Electric Vehicle as 3rd Car?

[ShireSquirrel]

The initial message was deleted from this topic on 15 April 2019 at 13:21

[Phunk]

It really depends if it suits your circumstances, for you - it certainly does!

I wouldn't be so sure about the mental depreciation. New they can be picked up for £16k and 5 year old models are £7k. They've actually gone up in value in the last 12 months.

[rxe]

The reason most people don't do it is "third car". Quite a few places struggle to park 2, let alone 3. You'll need to insure it, MOT it, and it will undoubtedly need some fixing. It all dents the maths a bit.

I'm slightly struggling with the £400 on diesel a month and 17 to 20K a year. Even in my hardly economical 2.4 Alfa, £400 of diesel would get me at least 2500 miles....

[bagusbagus]

lol, Just Get a Nice electric bicycle, that will fit your needs, no upkeep costs or insurance/tax/running costs.

[ZX10R NIN]

It's a 3rd car which is why it makes sense for you, but to be used as a second car/daily it doesn't work for most as they have to do longer journeys every now & then, it doesn't make sense for most.

[qska]

When I had my weekend toy, the dead money of a third insurance policy was quite annoying.

Road tax ditto. I know EVs don't suffer from the latter, obviously.

It's quite hard to justify another car as a money saver, all considered.

Short range = little fuel burned in the other car anyway.

Plus, getting annoyed that you should have driven the other car instead on some days... First world problems, I know.

[dave_s13]

What are your existing 2 cars?

We have a Merc e350cdi and a Kia soul EV.

It's a perfect combo for us.

If you're fussed about saving cash then buying and 3rd car makes no sense.

[bagusbagus]

ShireSquirrel said:

Haha, yep, I might consider the electric bike. Would certainly make the school run more interesting

@Rxe: I know the diesel spend seems high, and I really can't figure it out myself. Having said that, this http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/costs/fuel-cost-calcula... produces a figure quite close to my calculations, using 26mpg.

But you are right, the insurance, tax and repairs would make a difference. Its helped by electric being £0 tax, and Nissan including 2 years free servicing for a used leaf. And the balance of a 5yr warranty. If I do keep the other two cars, one will go on a classic insurance policy for £250 a year. The way I see it, for the Leaf, I will just have to provide tyres and brake pads for the next 3+ years.

@Phunk: Why do you think Leaf prices are rising? There are quite a few articles on sites like the telegraph and guardian moaning about depreciation of electric cars. I am in effect buying a car that's less than two years old for 26% of its original value. The depreciation curve looks quite steep when you look at it that way.

What's the point at looking at the TAX rates when you buy a car that costs 20-30k? Extra 30pounds a year for few years is seriously going to change someones decision?
well I actually know there are a lot of people who think like this...haha.
£0 Tax vs £50/year tax is the least of your worries when buying a new car...maybe it's crucial if you are looking to buy a 15year old banger for £300 ..

[SCEtoAUX]

ShireSquirrel said:

The way I see it, for the Leaf, I will just have to provide tyres and brake pads for the next 3+ years.

I wouldn't be too sure about buying brake pads. Regen braking and the way these cars are usually driven (thinking ahead to avoid braking) means very little brake pad wear.

My Leaf is on 33k miles (I've had it from new) and the main dealer reports 10% wear on the front pads and 5% wear on the back. That's on the first set of pads.

[TooLateForAName]

Reports of depreciation are because people look at the list price of a new car (which is typically very high).

Cars 1 or 2 yrs old are a great buy and prices are very firm. possibly because the motor etc hold the value up.

[Phunk]

ShireSquirrel said:

@Phunk: Why do you think Leaf prices are rising? There are quite a few articles on sites like the telegraph and guardian moaning about depreciation of electric cars. I am in effect buying a car that's less than two years old for 26% of its original value. The depreciation curve looks quite steep when you look at it that way.

The telegraph and guardian are talking utter rubbish. Can you see any two year old Leafs for £5k?

I was looking to buy one about 12-18 months ago and they were £5500 for a 12 plate. Now those are around £7000

[GreatGranny]

Makes sense OP.

My Leaf is on 45k miles (Leased new Jan 16) and is still on original pads and just needed tyres changed.

No problems at all apart from a software update.

Dealer has been superb.

