EVs to be taxed 3p per mile in the UK starting April 2028.
PHEV owners to pay 1.5p per mile to offset lost fuel taxes.
Grants extended to 2030, with the £50k luxury threshold raised.
The UK government has just detonated a policy bomb under Britain’s electric-car market. Hidden inside the Chancellor’s Budget announcement is confirmation that both EVs and hybrids will face a new per-mile road charge, marking the first time electric motoring will stop being a tax-free ride.
After years of looking for a replacement for fuel duty as petrol and diesel sales decline, the Treasury has finally shown its hand.
Britain is officially preparing to tax EVs for every mile they travel, shifting them into the same revenue-raising category as combustion cars even as it still claims to support the transition to cleaner transport.
How Will It Work?
Drivers of fully-electric cars will pay 3 p ($0.40) per mile and plug-in drivers are to be stung with a 1.5 p ($0.20) charge.
A driver covering up to 8,500 miles (13,700 km) will end up with a bill of around £255 ($336), the BBC reports, which is still roughly half of what a combustion-car driver would pay in fuel duty to drive the same distance.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the plan would bring in £1.1 billion ($1.45 billion) in its first year, a figure which could virtually double two years later, depending on how EV sales go. The trouble is, their take-up is expected to be hit by the introduction of this very scheme.
When and How?
The Budget didn’t include all the fine print. Important details such as how the number of miles driven will be accurately logged, comes later. But mileage-based charging is definitely coming, scheduled to kick in from April 2028.
Some US states, including Oregon, already have mileage-based charging schemes, as does New Zealand.
To soften the blow and keep drivers interested in EVs, the UK government is simultaneously raising the price threshold for the “expensive car supplement” on its VED from £40,000 to £50,000 ($53-66k) starting April 2026. That means a Tesla Model Y or Kia EV6 owner won’t be hit by punitive road-tax surcharges quite as quickly as before.
In other words: here’s a little carrot before we get to the pay-per-mile stick. Ministers will also extend the EV grant scheme – which offers subsidies of up to £3,750 ($4,950) – all the way to 2029-30, costing it around £300 million ($395 million) per year.
2026 CLA EQ starts at $47,250 before destination charges.
Entry-level variant delivers 268 hp and 374 miles of range.
All-wheel drive model offers 349 hp and 312 miles of range.
Mercedes’ electric vehicle push has been an unmitigated disaster and things aren’t looking up as the company has announced the 2026 CLA EQ will start at $47,250 before a $1,250 destination fee. That’s $4,500 more than the outgoing gas-powered model and just $2,400 less than the C-Class.
That’s pretty pricey, but the CLA 250+ with EQ Technology features an 85 kWh battery pack as well as a rear-mounted motor producing 268 hp (200 kW / 272 PS) and 247 lb-ft (335 Nm) of torque.
This enables the sedan to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in approximately 6.6 seconds, before hitting a limited top speed of 130 mph (209 km/h).
More importantly, the model has an impressive EPA range of up to 374 miles (602 km). The car also has a 320 kW DC fast charging capability, which enables the battery to go from a 10% to 80% charge in as little as 22 minutes.
Customers seeking better performance can upgrade to the $49,800 CLA 350 4Matic with EQ Technology. It has a dual-motor all-wheel drive system producing a combined output of 349 hp (260 kW / 354 PS) and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm) of torque.
Thanks to the extra oomph, the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time falls to 4.8 seconds. However, this comes at a price as the range plummets to 312 miles (502 km).
Comes Nicely Equipped
Putting powertrains aside, the CLA 250+ comes equipped with LED lighting units and an illuminated grille that features 142 individual stars. They’re joined by rain-sensing wipers, a panoramic glass roof, and 17-inch wheels.
The interior comes nicely equipped with a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14-inch infotainment system, and heated power front seats wrapped in MB-Tex upholstery.
The compact sedan also has “smoky silver trim,” an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and an automatic climate control system. They’re accompanied by facial recognition technology and a selfie/video camera.
A host of driver assistance systems come standard including Distance Assist Distronic, Active Lane Keeping Assist, and Blind Spot Assist Plus. They’re joined by Evasive Steering Assist, Exit Warning Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Assist, Active Emergency Stop Assist, and Car-to-X communications technology.
Want More?
Upgrading to the Exclusive trim adds flush-mounted door handles and Keyless-Go. Bigger changes occur inside thanks to a wireless smartphone charger, a dual-zone automatic climate control system, and a 64-color ambient lighting system. The trim also adds a rear center armrest with cup holders as well as MB.Drive Parking Assist.
The range-topping Pinnacle trim comes standard with the MBUX Superscreen, which adds a 14-inch front passenger display. It’s joined by fancier LED headlights, a head-up display, a hands-free power trunk, and illuminated door sills. The model also has digital key technology and MB.Drive Parking Assist 360.
A dizzying array of options will be available including AMG Line and Night Packages as well as 18- to 19-inch wheels. Customers can also get leather seats, stainless steel pedals, and aluminum or wood trim. Other niceties include a heated steering wheel and a 16-speaker Burmester premium audio system.
The owner sold nearly new $142K Lucid Gravity after 400 miles.
Broken workplace chargers and no home charger caused the issue.
The seller still loves the car and plans to return to EVs eventually.
It’s hard to argue that owning a vehicle with 1,070 horsepower (797 kW) wouldn’t be extremely fun. However, that excitement turns on its head when you realize that there’s nowhere to refuel, or rather in this case, recharge it.
That’s exactly what just happened to a Brooklyn-based Lucid Gravity Dream Edition buyer. After snatching this unique EV up brand new in September of 2025, he ended up selling it just 400 miles later for a huge loss.
The seller on Cars & Bids shared a photo of the window sticker for this luxury SUV, listing an MSRP of $141,550. When the hammer fell on his auction sale of the car, it brought just $123,000. That’s a painful $18,500 lesson for 400 miles of usage in a little over a month, amounting to $46.25 for every mile he put on the odometer.
Where Do You Plug In?
Why take such a big loss for a vehicle that the owner says is “an awesome car”? It all comes down to charging it up. For the owner, it was almost like buying a Hellcat and then realizing that the closest gas station is 220 miles away.
Cars&Bids
He says that his initial plan was to charge where he works but then one option after another fell apart until he had to take the loss we’re talking about here.
“I was planning to charge at work but the chargers at my work aren’t working and there is seemingly no plan to fix them. Since I don’t have a charger at home and can’t get one installed this became an unsolvable,” he said in response to a question about the situation.
