Used EV family runabout ~7.5k

[Lukas239]

I recently moved house and gained a charging point, and a roof ripe for solar panels. Coupled with the disdain for my partner's current car (Renault captur), I'm considering replacing with an EV.

This is my first experience with EVs so assume zero knowledge, but ultimately, is this a terrible idea?

Misses only ever does short urban journeys, with one commute a week totalling 25 miles. I doubt she ever does more than 50 miles in a day. Normally carting 2 children (4 & 1 respectively), and the associated crap that comes with this (pram, scooters, bags etc).

Requirements would be simple;
- 7.5k budget (flexible on this, but equally she does not care for cars, this is purely a cost-saving white goods exercise).
- similar/slightly bigger size & luggage capacity to the Captur (boot size is 375 to 450L with a sliding rear bench) without massively increasing cars footprint.
- Isofix
- ~100 mile range (likely could get away with 50 miles but not keen on the range anxiety)

We'd still have access to a large ICE car otherwise.

Viable options or a terrible idea?

Tia.

Edited by Lukas239 on Tuesday 7th July 10:40

[_Hoppers]

£7.5K will get you a nice EV with an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber shell!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606253...

If you can up your budget to £9.5k that should get you the updated 120AH version with 160-180 range

Alternatively there seems to be plenty of Nissan Leafs about for £7.5k

Edited by _Hoppers on Tuesday 7th July 10:24

[Lukas239]

_Hoppers said:

£7.5K will get you a nice EV with an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber shell!

Edited by _Hoppers on Tuesday 7th July 10:24

Cool design but I think rear door access & boot size makes it tricky.

Leafs/Leaves(?) seems plentiful, not sure if this a poor reflection on them.

[Skodillac]

Leaf 40kwh is ideal for this use case. We've been doing it for 9 years.

Total reliability, supremely practical and cost buttons to run. No brainer.

[edc]

With kids that age I would consider getting a car with a boot that can take 2 small 16" wheel bikes. If they are small that will take them up to age 6.

[_Hoppers]

Lukas239 said:

_Hoppers said:

£7.5K will get you a nice EV with an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber shell!

Edited by _Hoppers on Tuesday 7th July 10:24

Cool design but I think rear door access & boot size makes it tricky.

Leafs/Leaves(?) seems plentiful, not sure if this a poor reflection on them.

Yeah the boot isn’t massive but I find it big enough as a runabout car (I say runabout but I did 10k in mine last year, the 320 hardly left the garage!). I can get my road bike in the back with seats folded down and without having to take any wheels off.

Rear door access isn’t an issue, most people seem to use them incorrectly. When you get out of driver’s door stand at the hinge side of the rear door and open it across you. rear passenger goes into gap next to front door, then shut rear, they shut front.

[CSR Performance]

_Hoppers said:

£7.5K will get you a nice EV with an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber shell!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606253...

If you can up your budget to £9.5k that should get you the updated 120AH version with 160-180 range

Alternatively there seems to be plenty of Nissan Leafs about for £7.5k

Edited by _Hoppers on Tuesday 7th July 10:24

I'm looking for something similar to the OP but have a teenager who is approaching 6ft. I'm concerned about rear seat legroom with these! Also, do they have heated seats and carplay? Both deal breakers!

[Skodillac]

CSR Performance said:

_Hoppers said:

£7.5K will get you a nice EV with an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber shell!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606253...

If you can up your budget to £9.5k that should get you the updated 120AH version with 160-180 range

Alternatively there seems to be plenty of Nissan Leafs about for £7.5k

Edited by _Hoppers on Tuesday 7th July 10:24

I'm looking for something similar to the OP but have a teenager who is approaching 6ft. I'm concerned about rear seat legroom with these! Also, do they have heated seats and carplay? Both deal breakers!

My 6'3" son fits in the back of our Leaf just fine, it has heated seats all round and carplay, although it has to be wired to work fully for music streaming and nav.

[_Hoppers]

CSR Performance said:

_Hoppers said:

£7.5K will get you a nice EV with an aluminum chassis and carbon fiber shell!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606253...

