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We're off to test drive a Volvo XE30 this weekend, anyone got any experience of this car? I've only heard good things about it, but my only concern is , like many other EV's, everything runs off the single screen. It's the second car, so we only require the single motor, small battery, though the dealership were keen to push the all singing and dancing twin motor AWD thing. No thanks, no need.
I’ve paid £10 to octopus watch app for 12 months weather graph and 48hr predicted prices.
.... or just look at the Octopus Greener Days forecast!
https://octopus.energy/smart/greener-days/
I think regarding the single screen, you either can deal with it or you can't. It depends how it's been implemented. Just remember that's part of the reason you're getting a premium quality car for a pretty damn good price in the case of that Volvo.
Dunno what you guys are setting the car to 22 for, that’s roasting hot
I'm not, but people do - perhaps because they are used to it in ICEs. When we picked up our used Ioniq it was set to 24! It also seems to depend on the combination of heating/AC. In the Leaf, the auto setting would use the compressor for heat, but not dry the air so you'd be comfortable at 17C with ambient humidity. However if it was wet out you'd mist up so if you then select heat and AC together, it would use the resistive heater for heat and the AC for drying the air, but 17C felt pretty chilly. The effiency (at 4-5C) didn't change a lot though. The Hyundai has the same heat/AC options but doesn't seem to make a difference and we leave it on auto. I always used to drive long distances in a t-shirt but now I wear a jumper, which isn't any great hardship.
Dunno what you guys are setting the car to 22 for, that’s roasting hot. Did a 600 km round trip this weekend in t-shirt/jeans at 18 degrees. Lovely comfortable drive.
We're all different. Our house and car thermostats are set to 21°C
I’ve only heard good things about it, but my only concern is , like many other EV’s, everything runs off the single screen.
It really doesn't. The XE30 has the full compliment of steering column stalks and steering wheel switches. Sure you'll have to look slightly down and to the left to check your speed but that took me about 5 mins to get used to in my Tesla. Looking at the XE30 interior pics on Volvo's website I notice that it has shortcuts on the screen for the HVAC. It also probably has voice control.
3.6 seconds 0-60 in the dual motor version... Pheweeew....!
DrP
I would also think it's one of those things that it's worth getting used to, because it's a great car otherwise and surprisingly cheap.
^^
Agreed - looks nice too.
I think the top spec twin motor variant is something like £44k. That's a reasonable price for the tech and trim.
DrP
XC30 does look mint.
My lease is up in 5months so I'm in the marked now for a replacement.
There is so much more available now for not silly money so I seriously looking at buying 2nd hand, renault megane or a polestar are the current favorites.
I guess we're referring to the EX30 not the XE or XC whatever.
Seems to be a decent car by all accounts, but I think the "cheap" is a bit of a con. I know all manufacturers have an entry level model so they can say "priced from" and then charge more for anything you'd want to buy, but Volvo seem to be taking it to extremes with the EX30.
Efficiency doesn't seem to be all that impressive either. Not bad, but reports I've seen suggest 3 mi/kWh for the performance and 3.5 mi/kWh for the single motor, which is a fair chunk below the 4 mi/kWh that some manufacturers seem to manage.
There is also a fair bit of hype around it, which could mean pretty steep depreciation when the inevitable backlash hits.
The kicker for me is that it only comes in one colour (yellow). Plus a load of bland non-colours that you couldn't pay me to drive. But that's very much a personal opinion 🙂
There is so much more available now for not silly money so I seriously looking at buying 2nd hand, renault megane or a polestar are the current favorites.
I can't get over how much the Polestars depreciate!
I paid, roughly, 35% of the retail cost on a 3 year old, top spec model..
DrP
I have been watching how you are getting with your DrP 🙂
I think I'd be pretty happy with a Polestar
Yeah -really happy.
It's a lovely car to drive - feels v much like a GT car TBH! I've the dual motor PPilot plus, so has the glass roof/auto steer/decent stereo. Also got the performance upgrade so is 350kw now.
This means it's a big luxury car that's easy and lovely to drive, but can take off like a rocket if you need it!
Also, it's got a proper dash, and center info screen, AND actual buttons for other things, AND the HVAC is always visible on the centre screen, so useability is very good.
