Forum menu
FWIW I've found the Tesla one pedal driving to be perfectly calibrated and much better than the Kia/Hyundai system which wouldn't bring the car to a stop without application of the left hand steering column paddle. The Nissan Leaf one pedal mode is pretty good as well.
Yep agree. My Dad went from Leaf to Kia and although the Kia is overall a better car, he much preferred the Leaf for one pedal driving. Equally I far prefer the Tesla over Renault Zoe in this respect, and having test driven Kia and MG electric cars, prefer the Tesla feel on pedals / brake. 1 pedal driving isn’t possible with any of the other cars.
I don’t think it would ever be 100% friction, would it?
It seems to in the merc, it has a gauge showing how much power is being generated by regen, normally it shows a varying amount between 0 and 80%. If you brake hard it goes to 100%, then if you push the pedal harder you get the click/step in the pedal and the regen gauge goes to 0%, but the car carries on slowing down, no abs or anything at this point, just fairly heavy braking
My old tesla M3 had the option to turn off one pedal driving, my newer one doesn't (or I haven't found it yet). I'm a bit disappointed about that as a friend suffers from car sickness and aggressive regen seems to make things worse.
I had one pedal driving on all the time in the old M3 and loved it, the ID3 I then had for 2 years for some reason I preferred with regen off (D mode?). I can't articulate why I didn't care for it on the ID3, maybe just because it wasn't one pedal driving so it seemed a bit pointless having regen on when many a time you were having to press the brake pedal anyway (I assume it will mostly regen whenever you press the brake pedal anyhow). In both cases, on fast roads I'm always using adaptive cruise, so it's just slower speeds/urban driving where it matters and one pedal driving is the best IMO.
I far prefer the Tesla over Renault Zoe in this respect
I have a 2016 Zoe that does not seem to have a one pedal mode. Is that something just on new Zoes?
I don’t think I would ever want to use one pedal mode on a car when there is the potential for me to drive a regular 2 pedal car.
Maybe I misunderstood but ...
I think from April next year EV will have to pay road tax of £180, so to (slightly) minimize the period you pay tax, you can renew now, to take your renewal date to March next year.
Do I have that right?
If you brake hard it goes to 100%, then if you push the pedal harder you get the click/step in the pedal and the regen gauge goes to 0%
Huh, interesting. Neither of mine did this. Well - the Hyundai doesn't show current braking power, just how much you've recovered in that particular braking event, so maybe.
FWIW I’ve found the Tesla one pedal driving to be perfectly calibrated and much better than the Kia/Hyundai system which wouldn’t bring the car to a stop without application of the left hand steering column paddle.
I'm not talking about one-pedal driving. My car doesn't offer it, although Ioniq 5s and 6s do. I'm talking about traditional style braking with the brake pedal. I think that one-pedal or alternative styles of driving should be optional for those who want them - not mandatory; and if you use the pedal it should regenerate wherever possible. Because people will continue to do what they've always done, and if the brake pedal results in friction brakes only then loads of energy will simply be wasted. Forcing change on people who really don't want change forced on them and probably can't deal with it is a bad idea.
I had one pedal driving in the Leaf and I didn't use it except in queueing traffic. And that was only needed because the adaptive cruise disengaged itself if you'd stop for more than about 3 seconds. In the Hyundai, adaptive cruise stays engaged in queues, you just have to dab the accelerator or press 'resume' to get moving again, then it continues. So one pedal is not needed in that respect.
Because people will continue to do what they’ve always done, and if the brake pedal results in friction brakes only then loads of energy will simply be wasted. Forcing change on people who really don’t want change forced on them and probably can’t deal with it is a bad idea.
Which is why proper brake blending exists.
Any brake request is applied to any available system that can provide braking.
*Adds major Swedish manufacturer to potential purchase list*
Kia/Hyundai system which wouldn’t bring the car to a stop without application of the left hand steering column paddle
That has not been my experience. I-pedal on the GV60 reliably and predictably brings the car to a complete stop.
I rarely use it though. The auto regen setting adapts on the fly to suit the driving conditions and it is witchcraft.
I’m unable to discern any switchover from regen to friction brakes either. I do need to turn the regen off every couple of weeks to polish the friction brakes up a bit as they seem to be rarely used.
That has not been my experience. I-pedal on the GV60 reliably and predictably brings the car to a complete stop.
