Somewhere along the way, electric vehicle designers seem to have decided that a car without a tailpipe also needed to look like it belonged in a Blade Runner reboot. So it was a genuine relief to slide behind the wheel of the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox EV RS and find myself in a compact SUV that looks, well, like an SUV — just a very good-looking one.
For me, this vehicle was just right. Not too big, not too small, and sitting at a height that felt natural climbing in and out without any of the crouching or clambering that some crossovers demand. The RS I drove wore a brilliant red paint job that turned heads, mine included.
Behind the wheel, the RS is easy to like and easier to live with. Chevrolet quotes an EPA-estimated 319 miles of range on the front-wheel-drive version, which is the number that mattered most to me. That’s enough to knock out a Pasadena-to-San Diego round trip and still have juice left over for a coffee run. It’s not a sports car, and it isn’t pretending to be, but there’s more than enough shove to merge onto the 210 without heart palpitations.
The real revelation, though, was the one-pedal driving. I’ve become a convert. Crawling home in bumper-to-bumper on the 134, I barely touched the brake pedal for miles. Lift off the accelerator and the regenerative braking hauls the RS down smoothly and predictably, right down to a full stop. It’s the kind of feature you don’t know you want until you have it, and then you can’t imagine going back.
Inside, the RS is a pleasant place to spend time. A 17.7-inch center touchscreen and an 11-inch digital gauge cluster anchor a dashboard that manages to feel modern without going overboard. Chevy also, mercifully, left some physical buttons for the climate controls, so you don’t have to dig through three menus to warm your hands. The RS trim brings heated and power-adjustable seats, a sunroof, and dual-zone climate control.
The rest of the tech story is genuinely impressive. GM’s Super Cruise hands-free highway driving is available, the camera system serves up a crisp 360-degree view, and the driver aids — including a clever feature that vibrates your seat when there’s something in your blind spot — are helpful without being nannying. The Equinox EV earned a five-star overall crash rating from NHTSA, which is worth mentioning to anyone putting family in the back seat.
For charging, the RS uses an 11.5-kW onboard charger for Level 2 home charging and DC fast-charging that can add 70 miles of range in about 10 minutes. All 2026 models now come with a dual-level charging cable, which is a nice touch.
Is it perfect? No. Storage for small items is thin, cargo room trails the gas Equinox, and the front-drive version can feel a touch lethargic off the line if you’re used to the instant-thrust theatrics of other EVs. But those quibbles fade quickly when you’re gliding home in silence, coasting to a stop without touching the brake, and catching your own reflection in a storefront window — surprised, once again, at just how good that red looks.
The Equinox EV RS is not the flashiest electric vehicle on the market. It’s something better: an EV that doesn’t look like it belongs in a futuristic comic book.
