First used 10-12k EV? Leaf, i3, e-Golf or Soul EV?
Discussion
Having owned my 2016 Golf TSI Estate for 5 years and now on over 125k, I’m struggling to find a suitable, newer replacement for it that meets my requirements, is really any better and that really excites me within my budget. My Golf is the best all-round car that I have owned, has been very reliable, comfortable, practical and economical etc and drives very well for what it is. I am considering splitting my budget and getting an older sports car as a “fun” car and possibly a “cheap” EV for the daily/practical stuff. I do around 400 miles per week commuting, so do spend quite a lot of money on petrol and it’s not a particularly exciting commute (mostly A-road and motorway), so maybe a “cheap” EV would save me some money? No charging facilities at work currently but I believe that’s on its way and I have off street parking, so would be able to charge at home. The new Renault 5 obviously captures the zeitgeist and has plenty of showroom appeal but I don’t have that budget and I question whether it actually drives as well as it looks, so rather than leasing/dropping 25k+ on a new EV, I would rather test the water with a 10-12k used EV , which isn’t going to lose thousands in depreciation if I decide that an EV doesn’t work for me.
The 4 cars that I am considering are a later e-Golf with the 35.8kWh battery, a later BMW i3S with the 42kWh battery, a mk2 Nissan Leaf e+ (59kWh) or the Kia Soul EV with the 64kWh battery.
The Golf will no doubt feel quite familiar and I do love my current mk7 Golf petrol, it’s probably one of the best small cars ever made and despite the more limited range, probably a better car than the newer ID.3. Disadvantage is that it came in quite a limited range of colours, only one spec which is a little plain (my Golf is very high spec in comparison) and only available as a hatchback (although that’s not a deal-breaker). It also has the smallest range and least power of the four but would no doubt be a great car to live with.
The i3S is still possibly the coolest small EV IMHO, is relatively light and probably the most fun to drive but less practical than the others (I do have 2 kids, 13 and 11).
Nissan Leaf e+ has the most power and has a good range (well over 200+ miles) on paper and should be quite practical.
Kia Soul EV has the biggest battery/longest range on paper (280 miles?). I never actually liked the petrol/diesel Soul but to be fair the later model EV in the electric blue does look pretty cool and the Hyundai/Kia EVs are supposed to be pretty good/efficient and this one is preferable to the rather bland Ioniq/Niro IMHO. These seem more expensive than the others though, so one in budget would be higher miles and less choice.
I’m a complete EV newbie (I’ve not even driven one) but I have friends in the industry who are EV converts and if I can save a significant amount of money on fuel then I’m definitely interested in one at the right money, although part of me wants to buy and enjoy ICE cars whilst I still can! Are any of the above actually fun to drive? I also realise that a bigger battery/range doesn’t necessarily mean good efficiency/fast charging and I don't know how realistic the quoted ranges are when you factor in ambient temperature and usage. I'm mostly sitting at 60/70mph on the commute and average 45mpg in my Golf. I would like to be able to use it practically for the occasional longer journey but we do have a larger petrol car as a “family” car, so I would probably use that for most long journeys and the EV for commuting/local mileage. Which of the above would you recommend within the 10-12k budget?
The 4 cars that I am considering are a later e-Golf with the 35.8kWh battery, a later BMW i3S with the 42kWh battery, a mk2 Nissan Leaf e+ (59kWh) or the Kia Soul EV with the 64kWh battery.
The Golf will no doubt feel quite familiar and I do love my current mk7 Golf petrol, it’s probably one of the best small cars ever made and despite the more limited range, probably a better car than the newer ID.3. Disadvantage is that it came in quite a limited range of colours, only one spec which is a little plain (my Golf is very high spec in comparison) and only available as a hatchback (although that’s not a deal-breaker). It also has the smallest range and least power of the four but would no doubt be a great car to live with.
The i3S is still possibly the coolest small EV IMHO, is relatively light and probably the most fun to drive but less practical than the others (I do have 2 kids, 13 and 11).
Nissan Leaf e+ has the most power and has a good range (well over 200+ miles) on paper and should be quite practical.