He then went on to fault his living location, New York, more than anything else.
“I tried to find another solution but in NYC most chargers (all the ones convenient to me) were in parking garages where you had to pay exuberant [sic] prices to park in order to use the chargers. I live a busy life so just couldn’t find a workable solution,” he added.
It’s a little ironic that in a city as vast and densely packed as New York, famous for both its wealth and its gridlock, a high-end EV can still be this impractical. For now, he’s out, but he hasn’t sworn off electric power entirely. According to him, he’ll be back behind the wheel of another EV “as soon as [a solution] presents itself.”
Ford’s new Bronco Basecamp starts at just over $32,000 in China.
The electric model delivers 445 hp and up to 404 miles of range.
A range-extended version offers 758 miles of total driving range.
Shortly after introducing range-extended and fully electric versions of the Bronco Basecamp in China, Ford opened the order books for its newest off-road offering. While most eyes may still be on the familiar Bronco lineup in the West, this China-market version makes a strong case of its own.
As we’ve come to expect from pretty much all new cars sold in China, the electrified Bronco is affordable by Western standards and is bound to make some US buyers feel stewing.
Although it bears more than a passing resemblance to a scaled-up and refreshed Bronco Sport, the Basecamp wasn’t drawn from the same blueprint. Instead, it was developed through Ford’s joint venture with Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC), which has increasingly become the brand’s partner of choice for locally tailored models.
Ford’s foothold in China has eroded significantly over the past decade, with annual sales dropping from over 1.2 million units in 2014 to fewer than 200,000 last year. A model like this, combining familiar design cues with drivetrain options built to local tastes, might just help reverse that disastrous slide.
What Do You Get For The Money?
Ford has confirmed the new Bronco Basecamp will start at 229,800 yuan ($32,300), topping out at 282,800 yuan ($39,800). That pricing roughly mirrors the smaller Bronco Sport sold in the US, which starts at $31,695 and tops out at $40,115 before delivery charges and taxes. But in China, buyers get significantly more than just a roomier body.
Where the American Bronco Sport comes with either a 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder or a 2.0-liter turbo four, the Basecamp goes fully electric with a 105.4 kWh battery and twin motors generating 445 hp. On a full charge, it’s rated for up to 404 miles (650 km).
Then there’s the range-extender version. This alternative setup pairs a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine with dual electric motors and a 43.7 kWh battery pack. The result is 416 hp and a claimed 137 miles (220 km) of electric-only range. Thanks to the engine topping up the battery as needed, total driving range stretches to 758 miles (1,220 km) on China’s optimistic CLTC cycle.
Longer, Wider, Better?
The new SUV shares its 116.1-inch (2,950 mm) wheelbase with the full-size four-door Bronco sold in the US, offering a noticeably longer body than America’s more compact Bronco Sport, which measures just 105.1 inches (2,670 mm) between the axles.
At 197.8 inches (5,025 mm) in overall length, it also outstretches both of its siblings, eclipsing the standard Bronco by over eight inches and the Bronco Sport by more than two feet.
This Chinese model is also laden with other important features. This includes a roof-mounted LiDAR as part of a suite of more than 30 sensors and cameras, enabling advanced driver assistance functions.
The cabin is also a far cry from the American Bronco and Bronco Sport and includes a 15.6-inch infotainment display, a digital gauge cluster, and a 70-inch head-up display.
It might not wear the Bronco badge in quite the same spirit as the American original, but for China’s EV-hungry buyers, that may not matter much. For now, Ford has no plans to export the Bronco Basecamp, and even if that changes, North America almost certainly won’t be on the list.
Lucid introduced a more affordable Gravity known as the Touring.
It starts at $79,900 and has 560 hp as well as 337 miles of range.
Highlights include a glass roof, and a 34-inch curved display.
The Lucid Gravity is a finalist for 2026 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year and their case is getting stronger with the introduction of a new Touring trim. It was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show and is currently available to order.
Designed to slot beneath the range-topping Gravity Grand Touring, the latest variant is instantly recognizable and features a familiar design. Few details were released, but it sports LED lighting units, a glass roof, and flush-mounted door handles. They’re joined by 20-inch wheels, acoustic front glass, and a power liftgate and frunk.
The five-seat interior sports PurLuxe upholstery as well as heated front chairs with 12-way power adjustment. Buyers will also find a 34-inch curved display as well as a lower 12.6-inch touchscreen.
Elsewhere, there’s a wireless smartphone charger, a ten-speaker audio system, and a four-zone climate control system. Other highlights include an ambient lighting system and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.
An assortment of options will be available including leather, a third-row, and a 22-speaker premium audio system with Dolby Atmos technology. Customers can also get a heated steering wheel as well as heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats.
Tech That Watches Your Back
The crossover comes standard with an air suspension as well as the DreamDrive 2 suite of driver assistance systems. It includes Adaptive Cruise Control, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Drive Assist (Lane Centering).
There’s also Lane Departure Protection, Front & Rear Cross Traffic Protection, and Blind Spot Monitoring with Active Intervention. Rounding out the highlights are Speed Limit Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Safe Exit Warning, and High Beam Assist.
While that’s a pretty comprehensive list, buyers can upgrade to DreamDrive 2 Premium or DreamDrive 2 Pro. The latter allows for hands-free driving as well as remote automatic parking.
Performance and Range
Power is provided by an 89 kWh battery pack that feeds a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system developing up to 560 hp (418 kW / 568 PS). That’s 268 hp (200 kW / 272 PS) less than the Grand Touring, but the crossover can hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in four seconds flat.
The Touring has an EPA-estimated range of up to 337 miles (542 km), which trails the Grand Touring by 113 miles (182 km). That’s a pretty significant difference, but the 300 kW DC fast charging capability enables the crossover to get 200 miles (322 km) of range in as little as 15 minutes.
If you want to take advantage of the native NACS port and use a Tesla Supercharger, you’ll be limited to 220 kW. That’s a bit of a bummer, but it’s still relatively speedy.
What Will It Cost You?
Pricing starts at $79,900 before a $1,650 destination fee. This makes it significantly cheaper than the Gravity Grand Touring, which begins at $94,900.
In Canada, pricing starts at $113,500 and this includes a $2,300 destination fee, a $200 documentation fee, and a $100 federal air conditioning tax.
Ford has introduced the 2026 Transit and E-Transit.
They sport minor styling tweaks and updated technology.