It is available on the E-GMP cars like yours, but not on early ones like my Ioniq Electric, original Kona, e-Niro etc.
I do need to turn the regen off every couple of weeks to polish the friction brakes up a bit as they seem to be rarely used
Not sure that's needed. I have read that some cars dab them periodically anyway for this reason, but no car can bring you to a stop with regen only so friction brakes will always be used to slow down to a stop. This is because I think the maximum current available to a generator is proportional to axle speed.
*Adds major Swedish manufacturer to potential purchase list*
Another one on the horizon??!
In the Polestar (AKA Volvo) the one pedal driving is fab. In fact, it was fab in the leaf too. I barely use the actual foot brake pedal.
The ACC is great too. A bit like the Leaf it'll 'not engage follow' if you've stopped for more than a few seconds, but will 'ping' at you to remind you to drive away when the car in front pulls off. A TINY depress of the accelerator gets the ACC following again. The difference is that in the Leaf I think it turned off the ACC, wheras it remains on in the P2 and you just need to tap the accelerator.
DrP
The difference is that in the Leaf I think it turned off the ACC
Yeah this renders it pretty useless for queues as you have to be over a certain speed to re-engage it.
Not sure that’s needed.
Genesis recommend that it’s done periodically. My drive is on a slight incline and if I don’t do the brake cleaning then after a couple of weeks they start to bind ever so slightly when it’s parked overnight.
I do need to turn the regen off every couple of weeks to polish the friction brakes up a bit as they seem to be rarely used.
Yes, the brake cleaning functions are "problematic". How often you do it, how long you do it for, what should be the threshold for engaging it. And it's getting worse as cars can do more braking on regen and people get better at driving EVs as well. On a well sorted car, used well in bad weather you can get enough corrosion on the discs to touch the pads...
It is available on the E-GMP cars like yours, but not on early ones like my Ioniq Electric, original Kona, e-Niro etc.
Again related to brake blending *or* the motor type. Some motors have very poor control at low rpm on regen. some you can control to zero (or at least to the point that all the friction brakes need to do is grab the (almost) stationary disc). If you can't control to nearly zero rpm, you need good brake blending, which is also hard to do at low speeds... So some cars you simply can't stop on regen/one pedal drive.
In the Polestar (AKA Volvo) the one pedal driving is fab.
Cheers 🙂
These at home charging tariff things. Do they need a functioning smart meter? Because our's has never been smart due to poor signal.
I believe they do - I think they are meant to broadcast every 30 minutes.
These at home charging tariff things. Do they need a functioning smart meter?
The smart ones do yes. Probably also needed for the dumb off-peak tariffs as well, because otherwise when they read your meter after 6 months they wouldn't know how much was used when. Pre-smart meters, if you were on Economy 7 you had two meters.
If you can’t control to nearly zero rpm, you need good brake blending, which is also hard to do at low speeds… So some cars you simply can’t stop on regen/one pedal drive.
Funny thing about my car is that you can bring it to a stop without the brake pedal by holding the left paddle shifter, so it clearly is capable of one-pedal driving. It just isn't coded to do it.
So, because the EV6 GT wasn’t quite mental enough, Hyundai/Kia developed the frankly insane Ioniq 5 N.
Seems that wasn't bonkers enough though.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/genesis/gv60/362702/new-genesis-gv60-magma-concept-pictures
My poverty spec 225- ish BHP version is pant-shittingly quick. Why do we need a 650 BHP version?
I don’t know but I want one anyway.
Interesting discussion on braking. I've an ID.4 and drive one pedal/regen all the time and like it, except at very slow speeds the friction brake comes in very jarringly when lightly pressing the pedal to stop. It doesn't always happen, not entirely sure what conditions cause it. I may try ACC in traffic to see if it works, not sure if the ID.4 ACC is any good for that use case.
The sharp low speed braking can be bad enough to skid on my gravel drive when executing a slow 3 point turn. Maybe a few hard stops would clean the pads/discs?
the frankly insane Ioniq 5 N
Best thing about that is how they gave up on all pretence at maturity when they added the pretend V8 sound. It does pretend gear changes and when stopped you can even gun the engine. It does absolutely nothing apart from make brrrm brrm noises.