Main downside I guess is that the front can feel 'enclosed' due to the 'shifter tunnel', but once in the driving seat it's fine and never bothered me. Some people find it claustrophobic.
As always, the inner 17 year old lad in me can't leave cars be, so it's had the rear windows tinted to match the factory tint rear glass, i've put a lovely little carbon spoiler on the rear, and will lower it a tad soon too!!!
DrP
I can’t get over how much the Polestars depreciate!
I paid, roughly, 35% of the retail cost on a 3 year old, top spec model..
I thought the traditional rule of thumb was 50% in three years? 35% seems pretty good.
My lease is up in 5months so I’m in the marked now for a replacement.
Central still have a *very* good deal on the top-of-the-range Lexus Rz – less than £300 a month for a £70k car. It won't be for everyone as the range isn't great but, other than that issue, it's a lot of car for the money. I have ordered one for a September delivery – almost all of our driving means the range won't be an issue.
https://centralukvehicleleasing.co.uk/car-leasing/lexus/rz/101086/450e-230kw-takumi-714-kwh-5dr-auto
I suspect that depreciation on EVs is going to be pretty severe for a few more years yet. Mainly for two reasons:
First, they are probably over-priced and that price is being propped up by the tax breaks available for company cars, which aren't available to the next buyer. So, a £40K EV is probably only a £30K car and a price around £15K after 2-3 years is about normal and only looks low if you really thought it was a £40K car in the first place.
Second, technology is changing faster in EVs than ICE cars. What looks like cutting edge battery tech now, for example, might look almost obsolete in only a few years.
So, a £40K EV is probably only a £30K car
I used to think that, now I'm not so sure when you look at the kit and so on. The cheapest ICEs are cheaper than the cheapest EVs, for sure, but once you start speccing decent engines and gear it's not that different.
molgrips
I thought the traditional rule of thumb was 50% in three years? 35% seems pretty good.
I think he's saying he paid 35% of RRP, so 65% depreciation.
The main factor is most people who may be able to purchase an EV at 3 years old would also have access to a salary sacrifice scheme and are higher rate tax payers, so the second hand cost of a £60k new car has to appear significantly less than the £400pm post tax that the same car would cost as a company car. That's not the case for other cars, so the market is artificially compressed.
I'm glad, as I'd quite like a Honda e as a second car in a few years, but don't want to pay more than 10k for one..
Incidentally, looks like stoneachre are pumping out pre registered fiat 500s for half price.. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202401306051062?sort=price-asc&advertising-location=at_cars&make=Fiat&model=500e&postcode=BN6%208FF&fromsra
less than £300 a month for a £70k car.
Except it's really not. That's with a £3600 deposit on a 24 month lease at 6000 miles, so it's really £450 a month on the minimum mileage. If you want 10k and to make it so that deposit is spread over 3 years its even worse ~£600.
GET IN!
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Noticed my MG (45k in 20months) has started to show a discrepancy between the displayed and actual battery usage per mile.
My last two journeys have been displayed as 3.7m/kW but looking at the % drop in capacity shows more like 3.2m/kW and the kW added at charge supports the % dropped.
Obviously the Chinese haven’t noticed the hoo-har surrounding VW lying about their figures (or being china, just don’t care!)
5lab
Full Member
The main factor is most people who may be able to purchase an EV at 3 years old would also have access to a salary sacrifice scheme and are higher rate tax payers, so the second hand cost of a £60k new car has to appear significantly less than the £400pm post tax that the same car would cost as a company car
I'm a bit of a luddite about this...
I just paid "money" for the car, then owned it and drove it away!
DrP
I've test driven an EX30 for an hour... my impressions...
It drove really well. Better than a lot of reputedly good ICE cars as well
Colours are fine for me,
Backseats are small. Adults over 175 won't want to do a long journey in them
Single screen is annoying, but not a total showstopper. I thought the screen and software layout OK,
I know some people don't like the buttons on the steering wheel , but I thought OK
Range isn't great in the smallest model. The top model is too pricey for what it is, so I think the midpoint is the sweetspot.
Very marmite overall, you'll like it or find it intolerable I think.
