Used EV - 10-13k

[robertfleckney]

Absolute newbie to EVs, so any advice gratefully received.

Wife’s car failed its MOT (uneconomical to repair), which got us thinking about an EV as a replacement. We worked out that for the money she spends on petrol and the cost of a new car, would also put her in a nearly new EV on a 4 year PCP.

There seems to be some choice around the 10-13k mark, so I’m wondering what to avoid/what people recommend.

She doesn’t like the look of the Leaf, but quite likes the Peugeot e-208. Anyone recommend places to buy EVs? (Other than the obvious)

Initially we would be using a granny charger, until we can sort a wall charger out.

[eth2190]

IMO the 42kwh BMW i3 is the pick in this price range (unless being a four seater and having limited rear space is a deal breaker).

[robertfleckney]

I should have mentioned that we need five seats. It’s a real shame, as the cars we both like have four seats!

[Dumpy1]

Vw id3 have just dropped into your range! Did similar 6 months ago and for us it’s brilliant! We charge from granny charger overnight once a week! Never had to charge away from home! I’ve owned a lot of cars and this is the best daily driver I’ve ever had! Total bargain at this money! People moan about haptic buttons and infotainment system not as good as others etc but if that’s all you got to moan about then 1st world problems imho!

[kambites]

I think I'd be looking for a 64kWh Hyundai Kona.

[TooLateForAName]

How much rear space do you need?

Kona if not much rear space needed.
otherwise id3 or possibly niro, soul.

tesla 3 is almost in budget.

[Europa Jon]

Get back to us with your shortlist after Googling to weed out those you won't consider. That'll avoid conversations about irrelevant cars.
Could you charge an EV at home, and have you allowed £1200 and 3 months to get a 7kW charger?

[andy43]

kambites said:

I think I'd be looking for a 64kWh Hyundai Kona.

That or a Soul. Check its FSH so it qualifies for the 7 year warranty.
Also look at usage and whether you need a posh charger - we’ve been running EVs for nearly a decade off a 13A socket.

[robertfleckney]

In terms of usage, it is a second vehicle for my wife to use for work. She doest 36 miles per day, three days per week.

In terms of wall charger, we are going to need to sort that out eventually.

I think I will buying something cheap (a shed) for a short period, while we sort the electric car, as I don’t even have a smart meter, so I’m limited on tariffs.

Hard to ignore cheap leases though at this price. So many decisions!

[Turtle Shed]

I've gone through this thought process (owned a Leaf from new for over a decade, and fancy replacing with something with longer range at this price point).

Hyundai Ionic Premium SE is my choice. Haven't bought when yet but will do so in the new year when the right car comesup at a main dealership.

Edit to add that for just 36 miles per day, three days per week, I'd be buying one of the original (but 2014 onwards) Leafs as a toe-dipping exercise. Unless of course you might want to drive further than a 60 miles round trip, in which case don't even consider one.

Edited by Turtle Shed on Wednesday 25th December 20:55

[Rhodrich]

It might not be the most exciting choice, but we're very happy with our MG5. 13k will get you a 2 year old long range 61kWh one, with 5 years of warranty left...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202412177...

[samoht]

You don't need a wall charger, a three pin would be fine for 36 miles a day (likely would cover twice that).

Almost any EV would cover that fine.

You'll still save money even without a smart meter and cheap rate, just not as much.

Hyundai Ioniq is the 'obvious' choice but you can get what your wife wants, e-208 would be fine.

Renault Zoe another cheapish option, just watch out for battery leases on these.

Vauxhall Corsa/Mokka, Citroen e-C4, DS3 are all on the same platform as 208 although some are larger.

Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul and Niro 64 kWh are the longest range EVs for that money, if you might want to take it on longer journeys.

I wouldn't bother with an interim shed, just buy an EV within budget that you both like and charge it with a three pin charger. Sort out smart meter etc later.

[mikey_b]

Europa Jon said:

Get back to us with your shortlist after Googling to weed out those you won't consider. That'll avoid conversations about irrelevant cars.
Could you charge an EV at home, and have you allowed £1200 and 3 months to get a 7kW charger?

Why 3 months for an EV charger? My wife's uncle picked up a new EV a couple of weeks ago and had an electrician mate fit a 7kW charger the following day. They are sold in Screwfix.

[mikeiow]

andy43 said:

kambites said:

I think I'd be looking for a 64kWh Hyundai Kona.

That or a Soul. Check its FSH so it qualifies for the 7 year warranty.
Also look at usage and whether you need a posh charger - we’ve been running EVs for nearly a decade off a 13A socket.

We just chopped in our 2019 53k-mile Kona in for a new (ex-demo) one. Value around the 11k mark you’re looking for.

We loved the old Kona: the only thing to note is the rear legroom & boot is tight (new one is bigger). Kia Niro likely a bit bigger for 5.

MG is a fair shout. They are quite the bargain as EVs go. Have a pal who has had a couple, quite happy.

You should be fine ‘granny-charging’, but be aware you might find you like driving it a lot, & then might want a home chargepoint, especially on cheaper tariffs - the on-going running costs are pennies, & not visiting a petrol station again is a lovely thing

[robertfleckney]

samoht said:

You don't need a wall charger, a three pin would be fine for 36 miles a day (likely would cover twice that).

