Has anyone got an electric car?

[DarlingWithoutYou]

We're looking at taking the leap.

Considering the Kona or Niro, both have 250+ range. We'd get a home charging pod fitted (around £900 apparently) but there's 4 rapid chargers all within 15 mins of us, including at Morrisons which is handy!

We've got another (petrol) car we'd use for long distances. This car would just be for work and back (20 mins).

Any opinions, or tips and advice? Thanks!

I have an MG ZS EV, got it at the end of January and love it. It has a lower range, only around 120 in winter going up to around 160miles in summer. my commute is slightly short than yours, but it does me fine. I charge it once every 2 weeks currently but that will probably change to weekly once we start going out and about more. We have a home charger, but have charged it elsewhere a couple of times. We still have a petrol car for longer journeys, but don't really use it much. I wouldn't look back. I have saved a fortune in road tax, insurance costs and petrol, just paying around £6 per full charge.

@SailorGirl3 we’ve been looking at the mg Zs. Did you buy or lease yours?

[quote Mirrorxx]@SailorGirl3 we’ve been looking at the mg Zs. Did you buy or lease yours?[/quote]
I have it on HP but got a very good deal with 0% finance and other grants. I would say its a lot of car for the money, definitely good value.

We've got a Nissan Leaf and we really love it. Got a home charger and get a really good rate from Octopus Energy for night time charging, so it hardly costs anything at all to run. We bought it as an ex display car from the local dealership so it was considerably cheaper than buying brand new.

I've got an egolf, I love it.
Bear in mind that public rapid chargers cost a fair bit compared to home charging.
I'm on octopus and the rate is 5p KW between 0030-0430 so super cheap. Cost on average £18 per month to cover 850-1000 miles.

@DarlingWithoutYou
You should be able to get a home charging point for less than that unless you are getting someone fancy.
We got a particularly pretty looking one so paid more but there are loads for less as you can get a gov grant towards the cost (OLEV scheme) which make most around £500
Have a google.
I had a PHEV for 3 years and then took the leap with a fully electric - which once you get over range anxiety is actually easier in someways as you only charge a few times a week (I'm currently once a week but have a slightly larger range with an iPace) rather than every time you get home.
I love my iPace is great fun to drive but the regen braking took some getting used to - more of an issue when less charge in the battery. Basically it brakes instantly if you take your foot off the accelerator, even if you don't touch the brake. It's fine but is different.

I’ve had loads, currently have the eNiro
Happy to answer any questions.

Never paid more than £150 for a home charger, £900 is bonkers and unnecessary!

Thanks everyone for the answers.

I went on rightcharge.co.uk for the home charging stations and the cheapest one is £859, is that not right then?

@TamzinGrey

We've got a Nissan Leaf and we really love it. Got a home charger and get a really good rate from Octopus Energy for night time charging, so it hardly costs anything at all to run. We bought it as an ex display car from the local dealership so it was considerably cheaper than buying brand new.

My dil has a Nissan Leaf Does 80 miles in summer 60 in winter. She loves it but it is so limited and she paid way too much for it. I go to the filling station when my car reaches 100 miles It would not do for me at all.

Yes, a Zoë. I love her.

I have a Kona, generally happy with it. Home charger (Ohme) cost just over £500 last year with the grant. Range and features are great on the Kona, my only slight criticism is that I wish the boot was a little bigger. Charging out and about getting easier all the time as more rapids are installed and many supermarkets are adding chargers though still needs a bit of planning on longer journeys.

Audi etron. Adore it. Like a PP, have octopus energy and pay very little for 4 hours overnight. I can get about 60miles in during the 4 hours for less than £1.50. In the daytime it’s about 3x that, so still quite cheap. Our and about chargers range from free, to similar costs to daytime home charging, to more than double the cost of home charging, which puts it in line with petrol, cost wise. We charge almost exclusively at home, unless we spy a free charger out and about! On long journeys obviously we have to use the fast chargers, we just grab a coffee while we wait - with a small child we’d stop on a long journey anyway.

Just googled 'pod point' and those chargers are £549 fitted. Anyone got one?

We have a podpoint. It’s fine, they’re all much of a muchness. I have a Tesla model 3 - I’d never go non-electric again, but I probably won’t get another Tesla.

We have an eniro as our only car - you could probably get away with something smaller for that length of commute. A leaf or a Zoe would probably suit you fine. I love our eniro, will never go back to petrol!

@welshweasel

We have a podpoint. It’s fine, they’re all much of a muchness. I have a Tesla model 3 - I’d never go non-electric again, but I probably won’t get another Tesla.

@welshweasel - interested in why you wouldn't get another tesla? We have an electric car but are thinking about moving to a model 3, mostly for the range and the superchargers etc. Sounds as if you are not wowed however!

We’ve got a bp home charge, it was free but it’s app is useless so avoid. A house on my estate has a very discrete socket in the wall, you'd hardly know it’s there but it might not be a proper charger.

I’m with octopus too. I like them becuase they take my money and don’t hassle me with emails. Unlike Eon.

I flipping love being able to charge at home.

@CardiganBlobby

We have an eniro as our only car - you could probably get away with something smaller for that length of commute. A leaf or a Zoe would probably suit you fine. I love our eniro, will never go back to petrol!

Very tempted by the Eniro. We have a 11 year old and a dog, so need more room.

@Fluffycloudland77 they might just have a regular outside socket. Whilst we were having building work we charged ours from a 3pin socket (through the letterbox) rather than our charge point and it wasn't as much hassle as we thought it would be. Slower but not terrible.

I’ve got the plug-in hybrid Niro - it’s a lease, I love it, we’ve extended the lease twice so I’ve had it over three years. We’re planning to change to the e-Niro now that the mileage has improved so much.

We’ve got a PodPoint, it’s no bother at all, I think we were able to get a grant scheme but that may not still apply. It was about £500 I think but that was a few years ago - there may still be a subsidy scheme so it might be worth researching.

Here is the grant info by the way - if you are in Scotland you get even more off!

pod-point.com/guides/driver/olev-grant

@wonkylegs I have wondered, I’ll try and look next time I pass. There’s quite a few home chargers on 5his estate.

I've got a 24kw Leaf, the dashboard says it will do 84 miles when fully charged but I have never got to more than about 60 by which time it was down at 10%.

I don't have a fancy charger, I just plug it in to the outside socket and leave it overnight and the range is fine for most of my driving (work, school, shopping etc)

I have used public rapid chargers and they were easy, tbh after an hour of driving I am happy to stop and charge it while I go for a wee / grab a coffee.

It is so so cheap to run - my last journey was town and dual carriageway and I got 4 miles per kwh - I am on a green electricity tarrif at home which is quite expensive and pay 15p per kwh, so 3.25 pence per mile.

For comparison my previous (diesel) car was doing 40mpg - just checked the cost of a gallon today is £5.90....so to compare the two, for that £5.90...effectively my Leaf is doing 196mpg with no road tax and no congestion charge. I can live with the lack of range for that.

I have an iPace, love it. Moved house so currently charging from a granny charger (regular plug) and it is ok, charging a couple of times a week,

Usually with proper charger I charger every other week or so.

Long journeys have been fine, the fast charger network is getting better and costs are higher than home but still way cheaper that petrol. Time wise, it needed planning but by the time we all went to toilet, had a cup of tea it was nearly done.

Wouldn’t go back now - so much fun to drive.