I think they have a sense of humour generally - when you select 'sport mode' in my really quite slow car (for an EV) it does nothing useful, but it does change the instrument display from sensible blue to boy-racer style black and red with italic lettering.
I’ve an ID.4 and drive one pedal/regen all the time and like it, except at very slow speeds the friction brake comes in very jarringly when lightly pressing the pedal to stop
I've been a passenger in an ID4 and Skoda Enyak and noticed that both cars had problems coming to a smooth stop.
I don’t know but I want one anyway.
I spent some time in a couple of Taycans (turbo and the 4s) and Audi Etron GT RS, and you can't use more than about 20% of the performance in any real sense on any public road and even on the track they are organ rearrangingly fast and capable (if a little weighty). TBH, launch on the Taycan Turbo is hard enough that i don't think i could shit if i wanted to. Gravity seems to be pointing in the wrong direction, and you've got to brace to stop everything being pressed against the back window...
I'd still want one, even though i can't even get them on my drive without doing a 7 point jiggle to avoid the steep bit at the corner.
Got my Enyaq 60 - a very nice place to be seated. Drove the 10 miles from collection and it was sitting at 96% charged and not at 87% - however, suspect as it was on and getting shown stuff then a bit more power has been consumed (at least I hope so otherwise that drain doesn't bode well for a decent range!).
I think I've got it set up now and will take it for a drive later. I like the wee 'foot up' indicator on the dashboard when approaching roundabouts and junctions...can definitely feel something slowing the car down without me braking, but I'm happy enough to use the brake to get to a complete stop...
I'm assuming the braking regen thing is set already or it is in a menu option I've not looked at yet.
Nice car to drive and doesn't feel as big as the Nissan Qashqui I drove 3 weeks ago - that is about the same size but felt really big, the Enyaq feels about the same size as the Puggy Partner (which isn't a small car so says a lot about how large the Nissan felt!).
Electric towball is very neat, I'll get the bike rack installed later and make sure that is all easy enough to do.
So, because the EV6 GT wasn’t quite mental enough, Hyundai/Kia developed the frankly insane Ioniq 5 N.
Seems that wasn’t bonkers enough though.> https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/genesis/gv60/362702/new-genesis-gv60-magma-concept-pictures < My poverty spec 225- ish BHP version is pant-shittingly quick. Why do we need a 650 BHP version? I don’t know but I want one anyway.
Was about to post up here to infor YOU about this too!!!
Obvs the same underbelly as the ioniq 5N... But i way prefer the look of this!
Need is a challenging concept to understand and justify.... Sometimes you might just 'want' something, and be unapologetic about it!!
I got the OTA performance update for the P2 which took it from 408 BHP to 476 BHP... I'll never fully use that (well, sometimes a drag start from 0-62 in jsut over 4 seconds on an empty road makes the kids giggle!!!) but meh... My car, my fun!!
I actually REALLY want to have a go going MODERATELY fast around the nurburgring ring..but I'd be scared someone would crash into me/me into a barrier!!
I've a few more things planned for the P2 - going to lower it about 30mm front and rear (which is going to be achallenge, as you need a special volvo tool to remove the front spring assembly... will see...
DrP
I’m assuming the braking regen thing is set already or it is in a menu option I’ve not looked at yet.
VAG cars only have two options for regen.
D which is some and B mode which is more. The drive selector chooses which.
I’ve a few more things planned for the P2
The only thing I really want to do on mine is changing the plastic trim (wheel surrounds and side skirts) for body paint colour ones (like the BST version has), sadly they don't offer them as an after market option so best you can do is get it wrapped.
I have also played about with the ESQS matte carbon spoiler... I think it looks really great, and despite no carbon bits on the car, it really suits it. The finish quality is excellent, and is a milimeter perfect fit for the P2!
Will my midlife crisis end soon 😀
DrP
Sorry if this has been done before in this thread but new to it.
Has anyone got experience of the BMW i3 with the range extender? Looking at second hand ones 6 - 8 years old and the magazine reviews sound positive. We do need to be able to do 240 - 260 mile trips now and again although most of our journeys are less than 140 miles in a day. It's probably either that or a plug in hybrid Yaris.
We do need to be able to do 240 – 260 mile trips now and again
Without stopping? Why not just get a proper EV and stop half way to charge up? What's your budget?
