enormous outside. MotorTrend’s editor Miguel Cortina stated, “Anyone riding in here will be wowed by the cabin layout, its many amenities, and large screens.” Every Blazer EV has an 11.0-inch digital gauge display beside a massive 17.7-inch infotainment touchscreen.
The Blazer EV also offers a compelling driving experience, hugging curves due to its low center of gravity. MotorTrend’s dual-motor RS test vehicle boasts an EPA-rated driving range of 279 miles. Depending on the trim, the Blazer EV has DC public fast-charging capability of up to 190 kW, which Chevrolet says will add 78 miles of range in 10 minutes.
The Blazer EV showcases General Motors’ Ultium EV platform flexibility with unprecedented powertrain diversity. Small, medium, and large battery options will be available, but—like no EV before—also front-, rear-, and all-wheel-drive motor configurations. The Blazer EV once again establishes Chevrolet as a serious force in the electric vehicle space. Its excellence can’t be pinned solely on novel powertrain solutions or slick design details. It’s how these factors combine with overall product excellence that truly makes the Chevrolet Blazer EV our 2024 SUV of the Year.
For more in-depth analysis on why the Chevrolet Blazer EV was named 2024 SUV of the Year, please visit MotorTrend’s SUV of the Year award story.
Becoming the MotorTrend Car, Truck, SUV or Performance Vehicle of the Year is a crowning achievement in the automotive world, a testament to the unparalleled prestige and long-standing tradition of these awards. MotorTrend stands alone in its commitment to exhaustively evaluate and track-test vehicles for these coveted honors, a practice that has been upheld with dedication since its inception in 1949 for the Car of the Year award. The Truck of the Year award was added in 1978, SUV of the Year in 1999, and Performance Vehicle of the Year in 2022, in recognition of an ever-evolving market. MotorTrend’s iconic Golden Calipers trophy symbolizes excellence and serves as a powerful marketing tool, a testament to the awards’ impact on the automotive industry and consumers alike.
