BMW M3 vs Chevrolet Bolt EV

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	BMW M3	Chevrolet Bolt EV
Complaints on file	552	1,361
Model years covered	1988–2025	2017–2027
Worst model year	2008	2017
Best model year	2018	2022
Crashes reported	35	60
Fires reported	6	31
Injuries reported	22	18
Deaths reported	0	0
Most complained-about part	Transmission & Drivetrain	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	11.4%	8%

BMW M3 by year

2 16 1 28 18 13 20 48 69 38 12 14 102 54 20 41 6 17 4 7 3 10 5 1 1 2

88 95 96 97 98 99 01 02 03 04 05 06 08 09 10 11 12 13 15 16 17 18 21 22 23 25

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Transmission & Drivetrain 120 21.7%

Airbags 101 18.3%

Engine & Cooling 94 17.0%

Electrical System 37 6.7%

Body & Structure 27 4.9%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 24 4.3%

Fuel & Propulsion 23 4.2%

Suspension 21 3.8%

Chevrolet Bolt EV by year

465 119 241 246 96 94 95 5

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 27

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 405 29.8%

Steering 254 18.7%

Fuel & Propulsion 190 14.0%

Other & Unspecified 110 8.1%

Transmission & Drivetrain 86 6.3%

Brakes 52 3.8%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 50 3.7%

Engine & Cooling 45 3.3%