Serial EV charging tariff gamer here… $0.08 per kWh midnight to 6am, $0.00 from 11am to 2pm.
powerwall is set to 100% time based control and the heat pump (air source) runs 24/7. Come midnight, eveything flips over to grid and the EV and powerwall guzzle flat out. This stops at 6am and we revert to battery power. Same thing happens at 11am (if there is insufficient solar) which takes us all,the way through to midnight. Any excess solar is mopped up by the EV using a smart app (charge hq) and dumb Tesla charger. They work in conjunction with the powerwall to divert any excess from grid to the ev.
‘They do get me however on the electric hot water, but I have heat pump plans for that which should see a 4.2 year ROI.
Except it’s really not. That’s with a £3600 deposit on a 24 month lease at 6000 miles, so it’s really £450 a month on the minimum mileage. If you want 10k and to make it so that deposit is spread over 3 years its even worse ~£600.
Except it really is. If you get a similar deal through a salary sacrifice scheme, your £600 per month pre tax could cost you as little as £234 after tax (marginal tax rate of 61%), with no company car tax bringing the amount back up. Now salary sacrifice deals aren't quite as good as pure leasing, but they're often not far off, so £300/month after tax for the car above isn't unthinkable.
^exactly right. If you live in Scotland where the marginal rate between £100-£125k is 63%and manage to salary sacrifice your car between those figures you can get an absolute steal of a lease. Having SS scheme in my workplace, the lack of deposit alone makes it significantly better deal.
Before I finally pull the trigger on an EV, can someone explain the difference between a sal sacrifice EV scheme and a company car scheme EV. As far as I can see it makes no difference?
The work company car scheme currently gives me money each month as I've taken that cash alternative. If I choose to take the car I'll still get some cash as I've chosen a fairly cheap ev (mg). I'll then also pay an bik tax of 1% which rises 1% a year. Despite the name I'm effectively sacrificing some salary for a car so my tax bill is reduced.
If I choose the sal sacrifice scheme it seems to work identically accept the millehe allowed is less. I'm not clear if I still pay the bik tax, but I assume I will.
Have I got that right? Or is there some implicit advantage of the sal sacrifice schemes I'm missing?
Except it really is.
but it’s not, as the deal ISN’T on salary sacrifice and likely isn’t for someone paying 61%+ tax. Most people will be 40%.
The same car through Zenith is ~£700 after deductions.
I think the difference between company car and salary sacrifice is whose car it is. Company cars are leased by the company and they let you use it, no? That might have implications for mileage not sure, or if you leave the company etc.
Anyway here's a good article on winter range. Note the difference in left hand graph scale. Also note the extent of Tesla's porkie pies with the range meter on the dash. That's a very cynical thing to do.
https://www.recurrentauto.com/research/winter-ev-range-loss
Just home from a week in Northumberland in a cottage, there and back was 125 miles each way and we probably did around 200 miles of running around. Car is a BMW i4 40. We left home with 80% charge, and today arrived home with 20%. Topped up a few times on Tesla superchargers at cost of £48 total. The car averaged 3.7 mi/kWh over the week. It’s now plugged in and, yippee, Intelligent Octopus has it charging, and all household energy on 7.5p till 430 this afternoon, and again from 830 till 0700, so the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher will all be flat out 🙂
Octopus agile tarif is currently negative until 4pm today. Who’s charging right now and getting paid for it?
Are there any tarrifs that would be worth it for a granny charger user? I can charge in work for 22p, and will be moving at some point soon so no point is spending money for a proper charger.
As my home and work rates are now close to identical I charge at work when I’m there and just use the granny charger for top ups over the weekend, but if there’s a cheaper rate for long enough overnight it might be worth switching. Needs to be quite a long reduced tariff period as I can only charge at 2kW max.
Octopus have an EV rate that is about 6p overnight.
Octopus agile tarif is currently negative until 4pm today. Who’s charging right now and getting paid for it?
I was up to 50kWh at 4pm today.
Heaters going back on later and for a fair chunk of tomorrow prior to 4pm.
I might earn enough to halve my usual weekly cost. Which is around £2.50 plus standing charge.