MWyerFree Member
Sorry if this has been done before in this thread but new to it.Has anyone got experience of the BMW i3 with the range extender? Looking at second hand ones 6 – 8 years old and the magazine reviews sound positive. We do need to be able to do 240 – 260 mile trips now and again although most of our journeys are less than 140 miles in a day. It’s probably either that or a plug in hybrid Yaris.
We had a late 2016, 33kWh REx from 2018 to just a week ago. Great car, but you won’t get 240miles out of the battery and the REX without some very careful driving, especially at 6-8y old. Ours has very minimal degradation at that point. Maybe 3%, but it’s difficult to say for sure as so many conditions can contribute to range.
I've placed an order on a fully loaded Ford Explorer today as had priority ordering - £100 refundable if I change my mind. 24 week lead time, so we'll see. Should be some lesser specced ones on the road before that to gauge what they are like before it lands
It’s basically an ID4, isn’t it?
That Explorer doesn't look as bad as I thought it would be when you posted it. If the numbers are anywhere close to reality it's not as inefficient as it looks.
It’s basically an ID4, isn’t it?
Same platform, yeah
That Explorer doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would be when you posted it. If the numbers are anywhere close to reality it’s not as inefficient as it looks.
Apparently they've learned from the mistakes of the Mustang (whatever they were - journo blurb)
Fairly generic, if inoffensive* EV interior
*horrible square steering wheel aside
I’m really trying to decide if I can justify an i4 through salary sacrifice.
It would be £525 a month which is a heck of a lot of money, that £525 includes everything. Insurance, service, tyres, electric, the lot. No deposit.
It’s a £62k car in this config and the plan would be to try and buy it at the end of the 3 years and so spec it to a spec I want to keep.
It seems incredibly indulgent.
Daffy, electric thrown in? I don’t get that on my salary sacrifice.
I justified my Audi Q4 with the following man maths:-
I currently have a Cupra petrol car and commute 40 miles a day. It needs new tyres front and back every year, but call it £80 a month. I pay pcp of £260 a month. Insurance works out at about £60 a month. Servicing, MOT and tax is approx £50 a month. Fuel costs me £300 a month. Essentially the same monthly cost as the Audi will be.
Yes. Free charging at work and £300 worth of charge credit per year. Not sure how that works TBH.
My current car will be 21y old this year and whilst it does very little mileage (<2500 miles a year) Tax, insurance, service, fuel cost the better part of £1500 and that excludes any repair costs to keep it on the road. We do around 8500 as a family and that would mean 80% of that would then transfer to the i4, thus preserving the i3. I think the delta between what we currently have and what we could have is still around £350/m which is a lot. But it’s against a biased picture of a 21y old car.
It’s a £62k car in this config and the plan would be to try and buy it at the end of the 3 years and so spec it to a spec I want to keep.
If this is really the case what is the final payment and how does this factor in. i.e. if it's 40K you need to be saving £1111/month over those 3 years in addition to the £525, for 30K you need £833/month in addition.
If you plan to get a loan at then end then how do you feel about the risk on interest rates in 3 years time?
Will you just end up flipping in reality?
It would be £525 a month which is a heck of a lot of money, that £525 includes everything. Insurance, service, tyres, electric, the lot. No deposit.
It’s a £62k car in this config
Sounds a bargain, last time I priced something up through our company salary sacrifice scheme it was a £55k-ish car and would have been over £700/month (without any electric credit and under 10k miles/year). I'd be surprised if there's an option to buy at the end though
It would be £525 a month which is a heck of a lot of money, that £525 includes everything. Insurance, service, tyres, electric, the lot. No deposit
£525/month all in is a bargain.
Have a look at lease or PCP payments on a £62k car to gauge
It seems incredibly indulgent.
It is. But they are very nice.
I'm assuming based on the salary sacrifice and potential discounts offered to the lessor that the car will be around 50% value at the end of 3 years, so around £30k. The plan would be to save half of that over the 3 years and then a loan at £350/m for the remaining £15k over 4 years.
I dont think many/any salary sacrifice schemes offer the ability for you to buy the car at the end of the term, I guess its possible that you might be able to, but I wouldnt count on it unless you have discussed that possibility with the scheme provider and confirmed it as an option.
Certainly the one we use at works does (Zenith, I think - which also clearly highlights my lack of research into my new car which arrived yesterday...I don't even know the name of the company that does the scheme!) - quite a folk do buy the car outright, I just hand them back (I've no real attachment to a car as it just gets me distances without wearing out my footwear and dry).
About 6 months-ish before the car is due to be replaced, you get an email saying it is time to decide what you want to do - hand car back and pick your next car or buy the car outright.
Residuals on EV's are rubbish. The £57k (so £50k is training in) Audi I was looking at was well over £100k when it left the showroom 2 years ago.
Was speaking to a guy at a second hand premium car dealers yesterday. He had a guy bring in a £160k Porsche Taycan - can't remember if he said 2 or 3 years old. Gave him £55k
Those figures of depreciation fit into what the AA say. By 3 years you should expect your new car to have depreciated 60% of its original value.
Years ago I bought a brand new Mercedes AMG, one of my mates showed me that in the first month of its use I’d lost £15k.
Do agree though that EVs are losing a lot of money. I think that’s possibly due to them being overpriced to begin with. I’ve just got my etron q4, that’s £68,750. But I’d say that it’s realistically a £50k car. It’s just that the market isn’t quite right, possibly due to the salary sacrifice deals?
(Q4 turns up this morning….super excited!!!)
As I understand it, sales of new EVs is driven by company schemes like this due to tax incentives. Effectively, the state is subsidising EV manufacturers (through lost tax revenue) to prop up high prices of new EVs and fund the R&D. I don't really have a problem with that. It's partly what tax is for really. But it's something to factor in when doing your man maths.
These incentives are only short term. It isn't really a £62K car as they couldn't charge that for it in a free market. So it could be worth a lot less than £30k in three years time and it's worth considering how your maths would change if, for example, it was only worth £20k second hand.
I'm happy with low residuals as I buy my cars, it makes them nice and cheap for me.
It isn’t really a £62K car
Yes. Because of the low BIK they are attractive on salary sacrifice schemes, which means the government isn't taxing that income. The manufacturers are therefore putting up new prices, which they are then investing back in R&D and supply chain etc. So essentially it's a very convoluted way of the govt subsidising EV development.
Now this might sound like a good thing, but it's a pretty regressive way of doing it because it's the more affluent people who get the benefit. Ultimately, we need the market correction for used vehicles because it's the less affluent who will be buying these things used.
I dont think many/any salary sacrifice schemes offer the ability for you to buy the car at the end of the term, I guess its possible that you might be able to, but I wouldnt count on it unless you have discussed that possibility with the scheme provider and confirmed it as an option.
Ours is Zenith and does. I'd really love a Taycan if it weren't so wide (and expensive).
When I leased albeit personally, they didn't promise me the option to buy and were pretty cagey about it. However turns out that they would have sold it to me, and at a decent price too if I had only enquired. But they didn't offer without me enquiring first at which point it was too late.
It would be £525 a month which is a heck of a lot of money, that £525 includes everything. Insurance, service, tyres, electric, the lot. No deposit
Is that before tax or after? (i.e. is that 525 from your net pay or 525 from the your gross pay) if it's from gross than that's much cheaper than my companies scheme. Our scheme normally lets you buy the car at the end if you want it.
It's £525 from my net pay.
Ah ok, still a pretty good number for that car - better than ours (Arval).
It's the smaller battery version (e35?), but with a metallic paint, leather, Msport Pro Pack, Tech Pack and something else, so most of the options I would chose if buying myself., so still pretty decent.
I don't need the extra range or the 0.3s boost to 60 - I'd rather have the toys and perhaps have to charge a little earlier. .
I'm not one to comment on what other people spend their money on as we all have different priorities, but if I've got it right, that's £6,300 a year for three years to end up with a car that could be worth less that the amount you'd have to pay to keep it. Have you looked at what it would cost just to get a taxi everywhere you want to go for three years 🙂
Have you looked at what it would cost just to get a taxi everywhere you want to go for three years 🙂
Owning a car isn't necessarily just about getting from one place to another, just like owning a bike isn't. It's remarkable how much scorn is applied to cars on a forum where it's entirely normal to spend three grand or more on a push bike.
And it's not just about going fast either. I love road trips. Most people I know dread three hour drives, I enjoy them. I've been to North Wales a couple of times recently from Cardiff with a friend and if he'd offered to drive I would have fought him, because I actually want to do it. It's 4hrs each way, and I can do there and back in a day and it's pure joy. A significant part of this is due to the car, because I am comfortable, fresh, un-stressed and able to enjoy the road. And I'm not even speeding.
that’s £6,300 a year for three years to end up with a car that could be worth less that the amount you’d have to pay to keep it.
This isn't PCP, there's no guaranteed final payment. The lease company will offer you whatever the market price is so it's no different to buying a comparable car from a dealer but you know the car, you already have it and you don't have to go car shopping.
but if I’ve got it right, that’s £6,300 a year for three years
Might be worth it if it keeps his salary below £100k (nice problem to have admittedly but the tax situation is stupid).
May as well have a nice car or go part time for the same cost.
We've got salary sacrifice at work too, but I can't justify it based upon the 'hit' it has on my salary and pension pot, especially as I'm 55 next year - pension being more important. I have a 22 year old car, that costs maybe £50 a month in fuel (if I use it), £15 a month on insurance and a few hundred a year for maintenance.
I'm looking at buying a used 'people carrier' van next year rather than an EV - we don't do enough miles to justify it, and the van will be used for bikes/camping/days at the seaside.
Might be worth it if it keeps his salary below £100k (nice problem to have admittedly but the tax situation is stupid).
How so?
I’m not one to comment on what other people spend their money on as we all have different priorities, but if I’ve got it right, that’s £6,300
It's a question I've asked myself repeatedly - trust me, but cars are quite simply a depreciating asset - they continually cost money no matter what stage of life they're in.
If I bought a car for £25k and ran it for 3 years, it might also depreciate by 50% and then I'd have to pay for likely two sets of tyres, two MOTs, 3 years worth of fuel or electric and 3 years worth of servicing, and 3 years worth of insurance.
£12.5k in depreciation, £1600 in tyres, £600 in service, £900 in insurance and £150 in MOT...£15750 - That's assuming NOTHING goes wrong with it. So the Delta between that car and the lease is at most ~£4k over 3 years so around £125 a month for a new car...and that doesn't include fuel/electric
Consider my current car. £1200 in fuel, ~£500 in tax, £190 service, £400 tyres, £190 insurance, so £2500, BUT that assumes nothing goes wrong. Last year was okay - maybe £300, but the year before was ~£1400 and the year before that over £1000 and that's with me doing all my own maintenance. These costs would be FAAR higher if it were someone else. Extrapolating and still ignoring my own time - That's £11k of costs for my car over 3 years. Delta of £8000 so £222 a month...
I still somehow struggle to convince myself.
As for Taxi vs car - I live in the middle of nowhere (8 miles from the nearest non-school bus stop, 10 to the nearest station) - But I do cycle most everywhere, but this isn't always practical with kids, shopping, work, etc.
I'm not in the £100k range.
I thought the £12k allowance was lost at £150k?
For me, the man maths kind of work out ok. But it’s an indulgence for sure. Similar to Molgrips I also enjoy driving. My commute is an hour there and about an hour and a half return. Traffic is pretty bad on the return journey. I want to sit somewhere nice and comfortable. Turn up for work fresh and ready to go. But I know I don’t need such an expensive car to do so.
Just done my first day out in the Q4, only 130 miles and getting 3.6 kwph. Loving the one pedal driving. Was genuinely apprehensive about using it, but it works amazingly well.
It was mentioned earlier that the comfort of the EV makes you drive differently, ok it was my first journey but sitting at 60mph in the left lane on the motorway seemed nice and comfortable. I’ve not even tried to see what the acceleration feels like…..and I normally drive sporty cars. Town driving and the one foot driving was effortless. Looking forward to the commute tomorrow!
Trying to sort out all the online features and Octopus Intelligent is a bit of a mare though!
I thought the £12k allowance was lost at £150k?
Nope, for every pound over £100k you lose a pound of your personal allowance, and I think it’s worse if you have children.
Nope, for every pound over £100k you lose a pound of your personal allowance, and I think it’s worse if you have children
Not quite, for every 2 pound earned over 100k, you lose 1 pound of personal allowance, it does work out to an effective 60% rate of tax on earnings between 100k and 125k though
Tax over 100k IS odd...
By earning more you never TAKE HOME less than you would by earning less .. but the "earnt to take home" ratio curve massively messes up between like 100 and 115k....
