Tell me about your family of 5 in an electric car

[DrearyLane]

We are a two car family, and looking to replace our second, smaller car with an EV. We don’t have to have (and can’t afford to have) the new car huge and roomy as we will keep my 7 seater but it would be handy if the smaller car could fit all five of us in for occasional journeys.

Ideally it would be a car we could squeeze a skinny 11 year old in between two high back boosters, but failing that one high back booster and one low booster seat might work. Usually, however, the car would only have one adult and 2/3 children in, one of whom can go in the front.

So what is the biggest-medium sized- most affordable electric car and in particular if you can get three children into the back of yours, which one would you recommend?

I think officially the only one that you can get three across (in child seats, anyway) is the Tesla Model Y.

We’re a family of 5 and I’ve got an EV. But, like you, we’ve got a bigger car for family days out.

My Nissan Leaf is absolutely brilliant and plenty big enough for me to take the three children in, but with the eldest in the front. It’s medium sized, great to park and has a surprisingly decent boot- 435 litres, if you’re asking. 🙂 I’ve got a good spec, so heated seats and heated steering wheel which is a big plus for me.

If we absolutely need to (MOT on the other car etc), then I squeeze in the middle back seats and we can all get in. But I wouldn’t want to do that for longer journeys.

I think your best bet is embracing the one child safely in the front for now, and then finding the car that works for you. Electric vehicles are more expensive to purchase anyway, and trying to find three full seats across the back will be costly.

Thanks @Internationalwomendayheadquarters sounds like we’re in a similar space. Shocked putting a car seat into a friend’s Zoe the other week it wasn’t actually high enough (that is the car) to accommodate the car seat when attached to the isofix.

There’s a new big VW EV which is nice (well, in a weird looking space ship camper sort of way) and would easily fit three in the back but well outside of the budget for either car.

We have a Zoe and it works well for us with 4 teens but we only really use it for 4 people total. We take the Volvo tank if we need 5+ and for longer journeys.

DH and 3 kids do 100km/day and we plug it into the normal mains electric overnight on a cheap tarif. Top it up to 100% on weekends.

You might need to think a bit differently about how you use it. Do you really need all 5 of you in it on a regular basis.

What about an MG?

Yep you can definitely get three in the back of a Tesla MY, it’s actually slightly wider than a VW van! Also loads of boot space plus the frunk for storage.

Just bear in mind that the skinny 11 year old is likely to become a less skinny teenager during the time you have the car. My dc were skinny when I ordered my car - two years on they fill the back of an Octavia between the two of them.

Doesn’t fit your brief due to cost. We have a model X Tesla though.

I did think it was going to be tricky! Have thought about the skinny teenager bulking out but my hope was by the time that happened the middle one will be out of a car seat and they can squish together. Won’t be comfortable, but it would be very infrequent.

Sadly I know not even one car seat will fit into the Zoe. The way it is curved at head height means a hbb attached to the isofix doesn’t actually fit in the car.

It really is just for the occasional times - like the MoT on the other car, or when we have to go into a local city which has a ULEZ.

Seems like a big expense for only occasional use OP, would you think about making one your primary car? Our fuel bill has reduced by about a third since getting a Tesla

An E-golf? There's a decent second hand market for these. I have one, owned from new, the downside is the relatively low miles per charge compared to newer EVs.

Can't help about car seats but the mg4 is 5 seater and comfortably fits 4 adults for us ... the occasional 5 trip might be a bit squeaky for the skinny 11 yo but when just you and kids it would be fine.

You can pick up 1-2 year old ones second hand at really good prices compared to new.