Kia Soul EV has the biggest battery/longest range on paper (280 miles?). I never actually liked the petrol/diesel Soul but to be fair the later model EV in the electric blue does look pretty cool and the Hyundai/Kia EVs are supposed to be pretty good/efficient and this one is preferable to the rather bland Ioniq/Niro IMHO. These seem more expensive than the others though, so one in budget would be higher miles and less choice.
I’m a complete EV newbie (I’ve not even driven one) but I have friends in the industry who are EV converts and if I can save a significant amount of money on fuel then I’m definitely interested in one at the right money, although part of me wants to buy and enjoy ICE cars whilst I still can! Are any of the above actually fun to drive? I also realise that a bigger battery/range doesn’t necessarily mean good efficiency/fast charging and I don't know how realistic the quoted ranges are when you factor in ambient temperature and usage. I'm mostly sitting at 60/70mph on the commute and average 45mpg in my Golf. I would like to be able to use it practically for the occasional longer journey but we do have a larger petrol car as a “family” car, so I would probably use that for most long journeys and the EV for commuting/local mileage. Which of the above would you recommend within the 10-12k budget?
400 miles a week is ~8000 miles a year, I'm assuming that's an 80 mile round trip five days a week (?)
Cost: petrol at 45mpg and £1.50/litre is about £1200, EV at 3 miles/kWh at overnight electricity rate of 8p is £200, so £1k a year saving on fuel.
Edit - oops - 400 miles a week x 50 weeks = 20,000 miles not 8000 - so £500 electricity vs £3k petrol, a £2500 saving
What's the use case? If you're only doing the 80 mile commuting round trip, then any of your choices are fine. If you might want to use the car for family holidays etc too, then the longer range and faster charging of the 64 kWh Kias/Hyundais will make them a lot less of a compromise for that. (The Hyundai Kona is probably the range/cost king).
There are quite a few other cars you could consider. Tesla Model 3s start from £12k btw...
On range, for your usage and with these cars I would assume 3 miles/kWh, and multiply that by the useable battery capacity in kWh to get a realistic range. Ideally you do want a car with a bit more range than the bare minimum you'll need, to allow for variations due to temperature, headwind, a little battery degradation etc etc.
Cost: petrol at 45mpg and £1.50/litre is about £1200, EV at 3 miles/kWh at overnight electricity rate of 8p is £200, so £1k a year saving on fuel.
Edit - oops - 400 miles a week x 50 weeks = 20,000 miles not 8000 - so £500 electricity vs £3k petrol, a £2500 saving
What's the use case? If you're only doing the 80 mile commuting round trip, then any of your choices are fine. If you might want to use the car for family holidays etc too, then the longer range and faster charging of the 64 kWh Kias/Hyundais will make them a lot less of a compromise for that. (The Hyundai Kona is probably the range/cost king).
There are quite a few other cars you could consider. Tesla Model 3s start from £12k btw...
On range, for your usage and with these cars I would assume 3 miles/kWh, and multiply that by the useable battery capacity in kWh to get a realistic range. Ideally you do want a car with a bit more range than the bare minimum you'll need, to allow for variations due to temperature, headwind, a little battery degradation etc etc.
Edited by samoht on Friday 7th February 20:36
samoht said:
400 miles a week is ~8000 miles a year, I'm assuming that's an 80 mile round trip five days a week (?)
Cost: petrol at 45mpg and £1.50/litre is about £1200, EV at 3 miles/kWh at overnight electricity rate of 8p is £200, so £1k a year saving on fuel.
What's the use case? If you're only doing the 80 mile commuting round trip, then any of your choices are fine. If you might want to use the car for family holidays etc too, then the longer range and faster charging of the 64 kWh Kias/Hyundais will make them a lot less of a compromise for that. (The Hyundai Kona is probably the range/cost king).
There are quite a few other cars you could consider. Tesla Model 3s start from £12k btw...
On range, for your usage and with these cars I would assume 3 miles/kWh, and multiply that by the useable battery capacity in kWh to get a realistic range. Ideally you do want a car with a bit more range than the bare minimum you'll need, to allow for variations due to temperature, headwind, a little battery degradation etc etc.
Thanks. Yes, that's right. That's a pretty substantial saving (and in reality there would be some additional non-commuting mileage as well but that varies). Probably not worth it on a new 30k EV vs. a considerably cheaper used ICE car but like-for-like budget it makes some good sense. So the above are all pretty good choices?Cost: petrol at 45mpg and £1.50/litre is about £1200, EV at 3 miles/kWh at overnight electricity rate of 8p is £200, so £1k a year saving on fuel.