If you can up your budget to £9.5k that should get you the updated 120AH version with 160-180 range

Alternatively there seems to be plenty of Nissan Leafs about for £7.5k

Edited by _Hoppers on Tuesday 7th July 10:24

I'm looking for something similar to the OP but have a teenager who is approaching 6ft. I'm concerned about rear seat legroom with these! Also, do they have heated seats and carplay? Both deal breakers!

Assuming you mean the BMW? I think the leg room in the rear is pretty good. I'm just shy of 6ft and with the seat in my driving position my boss, who is taller than me, managed to fit in the rear ok. AFAIK all the LCI i3 have heated seats? Car play was available for later models but it can be coded in for the LCI models, before a factory option. Kits are available otherwise.

Edited by _Hoppers on Tuesday 7th July 11:29

[SWoll]

BMW i3 a great little runaround but not suitable for the use case here having a tiny boot and potentially awkward rear access.

A MK2 Leaf would appear to tick all the boxes, something like this.



https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607023...

[cheeky_chops]

Lukas239 said:

Requirements would be simple;
- 7.5k budget (flexible on this, but equally she does not care for cars, this is purely a cost-saving white goods exercise).
- similar/slightly bigger size & luggage capacity to the Captur (boot size is 375 to 450L with a sliding rear bench) without massively increasing cars footprint.
- Isofix
- ~100 mile range (likely could get away with 50 miles but not keen on the range anxiety)

We'd still have access to a large ICE car otherwise.

I did similar in 2016 - missus had a A3 petrol so i took the plunge from a shed volvo V40 estate to a brand new Leaf Tekna - £220pm inc deposit, no bills or fuel to worry about. It got me 30 mile daily commute plus 2 kids (10 and 12) to school, clubs etc and occasional destination charge point and that was a tiny 24kw battery!

Now ordering our 5th ev, all been cheap leases (though its a main car now so budget and range has crept up...). Unless you are keeping the car xx years, the "white good" maths on leasing is pretty compelling

[tiger roll]

We've just moved on from our 40kw Leaf Tekna from 2018 to an old-shape BMW ix3. Both brilliant cars for the family runabout / second car role.

We had our Leaf from 35k to 70k miles, all fine. Paid £12k for it in 2023, just traded it in for a whopping £4,200.

Tekna spec adds some really good tech vs other trims. Absolute steal for the money nowadays. It has lost access to the app but we never used the app - you can schedule the heating in the winter through the car which sorts out the school run (i.e. you tell it to turn on the heating at 8am every Monday to Friday etc)

[Lukas239]

Thank you all, MK2 leaf well & truly on the radar.

The only pushback I predict is that it's a hatchback rather than a Crossover/SUV style. Any thoughts/experiences with the MG ZS EV as an alternative?

[SWoll]

Lukas239 said:

Thank you all, MK2 leaf well & truly on the radar.

The only pushback I predict is that it's a hatchback rather than a Crossover/SUV style. Any thoughts/experiences with the MG ZS EV as an alternative?

Chinese v Japanese, so expect the usual electrical faults and quality issues in comparison to the Leaf.

Other options witrhout galactic mileage.

DS3 Crossback

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607053...

Mokka Electric

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606043...

Mazda MX-30

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606293...

[Still Mulling]

Does an early Kia e-Niro fall into price range?

I would normally recommend an Ioniq EV, but I think the luggage space is too small.

[bracken78]

E-Golf. I have owned one for two years. Doing 1,000 miles a month.

[ZX10R NIN]

The best Leaf you can find:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202606053...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202607023...

[_Rodders_]

You can get brand new 100hp Dacia Spring for £11k.

Apparently improved quite a bit over the old one. If it's genuinely a white goods car that you want that won't ever do more than 100 miles between charges that's what I'd seriously consider.

[paul_c123]

I'd think very carefully about range, how much range other EVs will have when it comes to sell, and the impact on its value then, due to its range.

[drmike37]

With that brief I’d probably get stuck on an MG5 estate.