Pricing soars as the electric cargo van costs an extra $2,260.
The Ford Transit remains America’s best-selling commercial van, and for 2026, it’s rolling out a host of updates designed to keep it ahead of the pack. As part of the makeover, it’s been given a “digital refresh” as well as a few styling tweaks.
Starting outside, there’s new badging and updated taillights that now offer integrated blind spot sensors. Fleet customers will also find a new Wild Green Metallic paint job.
While the exterior styling changes are easy to overlook, the 2026 Transit has an all-new electrical architecture. Ford said it “enables new digital capabilities, over-the-air software updates, and future scalability.”
There’s also an updated 8-inch digital instrument cluster as well as a newly standard 12-inch SYNC 4 infotainment system. The model also gains a 5G modem and a keyless push button ignition.
Updated Tech Suite
All Transits come equipped with Ford Co-Pilot360, which now includes a Forward Sensing System as well as a Reverse Sensing System on Cargo and Passenger variants. Customers can also upgrade to the optional Co-Pilot360 2.0 suite, which provides additional capabilities.
Given the Transit is a commercial vehicle, there are a number of fleet-friendly upgrades. This includes Ford Pro Telematics, which enables managers to keep track of their vehicles and how they’re being used. The van also has a newly standard Vehicle Maintenance Monitor, which helps customers stay up-to-date on maintenance to prevent downtime.
Additional changes are limited, but the E-Transit gains a vapor injection heat pump that promises to increase efficiency. The E-Transit Chassis Cab and Cutaway also gain a new variant with a 156-inch (3,962 mm) wheelbase.
What Else Is New?
Rounding out the highlights are several new and updated options including a Connectivity Package, which includes a year of unlimited Wi-Fi, audio and video streaming, Alexa Built-in, and available Connected Navigation.
The Delivery Package for Cargo Van and Cutaway variants also gains Delivery Assist, which automatically activates the hazard lights and closes all open windows when the vehicle is put in park. It also locks the doors when the driver exits the vehicle.
While that’s just a brief overview of the changes, the Transit offers a 3.5-liter V6 with 275 hp (205 kW / 279 PS) and 260 lb-ft (352 Nm) of torque. Customers can also get a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 developing 300 hp (224 kW / 304 PS) and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm).
If your company wants to go green, there’s the E-Transit. It features an 89 kWh battery pack as well as a rear-mounted motor producing 266 hp (198 kW / 269 PS).
Pricing starts at $44,890, while the E-Transit begins at $48,150. The latter is a huge price hike as the 2025 E-Transit Cutaway began at $45,700. Likewise, the E-Transit Cargo Van has gone from $51,000 to $53,260.
Ford GM and Stellantis CEOs to testify before Congress in January.
Hearing focuses on pricing, regulations, EV policy, and trade talks.
Senator Ted Cruz calls it a reality check on affordability rules.
For the first time in nearly twenty years, the CEOs of Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis may once again share a table before Congress. The Senate Commerce Committee has called on Ford’s Jim Farley, GM’s Mary Barra, and Stellantis’ Antonio Filosa to testify on January 14 in a high-profile hearing exploring the auto industry’s outlook on federal transportation policy and vehicle affordability.
The session will also delve into the uneasy transition toward electrification, a subject that continues to divide policymakers and automakers alike. Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, has been invited to join the discussion, adding an electric perspective to the mix.
The last time all three Detroit bosses appeared together on Capitol Hill was late 2008 during the financial crisis, bailout negotiations, and a moment when the industry’s future looked genuinely uncertain. This time, the pressure points are different but no less significant.
Why Bring Them Together Now?
Senator Ted Cruz, who’s spearheading the hearing, has titled it “Pedal to the Policy: The Views of the American Auto Industry on the Upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization.”
Based on reporting from the Union-Bulletin, the sessions will probe fuel economy and emissions mandates, tariffs, federal EV policy, new-vehicle pricing, and how automakers plan to navigate the next decade. Cruz frames the meeting as a long-overdue reality check on affordability.
“The average price of a car has more than doubled in the past decade,” said Cruz, blaming “onerous government-mandated technologies and radical environmental regulations.”
What’s Driving Up Costs?
No doubt, the average transaction price (ATP) of a new car is quite high these days. Data from Cox Automotive shows that it surpassed $50,000 in September.
A decade ago, that figure was in the low $30,000s. Notably, analysts think the shift is due to several factors, including, but not limited to, regulation. Inflation, tariffs, higher-end trims, and the introduction of more EVs all have a part to play.
Republicans say policy changes earlier this year, including repealing federal EV mandates and CAFE targets under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, are steps toward lowering prices. However, Cruz argues lawmakers need to go further. This is all happening at a critical point in the U.S. automotive industry too.
The debate comes at a pivotal moment for the U.S. auto sector. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) faces renewal or renegotiation by July 1. If it lapses, the fallout alone could drive vehicle costs higher, regardless of any new legislation.
Rolls-Royce offers a special lease credit on 2025–26 Spectres.
Incentive replaces the expired $7,500 federal EV tax credit.
Other luxury automakers are also rolling out similar discounts.
One would think Rolls-Royce would be the last carmaker on Earth to dabble in discounts, yet even it has waded into the current EV incentive wave. With federal tax credits now expired in the US – and yes, those applied to all leased EVs, foreign or not, the brand is dangling a $5,000 lease credit on the Spectre.
Given the car’s $422,000 starting price, the gesture borders on comic relief. The discount feels more like a voucher toward optional extras than any real saving.
According to Cars Direct, the incentive appeared in a recent dealer bulletin distributed by Rolls-Royce. It applies to 2025 and 2026 model-year Spectres leased through November 30.
The brand has quietly trimmed the lease offer from $7,500 to $5,000, with financing carrying an effective interest rate of about 4.6 percent APR.
Even with the credit, the U.S.-spec Spectre still costs more than it did during the now-ended $7,500 federal EV tax credit. That benefit, like the current lease credit, never extended to those who purchased the car outright.
The all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre has been part of the lineup since 2023 and now comes in two versions. The base car produces 577 hp (430 kW / 584 PS), while the Black Badge version pushes output to 650 hp (485 kW / 659 PS), making it the most powerful model from Goodwood to date. Both use a 120 kWh battery, providing up to 266 miles (428 km) of range on 23-inch wheels.
Other Discounted EVs By High-End Brands
While a $5,000 reduction on a Rolls-Royce is unlikely to sway potential buyers, other luxury automakers are showing far more enthusiasm when it comes to incentives.