What's the use case? If you're only doing the 80 mile commuting round trip, then any of your choices are fine. If you might want to use the car for family holidays etc too, then the longer range and faster charging of the 64 kWh Kias/Hyundais will make them a lot less of a compromise for that. (The Hyundai Kona is probably the range/cost king).
There are quite a few other cars you could consider. Tesla Model 3s start from £12k btw...
On range, for your usage and with these cars I would assume 3 miles/kWh, and multiply that by the useable battery capacity in kWh to get a realistic range. Ideally you do want a car with a bit more range than the bare minimum you'll need, to allow for variations due to temperature, headwind, a little battery degradation etc etc.
I know the Model 3s are supposed to be pretty good but I don't like how they look and I stubbornly refuse to buy into the Tesla "cult"!
If you’re doing 400miles per week, that’s 20k a year and well above average. I guess you’re spend around £200 a month on fuel which could partly saved and invested in a newer car.
What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
white_goodman said:
The 4 cars that I am considering are a later e-Golf with the 35.8kWh battery, a later BMW i3S with the 42kWh battery, a mk2 Nissan Leaf e+ (59kWh) or the Kia Soul EV with the 64kWh battery.
The Golf will no doubt feel quite familiar and I do love my current mk7 Golf petrol, it’s probably one of the best small cars ever made and despite the more limited range, probably a better car than the newer ID.3. Disadvantage is that it came in quite a limited range of colours, only one spec which is a little plain (my Golf is very high spec in comparison) and only available as a hatchback (although that’s not a deal-breaker). It also has the smallest range and least power of the four but would no doubt be a great car to live with.
The i3S is still possibly the coolest small EV IMHO, is relatively light and probably the most fun to drive but less practical than the others (I do have 2 kids, 13 and 11).
Nissan Leaf e+ has the most power and has a good range (well over 200+ miles) on paper and should be quite practical.
Kia Soul EV has the biggest battery/longest range on paper (280 miles?). I never actually liked the petrol/diesel Soul but to be fair the later model EV in the electric blue does look pretty cool and the Hyundai/Kia EVs are supposed to be pretty good/efficient and this one is preferable to the rather bland Ioniq/Niro IMHO. These seem more expensive than the others though, so one in budget would be higher miles and less choice.
I’m a complete EV newbie (I’ve not even driven one) but I have friends in the industry who are EV converts and if I can save a significant amount of money on fuel then I’m definitely interested in one at the right money, although part of me wants to buy and enjoy ICE cars whilst I still can! Are any of the above actually fun to drive? I also realise that a bigger battery/range doesn’t necessarily mean good efficiency/fast charging and I don't know how realistic the quoted ranges are when you factor in ambient temperature and usage. I'm mostly sitting at 60/70mph on the commute and average 45mpg in my Golf. I would like to be able to use it practically for the occasional longer journey but we do have a larger petrol car as a “family” car, so I would probably use that for most long journeys and the EV for commuting/local mileage. Which of the above would you recommend within the 10-12k budget?
Personally I don't think much of the eGolf, as it's (I understand) quite compromised being basically an ICE car with a battery in it. That said I've not driven it and I know people love their VW's.The Golf will no doubt feel quite familiar and I do love my current mk7 Golf petrol, it’s probably one of the best small cars ever made and despite the more limited range, probably a better car than the newer ID.3. Disadvantage is that it came in quite a limited range of colours, only one spec which is a little plain (my Golf is very high spec in comparison) and only available as a hatchback (although that’s not a deal-breaker). It also has the smallest range and least power of the four but would no doubt be a great car to live with.
The i3S is still possibly the coolest small EV IMHO, is relatively light and probably the most fun to drive but less practical than the others (I do have 2 kids, 13 and 11).
Nissan Leaf e+ has the most power and has a good range (well over 200+ miles) on paper and should be quite practical.
Kia Soul EV has the biggest battery/longest range on paper (280 miles?). I never actually liked the petrol/diesel Soul but to be fair the later model EV in the electric blue does look pretty cool and the Hyundai/Kia EVs are supposed to be pretty good/efficient and this one is preferable to the rather bland Ioniq/Niro IMHO. These seem more expensive than the others though, so one in budget would be higher miles and less choice.
