Best used Electric or Hybrid cars from dealer for £20-25k

[carquery]

Hi,

I need to get a new car and I have decided that I want to go the hybrid or full electric route, but I am struggling to identify the best options for a budget of £20-25k from a dealer.

From my research it looks like Tesla and Audi options are not i this price bracket.

From my research the best options seem to be the below:

Electric

• VW eGolf
• Hyundai Ioniq

Hybrid

• Toyota Corolla
• BMW 330e

Are there any other models I should be considering?

I am not a huge fan of BMW and my concern is that the Golf, Ioniq and Corolla are a bit sensible/boring...

Is there anything in my price range which is well reviewed and more exciting?

Thanks

[jjwilde]

MG estate is a bargain.

[danp]

Lots of factors - e.g. how many miles do you do a day? Any regular long journeys? Can you charge on a driveway? How big does it need to be? etc

[T6 vanman]

jjwilde said:

MG estate is a bargain.

Electric MQ for new do appear a bargain .... Drove a CR-V Hybrid and that was a very pleasant bus

Edit .. Sorry just re-read your OP ... you stated "more exciting"

Edited by T6 vanman on Wednesday 13th January 14:51

[raspy]

Use £5k from your budget to buy an "exciting" car and the remaining £20k from your budget to buy a "boring" EV/hybrid

[chrisgeary]

The i3 is definitely not boring, it's a very entertaining drive and if it had 5 seats and a bigger boot I'd probably have bought one.

[off_again]

chrisgeary said:

The i3 is definitely not boring, it's a very entertaining drive and if it had 5 seats and a bigger boot I'd probably have bought one.

Yup, the i3 is actually quite endearing. Handles well, is just fast enough and available at a cracking price (initial depreciation is terrible). BUT, it doesnt fit everyone. 5 seats, limited luggage (which isnt that bad) and rear windows that dont roll down to just name a few - which are sufficient to discourage a lot of buyers.

But fun to drive, decent(ish) ride, easy to live with and a turning circle that is as good as a black cab (had an old Volvo S60, which had a comedy turning circle), its a bit of a steal. Only if it works for you though.

[liner33]

I really like the i3 , we were thinking about one for my wife but to be honest the instant torque and her limited experience of rwd I felt it would be too much for her . (The fact she couldn't feel the rear coming loose on bends was worrying ) . For a more enthusiastic driver they would be a hoot and in no way dull.

She had a Prius which she replaced with a Lexus UX 250 which is in your budget also

[off_again]

liner33 said:

I really like the i3 , we were thinking about one for my wife but to be honest the instant torque and her limited experience of rwd I felt it would be too much for her . (The fact she couldn't feel the rear coming loose on bends was worrying ) . For a more enthusiastic driver they would be a hoot and in no way dull.

She had a Prius which she replaced with a Lexus UX 250 which is in your budget also

Actually, I would say the i3 is quite a lot of fun - but its pretty well resolved and as BMW's first real EV it does feel like one too. Its certainly NOT overpowered (the i3s I am told is nicer and quicker), but even with those skinny tires, its pretty difficult to get them to spin or misbehave. My wife can have a pretty heavy foot and she finds it fun but hasnt reached the limits of it. It feels RWD (impressive to bring all of the systems together to give it that feel), but its no 335i or above...

I would say that its quick but not fast. Feels faster than it is and traction is excellent. One pedal driving is neat (not unique) and as a package and for the second hand price, its a bit of a steal. But a more conventional model is going to appeal to a wider audience and there are faster, longer range and less awkward looking cars around the same price though.

This whole lockdown thing means I am just not using my AMG but the BMW is getting used constantly and its saving us a fortune!

[Chris-S]

C350e??

[sjg]

£25k will get you a very lightly used Honda E if you want something a bit less boring and can live with a range similar to the eGolf. It's where my money would go.

A few Mini Electrics about under £25k, also smallish battery/range but nicely built and fun to drive.

e208 (or Corsa / Zoe) too with a bit more range.

I have an eGolf and it's fine. It's everything a Golf does well but very quietly and with lots of torque. Not sporty though. I had a Golf GTE before and that's worth considering if the PHEV route works for you. It just feels sportier (nicer wheel, deep sports seats, etc), bit flatter on electric only but pretty good when the engine and electric are working together. Great at being a short-range EV too - unlike some PHEVs it'll preheat including away from a charger, and you can use all the electric performance without the engine starting up.