Aston Martin, meanwhile, is looking to clear excess inventory in the U.S., introducing a round of incentives across its lineup despite not having a single EV in showrooms.
The reductions are $15,000 for the Vanquish, $12,000 for the DBX 707, $10,000 for the DB12, and $7,000 for the Vantage. These offers apply to both purchases and leases.
The 2026 i4 lineup gains both extra power and extended range.
Now travels up to 333 miles per charge with improved efficiency.
The new i4 M60 delivers up to 593 horsepower in Sport mode.
BMW introduced the updated i4 lineup earlier this year and now the company has announced US specifications. They’re worth getting excited about as customers will find more power and range.
Kicking things off with the entry-level i4 eDrive40, the model gains more efficient SiC inverters from the i5. Thanks to the change, the car offers up to 333 miles (536 km) of range when equipped with 18-inch wheels. That’s an improvement of 15 miles (24 km).
Upgrading to 19-inch wheels comes at a cost as the range falls to 307 miles (494 km). However, that’s still 12 miles (19 km) more than last year’s model.
Meet The New i4 M60
The i4 M50 gives way to the new i4 M60, which gains power as well as new SiC inverters. Starting with performance, the car now produces 510 hp (380 kW / 517 PS) at start-up. That’s a sizable increase of 41 hp (31 kW / 42 PS).
When My Modes Sport is selected, the output climbs to an impressive 593 hp (442 kW / 601 PS). That’s up 57 hp (43 kW / 58 PS) and it means the car can rocket from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in a mere 3.6 seconds. To put that into perspective, that’s a half second faster than the standard M3 and is almost as quick as the M3 Competition xDrive.
Aside from the extra oomph, the model is more efficient than its predecessor as M60s with 19-inch wheels have 278 miles (447 km) of range. With 20-inch wheels, the model maxes out at around 232 miles (373 km). Those are improvements of 11 miles (18 km) and 5 miles (8 km), respectively.
Besides increased range and performance, there are a handful of other minor updates. All models now come with a Seal & Drive Tire Kit, while a Drive Recorder has been added to the Parking Assistant Professional package. Customers can also get optional glass controls on all i4 models.
On the styling front, there isn’t much to report. However, black mirror caps and M Sport brakes with blue calipers are now part of the Shadowline package on the i4 eDrive40 and xDrive40. These items are also available as standalone options.
The 2026 i4 will go into production in November and pricing starts at $57,900 for the i4 eDrive40. The i4 xDrive40 will set you back $62,300, while the range-topping i4 M60 begins at $70,700.
Britain may soon announce new EV mileage fees in this month’s budget.
EV drivers’ annual running costs could rise by about £240 under the plan.
They’ll still pay less than ICE owners spending roughly £600 on fuel duty.
Electric car owners in the UK may soon find their zero-emissions glow dimmed slightly by the Labour government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly preparing a pay-per-mile tax for EVs to help plug the giant hole left by declining fuel duty receipts.
With more drivers ditching petrol pumps for charging cables, the Treasury suddenly finds itself missing billions in the “please drive somewhere so we can tax you for it” department.
The reported figure being floated? Around 3 pence ($0.04) per mile, which at 8,000 miles (12,900 km) a year would equate to a £240 ($315) bill. T
he government is expected to argue that while UK EV drivers might be disappointed by the new charge, they’ll still get a better deal than drivers of petrol and diesel-engined vehicles who pay around £600 ($784) per year in fuel duty.
But there’s no doubt the news first reported by The Daily Telegraph, if true – and these kinds of stories are usually leaked from within government – will be another blow to EV drivers, who from this year have been forced to pay the annual Vehicle Excise Duty previously only payable by petrol and diesel drivers.
Factor in that £195 ($255) annual VED bill, and an EV owner covering 8k miles a year could be asked to pay £435 more to drive their car in 2028, when the scheme is alleged to go live, than they did in 2024.
On the positive side, the new Labour government did introduce grants of up to £3,750 for buyers of new electric cars three years after the previous government axed the original scheme.
It’s not clear how such a scheme would be monitored; reports suggest that it would be up to drivers to volunteer their own mileage estimate figures for the coming year, rather than the government electronically tracking them. If they were later found to have driven more or fewer miles than estimated, they could either get a rebate or a bill.
EV drivers aren’t the only ones left dismayed by the still-unofficial news. The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it recognized the need for a rethink over vehicle taxation.
However, it described pay-per-mile as “entirely the wrong measure at the wrong time,” one that would end up “deterring consumers and further undermining industry’s ability to meet ZEV mandate targets, with significant ramifications for perceptions of the UK as a place to invest.”
Cadillac’s 2025 Celestiq sold out, driving early demand for 2026 models.
The 2026MY adds eight years of connected services and a smart glass roof.
Each Celestiq’s final price depends on every buyer’s bespoke choices.
Even among high-end electric cars, the Cadillac Celestiq stands apart, an attempt to show how far American luxury can go when price isn’t part of the equation.
Some people doubted whether Cadillac’s all-electric Celestiq could ever justify its staggering price tag. For 2025, it started at around $340,000 before options, which made even luxury rivals look modest.
Yet despite the skepticism, Cadillac has already sold out of its 2025 allocation and is now taking orders for next year.
For 2026, that figure climbs another 20 percent into the “low $400,000s,” again before you’ve had the chance to select anything bespoke.
Cadillac told Automotive News that the higher price reflects additional standard features, including eight years of connected service. Fair enough, if you’ve paid at least $400,000 for a high-tech machine, you wouldn’t expect to be billed again just to use its software.
As was the case for 2025MY sedans, the final price will depend entirely on the client’s level of curation. Essentially, each and every Celestiq is a bespoke creation unlike any of the others. That means the $400,000-plus price tag is just the starting point.
“The bespoke spirit of Celestiq extends to transaction price and will be determined by the client’s level of curation,” a Cadillac spokesperson told Autonews in a statement.
They’re all made by hand at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, at a pace of less than two per day and buyers work one-on-one with Cadillac’s concierge team to personalize the car.
The company capped production for 2025 at just 25 units. It’s unclear how many it’ll build in 2026, but it did say that there are no more available reservations for 2025 examples.
Interestingly, Cadillac says it’s streamlining the design process. For example, selecting interior colors outside the streamlined palette triggered individual cost adjustments for 2025 cars. For 2026, one price includes all interior color choices, including those outside the normal selection.