I’m a complete EV newbie (I’ve not even driven one) but I have friends in the industry who are EV converts and if I can save a significant amount of money on fuel then I’m definitely interested in one at the right money, although part of me wants to buy and enjoy ICE cars whilst I still can! Are any of the above actually fun to drive? I also realise that a bigger battery/range doesn’t necessarily mean good efficiency/fast charging and I don't know how realistic the quoted ranges are when you factor in ambient temperature and usage. I'm mostly sitting at 60/70mph on the commute and average 45mpg in my Golf. I would like to be able to use it practically for the occasional longer journey but we do have a larger petrol car as a “family” car, so I would probably use that for most long journeys and the EV for commuting/local mileage. Which of the above would you recommend within the 10-12k budget?
The Leaf's big problem is that the battery is only ambiently cooled/heated by airflow. In cold weather it gets too cold, and in hot weather (and more importantly when fast charging) it gets too hot. This will accelerate degradation and makes longer journeys harder as the battery gets too hot to charge fast. Plenty of space and practical, but probably the least engaging drive of your choices.
The i3 I think is brilliant. Despite the silly suicide doors the actual car is pretty practical in space terms, and in a reasonable spec a very nice place to be. The boot is small tho. It's the only one of your four which is RWD and I would say "fun" to drive. Skinny tires make motorway driving a bit twitchy for my tastes. The S version might be slightly better? Often said it's a future classic, and I would agree. Fast charging is fast enough, and BMW seem to have long lasting batteries.
The Kia eSoul is probably the "best" choice in many ways. Well put together, and very efficient. 280 miles in summer, 250 miles in winter. They all come very well equipped and are spacious and comfortable. Not an exciting drive tho; the power and torque can easily overwhelm the chassis, and the FWD does it no favours. They can be driven rapidly but don't really reward it, whereas if you ease off a little everything becomes very civilised. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I don't think everyone is a fan - agree they look smart in the bright blue. Fast charging is again fast enough and batteries seem very long lasting with minimal/no losses after significant mileages.
But... if a Tesla 3 would work for you I would really think hard about one. I'm absolutely no of fan Elon Musk but their offering is in so many ways the best there is. The 3 wouldn't have worked for me, and the Y wasn't available, so I ended up in a Kia, but both are very very strong choices.
Knock_knock said:
Personally I don't think much of the eGolf, as it's (I understand) quite compromised being basically an ICE car with a battery in it. That said I've not driven it and I know people love their VW's.
The Leaf's big problem is that the battery is only ambiently cooled/heated by airflow. In cold weather it gets too cold, and in hot weather (and more importantly when fast charging) it gets too hot. This will accelerate degradation and makes longer journeys harder as the battery gets too hot to charge fast. Plenty of space and practical, but probably the least engaging drive of your choices.
The i3 I think is brilliant. Despite the silly suicide doors the actual car is pretty practical in space terms, and in a reasonable spec a very nice place to be. The boot is small tho. It's the only one of your four which is RWD and I would say "fun" to drive. Skinny tires make motorway driving a bit twitchy for my tastes. The S version might be slightly better? Often said it's a future classic, and I would agree. Fast charging is fast enough, and BMW seem to have long lasting batteries.
The Kia eSoul is probably the "best" choice in many ways. Well put together, and very efficient. 280 miles in summer, 250 miles in winter. They all come very well equipped and are spacious and comfortable. Not an exciting drive tho; the power and torque can easily overwhelm the chassis, and the FWD does it no favours. They can be driven rapidly but don't really reward it, whereas if you ease off a little everything becomes very civilised. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I don't think everyone is a fan - agree they look smart in the bright blue. Fast charging is again fast enough and batteries seem very long lasting with minimal/no losses after significant mileages.
But... if a Tesla 3 would work for you I would really think hard about one. I'm absolutely no of fan Elon Musk but their offering is in so many ways the best there is. The 3 wouldn't have worked for me, and the Y wasn't available, so I ended up in a Kia, but both are very very strong choices.
Thanks for the summary.The Leaf's big problem is that the battery is only ambiently cooled/heated by airflow. In cold weather it gets too cold, and in hot weather (and more importantly when fast charging) it gets too hot. This will accelerate degradation and makes longer journeys harder as the battery gets too hot to charge fast. Plenty of space and practical, but probably the least engaging drive of your choices.
