You have around £20k to spend - what are you buying?

[Ciaran]

I've had my i3 Rex for over 3 years now and I'm looking to change. I love it to bits but need something with a bigger boot and would like to go pure electric. I would probably push the budget out to £25k. As long as it does 200 miles in the winter I'd be happy.

Because of the dog I need a hatchback type of car so was thinking:

I-Pace
Polestar 2
ID3
Something else?

Where would your money go?

Thanks

[LowTread]

Been very happy with my £19k Model 3 Long Range.

Model Y will be out of price range.

But Tesla do a decent dog liner for the rear seats. Not cheap but looks substantial
https://shop.tesla.com/en_gb/product/model-s_3_y-p...

[John87]

I'm happy with my Polestar so would say that!

You can get a 3 year old car with all options ticked for sub 22k on auto trader. Only things missing would be the heat pump which will slightly impact range and possibly the performance power upgrade which came with the performance pack from 2023 but is available OTA for any dual motor car for about 1k. That takes the power from 402bhp to 476bhp in case the former isn't enough

[Ciaran]

The Tesla would have been my pick but if I've the kids and or wife with me there will be no room for the dog in the back seat.

When I started looking the other day I just assumed the Polestar was a saloon. Going to see if I can get a look around one this weekend.

Edited by Ciaran on Friday 12th April 16:32

Edited by Ciaran on Friday 12th April 16:32

[SWoll]

A £20k iPace would worry me, so much to go wrong and the early cars aren't renowned for their reliability.

A dual motor Polestar 2 with the plus and pilot packs is a lot of car for just over £20k I agree. The top one looks like it might even have the optional performance package fitted based on the brake calipers, wheels and belts. That's a £5k option..

Edited by SWoll on Friday 12th April 16:45

[Tractor Driver]

Kona or Niro? £20k-£25k should get you a high spec one with several years of warranty left.

[G-wiz]

Ciaran said:

I-Pace

Unreliable

Ciaran said:

Polestar 2

Promising

Ciaran said:

ID3

Uninspiring

Ciaran said:

Something else?

Cyberpunk Ioniq 5

[SWoll]

G-wiz said:

Cyberpunk Ioniq 5

You'll struggle for under £23k.

[G-wiz]

SWoll said:

G-wiz said:

Cyberpunk Ioniq 5

You'll struggle for under £23k.

If the OP is patient and can wait a few days, with savage EV depreciation, he could pick one up for less than 20k.

[Stephen-733s2]

I had an ID.3 for 6 months. I genuinely can’t think of a car I’ve owned I hated more in every way.

[Themintimperial]

I'm in a similar boat, but the way the used EV prices have dropped like a stone, I'm worried myself about what I might get for it after 2-3 years. I imagine its all a guessing game with the 2nd hand market in general but does anyone have any insight?

Although I sat in a Polestar 2 today, lovely place to sit, I wish those seats came as desk chairs

[ChocolateFrog]

Stephen-733s2 said:

I had an ID.3 for 6 months. I genuinely can’t think of a car I’ve owned I hated more in every way.

That was our general feeling too.

TBF it would have fallen into the dull but dependable VW category if it hadn't have thrown error lights atleast once every other trip.

[Nomme de Plum]

Themintimperial said:

I'm in a similar boat, but the way the used EV prices have dropped like a stone, I'm worried myself about what I might get for it after 2-3 years. I imagine its all a guessing game with the 2nd hand market in general but does anyone have any insight?

Although I sat in a Polestar 2 today, lovely place to sit, I wish those seats came as desk chairs

Do they? All care depreciate like a stone in year 1. Get to year 2 and 3, 4 and it starts to tail off. My 3.5 year old EV has gone down 5% in the last year.

[robbob1980]

Nomme de Plum said:

Do they? All care depreciate like a stone in year 1. Get to year 2 and 3, 4 and it starts to tail off. My 3.5 year old EV has gone down 5% in the last year.

What EV do you have? The 2 I’m thinking of getting (Polestar 2 or model 3) are both 3-4 years old and have depreciated roughly 30% in the last 12 months according to motorway. It’s the main reason why I’m still waiting.

[Nomme de Plum]

robbob1980 said:

Nomme de Plum said:

Do they? All care depreciate like a stone in year 1. Get to year 2 and 3, 4 and it starts to tail off. My 3.5 year old EV has gone down 5% in the last year.

What EV do you have? The 2 I’m thinking of getting (Polestar 2 or model 3) are both 3-4 years old and have depreciated roughly 30% in the last 12 months according to motorway. It’s the main reason why I’m still waiting.

i3s It's really a city car and i would not recommend it if regular 200 mile runs are required. It's great for my usage profile though. I suspect it maybe getting a bit of a following due to the Carbon tub and quirky looks. Even ten year old one seem to have good residual value.

I've got a couple of mates with Teslas, a Y and a 3. They are generally pleased with them.

I don't know the Polestar 2 so I won't advise. On paper it looks OK.

It is difficult to advise as to when to take the jump. I did it because my Merc C class diesel did not fit my short journey usage. It never really warmed up and rarely got a good blast down a fat road to clear the DPF. Hence the EV

I cannot conceive of me going back to ICE. If I'm a passenger in an ICE now they seem noisy with laggy acceleration in comparison with the EVs have driven.

[agent006]

Tractor Driver said:

Kona or Niro? £20k-£25k should get you a high spec one with several years of warranty left.

Come on, a mumsy shopping car is never going to even get acknowledged on PH, even if it is the best choice.

[jjones]

Nomme de Plum said:

Do they? All care depreciate like a stone in year 1. Get to year 2 and 3, 4 and it starts to tail off. My 3.5 year old EV has gone down 5% in the last year.

In general i3 prices have taken a beating:

e.g 45% drop on 2018 i3 REX since Dec 22

[bernie_eccle]

I recently took the notion to replace my i3S Rex having had it for nearly 3 years. I was convinced that I wasn't going back to ICE. My criteria was it needed to be a hatchback for the dog, a bit of refinement, with real buttons for key controls and at least 200 miles winter range.

My list was:-
Mach-e - this was actually the car I really wanted but was still too far out of my budget.
ID3 - didn't like the controls and spartan interior
Cupra Born - really like these, but same controls as the ID3, in fact this made me discount all VWs
Hyundai Ioniq 5 - Loved the exterior styling of these but was so disappointed with the interior. A much bigger car than I was expecting
Kia EV6 - an awful lot to like about these. Was a bit out of budget but I took a test drive and it was just bland. Not bad, just uninspiring. The safety controls, lane keep assist etc also felt a little intrusive, but I could probably gotten used to them.
iPace - I spent a long time reading the owner's forums which are filled with doom and gloom. I do feel for the owners who have had issues but many of the issues do appear to be older cars (not exclusively). When asked there are also many many owners who have had no issues and rave about the car. I decided to bite the bullet and get a fully loaded HSE, slightly higher mileage, but newer, Jag management owned car, which fitted my budget. Bought via the main dealer with the 2 year warranty and Jag assist. Only time will tell if I will live to regret it but so far it is the best driving experience I have had for a very long time.
Good luck in your quest!

[robbob1980]

jjones said:

In general i3 prices have taken a beating:

e.g 45% drop on 2018 i3 REX since Dec 22

Where is that market history chart from? I don’t think I’ve seen that website.

[plfrench]

There’s a Mach E available in your extended budget - just. Looks quite smart in that colour I think.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023122350...

Edited by plfrench on Sunday 14th April 07:45