Small EV

[Tiglon]

So thanks to a combination of fuel prices, having another fun cars and being keen on potentially bringing my likely retirement age below 65-75 I've decided that a Mini Cooper S or Abarth 595 is probably not the right choice for my commuter car.

Instead, I'm looking at a small EV to do the job and potentially save £200+ per month. The Yeti suddenly sold today for almost the asking price after just 5 days advertised, so I'm now in a bit of a hurry!

My commute is 25 miles each way, 5 days per week. It's half B road, half A road (single carriageway) and I generally do it after rush hour, so there is sometimes an opportunity to enjoy a bit of the drive although I probably spend most of my time at 50-60 behind other cars.

I have a petrol family car for longer trips, and it has 500bhp so that has the fun ICE requirements covered for the dinosaur in me.

I'm currently considering:

Fiat 500e 42kwh - good range and not too slow, but from around 9/10k so pretty pricey. Convertible is tempting, but more expensive.

Mini Cooper SE - plenty quick, probably the most engaging on the list, but low range.

Renault Zoe 53kwh - from 7.5k so the cheaper option, great range but is it just incredibly dull and can you feel the cheapness?

BMW i3 - 33kwh perhaps not enough range? 42kwh £10k plus so more expensive than others.

Corsa/e-208 - snobbery probably rules out the Corsa, there's just nothing to love about it.

Seems like all will have plenty of range, but will I regret not giving myself more leeway if I go for one of the 30-something kwh options?

Are any of these cars actually fun to drive, or am I just kidding myself in thinking that the Mini might be any more engaging than the Zoe for example?

Have I missed any options? Things like Teslas are just a bit too big, as I have limited space for a 3rd car that will need to be close enough to charge. Ideally around 4m length max and not above average width.

Never had an EV before so any advice or suggestions welcome.

[stevemcs]

I would add the Mazda MX 30 to the list and remove the Corsa, although Vauxhall are throwing in a wall box and £1000 if you finance it.

[Blackpuddin]

We love our i3 range extender, it feels special and is plenty quick enough to entertain.

[Tiglon]

Should have mentioned, I'm looking at second hand not new to limit the depreciation cost. A brand new leased Model 3 or Renault 5 would still be cheaper than the Yeti at current prices, but it's not necessary.

The Mazda is bigger than I would like, I think has the lowest range and is slowest. Also not any cheaper to buy at 8k plus. What's its USP compared to the other options?

I hear a lot of people saying they love their i3's... and I do like the whole concept car vibe. Is the 33kwh battery enough though? I don't really fancy the rex, but 44kwh is still around the same price as the other options...

Edited by Tiglon on Saturday 9th May 23:48

[Tiglon]

Any thoughts on or experience of i3s vs Mini SE handling?

Struggling to find a decent comparison on this.

[MOBB]

I found the i3s ride choppy but it handled well, great cars overall

[stevemcs]

Lots of videos on YouTube, as for the Mazda, very good spec, range is on par with the mini

[samoht]

I'd recommend EV database to check ranges, it says the i3 33 kWh will do 70 miles at a steady 70mph in -10C weather, which is pretty much worst-case, so sounds like it'd definitely cover your commute.
https://ev-database.org/uk/car/1104/BMW-i3-94-Ah

USPs of the MX-30 are it's got a nice cabin, meant to have a bit of that Mazda fun-to-drive, and a newish car compared to some others on your list. But yes a bit larger so may not suit.

You might want to consider the VW e-Up (and Seat Mii Electric and Skoda Citigoe iV), as long as it's a 37 kWh model it should cover what you need and small (3.6m).

Wildcard: Renault Twizy ?

[mikiec]

I've had the use of an i3 for the last month, think it's a great thing. USP include carbonfibre build components, lightweight, RWD. Only EV I've driven but would happy own one, have to hand it back this week .

Overall I would say different and fun

[raspy]

MOBB said:

I found the i3s ride choppy but it handled well, great cars overall

That can be fixed by installing aftermarket shocks, like from Evolve.

[Jamescrs]

Would be the i3 for me just because I think it is quite unique amongst the others listed so it grabs my interest.

I would have suggested a Renault 5 but I suspect it may be over budget based on the other comments in the original post

[SWoll]

raspy said:

MOBB said:

I found the i3s ride choppy but it handled well, great cars overall

That can be fixed by installing aftermarket shocks, like from Evolve.

Reviews appear mixed, and it's an added expense I'd assume the OP is looking to avoid.

As the use case here is a 50 mile round trip commute I'm not sure why there are concerns around the range of cars like the Mini or earlier i3 TBH.

From personal experience, based on the described use case the Mini would make the most sense as happier at higher speeds than the i3 and more fun on the twisty bits.

This one looks a bargain for a low mileage, level 2 spec.



https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202604302...

[Alickadoo]

I don't think I would buy any of those cars in the OP's first post. put it down to my outdated biases.

What about a Honda E?

[chrisch77]

You don’t say what your home charging arrangements are OP, but if you can plug in every night then none of the options mentions should be a problem for your daily range requirements.

We had a MINI SE for 4 years and it was great, with me using it for a 60 mile daily commute latterly. We also had an i3s loaner for a couple of months whilst a battery issue was being resolved on the MINI - the MINI felt faster and handled better, with better driving position.