The i3 I think is brilliant. Despite the silly suicide doors the actual car is pretty practical in space terms, and in a reasonable spec a very nice place to be. The boot is small tho. It's the only one of your four which is RWD and I would say "fun" to drive. Skinny tires make motorway driving a bit twitchy for my tastes. The S version might be slightly better? Often said it's a future classic, and I would agree. Fast charging is fast enough, and BMW seem to have long lasting batteries.
The Kia eSoul is probably the "best" choice in many ways. Well put together, and very efficient. 280 miles in summer, 250 miles in winter. They all come very well equipped and are spacious and comfortable. Not an exciting drive tho; the power and torque can easily overwhelm the chassis, and the FWD does it no favours. They can be driven rapidly but don't really reward it, whereas if you ease off a little everything becomes very civilised. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I don't think everyone is a fan - agree they look smart in the bright blue. Fast charging is again fast enough and batteries seem very long lasting with minimal/no losses after significant mileages.
But... if a Tesla 3 would work for you I would really think hard about one. I'm absolutely no of fan Elon Musk but their offering is in so many ways the best there is. The 3 wouldn't have worked for me, and the Y wasn't available, so I ended up in a Kia, but both are very very strong choices.
ashenfie said:
If you’re doing 400miles per week, that’s 20k a year and well above average. I guess you’re spend around £200 a month on fuel which could partly saved and invested in a newer car.
What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
Good point on the annual mileage, I messed up up-thread (have edited).What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
I know people differ on this, but I bought an EV 15 months and 8k miles ago, and I've found it very easy to get into a routine - park the car on the drive, get out, plug it in, and go inside. I haven't yet forgotten. Just like I plug my phone in when I go to bed, I plug my car in when I get home. So if I was only commuting, I'd be happy with a range that comfortably covered one day's commute, and charge overnight. It's not the end of the world to have to go to a fast charger once or twice if you really forget, anyway, unless you're terminally amnesiac.
However if the car's also going to be used for the odd longer trip, then the longer range options will make that a lot easier.
My fiancée has a mk2 Leaf with the 40kwh battery pack; was used for a 5 day a week 72 mile commute on a mix of a roads, country roads and a bit of city at either end of the commute. Similar mileage to what you're proposing using the car for distance wise.
Average energy usage was about 3.5 kwh winter, 4.5 kwh summer.
Did the distance no bother with a nightly top up to 80% battery capacity.
Very happy with the car given the current used values.
Average energy usage was about 3.5 kwh winter, 4.5 kwh summer.
Did the distance no bother with a nightly top up to 80% battery capacity.
Very happy with the car given the current used values.
ashenfie said:
If you’re doing 400miles per week, that’s 20k a year and well above average. I guess you’re spend around £200 a month on fuel which could partly saved and invested in a newer car.
What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
He said he has off street parking, it takes the same amount of time to plug in the charger for the car as it does for charging your phone overnight. What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
Shaoxter said:
ashenfie said:
If you’re doing 400miles per week, that’s 20k a year and well above average. I guess you’re spend around £200 a month on fuel which could partly saved and invested in a newer car.
What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
He said he has off street parking, it takes the same amount of time to plug in the charger for the car as it does for charging your phone overnight. What you need to consider thu, is that the options you have listed are going to struggle range wise. You going to be charging every far or other day which is not a great experience. Forget or mess up charging and you scr!wed Maybe consider upping the budget and get something with at least 200miles range.
My wife had a mk 7 1.4Tsi Golf, went to a 21 plate mk7.5 e-golf as our household experiment with a toe in the water of EV. A nice easy transition due to the rest of the car being so familiar.
The e-Golf was good, however the range in the winter was very limited. It had the heat pump option, but still seemed hugely affected. Motorway speeds in frosty type temps would see the range absolutely plummet to well under 100miles, more like 80.
Due to this, and a change in circumstance which meant she needed to do 2x76mile mainly motorway round trips per day meant she jumped back into a petrol Golf (me 7.5 1.5 this time) whilst we waited for a Cupra Born to arrive.