Re the company car scheme Vs sal sacrifice (quoting seems broken) - company owns the car for sure, and if I leave they take it back. That's seems a bonus tho - no lingering financial commitments, if my circumstances change. Obviously id not have a car, but it's a second car anyway so no biggie.
Yes, the liability if I were to lose my job is one of the reasons I don't want to lease.
60kWh on Saturday and a shiny £1 heading my way. None went in the Corsa e.
I could do with digging out the Agile tariff thread.
Having made the jump to EV's with the MG4, now considering a 2nd EV when my Skoda ends PCP deal in Sept. I'll probably buy it as it is about 1.5k above the buyback (got an ace deal and it's under milage). Might keep it, might trade/sell it for an EV.
In the next couple of weeks going to test the new Hyundai Kona and the Volvo EX30. These feel about the right size as no kids at home, and they both can be fitted with pretty standard tow bars as I do not want give up my towball mounted bike trailer. Fair to say both Volvo and Hyundai dealers were very keen to get me to test something! I would have happily had another Skoda but the current EV is too big and apparently the smaller EVs (Koraq size like mine and maybe octavia) won't be available until 2025 at least.
Be interesting to see how the test drives compare to the MG4.
Good mate just put this on our WA group:
Well this was disappointing.... VERY basic inside, drive was ok but the dashboard is a mess....cost cutting everywhere. No electronics on the seats. A huge gap between driver and passenger seats... very few trays / storage etc. The Polestar is way better..... new controller being fitted today so let's hope that fixes the glitches!!
He's also got a Tesla that he's had for a few years so is not ignorant on matter EV.
[He bought a SH Polestar just after Xmas to replace an i-Pace but it's broken down 5 times since getting it.
I think the Volvo was a potential replacement. Sounds like that's not going to happen!]
That's what the reviews say. Some hate the spartan interior, some love the quality and drive. It's a question of taste. The fact that some people love it, and it's very cheap, would put it on my shortlist if I were shopping. You may as well try, you're only going to lose an hour of your life.
I looked at the EX30 and quickly discounted it. It's very much smaller than the XC/EX40 (based on a smart Four4 platform) and is nowhere near in terms of quality to the bigger car.
Now the 40 is available with single motor/long range I thought it would be up there with the Polestar around 400 miles range, but no.
Dropping the extra motor gives 10 miles extra range. Not good enough.
You may as well try, you’re only going to lose an hour of your life.
This is true. I will need to interact with a car salesperson tho. This rarely goes well.
Which reminded me I wrote this when faced with a similar car buying dilemma
https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/new-is-the-new-used/
(note naughty words from the start)
Jeez- 12 years ago. I'm sure I bought that car last Thursday 😉
....and another update from my mate re the EX30
Just thought i would charge up the brand new EX30 Volvo...plugged in the charger... charging started at an extremely low rate....34 hours to charge the car to 90%. Googled the problem and hey ho...there's a bug on charging. You have to stop the car charging force the charge limit to 32amp and then restart. Yep that worked BUT!!!! THIS IS A NEW CAR.... WITH BUGS!!!
!
That shouldn't happen but I would think it will be sorted fast. I had charging bugs with our Peugeot van that shouldn't have happened, and were still there a year later.
If anyone is interested, first 1000 miles done in the Q4.
Average is 3.4 miles per kw hour. Charging is averaging me £12 per week. I tend to charge every evening. Petrol was costing me £60 a week.
Todays drive was the most economical I’ve completed so far, 40 miles at 3.8 miles pKWh.
Driving style has completely changed. I’m now consciously driving to conserve battery life. Mine is the 300hp Quattro version, I wince if the acceleration shows more than 25% usage! Absolutely loving just cruising in the left lane on the motorway. I previously drove “making progress” in my Cupra.
There’s a couple of irritations. The car has a SIM card, when I use wireless Apple Drive it uses the Audi sim…..that needs me to add money to it monthly. Otherwise I can just use a wire and it connects. My phone is then the one being used for data. Just annoying that there’s no option to say use my phone data connection when wireless.
I struggle to understand this mentality- you used to spend X, you now spend Y so you’re making a huge saving *BUT* you say you are being much more careful with how you drive. So the old ICE car could have cost you Z had you driven it equally conservatively.
