Which 5 or 6 year old EV?
Discussion
I'm running around in circles over this, so thought it might help to get some advice.
What (I think) I need:
- Something that has a range of at least 70 miles, but ideally over 100.
- Anywhere up to £11k at the most.
- At least 4 seats (2 adults, 2 kids)
- Useful boot space (for the occasions where we'd go away, not ruling out using a roof box/similar)
What I'll use it for:
- localish jaunts. At most Bristol and back (I'm the other side of Bath, so ~50 mile round trip)
- occasional commutes. Maybe once a fortnight, office will be 60 miles or so down the M4, each way. Possible charging options there, but I doubt it can be guaranteed.
- maybe longer journeys once or twice a year, so ideally if it can feasible charge quickly in those cases it'd be nice.
(not a 'must have', and I'm flexible on this use case)
Total mileage per year isn't expected to be too high. Probably 6k at the most. Been feeling the pull for a few years, and I've got bored of the constant stress of shedonomics and the impending death or driving an ICE wherever you want without having to think whether you're allowed.
What I've seen so far is the following:
- Zoe. 2016, 40k or thereabouts. £7k with battery lease (I believe around 50pcm for 4.5k pa) or +£3k to buy the battery
- Leaf. 2016, anywhere between 10k and 50k, battery owned, for £8k to £10k
- Soul. 2015ish and around 60k can be just in budget.
- i3. A 2014 REX with 60-70k can be in budget, else a 40k non-REX.
My thoughts so far are:
Zoe
Less to lump out on, BL can give some reassurance and flexibility? Boot a bit smaller (338L) and 'claimed' 150 mile range is still likely to be good enough? Less space, worse quality, but better looking. It's a Renault, so may disassemble itself ad hoc.
Leaf
Possibly the best VFM, but lots of worries about battery degradation. Pretty ugly and uninspiring, but more spacious. Range may be a bit rubbish even on a 30kWh due to the former.
Soul
Would still have warranty, but reading that the range would be well under the claimed 100+. Battery degradation seems to be slightly more common than is comfortable? Reasonable spacious.
i3
Arguable the best aesthetics and interior. The BEV version seems to offer 80 miles at most, but the REX seems to be a hot potato for issues, from what I have read.
It seems like all options (and indeed, all cars - even ICE ones) have their foibles, but I'm really not sure what to do. One half of me thinks that the Zoe is the most 'affordable', and the i3 the most appealing but probably regrettable!
I have some rainy day funds, but I'll mostly be financing any purchase (seeing as rates are so low anyway)
What (I think) I need:
- Something that has a range of at least 70 miles, but ideally over 100.
- Anywhere up to £11k at the most.
- At least 4 seats (2 adults, 2 kids)
- Useful boot space (for the occasions where we'd go away, not ruling out using a roof box/similar)
What I'll use it for:
- localish jaunts. At most Bristol and back (I'm the other side of Bath, so ~50 mile round trip)
- occasional commutes. Maybe once a fortnight, office will be 60 miles or so down the M4, each way. Possible charging options there, but I doubt it can be guaranteed.
- maybe longer journeys once or twice a year, so ideally if it can feasible charge quickly in those cases it'd be nice.
(not a 'must have', and I'm flexible on this use case)
Total mileage per year isn't expected to be too high. Probably 6k at the most. Been feeling the pull for a few years, and I've got bored of the constant stress of shedonomics and the impending death or driving an ICE wherever you want without having to think whether you're allowed.
What I've seen so far is the following:
- Zoe. 2016, 40k or thereabouts. £7k with battery lease (I believe around 50pcm for 4.5k pa) or +£3k to buy the battery
- Leaf. 2016, anywhere between 10k and 50k, battery owned, for £8k to £10k
- Soul. 2015ish and around 60k can be just in budget.
- i3. A 2014 REX with 60-70k can be in budget, else a 40k non-REX.
My thoughts so far are:
Zoe
Less to lump out on, BL can give some reassurance and flexibility? Boot a bit smaller (338L) and 'claimed' 150 mile range is still likely to be good enough? Less space, worse quality, but better looking. It's a Renault, so may disassemble itself ad hoc.
Leaf
Possibly the best VFM, but lots of worries about battery degradation. Pretty ugly and uninspiring, but more spacious. Range may be a bit rubbish even on a 30kWh due to the former.
Soul
Would still have warranty, but reading that the range would be well under the claimed 100+. Battery degradation seems to be slightly more common than is comfortable? Reasonable spacious.
i3
Arguable the best aesthetics and interior. The BEV version seems to offer 80 miles at most, but the REX seems to be a hot potato for issues, from what I have read.