Going back to the petrol Golf after the e-Golf seemed a big step backwards in real-world performance, but at least the range worked for us. The Born (and the ID3 I then got as a company car as I liked the Born and electric drivetrains way more than the E350d I was driving) resolved the range issue at a stroke and I found being rwd a useful improvement over the e-golf particularly in damp conditions. The range is way less affected by cold and motorway speeds for some reason, so I’d argue the ID3 is considerably better than the e-Golf overall. Bonus of being usefully roomier in the cabin and boot than the Golf too. The boot especially is a lot bigger as you loose space in the e-golf boot compared to the standard Golf.
The e-Golf was good, however the range in the winter was very limited. It had the heat pump option, but still seemed hugely affected. Motorway speeds in frosty type temps would see the range absolutely plummet to well under 100miles, more like 80.
Due to this, and a change in circumstance which meant she needed to do 2x76mile mainly motorway round trips per day meant she jumped back into a petrol Golf (me 7.5 1.5 this time) whilst we waited for a Cupra Born to arrive.
Going back to the petrol Golf after the e-Golf seemed a big step backwards in real-world performance, but at least the range worked for us. The Born (and the ID3 I then got as a company car as I liked the Born and electric drivetrains way more than the E350d I was driving) resolved the range issue at a stroke and I found being rwd a useful improvement over the e-golf particularly in damp conditions. The range is way less affected by cold and motorway speeds for some reason, so I’d argue the ID3 is considerably better than the e-Golf overall. Bonus of being usefully roomier in the cabin and boot than the Golf too. The boot especially is a lot bigger as you loose space in the e-golf boot compared to the standard Golf.
Edited by plfrench on Saturday 8th February 08:09
CABC said:
white_goodman said:
I stubbornly refuse to buy into the Tesla "cult"!
then just buy the car alone?i3's are great around town but wouldn't want to do 400 miles a week in one personally, and absolute range in the winter is not good at all.
I'd probably be looking at a Hyundai Ioniq with the 38kWh battery for the budget and use case described. £11k will get you into a 2021/22 Premium with minimal miles, and they'll do 150+ miles to a charge all year round with ease as super efficient.
i3s any day of the week. Fantasic little cars. I've had two, both company ones. Loved the last one so much I've bought once the lease finished.
Sure newer models charge faster and have a bigger range but I've never once in six years found the range to be insufficient for the vast majority of trips. And it's hilarious to drive because it isn't too heavy (an advantage of not having to lug around a huge battery for range you'll almost never need).
I've only wobbled recently with the R5, which also looks fab.
50,000 miles and my i3s BEV is still tight as a drum, not a squeak or rattle. The only downside is the unique tyre sizes that mean only one expensive choice. But I get about 20k from the rears and over 40k from the fronts.
To my eye it still is a striking little thing and makes other EVs looks so unadventurous and simply too big.
Mine's a long term keeper. Paid for now and cheap as chips to run. £0 tax, really cheap to charge on an overnight tariff.
Seek out the up spec interior. Mine has the loft (brown leather and walnut etc), it really lifts the interior and is proving hard wearing. Make sure you get the HK stereo too - fine sounding.
And if you can, definately the 's' model. I had an original and then the S. The standard car sits slightly higher, has narrower tyres and I think a slightly narrower track - can't say for sure though. The original is 'interesting' on the motorway and in cross winds. The 's' is noticeably more stable and more enjoyable to drive. Performance wise, there's really not much in it apart from a sport button, but that just increases the throttle response.
And there's a definite improvement in the electronics in the newer models, the regen and stability control was quite slow witted on my original one which was a bit alarming on ice etc. No issue at all on the S it was replaced with - much quicker to sort itself out. Mine's one of the first with the large spec battery, on a '68 plate. They are appearing in your price range now.
Sure newer models charge faster and have a bigger range but I've never once in six years found the range to be insufficient for the vast majority of trips. And it's hilarious to drive because it isn't too heavy (an advantage of not having to lug around a huge battery for range you'll almost never need).
I've only wobbled recently with the R5, which also looks fab.
50,000 miles and my i3s BEV is still tight as a drum, not a squeak or rattle. The only downside is the unique tyre sizes that mean only one expensive choice. But I get about 20k from the rears and over 40k from the fronts.
To my eye it still is a striking little thing and makes other EVs looks so unadventurous and simply too big.