I’d say the two things are likely not massively connected - if Woodster was just driving like use used to drive his ICE he’d still be saving massively - say £15 a week vs the £12 but that’s still enormously less than the £60 for the ICE.
EVs are generally nicer places to be than their ICE equivalents, so cruising is a bit more appealing. There’s also “nothing to prove” as from a rolling start an EV will out accelerate a much faster ICE which means that paradoxically you just chill.
I’ve found that in my i4 I also now just cruise along most of the time - even when I don’t care about range or cost. It’s simple a nicer way to travel.
One thing to note - in an EV using the acceleration doesn’t really hurt efficiency so long as you are accelerating to the same speed - yes it’s more power but for less time (clearly if you end up going faster or are accelerating and braking between corners etc this doesn’t apply)
in an EV using the acceleration doesn’t really hurt efficiency
I agree. Driving gently doesn't make a lot of difference in an EV, only overall speed. That's why EVs are more efficient in town than on motorways, the opposite of ICEs.
However W00dster does mention keeping to the left lane which suggest driving at lorry speed i.e. 58mph which means they've slowed down a lot. But even then, in your ICE you might be pleased with getting 70mpg instead of 50, but that's a trivial improvement in carbon emissions compared to driving an EV, especially lately.
My ICE car was a 300hp Cupra. Getting 50mpg was never going to happen!! 38mpg on most journeys and that’s taking it easy. I’ve had much more powerful cars than the Cupra, but there’s something about a hot hatch that is like a badly behaved spaniel…..it’s just pulling all the time wanting to get off the lead.
My point I was making is that in the month I’ve had the EV my driving style has changed. It’s only a personal anecdote. I didn’t get the EV because of the difference in cost between petrol and electricity, but it’s an added bonus.
And yeah I’m generally keeping to the left lane, I leave before the roads are too busy so I do overtake the odd truck, but generally the cruise control is set to 65. I’ll pull out if a vehicle is going much slower or I’ll just wait behind if it’s going at a similar speed. In the Cupra no chance of me being like that…..yes the car would be fine doing it, but for some reason that type of car feels completely different than driving the EV.
Another personal anecdote, my partner is a driving instructor…..in the Cupra I would be given a driving lesson every time I drove it, in the Audi she’s not once gave me a free lesson!
<quote>My point I was making is that in the month I’ve had the EV my driving style has changed<endquote>
yes, it is odd, but EV's seem to be a lot more relaxing to drive. My other car is a GR Yaris - which is the polar opposite to the EV.
I haven't owned a hot hatch but generally I go for relaxing cars, partly because I don't want to encourage myself to drive fast. Driving should be chill, everyone benefits including the driver. I approve of w00dster's posts.
I do a fair bit of work on my cars but unlike most car tinkerers it's all in the name of making it smoother and quieter.
That's good efficiency..
I've still not averaged 3m/kWh yet in the polestar...eek!
Currently the last 100miles (well, nearly) has been 38.4kwh/100 miles..
I do ahve the roof rack on, and frequently carry bikes.
Economical it's not! But, doesn't really matter! Still pennies to run. And on long trips (like when I went to teh netherlands) I took the roof racks off...
Will see what warmer weather brings.
DrP
@DrP - I’m in the tropics (North Wales) and commute into Liverpool, it’s far warmer here than Southern England!
On Tuesday when it was wet and cold my average for the 33 miles was 3.2. It was 2.9 for the motorway journey and then improved for the slower last 5 miles.
Last weeks electricity bill was £19.83, that includes general usage as well as charging. And having checked the app the week before the car arrived my electricity usage was £10.84 for the week. Its just insanely cheap!
I have a fairly long trip coming up soon. North Wales to Milton Keynes and back the same day. Be interesting to see how this goes. I’ll have to charge on motorway charging.
It'll be a cinch. It's only going to be what, 1.5x the range of your car? So you just need a top up, and that can be more or less anywhere after the first 100 miles or so. If I were you I'd stop once on the way out for 20 mins at whatever place I like the coffee, then once on the way back for a similar time. Or you could just charge in MK, it's stuffed with chargers both slow and fast.
EDIT ah it looks like due to MK's unique situation a lot of these chargers might be restricted access...
