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AIBU?

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Original poster

To think people who drive electric cars give off a bit of a smug glow?

65 replies

MyNavyDreamer · 09/07/2025 10:22

I’m all for greener choices but there’s something about the way some EV drivers talk about it, like they’ve reached moral enlightenment while the rest of us are choking the planet one traffic jam at a time.

AIBU to think it’s less about the car and more about the vibe?

OP posts:
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PickAChew · 09/07/2025 23:13

Gingercatlover · 09/07/2025 22:56

How do you charge it so cheaply? It’s costing us that a week with a home charge point? So only roughly £25 a month cheaper than diesel.

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Then you're probably not on one of the "intelligent" price plans.

BitOutOfPractice · 09/07/2025 23:13

The only people I know who have EVs are middle aged businessmen who bought them for the tax breaks not the environment. They only talk about range. That’s all they talk about.

Bellebelleagain · 09/07/2025 23:11

We’ve got a EV leased through DH’s work and he gets free charging at work. Delighted by how much money we save and with it being a lease it’s very nice not to have to worry about unexpected repair bills. Don’t think we’re smug about it though. I kind of feel like I’m driving a giant iPad around - there’s nothing exciting about it but it serves its purpose.

KaleQueen · 09/07/2025 23:02

Gingercatlover · 09/07/2025 22:56

How do you charge it so cheaply? It’s costing us that a week with a home charge point? So only roughly £25 a month cheaper than diesel.

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Octopus and only charge at night.
it also depends on your mileage. We do less than 100 a week. I might be wrong on the exact numbers mind the husband does the charging but it’s def £11-£12 a month and we used to budget £120 for petrol on the same mileage.

Gingercatlover · 09/07/2025 22:56

KaleQueen · 09/07/2025 11:06

You’re projecting. I have an EV and I bloody love how quiet it is and that it’s cheap and chips to drive (£11 a month 😱 vs £120 in petrol) and it’s packed with tech that blows my mind and keeps me safe and helps me park. And it looks fab. And it’s a lease car too so I don’t even have to worry about that imaginary tyre fix I’m going to have to do because (*checks thread) it’s ’too heavy’ 😂 I’m happy. But not smug. People can be happy in their choices without being ‘smug’

How do you charge it so cheaply? It’s costing us that a week with a home charge point? So only roughly £25 a month cheaper than diesel.

wizzywig · 09/07/2025 22:49

Yes. Smug. Like people who bring a picnic to a theme park. Or who have kids that aren't on their gadgets in restaurants

NoSoupForU · 09/07/2025 22:48

I don't drive an electric car as they just don't suit my lifestyle. I know a lot of electric car drivers. None are smug. All are driving company cars and mostly only had a choice of electric cars.

PickAChew · 09/07/2025 22:45

KaleQueen · 09/07/2025 11:06

You’re projecting. I have an EV and I bloody love how quiet it is and that it’s cheap and chips to drive (£11 a month 😱 vs £120 in petrol) and it’s packed with tech that blows my mind and keeps me safe and helps me park. And it looks fab. And it’s a lease car too so I don’t even have to worry about that imaginary tyre fix I’m going to have to do because (*checks thread) it’s ’too heavy’ 😂 I’m happy. But not smug. People can be happy in their choices without being ‘smug’

I don't drive but we have leased an EV and DH, who hates driving, these days, actually enjoys driving it. We were without it for over a month after a minor accident and we had a nice enough (and automatic) little courtesy car but it just wasn't the same. He drove it to the office the obligatory once a week and the short distance to the supermarket and that was it!

EmeraldShamrock000 · 09/07/2025 22:44

No, they can be a pain in the arse. If anything I find people are more smug who didn't buy into a fully electric vehicle.

LameBorzoi · 09/07/2025 22:42

DisabledDemon · 09/07/2025 13:28

I'd be concerned about the cost of replacing the battery. I suppose, if you were very disciplined and put aside £10 per month, you'd be OK but how many people think to do that?

The battery in mine should be good for over a million miles. Battery technology has come a very long way since the early Nissan Leafs!

Icanttakethisanymore · 09/07/2025 22:42

I think you’re imagining it.

Pallisers · 09/07/2025 22:38

Back in the day I had a friend who used to say he drove a Pious (instead of saying Prius).

FfaCoff · 09/07/2025 22:36

Ooh another AI generated post for my collection...

TaborlinTheGreat · 09/07/2025 22:25

I really like my electric car. It's nippy, cheap to run, nice to drive and I never have to go to the petrol station. I'm not smug about it in a 'look how environmentally virtuous I am' way. At all. Having an electric car is pretty normal.

PaxAeterna · 09/07/2025 22:24

I have an electric car and solar panels and on sunny days I’m the smugiest of smug driving around for free!

noworklifebalance · 09/07/2025 22:23

I love my EV mainly because it is a very small, nippy automatic car, so it’s very easy to drive and park in London. The EV part is neither here nor there for me.
Our other car has a petrol engine.
So no, not a smug EV driver. The ones I know who are (were) smug are Tesla owners. Tbf they have been much less smug recently.

TimeFlysWhenYoureHavingRum · 09/07/2025 22:21

More than half the cars on the road are electric now. They are just normal.

TheFairyCaravan · 09/07/2025 22:21

I bloody love my EV. It’s saved me an absolute fortune in fuel costs. DH loves it too. It’s one of the nicest cars I have ever driven and is so comfortable. Ours goes from Yorkshire, where we live, to DS2’s in Norfolk with no bother. We charge it at the Tesla chargers (it’s not a Tesla) to get us home.

I don’t think I’m smug about it, I don’t mention it unless Im asked .

Alongthetowpath · 09/07/2025 22:14

You need to watch the episode of the Simpsons with Ed Begley Jr.

He drives a go kart powered by his own sense of self satisfaction.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 09/07/2025 22:13

I have an EV and i love it. I particularly love the colour! I love that it is new and makes parking easy with the tech, and I love that I never have to stop in a petrol station again. I don't think I'm smug, in fact I don't think i ever talk about my car. I'm not even sure I mentioned it to people when I got it. I can't think of anything more boring than people talking about cars.

Ninja2 · 09/07/2025 22:12

I love my electric car but the only thing I’m smug about is the cost per mile to drive it.

GripGetter · 09/07/2025 22:08

Do you mean the South Park scenes with the smug closed eyes? Being part of the solution, not part of the problem?

Boredlass · 09/07/2025 13:29

DisabledDemon · 09/07/2025 13:28

I'd be concerned about the cost of replacing the battery. I suppose, if you were very disciplined and put aside £10 per month, you'd be OK but how many people think to do that?

I have a lifetime warranty on my battery so I’m not concerned

Boredlass · 09/07/2025 13:29

I have two electric cars and solar panels. I did it because I save a fortune, not for the environment

DisabledDemon · 09/07/2025 13:28

I'd be concerned about the cost of replacing the battery. I suppose, if you were very disciplined and put aside £10 per month, you'd be OK but how many people think to do that?