The first Celestiq rolled of the production line went to its owner in June of this year. The brand is no doubt hard at work to get the rest of the 2025 model year cars to their respective owners. As time goes on, it’ll be fascinating to see if the Celestiq gains a true foothold in this ultra-rarefied segment or not.
A volunteer stocks produce at the Independence Food Basket, a food pantry operated by the Community Access Center in Independence, Kan. Like other food pantries across the country, the organization has been providing food assistance to more families even before a disruption to the federal food stamp program. (Photo by Kevin Hardy/Stateline)
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — Just a few years ago, the Community Access Center’s food pantry here served up to 250 families per month. But that figure has skyrocketed as the price of groceries has pinched more and more families.
Now, the small food pantry serves about 450 families a month in this community of about 8,500 people. Serving that growing number has become increasingly difficult with the high cost of food, cuts in federal aid — and an unprecedented disruption in the nation’s largest food assistance program looming.
Chris Mitchell, who leads the nonprofit that operates the Independence Food Basket and provides other services, said the amount the organization spends on food to supplement donated items increased from $1,700 per month in 2018 to $4,000 per month now.
“And that’s getting it from the food bank without taxes,” he said.
Like other providers across the country, the Independence Food Basket is bracing for a spike in demand when an estimated 42 million people are expected to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. Monthly benefits will not be provided beginning Saturday because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The unparalleled stress of a SNAP disruption on food pantries and the food banks that collect, warehouse and distribute food comes at a time when they were already stretched thin. High grocery prices have pushed more Americans to look to food banks for help. But organizations providing food relief have lost more than $1 billion in federal aid and are bracing for the impacts of legislation that will permanently limit the reach of SNAP.
Food banks now are asking local governments and donors to step in as they prepare for long lines. Many operations have increased orders ahead of the expected SNAP chaos, though some food pantries say they may have to ration food if supplies dwindle too quickly.
“You’d have to be living under a rock somewhere to not know that the prices of groceries went up and stayed up,” Mitchell said. “Now, you’re going to take away the means that people in poverty can afford food.”
Chris Mitchell, director of the Community Access Center in Independence, Kan., shows the stock of frozen meats at the organization’s Independence Food Basket. The nonprofit food pantry is spending more to purchase food as high grocery prices increase demand from the public. (Photo by Kevin Hardy/Stateline)
The rising price of food has driven up not just visits to pantries, but also costs for the charitable food system in recent years.
Social service providers also are bracing for the impact of permanent changes to food stamps and other social services enacted in President Donald Trump’s major tax and spending law signed in July. The first in a wave of cutbacks to SNAP ended exemptions from work requirements for older adults, homeless people, veterans and some rural residents, likely pushing millions out of the food stamp program.
The administration also has pulled direct aid to food banks.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in March nixed more than $1 billion from two programs that helped food banks and school meal programs buy local foods including fruits, vegetables and proteins.
Also this spring, the administration abruptly cut $500 million from a program that sends domestically produced meat, dairy, eggs and produce to food banks. The items that were delivered through The Emergency Food Assistance Program were some of the healthiest, most expensive items organizations distribute, ProPublica reported.
In Missouri alone, that move canceled 124 scheduled deliveries to food banks, including 146,400 pounds of cheese, 433,070 pounds of canned and frozen chicken and 1.2 million eggs.
“Food banks have been operating on fumes since the pandemic,” said Gina Plata-Nino, interim SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center, a national nonprofit working to address poverty-related hunger. “As much as we love the food banks and the superhero work that they’re doing, they can only do so much.”
Already rising demand
Plata-Nino said food banks and food pantries were intended as emergency food aid, but have become “a way of life” for many who struggle to afford groceries.
A disruption in SNAP benefits will cause millions to make impossible decisions about how to stretch their limited dollars, Plata-Nino said. She noted that the majority of SNAP recipients make less than $1,100 per month. (The liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the average SNAP benefit this fiscal year is about $188 per month per person.)
“People are already making really difficult choices,” she said, “and I hate to call it a choice, because it’s not a choice when you don’t have one.”
In Texas, the San Antonio Food Bank has been responding to a surge in need from furloughed federal workers. With major Defense Department operations across the area, San Antonio is home to the largest number of federal employees in Texas.
Eric Cooper, the food bank’s president and chief executive officer, estimates it will serve about 50,000 more people who have gone without paychecks this month. Each year, the food bank serves about 577,000 people across 29 counties.
He recalled one furloughed U.S. Social Security Administration employee who recently visited for the first time. Though she weathered previous shutdowns, she now takes care of her grandchildren.
“She’s like, ‘Hey, I showed up to get food because I don’t know if I’m going to get paid, and I can’t let my grandbabies go hungry,’” Cooper said.
Given the disruption to SNAP, Cooper said the food bank has been gearing up to not only increase inventory but also manage limited supplies and heightened emotions among the public.
“Should the demand start to outpace our supply, we will start to ration,” he said. “Rather than giving a week’s worth of food or two weeks’ worth of food, we’re going to be giving less.”
Generally, the need for free food spikes during times of natural disasters or recessions, said Michelle Ness, executive director of PRISM, a nonprofit providing housing and food assistance in suburban Minneapolis.
Right now, food shelves are at just about the max capacity we can handle.
– Michelle Ness, executive director of PRISM
But Minnesota food shelves, known as food pantries in other parts of the country, have seen a 150% increase in visits since the pandemic, she said.
“This is during nonemergency times, nondisaster times — needs are going way up,” she said. “Right now, food shelves are at just about the max capacity we can handle.”
To meet the projected increase in demand because of the SNAP disruption, Ness said her organization’s food shelf is considering launching a sort of express lane that would allow people to quickly pick up prepackaged boxes of food. She hopes donors will increase their giving to avoid rationing food.
“If anything, I would like to be able to give out more food, because people will have greater needs without getting SNAP benefits,” she said. “That’s a lot of food that they’re not going to have to fill their refrigerator and cupboards.”
A daily necessity
While nonprofits happily take donated food items, much of the stock is purchased. And that doesn’t come cheap — even with discounts for purchasing foods in bulk from nonprofit food banks.
The Food Group, a Minneapolis food bank that supplies PRISM and other operators, has had to raise its prices and cut back on certain expensive items — including eggs, said Executive Director Sophia Lenarz-Coy.
In the past year, The Food Group has raised its wholesale prices of spaghetti by 26%. Jasmine rice has gone up 6%, and dry potatoes have increased 11%. Between 2022 and 2025, a case of frozen ground beef has increased from just under $50 to $63.08 — a 28% spike. Cases of margarine have risen 39% over that time, and diced tomatoes have gone up 23%.