New company van arrived today. Previous is an 11plate Ducato that has been good. It only does short local trips and site use but even so has been 100% reliable. It is abused horribly as you can see.
Let's see how long it's replacement lasts in a hairy arsed maintenance department!
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Those vans are Leafs in a different body, and it'll be pretty reliable.
Interesting how people's mindsets are shifting now they have electric cars.
I don't have an electric car and have never driven one, but have generally done long commutes for the last 20 years or so.
At least for the last 10 years, I have been generally sticking to 60-65mph on my commute & taking it easy. I do this for various reasons:
I find it less stressful
I get better MPG (60mpg is a given & for most of warmer months it will be nearer 70/75mpg from a 2 litre diesel estate)
I leave home early to beat the traffic & driving faster just means I get to work a few minutes earlier, which is still way earlier than I need to be.
I find it funny, as I always used to be the slowest on the road & it was very much seen as a tight-arse thing to do; people used to regularly take the piss about it at work.
Now though it seems a lot more accepted & even something of a badge of honour for the savvy EV car driver 😆
I work with a guy (typical petrolhead) who always used to comment on it, but now drives an i8 and gets in a right grump if the charging point has been taken by someone else & he can't save 15p charging his teeny battery at work, even though he spent £45k on the car.
I've been looking at options for replacing my Wife's Ibiza with something either PHEV or full EV as she's bored of it (2012 plate that she'd owned since 2013) and she really doesn't need a diesel anymore, but there's still not a great deal of choice unless we wanna spend more than we've ever spent on a car.
@Stumpy - someone posted earlier, there's some new Fiat 500 EVs on AutoTrader going for silly cheap money.
I think you'd have to be quick though - there were loads a couple of days ago, but this is the only one I could find today.
there’s still not a great deal of choice unless we wanna spend more than we’ve ever spent on a car.
What is the budget? Everyone's complaining about used EV prices but that is great news for used buyers. That Fiat is an outstanding deal - too short range for me though. My Ioniq Electric was £12k a couple of months ago, I think it's a brilliant car. There are plenty of Leafs around too for peanuts since Nissan sold the last few new ones for ridiculously low prices. A lot of people love them although I didn't. Lots of other choices too.
@johndoh - cheers, that Fiat 500 is only an hour up the road from us. But, I don't think she'd want something with such limited range unfortunately. 118 mile stated range - so, 100 miles in real life? 80 miles in the winter?
She could probably make it work, but I think it would be a hard psychological sell.
Also, probably a bit on the small side. The Ibiza is a bit too small and she doesn't want another 3-door. The boot in that 500 looks tiny.
I think she'd be aiming for something nearer Golf size.
@molgrips. Budget. Not entirely sure, but something that doesn't seem like your having your pants pulled down.
Is that Fiat really such a good deal? As a pure city car maybe, but £14k for a car that will do realistically 100 miles during the warmer months...!?
Also, further to my comments above I had a quick look at the photos and have you seen the interior?! It looks worse than her 02 Ford Ka in terms of cheap hard plastics. I'm not a car snob by any stretch (hence why I drive a Leon, not a Golf or A4) but it just looks cheap & nasty.
Ioniq & Leaf - yeah, I get it. There are cars out there. But, my Wife would not be at all interested. She's far from someone who is solely worried about image & looks, but.......nah. If she was gonna spend that much money & end up in one of those, I would bet my entire bike collection she'd rather just stick with what she has or get a different car with an engine.
She did seem quite interested in the Golf/A3 PHEV that I showed her the other day, but they seem to be around £15k at least for a used one.
Is that Fiat really such a good deal? As a pure city car maybe, but £14k for a car that will do realistically 100 miles during the warmer months…!?
I was thinking it was a good deal because it's £14k for a 2023 car!
But you're right, a bargain is only a bargain if it's useful to you. I would recommend an Ioniq Electric (not Ioniq 5) as a basic EV. It's a great car to drive has a 190 mile range which is actually realistic and doesn't drop much in the winter, and is very well equipped. It's also very reliable and the battery is very durable. Only downside is slow charging which would slow you down on a multi-charge trip, but given the decent range you'd have to be on a proper long road trip for it to matter.
