Chevy just went more conventional with the 2026 Blazer EV lineup by dropping the RWD RS option.
When it originally launched the Blazer EV, Chevrolet offered up an interesting amount of flexibility in terms of its powertrain options. Sure, a dual-motor AWD setup in either the standard models or the high-performance SS are the go-tos for most people, but you could also get your base LT or RS in a single-motor, front-wheel drive configuration as well. On the RS, however, you could also set it up with rear-wheel drive — or at least you could, before the automaker quietly nixed that option from the order forms.
In a statement, the company said: “In an effort to simplify the product lineup while still offering the more popular options for consumers, RWD will not be available beginning with the 2026 model year. The Chevrolet Blazer EV is now available in FWD, AWD, and performance AWD in the new SS trim.”
Now, there are a couple conclusions we could draw from that statement and Chevy’s general decision to ax the RWD RS trim. First off, it was a little confusing to go into your Chevy dealer and have a choice of front-, rear- or all-wheel drive for your Blazer EV. While consumer choice is typically a great thing to have…SUV buyers are broadly more accustomed to choosing FWD vs AWD, rather than having to decide which of three options is the best for their needs. Then, on top of that, “simplifying” the lineup while “still offering the more popular options for consumers” more or less translates to, “we’re dropping this option because you guys aren’t buying it”. Again, fair enough if that’s an accurate assessment.
With all that said, the 2026 Chevy Blazer EV lineup will get a bit easier to suss out as a result. If you want the more affordable, single-motor variant putting out 220 horsepower, you’ll want the LT or the RS. The all-wheel drive models, still available on both those trims, bumps the output up to 288 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque, while the extra motor offers up better all-weather capability. Then, if you want power, there will still be the recently launched SS with 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque. With the RWD RS gone, the best potential driving range, for what it’s worth, lies with the FWD variants’ 312-mile figure.
We don’t have official pricing on the 2026 Blazer EV lineup yet. Economic circumstances notwithstanding, though, it shouldn’t change too much from the 2025 lineup. Production on the 2026 models should kick off around the end of July, per a report from GM Authority.