“I think it’s really hard to overstate just how grocery prices have changed in the last three years,” said Lenarz-Coy.
While higher earners can make adjustments in their monthly budgets, she noted that food is often the only flexible item in lower-income household budgets.
“Housing costs, how much you need to pay for transportation or medical costs or day care — those are all fixed costs,” she said. “The place where people can flex is on food, but those flexes just don’t get you as much as they used to.”
Back in southeast Kansas, Mitchell, of the Community Access Center, has come to appreciate the urgency of hunger.
Mitchell previously worked in homeless services. Oftentimes, people can get by temporarily staying with friends and families, but food is a constant, daily need, he noted.
“It’s like going without liquid,” he said. “You just don’t last very long without it. And that’s probably what hurts me the most about this cutoff.”
The looming SNAP disruption has him bracing for panic among those who rely on the pantry.
The per capita annual income in Independence is just under $30,000, and about a quarter of all children live in poverty, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.
To meet surging demand, Mitchell is considering further limiting the pantry’s already rationed offerings, whether families have one person or six in the household.
“That kills my heart,” he said. “But that’s so everybody gets some. … I’ve got this many people, and I’ve got to make sure that I can put something in each hand.”
Located inside a beige cinderblock building, the one-room food pantry is set up like a grocery store, with freezers for meats, refrigerators for fresh veggies and shopping carts for browsing.
Mitchell is proud to offer that kind of choice for people, which makes the process more dignified and reduces the likelihood that food goes to waste.
But a rush of visits next week — and concerns about hoarding and public safety — may force the nonprofit to reinstate its pandemic-era practice of handing out prepackaged boxes outdoors.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
A barista prepares a coffee drink. (Nazar Abbas Photography via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Five Republican U.S. senators joined Democrats Tuesday to terminate President Donald Trump’s national emergency that triggered steep tariffs on goods from Brazil.
The vote came ahead of a major case before the Supreme Court that could decide whether many of the president’s tariffs violate the Constitution.
Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, along with Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Maine’s Susan Collins and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, supported a joint resolution in a 52-48 vote.
The measure’s passage in the Senate marks a shift from a previous effort in April, when Senate Republicans blocked a resolution to terminate Trump’s emergency tariffs on Canada. Murkowski, Collins and Paul also supported that measure.
The resolution is not likely to see a vote in the Republican-controlled U.S. House, meaning it is not likely to become law.
Coffee canister in the Senate
Senate Democrats forced Tuesday’s floor vote just days after they filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to find Trump’s unprecedented tariffs, triggered under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, unconstitutional. Murkowski was the lone Republican to join the brief.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., spoke on the floor ahead of the vote with a canister of Maxwell House coffee beside him.
Kaine said Trump’s tariffs on Brazilian goods are an “abuse of presidential power that people are feeling every time they walk down a grocery store aisle to buy coffee for their families, to buy ground beef for their families.”
“No president, Democrat or Republican, should be able to declare a national emergency justifying the imposition of 50% tariffs because a friend of theirs is being prosecuted for breaking the law in another country,” he said.
Kaine used a decades-old law that allows the minority party to force a vote to terminate a national emergency.
Trump declared a national emergency and imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports on July 30 after accusing Brazil’s government of “politically persecuting” its former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup to remain in power in 2022.
‘No taxation without representation’
Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who cosponsored Kaine’s bill, said on the floor ahead of the vote Trump is using his emergency powers “to tax us without our consent.”
“I, for one, still believe in the principle of no taxation without representation, and will vote to terminate this contrived emergency and end these unconstitutional import taxes,” Paul said.
The vote to reverse Trump’s tariffs on Brazilian products was the first of three bipartisan resolutions this week protesting the administration’s emergency tariffs.
Kentucky’s senior senator and former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “Tariffs make both building and buying in America more expensive.”
“The economic harms of trade wars are not the exception to history, but the rule. And no cross-eyed reading of Reagan will reveal otherwise. This week, I will vote in favor of resolutions to end emergency tariff authorities,” McConnell said, referring to Trump’s decision to add another 10% tariff on Canadian goods. That came after the Ontario province ran an anti-tariff ad featuring the words of President Ronald Reagan.
Trump tariffs defended
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, criticized the joint resolution as “counterproductive to the progress already made by President Trump.”
“The president’s historic trade negotiations are bearing fruit. President Trump already announced new deals, trade deals with major trading partners, including, most recently, Cambodia and Malaysia. Other such announcements may still be forthcoming. I urge other trading partners to reach similar trading deals,” Crapo, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said on the floor ahead of the vote.
Both tariffs and climate change are to blame for the recent spike in coffee prices, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Rivian will pay to settle a lawsuit over 2022 price hikes.
Suit claims it misled investors about costs before its IPO.
Deal covers Class A shareholders from 2021 to early 2022.
For Rivian’s earliest customers, timing proved to be an expensive lesson. In early 2022, the young EV maker frustrated reservation holders by announcing steep price hikes for the R1T pickup and R1S SUV just before their launch. As it turns out, that decision came with a hefty price tag of its own.
This week, Rivian confirmed it would pay $250 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed shortly after those price increases were made public.
In March 2022, Rivian revealed that prices for the R1T would climb from $67,500 to $79,500, while the R1S would rise from $70,000 to $84,500. Price adjustments aren’t unusual in the auto industry, but few companies raise figures that sharply, Tesla’s occasional curveballs aside.
The real misstep came when Rivian initially applied the new prices to existing reservations. That move hit early adopters who had placed their deposits months earlier the hardest, and it didn’t sit well with them.
Rivian reversed course within days, sparing existing customers from the higher prices and limiting the increases to new buyers. But the damage was done.
Soon after, a lawsuit accused the company of including misleading statements and cost estimates in filings made before its 2021 IPO about the true expenses involved in producing the R1 lineup.
Now, Rivian has agreed to settle the case. The company will pay $250 million in total, with $67 million covered through its directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, and the remaining $183 million drawn from its cash reserves. The agreement still awaits final approval from the court.
Rivian maintains that it denies all allegations and states the settlement “is not an admission of fault or wrongdoing.”
Anyone who acquired Rivian Class A common stock between November 10, 2021, and March 10, 2022, qualifies as part of the settlement group.