It seems like all options (and indeed, all cars - even ICE ones) have their foibles, but I'm really not sure what to do. One half of me thinks that the Zoe is the most 'affordable', and the i3 the most appealing but probably regrettable!
I have some rainy day funds, but I'll mostly be financing any purchase (seeing as rates are so low anyway)
Thanks all.
I have looked on SpeakEV, but I wanted to get some opinion outside of an echo chamber, if that makes sense.
As much as the i3 may never use the REX, I heard things about gearboxes leaking and destroying the motor etc.
I've never bought 'new' before, but I am starting to wonder if PCP is a better option.
For example:
ID3 (reasonably base spec, £27k) 1 x £319, then 48 x £319 - GMFV £12,500 (ish) - 5kpa
Advantages being that the deposit is low, so less to put up front, and there's less/no risk of expensive stuff happening, at least for 3 of the years.
As I say, never done it before so not sure if it's a better option.
I have looked on SpeakEV, but I wanted to get some opinion outside of an echo chamber, if that makes sense.
As much as the i3 may never use the REX, I heard things about gearboxes leaking and destroying the motor etc.
I've never bought 'new' before, but I am starting to wonder if PCP is a better option.
For example:
ID3 (reasonably base spec, £27k) 1 x £319, then 48 x £319 - GMFV £12,500 (ish) - 5kpa
Advantages being that the deposit is low, so less to put up front, and there's less/no risk of expensive stuff happening, at least for 3 of the years.
As I say, never done it before so not sure if it's a better option.
Max_Torque said:
Consider how "cheap" is cheap
Our last i3, bought ex demo in 2016 worked out at just £50,41 a month over the 5 years we owned it, including everything (tyres, lecy, servicing, tax, depreciation, insurance)
Yes, we needed to find £16k to buy it, but we got £14.5k of that back when we sold it and running costs we stupidly low.
Unfortunately it's a case of horses and stable doors for those kinds of deals. An i3 out of general warranty is still £18k, so it's a gamble if anything unrelated to the battery fails (e.g. the drivetrain).Our last i3, bought ex demo in 2016 worked out at just £50,41 a month over the 5 years we owned it, including everything (tyres, lecy, servicing, tax, depreciation, insurance)
Yes, we needed to find £16k to buy it, but we got £14.5k of that back when we sold it and running costs we stupidly low.
I guess PCP gets you access to newer tech, and means you shouldn't have to worry about 'fixing' anything, or catastrophic failures, but the gamble is against GMFV if you want something tangible at the end of it
A loan is a gamble against depreciation, and (generally) you have something tangible at the end, but you're gambling against anything catastrophic (and general maintenance) being covered by your own wallet.
johnjamesjack said:
Just my thoughts after owning a 2018 i3 for 3 weeks so far - it’s an absolutely brilliant car. I just did the 110 mile trip into London and back without charging, with 30 miles of battery left.
It’s also a lot more practical than I thought - it’s got a smaller footprint than my sister’s 5 door Mini, but carried 4 people (2 of whom are 6”4 / 110kgs), a dog and 3 suitcases in comfort! If you can stretch to 14k you can get a car with a 94ah battery which can do about 150 miles in one go.
I think the Mrs is vetoing the idea of an MX-30 or i3 because of the quirky rear doors (we have kids)It’s also a lot more practical than I thought - it’s got a smaller footprint than my sister’s 5 door Mini, but carried 4 people (2 of whom are 6”4 / 110kgs), a dog and 3 suitcases in comfort! If you can stretch to 14k you can get a car with a 94ah battery which can do about 150 miles in one go.
Max_Torque said:
Where are you going in your car? When you get there, what do you do with the car?
For most people, the answers are:
1) work
2) Leave it in the work car park
The fact is, a passenger car spends something like 98% of its entire lifetime parked.......
For me, it varies. Often its running kids around, going to the shops etc. A few times a year (if the situation ever improves) it would involve longer journeys with the family in the car, 400-500mi round trips.For most people, the answers are:
1) work
2) Leave it in the work car park
The fact is, a passenger car spends something like 98% of its entire lifetime parked.......
Fortunately, my commutes will be only around 20 a year, but involve 100mi+ trips.
I think I've made a balanced choice to look at PCP for something new. That way, I'll likely hit all of my requirements.
Granted I won't own necessarily something at the end of it (for what I'm putting in per month), but I'll also have no risk of mechanical/electrical failure costs, and I doubt a £9k 30kWh leaf will be worth a huge amount in 4 years time either.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff