Best £15k used EV?

[Vsix and Vtec]

samoht said:

The original Insight is pretty cool and a definite collector's item.

Personally though I really like the absolute precision of electric drive, the silence, smoothness, and seamless torque. So as one of two cars, it really feels for me like an opportunity to enjoy this, as well as trimming running costs.

I can understand that. My main reason for the Insight is that I will still need to be engaged with the heart, and having owned an FN2 the newer gen car will give me the interior that is based on the 8th Gen Civic, and consequently feel a bit less of a soulless appliance. The Honda E is lovely and would be my recommendation thier stable as a pure electric, but the range is too compromised for me. Its also really quite expensive.

[Bannock]

Lots of mentions here for the (very good) e-208 and e-Corsa. But no mentions yet for the other one from that platform - Citroen e-C4. OK, so the cheapest are around £18k, not £15k, but they are bigger, more practical cars, so maybe worth considering.

Having said that, I'd personally find it hard to look past a Kona 64kwh. And I say that as a current (and 2-time) Nissan Leaf owner. I think a Kona will likely be my next EV.

Beware the pre-facelift MG5 if you want to use an overnight EV electricity tariff. They don't have an onboard charging timer, so you have to have a home charger with the ability to control charge timing. The latest facelift model has rectified this nonsense.

[Fastlane]

We've had a Kona 64kwh for 3 years and we've just extended the lease as there is nothing to match it at the monthly price with the same range and efficiency.

However, it's not been the most reliable car and has had c.£10k of warranty work including:

- A new 12V battery (we were left stranded twice by the old one)
- 2 broken door locks
- A new heat pump
- A new infotainment system (which took 3 months to sort and many visits to our local dealer)
- A system coolant warning light fault
- A misaligned ashtray cover

I can only conclude that the Koreans obviously knock off early on Fridays too...

[kambites]

Bannock said:

Lots of mentions here for the (very good) e-208 and e-Corsa. But no mentions yet for the other one from that platform - Citroen e-C4. OK, so the cheapest are around £18k,...

That's might be why it didn't get mentioned on a thread about the best £15k EVs then.

Bannock said:

Beware the pre-facelift MG5 if you want to use an overnight EV electricity tariff. They don't have an onboard charging timer, so you have to have a home charger with the ability to control charge timing. The latest facelift model has rectified this nonsense.

Same with the pre-facelift ZS EV.

[Bannock]

kambites said:

Bannock said:

Lots of mentions here for the (very good) e-208 and e-Corsa. But no mentions yet for the other one from that platform - Citroen e-C4. OK, so the cheapest are around £18k,...

That's might be why it didn't get mentioned on a thread about the best £15k EVs then.

Yeah, well you know, man maths...

[samoht]

Fastlane said:

However, it's not been the most reliable car and has had c.£10k of warranty work including:
...
I can only conclude that the Koreans obviously knock off early on Fridays too...

Thanks, always good to hear owners' experiences. Sounds like the warranty is important.

[samoht]

Went to Powerlease on Sat, got to sit in (but not drive) a wide range of candidates.


The Kona felt a bit cheap inside (fair enough, it is cheap for the range it offers, but still). It's also a bit short to be getting a bicycle in the back, given I don't really want to be faffing around removing wheels. i3, 208 and Zoe also off the list for this reason.

The Leaf felt surprisingly nice inside, and the seats comfortable. The main comfort issue was I didn't find a reach adjustment for the steering on the example we sat in; reading online it seems to have come in from 2021, although apparently doesn't adjust very much.

The Niro felt nicer inside than the Kona, more akin to the Leaf in general feel ("semi-premium"?). It also has a longer load bay.

We also sat in a Model 3, I really quite liked this, the low beltline is something I like in cars. I guess I'd adapt to using a touchscreen for everything. However I hadn't realised until now, but it's a four-door saloon, not a five-door hatch. Really surprised by this given the 'senior' Model S is a hatch. Anyway, that rules it out and avoids me being tempted to apply man maths to justify spending another £8k or so. Really nice car though.


My wife wants the Leaf. I think the e-Niro is a more sensible purchase (albeit for a grand or two more), slightly better range, in warranty, more practical boot space (Leaf has a huge load lip then big step up to folded rear seats). Plus I have slight concerns over Chademo charging in the future (see other thread).

The Niro doesn't excite me to look at, but it's nice inside and seems like the best fit for what I want overall.

I'm going to try and visit the Nissan dealer to sit in a Leaf with reach adjustable steering, if I can't get comfortable then that's an easy decision. Otherwise it's still in the running against the Niro.

[annodomini2]

If it's between the Niro and the Leaf, and you're buying, get the Niro.

Leaf's have no active cooling system for the battery, which has caused problems for older stuff.

Niro has a faster rapid charge rate as well. Only 77Kw, but better that the 50 of the leaf.

If you like the TM3, but need a hatch, look at the Model Y.

[P675]

I've been looking at original Ioniqs myself. For under 15k you can get a circa 2017 Premium SE spec. This comes with things that I now can't live without after having a £3800 Lexus GS, auto cruise, decent audio (need to try it out though), heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel. I'm not in love with the looks but if I like the way it drove I might get one.

The only other car in my price range that I can easily find with such gadgets is a newer GS or a Jag XJ, but with the Ioniq the fuel cost charging at home is cut by 2/3.

I notice the PHEV ioniqs are more expensive, with some electrics being dirt cheap. What's the reason for this? The range just isn't great compared to newer EVs?

[samoht]

P675 said:

I've been looking at original Ioniqs myself. For under 15k you can get a circa 2017 Premium SE spec. This comes with things that I now can't live without after having a £3800 Lexus GS, auto cruise, decent audio (need to try it out though), heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel. I'm not in love with the looks but if I like the way it drove I might get one.

The only other car in my price range that I can easily find with such gadgets is a newer GS or a Jag XJ, but with the Ioniq the fuel cost charging at home is cut by 2/3.

I notice the PHEV ioniqs are more expensive, with some electrics being dirt cheap. What's the reason for this? The range just isn't great compared to newer EVs?

I've been reading up on these.

The Ioniq Electric came out in 2016 with a 28kWh battery; this was upgraded to 38kWh in 2020.
The later model has been tested to do 171 miles at 70mph; that would put the earlier one at about 125 motorway miles I think.

So fundamentally it's a fairly small battery, and even with great efficiency of 4.5 miles/kWh @70mph, it's still a moderate range. The upside is that it fast charges very quickly, with a peak ~70 kW, so can make good time on longer tripsif you can find conveniently located available working fast chargers (100 kW).


But basically the early models have a relatively short range and so prices reflect that. If that works for your journeys then it's a great buy, if not then a hybrid would probably be less frustrating, or step up to one of the 64kWh Hyundai or Kias for a bit more money.

[samoht]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Did you spot which year his Ioniq was? That sounds more like the 38 kWh one (2020 on) than the 28 kWh, unless perhaps battery heat was slowing it down.

Blue line is the 28 kWh model on a 100+ kW charger, yellow is the 38 model showing 35 kW at 60% charge:

[Still Mulling]

Sorry, late to this.

We had an Ioniq 28 until it was recently driven into. It was brilliant.

We now have an Ioniq 38: it’s a step on again; like a new car, not a facelift. I cannot recommend it enough!

We had a Leaf as a hire car while insurance was sorted out. It was horrible. On a day-to-day basis, it was like having a car designed by people who don’t use one.

[samoht]

Still Mulling said:

Sorry, late to this.

We had an Ioniq 28 until it was recently driven into. It was brilliant.

We now have an Ioniq 38: it’s a step on again; like a new car, not a facelift. I cannot recommend it enough!

We had a Leaf as a hire car while insurance was sorted out. It was horrible. On a day-to-day basis, it was like having a car designed by people who don’t use one.

Thanks for the recommendation. Are you able to be any more specific about what was poorly designed about the Leaf?

[chuenmanc]

“On a day-to-day basis, it was like having a car designed by people who don’t use one” made me chuckle.

We’ve had two Leaf 24s, two Leaf 30s, and overlapped with an Ioniq 28. I don’t feel quite so strongly as the above, but I agree that the Ioniq is a much better car. It feels more solidly built, interior is nicer, efficiency is amazing, and has CCS, not chademo. The Leaf only wins on slightly better cabin and boot space, and the 360 around view camera on the Tekna. And the higher driving position if that’s a preference.

[Sheepshanks]

Still Mulling said:

Sorry, late to this.

We had an Ioniq 28 until it was recently driven into. It was brilliant.

We now have an Ioniq 38: it’s a step on again; like a new car, not a facelift. I cannot recommend it enough!

I know it's not "£15K used" but amazing to still see a few brand-new 38's on Autotrader - some of the ads have dates in 2022.

[duff]

Still Mulling said:

We had a Leaf as a hire car while insurance was sorted out. It was horrible. On a day-to-day basis, it was like having a car designed by people who don’t use one.

As a Leaf owner, I’d be interested to hear what exactly you didn’t like?

I’ve done 25k miles in my 40kw Tekna and I really like it. 4.2 m/kwh, comfortable and nippy, very easy to drive around town and good equipment levels.

Things I don’t like are the high beam assist which is rubbish, the amp in the boot which seems unnecessary and I’d like the seat to go down a bit further. Other than that, it’s really a very decent car and when my lease is up I may well buy one as they seems great vfm at the moment.

[Still Mulling]

samoht said:

Thanks for the recommendation. Are you able to be any more specific about what was poorly designed about the Leaf?

Sure. among other things:

- Horrible quality of plastics
- Seating position I found impossible to get comfortable in, despite apparent adjustability. Firmly perched on, not sat in the car
- All points, e.g. boot release, button placements, all appeared illogical and ergonomically poor, and needed commitment to learn. (Still felt wrong after new muscle memories were set.)
- Charge port flap was designed so that if it rained, removing the cable let pooled water fall onto the socket
- Range/economy were terrible, and I drove carefully. I swore to Enterprise that it was not the larger battery car; they swore otherwise.
- Pig ugly

(I realise the last point is subjective, but hated it so much I still feel like sticking the boot in! )

[Still Mulling]

duff said:

As a Leaf owner, I’d be interested to hear what exactly you didn’t like?

I’ve done 25k miles in my 40kw Tekna and I really like it. 4.2 m/kwh, comfortable and nippy, very easy to drive around town and good equipment levels.

Things I don’t like are the high beam assist which is rubbish, the amp in the boot which seems unnecessary and I’d like the seat to go down a bit further. Other than that, it’s really a very decent car and when my lease is up I may well buy one as they seems great vfm at the moment.

I grant the the interior space was impressive. Have you tried another EV? I'd encourage you to do so before committing to a long term investment.

[Still Mulling]

duff said:

As a Leaf owner, I’d be interested to hear what exactly you didn’t like?

I’ve done 25k miles in my 40kw Tekna and I really like it. 4.2 m/kwh, comfortable and nippy, very easy to drive around town and good equipment levels.

Things I don’t like are the high beam assist which is rubbish, the amp in the boot which seems unnecessary and I’d like the seat to go down a bit further. Other than that, it’s really a very decent car and when my lease is up I may well buy one as they seems great vfm at the moment.

We picked up our 38 for just over £16k a few months ago, and some started with a 15 then. I haven't looked, but £15k should get you into one with 30-40,000 miles on the odometer.

[Bannock]

Still Mulling said:

samoht said:

Thanks for the recommendation. Are you able to be any more specific about what was poorly designed about the Leaf?

Sure. among other things:

- Horrible quality of plastics
- Seating position I found impossible to get comfortable in, despite apparent adjustability. Firmly perched on, not sat in the car
- All points, e.g. boot release, button placements, all appeared illogical and ergonomically poor, and needed commitment to learn. (Still felt wrong after new muscle memories were set.)
- Charge port flap was designed so that if it rained, removing the cable let pooled water fall onto the socket
- Range/economy were terrible, and I drove carefully. I swore to Enterprise that it was not the larger battery car; they swore otherwise.
- Pig ugly

(I realise the last point is subjective, but hated it so much I still feel like sticking the boot in! )

Amazing how we all see the same things differently, isn't it.

I've been driving a Leaf for nearly 6 years now.

- Quality of plastics is equal to any other mass market mid-price comparable manufacturer, IMHO.
- Seating position suits me brilliantly, and the seats are supremely comfortable - up there with a SAAB 9-5 I used to have.
- Interior buttons and levers are exactly where I'd expect them to be, accessing all necessary controls when on the move is a doddle.
- Charge port flap needs to be folded down over the cable when plugged in, never experienced any water anywhere near the socket.
- Total range is poor (even on the 62kwh) but it's an early tech car, and should only be purchased if the range is suitable to your needs. Economy is good, I have averaged 4.2 miles per kwh. I occasionally do a 400 mile round trip in it, with a destination charger, and a couple of charge stops in between. Works well.
- Quite handsome from some angles, if not from all of them. Personally don't care much about the looks.

Not meant to be contradictory or confrontational, just my personal thoughts.

I know I said earlier in this thread I'd be looking at a Kona 64kwh next, but I've heard a few tales of reliability issues and expensive repairs on those (and it's sister the KIA Soul) recently so I'm starting to wobble. And I'm wobbling towards a 62kwh Leaf, because my Leafs (2 over 6 years, a 24 and a 30) have been 100% reliable and repair free. I've only spent on tyres and "servicing", such as that is.