What kind of driving to you want to do? If it's for local commuting, and you can charge at home, even a 100 mile range isn't an issue.
Corsa e or peugeot e208?
I haven't done any big winter trips where a recharge was needed but reckon comfortably over 125miles and a decent 160 - 180 miles in summer for the 45kWh.
A quick filter of Auto Trader for Electric cars with more than 200 mile range for between £15k and £18k (roughly the price of a base spec 1-2 year old Seat Leon) returned 1532 results for me.
The second hand EV market is blossoming.
@retrorick - yeah, I have mentioned the Corsa-e to her a few times. Seems like a good option to be honest, for a few k more than the Fiat500.
Peugeot 208 - she had a 308 that she hated with a passion. I think that's put her off them. And to be honest, I had a (petrol) 2008 as a hire car last year and thought it was toilet.
@molgrips - yeah, to ME, the Ioniq electric looks OK. But to her.....nah. She would rather keep what she has.
We paid off the loan for it 7 years ago & so it costs us very little, is rapid enough and looks good. She doesn't really NEED a new car, but is just bored of what she has.
If you could get something like an electric Puma with a 150 mile range for £12k she'd probably be up for that. But a Hyundai Ioniq.....nope.
I appreciate the info & the thought process though!
perchypanther
A quick filter of Auto Trader for Electric cars with more than 200 mile range for between £15k and £18k (roughly the price of a base spec 1-2 year old Seat Leon) returned 1532 results for me.
I suppose that reflects how much car prices have rocketed. My 2 year old Leon FR estate was £12k with 27k miles on it in June 2020.
£15k would be more than she'd want to spend, and more than we've ever spent on a car.
You could (almost) get an e-bike for that!
I imagine she'll just keep what she's got for a few more years.
If you could get something like an electric Puma with a 150 mile range for £12k she’d probably be up for that. But a Hyundai Ioniq…..nope.
Aren't they basically the same thing? Or are you on about looks? Also, do you really want 150 miles of range?
The other thing to factor in when discussing purchase price is the running cost savings. We save £80/mo even with a relatively short commute. It's as if petrol were 15p a litre.
Although, if you don't really need a new car, don't get one.
I replaced a 10yr old Kia picanto with a 2.5yr old Corsa e. The Kia probably would of gone on for a fair few more years but I'm expecting the Corsa to last beyond 2030 and the savings started as soon as the home charging point went in.
I'm not a car person but I like the electric car. Clever matrix headlights, heated seats, bigger boot than the Kia and a nice to drive.
Go and have a test drive in one. Probably the best way of seeing if its an option.
Yeah you get far more kit on EVs. Our £12k three year old Hyundai has:
- Leather
- Heated and cooled electrically adjustable memory front seats
- Heated rear seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Auto dimming mirror, auto dip LED headlights and auto wipers
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lane follow assist (steers for you on motorways)
- Automatic braking if you are going to hit something
- Blind spot alerts
- Live traffic based satnav routing and live charging information
- Reverse camera and front and rear beepers
- And of course remote locking and AC/heating via the app and on a schedule
- BOSE stereo
It's fantastic. On newer top spec Leafs you get all that plus 360 degree parking bird's eye view too.
@stumpy01 have you looked at BMW i3? I had one and loved it. Small externally but feels pretty spacious inside. Nice to drive, quirky design, plenty available, OK range wise if you're driving sensibly. Only thing I hated in mine was no AA or Carplay, which was an option in 2020 I think.
@richpenny, I really like the i3, but I think it's perhaps a bit wacky for her. Whenever we see one and I point them out, she turns her nose up. There's no accounting for taste , I suppose.
I always liked the Audi A2 and the i3 follows a similar vein. Rear legroom looks a bit tight?
I think really she's decided that she'd rather stick with what she has for a while until there's more options out there. She's always hankered after an Audi TT so part of me thinks she should just scratch that itch before they disappear.
Yeah you get far more kit on EVs.
Unless you get a VW ID 3 then the steering wheel is standard and thats about it.
Rear legroom looks a bit tight?
I've been in one, they are much bigger than they look. They are the shape of a small car which fools the eye - they are not small.