Another what car - EV

[RazerSauber]

Calling all car buyers around. The better half and I are looking at changing 2 cars into 1 EV. My car barely gets used now and I've got 2 motorbikes, another car and a pushbike to get around in. She's got an Astra H but is after something new and snazzy. We're after something with reasonable range in about the £10k-12k bracket. It'll mostly do a handful of miles per day for the other half to get to work and back, with the occasional motorway journey closer to 100 miles. We will use it when going longer distances but that's a rarity. It'll contain myself, the better half, the dachshund and all our associated paraphernalia when we go away. The current contenders are:

BMW i3/s - A fair few I3's around, a few i3s' in the budget. We like the range, the premium feel, the powerrrrr and the overwhelmingly positive reviews. We don't like the cost of tyres and are concerned that the ride has been considered very firm and prone to wandering in windy conditions. The S seems to be better in wind but even more firm. We'd look at an LCI model (2019 onwards) to ensure car play and lower battery degradation.

Hyundai Ioniq - We like the outside and the efficiency. The overall repair costs should be lower than the BMW, too. We don't like the finger print magnet black in the interior and it feels a bit low rent compared to the i3. I don't "want" one though and think I'd be unimpressed with it. Not a fan of the lack of buttons on later cars.

Kia Niro - Strong contender here. We like the positive reviews, we don't mind the looks, we don't like the piano black inside but otherwise we quite like these. The 64kw version is creeping into budget slowly for some leggy ones on Auto Trader. Taxi drivers seem to love them so they must be doing something right. Seems to have ample room inside, loads of toys, a big battery and generally inexpensive repair costs. Handy when we have to move bulky stuff around that's currently tackled by my Mazda 6. Got a feeling the other half will veto one when she sees the size though..

Thanks all.

[paradigital]

If you like the i3/i3s what about the Mini Electric?

Also to consider in budget: MG ZS, VW ID.3, and the Nissan Leaf.

[ZX10R NIN]

B250e:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409184...

64kwh Kia Soul first edition:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412227...

Mokka e:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412247...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412217...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412036...

[CG2020UK]

VW ID3 150kW Pro Performance

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409244...

[gmaz]

Hyundai Kona is a bit smaller and cheaper than a Niro, but same size battery @ 64kWh

[FiF]

Somewhat left field choice due to range but if that really is the use case Mazda MX30 starts from just over 10k these days.

[RazerSauber]

Thanks for all your suggestions. We've looked at a few of them. Some we've liked, some not so much. The Kona is food for thought. It's not a looker but if the underpinnings are the same then maybe it's worth looking more into.

The MX30 has come up. Looks lovely but the range is worryingly short from the reviews I've seen.

The Mokka looks nice. Although the SRi model with that red plastic s***e in the interior less so. An ultimate trim might be the place to look though.

[nordboy]

gmaz said:

Hyundai Kona is a bit smaller and cheaper than a Niro, but same size battery @ 64kWh

For the budget and that little bit more range than most, I'd go with the Kona as well.

[Danm1les]

I had an i3 and if your think the Kona is the small the i3 is of similar size. I would look at a Nero or a Soul if you can, will have warranty too still, or it should do!

[rfn]

We've had an i3S as a second car for ~18 months / 15,000 miles.

My other half loves it, as do I. It's great fun to drive. Alongside the i3S I have a 986 Boxster S as a weekend car and (currently) a Cupra Born as a company car - I prefer the i3.

Yes, the ride is firm but is playful/fun to drive (~1,300kg, RWD and ~180bhp help with that..) in a way that reminds me of my old F21 m135.