True, most police cars don’t come with V8 engines anymore, but that doesn’t mean the cops have given up chasing people — which is unfortunate, since high-speed chases are dangerous for everyone. The difference is just that current police interceptors are now available with alternative forms of motivation. The 498-horsepower Chevrolet Blazer EV Police Pursuit Vehicle is a case in point: The second-quickest PPV in this year’s Michigan State Police testing (PDF) – behind only the Mustang Mach-E GT eAWD — the Blazer is propelled by a pair of electric motors. And now that Chevy has been selling them to police departments for a couple of years, some are starting to come up on the used market. They’re practically a steal, too, with examples listed below $30k on sites such as CarGurus, so you’re getting a lot of horses for not a lot of money.
Among new cars, access to 500 horsepower will cost you at least about $25,000 more than that, regardless of powerplant. A gas-powered Dodge Charger Scat Pack, for instance, serves up 550 hp with an MSRP of $56,990 with destination. A Tesla Model 3 Performance, with 528 ponies, is listed at $56,630. Looking at the numbers based on price, the few new vehicles available under $30,000, such as the base model Honda Accord and Nissan Leaf, check in with 192 and 214 hp, respectively. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the supply of used Chevy Blazer EV police cars is relatively limited. Only five were available nationwide on Carfax when this article was written, with prices ranging from $29,405 to $35,995.
What’s the difference between the police Blazer EV and the civilian one?
The key distinction between the two comes down to the tuning of their powertrains. The EV PPV is based on the high-performance Blazer SS sold for retail customers. That’s a machine we called a normal family crossover with supercar speed, thanks to its output of 615 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, which may be why the cops can’t tap into all that output. Specific police tuning limits the Blazer EV PPV to 498 horsepower and 571 lb-ft. Still, the PPV is no slouch when it comes to acceleration and speed. Per testing with the Michigan State Police, it can reach 60 mph in a mere 5.14 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph.
And while that’s a fairly large spread between the pre-owned police Blazers and the civilian range-toppers, the latter is also roughly twice the price. Chevrolet wants $62,495 for a 2027 Blazer SS EV with all-wheel drive after destination. The least expensive brand-new Blazer EV is $46,795 after destination.
Another important difference between the cop car and regular Blazer is that the former has a purpose-built electrical architecture with a 400- to 12-volt power module reducer and a universal vehicle module. These components help the Blazer PPV provide enough juice to power upfitter equipment and allow it to handle unique operation modes such as Shutdown Inhibit or Fast Idle. Also in the mix are front Brembo brakes, a heavy-duty suspension, and steel skid plates. And while some used examples still have bull bars attached, the red and blue flashing lights are not.