Mine's a long term keeper. Paid for now and cheap as chips to run. £0 tax, really cheap to charge on an overnight tariff.
Seek out the up spec interior. Mine has the loft (brown leather and walnut etc), it really lifts the interior and is proving hard wearing. Make sure you get the HK stereo too - fine sounding.
And if you can, definately the 's' model. I had an original and then the S. The standard car sits slightly higher, has narrower tyres and I think a slightly narrower track - can't say for sure though. The original is 'interesting' on the motorway and in cross winds. The 's' is noticeably more stable and more enjoyable to drive. Performance wise, there's really not much in it apart from a sport button, but that just increases the throttle response.
And there's a definite improvement in the electronics in the newer models, the regen and stability control was quite slow witted on my original one which was a bit alarming on ice etc. No issue at all on the S it was replaced with - much quicker to sort itself out. Mine's one of the first with the large spec battery, on a '68 plate. They are appearing in your price range now.
Edited by biggles330d on Saturday 8th February 16:53
I’d probably not bother with a gen 1 EV now. They’re all too compromised in the grand scheme of things, unless those compromises don’t matter for your use case.
We’ve had a small battery e-golf for years now as a runabout, a use case it’s superb at. All the good points and total familiarity of a mk7.5 golf, plus the refinement and reliability of an electric drivetrain. Its only downside is the relatively low range. However that’s an irrelevance for our use case as it’s never used for any trips approaching anywhere near its range. So replacing it with a newer longer range EV would bring us absolutely no upsides, so it’s pointless changing it. We’ll just run it until the kids out grow the back seats, and then probably just replace it with an ID4, or other anonymous bargain depreciated EV.
Mate of mine has an i3, and I’ve driven a few of them. They’re interesting and a reasonable drive, but like all gen 1 EV’s are still pretty compromised. They’re also small, weird looking, and with a ton of complex and expensive bespoke parts and consumables. So perhaps (lights touch paper) not a particularly good used prospect as they age.
We’ve had a small battery e-golf for years now as a runabout, a use case it’s superb at. All the good points and total familiarity of a mk7.5 golf, plus the refinement and reliability of an electric drivetrain. Its only downside is the relatively low range. However that’s an irrelevance for our use case as it’s never used for any trips approaching anywhere near its range. So replacing it with a newer longer range EV would bring us absolutely no upsides, so it’s pointless changing it. We’ll just run it until the kids out grow the back seats, and then probably just replace it with an ID4, or other anonymous bargain depreciated EV.
Mate of mine has an i3, and I’ve driven a few of them. They’re interesting and a reasonable drive, but like all gen 1 EV’s are still pretty compromised. They’re also small, weird looking, and with a ton of complex and expensive bespoke parts and consumables. So perhaps (lights touch paper) not a particularly good used prospect as they age.
Lots of love for the i3S, which I do get, but for someone covering 20k+ miles a year do you really think it's the right choice chaps?
Not the most comfortable, stable or efficient car for regular long journeys IME. Fabulous city car though, I'd have another in a heartbeat for that purpose.
Not the most comfortable, stable or efficient car for regular long journeys IME. Fabulous city car though, I'd have another in a heartbeat for that purpose.
SWoll said:
I'd probably be looking at a Hyundai Ioniq with the 38kWh battery for the budget and use case described. £11k will get you into a 2021/22 Premium with minimal miles, and they'll do 150+ miles to a charge all year round with ease as super efficient.
Good cars, good spec, good efficiency so good range from a moderately sized battery. They're good steers too, with enough space inside.Downside, the rapid charging performance is abysmal. If that isn't a consideration then I wouldn't worry about it.
Cristio Nasser said:
They’re also small, weird looking, and with a ton of complex and expensive bespoke parts and consumables. So perhaps (lights touch paper) not a particularly good used prospect as they age.
That's not true at all, it's a very simple car mechanically and parts are not what I'd call expensive. Check out Wisely Automotive, they have a pretty comprehensive list of prices for common fixes.Yes it's small but roomier inside than other cars in the same class, ie regular sized adults can fit in the back. It's funky but personally I'd rather be in something interesting looking than a Golf or Tesla. Having said that, I'm not sure it's the right choice for the OP doing mostly motorway and A-roads and with teenage kids.
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