Almost any EV would cover that fine.

You'll still save money even without a smart meter and cheap rate, just not as much.

Hyundai Ioniq is the 'obvious' choice but you can get what your wife wants, e-208 would be fine.

Renault Zoe another cheapish option, just watch out for battery leases on these.

Vauxhall Corsa/Mokka, Citroen e-C4, DS3 are all on the same platform as 208 although some are larger.

Hyundai Kona, Kia Soul and Niro 64 kWh are the longest range EVs for that money, if you might want to take it on longer journeys.

I wouldn't bother with an interim shed, just buy an EV within budget that you both like and charge it with a three pin charger. Sort out smart meter etc later.

Thanks for taking the time to share this advice. Sounds like we could just take the plunge.

We have OVO, so we can use their charge anytime add on. Some car not compatible at this stage, without a wall charger (Citroen/peugeot for example).

What are people’s thoughts on the ID3?

[robertfleckney]

mikeiow said:

andy43 said:

kambites said:

I think I'd be looking for a 64kWh Hyundai Kona.

That or a Soul. Check its FSH so it qualifies for the 7 year warranty.
Also look at usage and whether you need a posh charger - we’ve been running EVs for nearly a decade off a 13A socket.

We just chopped in our 2019 53k-mile Kona in for a new (ex-demo) one. Value around the 11k mark you’re looking for.

We loved the old Kona: the only thing to note is the rear legroom & boot is tight (new one is bigger). Kia Niro likely a bit bigger for 5.

MG is a fair shout. They are quite the bargain as EVs go. Have a pal who has had a couple, quite happy.

You should be fine ‘granny-charging’, but be aware you might find you like driving it a lot, & then might want a home chargepoint, especially on cheaper tariffs - the on-going running costs are pennies, & not visiting a petrol station again is a lovely thing

You make a very good point here. We will start using it more often, you are right.

Need to consider the range of the new car; no point regretting buying something with poor range.

[mikeiow]

robertfleckney said:

You make a very good point here. We will start using it more often, you are right.

Need to consider the range of the new car; no point regretting buying something with poor range.

Range: perhaps is the only thing I fear we will miss with our new Kona
This time of year, the old one would see 230-240 miles without trying. Summer to 260.
The newer one is a bigger car, & after 100 miles it looks like 210-220 miles might be the winter range for us.
Early days: maybe I will calm my driving down a bit

The original Kona was a marvel of tech & economy!

[samoht]

robertfleckney said:

Thanks for taking the time to share this advice. Sounds like we could just take the plunge.

We have OVO, so we can use their charge anytime add on. Some car not compatible at this stage, without a wall charger (Citroen/peugeot for example).

What are people’s thoughts on the ID3?

I think you'll need to get a smart meter installed to use OVO charge anytime, but I agree that's probably a good bet as you are already with them.

Yes if you want to use that, I'd look for a compatible car. Be aware that at least Jaguar and Ford have blocked energy companies from their systems, so although the I-Pace and Mach E were previously 'compatible cars', they are no longer. So you might end up needing a compatible charger in the long run, depending.

However, most people can use a tariff with fixed overnight cheap hours and get close to the lowest pricing, without any compatibility issues, so it's not a huge deal either way. But anytime probably nice to have if you can get it.


The ID3's worst aspect is probably its interior quality and user interface, so the good thing is that you only need to sit in one to know if that's a concern for you. If not, then it's a decent bet I think, not too slow, pretty spacious, decent range (there are two battery sizes), and good value secondhand. Probably a better bet for five people than a Kona. Definitely worth checking out. Note that the big battery ID3s can't seat five people due to weight limitations (recent models apart), so you'd need a 58kWh rather than 77, still decent range though.


On range, https://ev-database.org/uk/car/1202/Volkswagen-ID3... EV Database is quite a good site, they have a 'highway' range which is constant 70mph, probably halfway between cold and mild weather highway range numbers is fairly realistic for UK outside of summer. WLTP numbers are ludicrously optimistic unfortunately, hence this recommendation.

The benefit of buying something with a longer range is that it'll be useful for more journeys and it may hold its value better. Against that, the shorter range models tend to be cheaper to buy, and may be a little lighter.

I agree that personally, having bought a Citroen with fairly short motorway range, expecting it would mainly be for shorter trips, however I end up taking it for longer journeys even though it means a charging stop halfway, because it's so smooth and relaxing to drive. So 'mission creep' is definitely a thing.

[andy43]

We work from home and cook with electricity so we’ve never bothered with special tariffs - do the numbers with current usage and see if it’s actually worth switching to an EV tariff if you’re only doing a few miles a week. With us covering maybe 3,000 electrical miles a year I don’t think it’s worth bothering.

[ChocolateFrog]

andy43 said:

We work from home and cook with electricity so we’ve never bothered with special tariffs - do the numbers with current usage and see if it’s actually worth switching to an EV tariff if you’re only doing a few miles a week. With us covering maybe 3,000 electrical miles a year I don’t think it’s worth bothering.

I guess it should be a fairly simple calculation to work out the breakeven point on the EV tariffs.