The settlement comes at the worst possible time for the car manufacturer. While it had $4.8 billion in cash and equivalents at the end of June, it needs all the money it can get to successfully launch the mid-size R2, which could prove to be a make-or-break moment for the automaker.
Ford has introduced the Mustang Mach-E GT California Special.
It features a hood graphic, two-tone wheels, and a blue interior.
The 480 hp electric crossover will set you back nearly $56,000.
The Ford Mustang has a long history of offering California special editions and we can add one more to that list. The latest is based on the electric 2026 Mustang Mach-E GT and will go up for order on October 22.
Sporting a subtle makeover, the California Special is distinguished by an illuminated Rave Blue pony emblem as well as special 20-inch wheels with a carbonized gray and black finish.
They’re joined by special badging as well as a hood graphic inspired by the California coastline. The latter is dark and dull, but Ford exterior designer Stefan Taylor said it has “radiating sunset lines in layered gray, black, and a blue accent representing the ocean.”
The upgrades extend to the cabin, which has performance seats wrapped in Navy Pier ActiveX upholstery as well as a Miko material. The navy color can also be found on the steering wheel and center console, with the latter sporting “GT/CS” badging.
Elsewhere, there are special floor mats with blue and silver stitching that matches the design found on the seats.
Since the special edition is based on the Mustang Mach-E GT, it features a 91 kWh battery pack as well as a dual motor all-wheel drive system producing 480 hp (358 kW / 487 PS) and 600 lb-ft (813 Nm) of torque.
This setup enables the model to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 3.8 seconds and travel up to 280 miles (451 km) on a single charge.
While the upgrades are minor, the price tag isn’t as the California Special package costs $2,495. That means customers will need to shell out at least $55,890 before factoring in the destination fee.
Slate Auto’s electric truck may lease for over $500 per month.
Removal of EV tax credits has pushed the truck’s price higher.
Competitors like Ford’s Maverick may offer cheaper leases.
The big selling point for Slate Auto’s electric pickup truck was always going to be its price, promising to start at under $20,000 in the United States. However, the removal of the federal EV tax credit has forced Slate to jack up the truck’s estimated starting price, and it may also be shockingly expensive to lease, considering how few features you get.
While the company has yet to confirm a final price for the model, Cars Direct speculates that it could cost upwards of $500 per month. The outlet has come to this conclusion by estimating a $27,500 price tag, which, over a typical 36-month lease with no money down, could work out to be $468.
Add in the first month’s payment and an estimated acquisition fee of $700, and this will effectively jump to near $500 per month, before taxes and fees. Had the EV tax credit still been around, the equivalent price would drop to $341 a month, a hefty difference of $127.
However, it’s worth noting that actual lease prices for the truck may be different. The publication based its estimate on a money factor of 0.00292 or 7 percent APR and assumes a residual value of 55 percent.
This or a Ford Maverick?
If Slate Auto wants the back-to-basics EV to be successful, it’ll have to convince many shoppers to buy it instead of a Ford Maverick. It’s currently possible to lease a 2025 Maverick XLT AWD with the EcoBoost engine for as little as $289 per month over 36 months with $3,709 due at signing.
Admittedly, leasing a hybrid version of the Maverick is more expensive. Depending on location, the hybrid Mavericks generally start at around the $430 per month mark, and that usually doesn’t account for a hefty $3,000+ payment due at signing, bringing effective monthly payments to over $500.
A lab tech uses equipment employed for in vitro fertilization. (Photo by Getty Images)
President Donald Trump said Thursday his administration had negotiated a lower price for a major fertility drug and would issue a regulation allowing employers to cover part of employees’ fertility coverage.
Pharmaceutical company EMD Serono will offer the popular in vitro fertilization drug Gonal-F at an 84% discount, Libby Horne, the company’s senior vice president of U.S. fertility & endocrinology, said in the Oval Office.
The drug will be available on TrumpRX.com, a new website the White House has created to spotlight Trump’s work to reduce drug prices, Trump said.
The departments of Labor and Health and Human Services would issue guidance late Thursday, Trump said, to be followed by a regulation creating “a legal pathway for employers to offer fertility benefit packages” similar to vision or dental plans.
Sen. Katie Britt praised
The initiatives “are the boldest and most significant actions ever taken by any president to bring the miracle of life into more American homes,” Trump said.
He credited U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, for bringing the issue to his attention.
“She’s the first one that told me about this,” he said. “I had not known too much about it, and we worked very rapidly together.”
Britt advocated for IVF after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last year made the treatment illegal in the state. The state Legislature soon passed a law to ensure IVF remained legal.
At the Oval Office event Thursday, Britt offered high praise for Trump, saying he had prioritized the issue since the first time the pair spoke by phone.
“IVF is what makes the difference for so many families that are facing infertility,” she said. “The recommendations today that President Trump has set forth are going to expand IVF coverage to nearly a million more families, and they’re going to drive down cost significantly. Mr. President, this is the most pro-IVF thing that any president in the history of the United States of America has done.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added that Trump was also “addressing the root causes” of infertility through a Make America Healthy Again agenda that seeks to avoid exposure to chemicals.
Warren calls moves ‘broken promises’
Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren minimized the announcements, saying they fell short of providing the free IVF coverage Trump had pledged to work toward.
The Massachusetts Democrat added that private employers would likely not choose to offer fertility coverage and said other cuts to health coverage would more than offset any positives.
“Trump’s new genius plan is to rip away Americans’ health insurance and gut the CDC’s IVF team, then politely ask companies to add IVF coverage out of the goodness of their own hearts — with zero federal investment and no requirement for them to follow through,” she wrote on social media. “It’s insulting, and yet another one of Trump’s broken promises to American families.”
Trump, asked about potential opposition from religious conservatives who oppose IVF, said he was unconcerned.
“This is very pro-life,” he said. “You can’t get more pro-life than this.”
Ford cuts up to $4,000 off F-150 Lightning prices to sustain demand.
The base model now features a 123 kWh battery adding 50 extra miles.
Flash trim drops to $65,995, while Lariat pricing also decreases slightly.
Like every other automaker trying to keep its EV lineup from gathering dust, Ford knows that enthusiasm for the F-150 Lightning could fade fast now that the federal tax credit has vanished. To keep shoppers from drifting off, it’s slicing up to $4,000 off the price.
Now, that doesn’t come close to the $7,500 buyers just lost, but it might be enough to keep a few more trucks rolling off the lot. For the moment, anyway.