If you do short journeys your charge cost will be a lot less than £2.30 a day.
You will be charging from 50-60% charge each day or sometimes not at all.

[Evanivitch]

Makes sense.

My Ampera, with it's limited EV range, has replaced the Mazda2 with it's little petrol for nipping to the shops and around town, it's just a better driving experience.

Head over to SpeakEV, it's a wealth of knowledge.

[TooLateForAName]

Phunk said:

The telegraph and guardian are talking utter rubbish. Can you see any two year old Leafs for £5k?

I was looking to buy one about 12-18 months ago and they were £5500 for a 12 plate. Now those are around £7000

To be fair there are some very cheap cars out there - the ones with battery leases. They are originally bought on PCP because they are cheaper than the battery owned versions. Once they crop up on the 2nd hand market nobody wants them. Look at used zoe & fluence prices (achieved prices mind).

I know Nissan allows you to buy out the battery lease now, but I'm not sure if they still sell them new with battery lease (FLEX in nissan terminology).

For the benefit of anyone who isnt familiar with the models, all 1st gen leafs are battery owned (so pre 2013, usually beige seats, no eco button on the steering wheel and parking brake release in the centre console between the seats). 2nd gen leafs (dark grey seats, eco button, parking brake release by pressing the foot pedal again) might or might not be battery owned.
Nissan went through a process of getting the battery lease onto the V5 - loads of people got replacement V5 docs with FLEX in the model name - how complete that process was though...

[andrewrob]

TooLateForAName said:

Phunk said:

The telegraph and guardian are talking utter rubbish. Can you see any two year old Leafs for £5k?

I was looking to buy one about 12-18 months ago and they were £5500 for a 12 plate. Now those are around £7000

For the benefit of anyone who isnt familiar with the models, all 1st gen leafs are battery owned (so pre 2013, usually beige seats, no eco button on the steering wheel and parking brake release in the centre console between the seats). 2nd gen leafs (dark grey seats, eco button, parking brake release by pressing the foot pedal again) might or might not be battery owned.
Nissan went through a process of getting the battery lease onto the V5 - loads of people got replacement V5 docs with FLEX in the model name - how complete that process was though...

Also worth noting that the 1st Gen cars have a much less economical heating system and there were problems with some with the electronic handbrake failing which cost over £1000 to fix.
I've got a Gen 2 which is now on 33k miles and its been a great second car. I don't drive it slowly and my running costs are 2p a mile (charging on economy 7) or 4p a mile if I charge in the day (which I don't really ever do).

Its common for these cars to be reaching 170k+ miles with only the wiper blades and tyres being changed, I don't know of many petrol/diesel cars that can manage that

[Pica-Pica]

rxe said:

The reason most people don't do it is "third car". Quite a few places struggle to park 2, let alone 3. You'll need to insure it, MOT it, and it will undoubtedly need some fixing. It all dents the maths a bit.

I'm slightly struggling with the £400 on diesel a month and 17 to 20K a year. Even in my hardly economical 2.4 Alfa, £400 of diesel would get me at least 2500 miles....

Agree. As they say, the cheapest car to run, is the one you already have.

[ShireSquirrel]

GreatGranny said:

Makes sense OP.

My Leaf is on 45k miles (Leased new Jan 16) and is still on original pads and just needed tyres changed.

No problems at all apart from a software update.

Dealer has been superb.

If you do short journeys your charge cost will be a lot less than £2.30 a day.
You will be charging from 50-60% charge each day or sometimes not at all.

Thanks for the insight! At what mileage did you have to change the tyres? From what I understand, they are special and can be marginally more expensive than tyres for a similar sized car?

[anonymous-user]

Due the low cost ppm for EVs - mostly because there is no duty on electricity used as road fuel - they are good if the range / charging fits your usage pattern

Not suitable for everyone and not 'free' motoring

I'm on my second and expect to have a third

[SCEtoAUX]

ShireSquirrel said:

Thanks for the insight! At what mileage did you have to change the tyres? From what I understand, they are special and can be marginally more expensive than tyres for a similar sized car?

I know you're not asking me but the fronts on mine lasted around 20k miles, the rears 26k. Price of replacements was about fifty five quid each fitted. I went with ditchfinders as I drive the Leaf very gently.

[DoubleD]

I would never buy ditch finders. You might drive gently but what happens when someone pulls out in front of you?