Like woodster and molly.... I feel in fortunate enough to not have to count every pound spent, so appreciate the position in in to be able to make my driving commute (which I do with my kids several times a week) fun and pleasant..
I never realized how nice the EV driving experience is. I honestly would have stuck with the leaf if I could have "added CCS and another 40kWh" to the car!
It's just a very relaxing experience.
The polestar is another step up, mind.
I'm not ragging it around by any stretch, but knowing you can plant the foot and be away at 2g means, weirdly, you don't!
DrP
My commute is an hour there and about an hour and a half return. Traffic is pretty bad on the return journey.
What you need there is a car with automatic queue crawling. The biggest improvement in cars after electrification. It is fantastic.
I think my Q4 does some form of queue crawling. I’m not really sure what it does, but in town today it kept a distance away from the car in front, stopped when they did and accelerated when they did. The missus who is used to driving electric cars was driving at the time and did something on the cruise control thing, then it just did its thing.
Might be worth it if it keeps his salary below £100k
The flip side is how much extra money that would add to your pension….
My pensionable payscale is separate to my take-home, so salary sacrifice makes no difference to my pension input. Im very lucky my employer puts in 15% if I put in 6%. I have 2 Tusker cars (Ioniq5 & MG4), for both of us and it all comes out of the worst tax bracket too, so extra worthwhile.
There is some pretty good man maths going on up there 🙂 A new car wouldn't need an MOT in the first three years, it would be under warranty for any major issues and you don't change tyres every year. But you are right to look at the total cost of ownership rather than just the sticker price.
There is no getting away from the fact that a more expensive car is going to cost you more than a cheaper one. The rate of change of tech in EVs does also mean that depreciation will probably tend to be higher than for an equivalent ICE car. At that price you are getting to the point where you could consider some kind of "classic" that wouldn't lose much (and may even appreciate) over a few years.
But at the end of the day, if you have the money, all you need to decide is whether the car will give you more pleasure than anything else you could spend that cash on.
but with a metallic paint, leather, Msport Pro Pack
I'm not friends with the BMW M-Pro pack.
I tested a 320d sport before I got my last car- it was a nice drive. Due to the way the lease company has deals with BMW, I picked a colour and got a 320d MSport with Tech and Pro packs.
The ride is rubbish; road noise is intrusive. The jump from 17" to 19" really hits.
So I ordered an I4 40 and specifically begged them not to get the Pro pack. I don't need red brake calipers.
And the Harmon Kardon sound is nowhere near as good as the Bose on my old Audi.
First world problems? Not half.
The big upside I notice is vibration. When you spend all day in a car with a 4-cyl diesel the noise can be low, but the engine background vibration is really noticeable. And when you take it away it initially feels odd.
Some adaptive cruise doesn't work at low speeds in queues - I think Mercedes call it Distronic Plus where it does work in queues and normal Distronic where it doesn't. And sometimes different ones behave differently resulting in varying degress of usefulness. It's also not an EV-specific thing as ICEs have it too.
You're probably all aware (and think I saw it mentioned in passing in this thread), but there's only 3 days left to apply the 'hack' to VED to delay having to pay from 1st April 2025.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/electric-vehicles/#need-10
I just went in and 'paid' for another year of VED at a cost of £0 to take me through to 1st March 2025. I'll then be able to 'pay' for another year while it's still £0 to take me through to 1st March 2026.
Re the Pro pack on the i4 - it comes with adaptive suspension, so can switch between "firm" and "comfort" modes so should be able to make the car more comfortable than the standard car which is somewhere in the middle. (I've not driven one with the pro pack, but maybe someone who has could comment).
Wheel size would definitely make a difference though - mine is on 18s and the ride is generally pretty good - slightly on the firm side but still a good cruiser.
My van has it , but you have to press the accelerator to pull away when you come to complete stop. Car has it and it will pull away itself.
The iX3 I had before would even do the steering for you at low speeds. Makes sitting in traffic that tiny bit nicer 😎
Still had foot hovering over brake though
It’s also not an EV-specific thing as ICEs have it too.
My petrol Mazda will do it too (more or less) - if the car has been stationary for more than 5 sec then you need to press the 'resume' button on the steering wheel to make it pull away again. But that's not too onerous. I suspect this is restricted to automatic ICE cars only tho!