The 2026 F-150 Lightning will start at $63,345 before destination charges for the base STX trim, which replaces the outgoing XLT. Though the sticker remains identical to last year’s, the new model carries a larger 123 kWh battery pack instead of the previous 98 kWh unit, boosting range by roughly 50 miles (80.4 km).
Perhaps of even more interest to potential customers will be the Flash trim. Cars Direct reports it will start at $65,995 for 2026, down from last year’s $69,995. There will also be a generous $2,000 savings for the Lariat, with its price reduced from $76,995 to $74,995.
At the top of the lineup sits the F-150 Lightning Platinum, which holds steady at $84,995. Ford hasn’t trimmed that figure, but at least it hasn’t gone higher either.
If the F-150 Lightning is still out of your price range after these cuts, then leasing could be a good option. Ford is continuing to offer 2025 XLT models with a $9,000 lease cash incentive.
Shoppers in certain states are also eligible for a $500 Summer Sales Event bonus, and for those who turn down Ford’s complimentary home charger, a $2,000 Public Charging Credit is available.
During the most recent quarter, Ford sold 10,005 units of the F-150 Lightning, marking a 39.7 percent jump from the same period last year.
How the Trump administration’s decision to end the federal tax credit will affect Q4 results remains to be seen. The next few months will likely reveal whether price cuts alone are enough to keep Ford’s electric pickup moving off lots.
A Tesla Cybertruck took a huge beating on an internet auction site.
The 5,200-mile EV sold for just $70k months after achieving $147k.
It’s a limited edition Foundation Series with the 600 hp AWD setup.
A 2024 Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series has just sold for $70,000 on Cars&Bids, showing just 5,200 miles (8,400 km) on the clock. If that sounds like a great price for one of the most hyped vehicles of the decade, it is – but not if you’re the one selling it.
The same Cybertruck sold on the same auction site last year for $146,500 when it had covered a mere 600 miles (970 km), meaning it’s lost more than half its value in less than 18 months.
It’s unclear whether that original owner paid the standard price or a $50,000 markup, as some commentators suggested at the time, but the MSRP stood at $101,995.
The Foundation Series was Tesla’s launch-edition Cybertruck, the limited-run version that kicked off production late in 2023. It came loaded with luxury features, plus various unique badges and trim parts, such as sill inserts.
The first examples were offered only to early reservation holders and were supposed to be collector material. Well, that was the idea anyway. Fast forward to today and the tables have obviously turned. The new owner of this particular dual-motor, 600 hp (608 PS / 447 kW) truck just scored one of the biggest bargains in recent EV history.
The $70,000 sale price (listing here) undercuts Tesla’s own base MSRP of $79,990 for a new dual-motor AWD Cybertruck and shows just how far values have tumbled since the frenzy that greeted the electric truck’s debut. And this price fall is no freak event; used Cybertruck values have fallen across the board during 2025.
When the Hype Runs Out
Cars&Bids
There are a few reasons behind the collapse. Early buyers paid sky-high prices to be first, banking on exclusivity and hype, but that buzz has cooled fast as more Cybertrucks hit the road and social media fills with real-world impressions.
The initial scarcity that drove those six-figure auction results has faded as production ramped up and deliveries increased. Add to that a shifting used-EV market and growing competition from the likes of Ford, Rivian, and GM, and it’s easy to see why resale prices have come back down to Earth.
Even the Foundation Series edition isn’t enough to hold depreciation at bay, and neither are the mods the seller added during his ownership, including a pricey black wrap, black painted lower body trim and 24-inch T Sportline CTM Monoblock forged wheels for $10,000, per the invoice.
For all its futuristic design and headline-grabbing performance, the market for Elon Musk’s electric truck is behaving like most others: early excitement followed by a sharp correction. But for anyone still dreaming of owning one, now might finally be the time to get their wallet out. The Cybertruck still turns heads, but its once-shiny resale value has definitely lost its gleam – and that means some great deals for buyers looking to get their hands on one.
The updated Bolt features a 65 kWh LFP battery with 255-mile range.
Chevy added a NACS port and boosted DC charging speeds to 150 kW.
Power comes from the same 210 hp motor used in the Equinox EV.
In a market where federal tax credits are no longer cushioning electric car prices, the upcoming 2027 Chevrolet Bolt arrives as GM’s latest attempt to keep affordable EVs within reach. Shown off quietly to existing owners, the 2027 model rolls in at $29,990 including destination fees, offering a handful of upgrades over its predecessor rather than any sweeping reinvention.
This represents a modest price increase over the 2023 model that was discontinued two years ago, and although it remains the most affordable EV from an American brand, the new Bolt still sits several thousand dollars above the entry-level 2026 Nissan Leaf, which is due to arrive next spring starting at $25,360.
Production and Core Specs
At a recent event, Chevrolet confirmed that production of the 2027 Bolt will begin early next year at its Kansas City facility. As revealed in recent images, the electric hatch will include a standard NACS charging port, aligning it with the new industry standard.
It has also been confirmed to come standard with a new 65 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery pack that will provide it with 255 miles (410 km) of driving range, according to GM’s own estimates. That represents a modest improvement over the outgoing model’s 247-mile figure.
Photos Chevrolet
Beyond boasting a better range than the outgoing Bolt, the new one’s DC charging speeds are no longer capped at 50 kW. Instead, it can charge at up to 150 kW, meaning the battery can be topped up from 10-80 percent in 26 minutes. That’s a big improvement over the old model and matches the charging speeds of the new Leaf.
Chevy has also equipped the Bolt with a new motor, borrowing the unit found in the Equinox EV and producing 210 hp. Performance times have yet to be announced, not that Bolt owners are the kinds of buyers that’ll be participating in traffic light races.
Pricing and Trims
The 2027 Bolt will debut first as a Launch Edition, starting at $29,990 with destination and delivery included. A slightly more affordable LT trim will follow next year priced from $28,995.
From a visual standpoint, the alterations made to the Bolt are less significant than many had expected. Indeed, it mostly looks like a facelifted version of the outgoing model. Key changes made include the fitment of new headlights, different taillights, and a unique tailgate with a redesigned bumper.
The interior is also very similar. However, Chevy has added a larger digital instrument cluster and moved away from gear selector buttons on the transmission tunnel, instead opting for an electronic column shifter.
A particularly welcome addition is a set of large physical dials for temperature and fan speed, providing straightforward control without touchscreen fuss. Two new storage compartments now sit within the dashboard, directly in front of the passenger, adding extra practicality to the cabin.
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