Edited by sjg on Wednesday 13th January 21:43

[danp]

You may be able to get a pre-registered VW ID.3 for £25k. Not sure I’d say it’s exciting but at least it’s RWD and has pretty good performance (204PS and circa 7 secs to 60). Decent sized battery for the money as well - 58kWh usable.

Not nearly as much fun as the i3 (which is about 500kg lighter for a start) but they are much less practical if that’s a consideration, and have a smaller battery - 42kWh in the current one, available from about £22k secondhand.

[carquery]

Thanks for all the replies.

I suppose me saying more 'exciting' was a bit vague. It doesn't have to be a sports car or drive like one, I suppose really what I meant was a bit more of a desirable badge and brand. I worry a bit that getting a Toyota is a bit boring and not really a desirable vehicle.

The eGolf looks like it could be a great option - but my concern here is that it is just a normal Golf with an electric engine. When you look at cars designed to be electric form the ground up (ID3, I3 etc) they feel much more modern.

I hadn't considered the I3, as I had though they were a bit too small. Having watched some video reviews I am very surprised, they look great. But it seems their range isn't as good as the competition?

Finally, an additional question. Does battery degradation mean electric cars are better on PCP or lease purchase?

I have always bought my cars outright in the past, but I am worried that depreciation may be worse on electric cars due to battery degradation, so wondering if I should do PCP or just lease?

[l354uge]

All EVs have atleast 8 year battery warranty, so will be replaced for free if they're under 70-80% SOH.
I would be buying Korean in your price range, but they don't pass your litmus test so an i3 or (maybe) Honda e would do.

Bare in mind that whilst the battery's have a long warranties, the rest of the HV system and car have standard warranty terms. People like to say EVs go wrong less because of less moving parts, and they're right, but they do go wrong and you will not want to DIY anything HV, leaving you at the mercy of a dealer or specialist.

Edited by l354uge on Thursday 14th January 13:44

[kambites]

carquery said:

I suppose me saying more 'exciting' was a bit vague. It doesn't have to be a sports car or drive like one, I suppose really what I meant was a bit more of a desirable badge and brand. I worry a bit that getting a Toyota is a bit boring and not really a desirable vehicle.

I think the problem is, only you know what badge is desirable to you.

[ElectricSoup]

The Nissan Leaf is a better electric car than the e-Golf. But of course nobody wants to hear that because badge.

[l354uge]

Didn't even realise you said hybrid aswell as EV, I would seriously consider a Kia Optima Sport wagon Phev.

Decent electric only range, 7 year warranty and if you look past the badge it's a very handsome car and nice place to be inside.

[Smiljan]

carquery said:

Hi,

I need to get a new car and I have decided that I want to go the hybrid or full electric route, but I am struggling to identify the best options for a budget of £20-25k from a dealer.

From my research it looks like Tesla and Audi options are not i this price bracket.

From my research the best options seem to be the below:

Electric

• VW eGolf
• Hyundai Ioniq

Hybrid

• Toyota Corolla
• BMW 330e

Are there any other models I should be considering?

I am not a huge fan of BMW and my concern is that the Golf, Ioniq and Corolla are a bit sensible/boring...

Is there anything in my price range which is well reviewed and more exciting?

Thanks

When you say new, do you mean it has to be brand new or do you mean new to you. Are you open to 2nd hand suggestions?

If it's pure EV what sort of use do you have, whay kind or car do you want?

[kambites]

ElectricSoup said:

The Nissan Leaf is a better electric car than the e-Golf. But of course nobody wants to hear that because badge.

And the MG ZS is better than either (because it has proper thermal battery management).

[ElectricSoup]

kambites said:

ElectricSoup said:

The Nissan Leaf is a better electric car than the e-Golf. But of course nobody wants to hear that because badge.

And the MG ZS is better than either (because it has proper thermal battery management).

It does have that feature, yes. Fair argument, if you can put up with it being an SUV (I couldn't so had forgotten about it). I'd rather an MG5, in fact one of those might be my next car after my current Leaf.