To buy an electric car?

[Jobjobjob]

I can't see a reason why I wouldn't?

What have I missed, what are the downsides?

I want an electric car. For me the downside is the range. I might have to consider a hybrid until the range improves further.

The main downside is how far you can go on a charge and the difficult of charging as you travel.
My friend has an electric car, he has to map out exactly where charging stations are before he goes anywhere, and there are plenty of journeys that are just not possible.

Do it. They are amazing. I've had a Nissan Leaf for 4 years. It's a great car. Very easy to drive and super cheap to run.
Obviously the downside is range but for local running around it's perfect. We've done a few long journeys and have stopped to charge up on route and it is do-able but adds time to your journey.
I love my leaf and will never go back to a petrol car.

Range, price, battery life - it won't last as long as the car. And of course it does not run on unicorn tears so check actual green credentials!

What inspired me was a charge station just popped up in our local area!

How much is a on route charge, do they cost? How long would one take?

Gabsdot. That's the one I'm considering!

Do you know how much a full charge costs you? Did it cost much to install the requirements in your home?

I've got a hybrid and will definitely be getting an electric car when there are more charging points so range is greater. I'd say definitely go for it. Apart from anything else, my hybrid is a dream drive.

I work for the NHS and loads of our bases have charging points now.

I swapped to an electric car three months ago and wish id done it far sooner.
I use it mainly for school runs and to and from work. We had a home charger fitted which came included with the car (we just paid slightly extra to have the next one up). I charge it over night and it has the option of setting the car to preheat so you can get into a nice warm car. It took a bit of getting used to the quiet when driving, just need to be more aware that people cant hear you coming. I have a range of about 122 miles on a full charge but its enough for what I need.

The new Leafs that are on sale now have a 40Kw battery so range will be more than mine at a 30 Kw battery.

The only downside I have found is the non electric cars parking in the charging bays at our local asda but discovered that the travelodge up the road from asda has a charge station so if I need to I go there and have a coffee in peace.

See if you can get one on a test drive and also if they still do the included charger.

Also swapped to electric a few months ago. Was doing spending £250 a month on petrol now spending about £40 on electric. Government scheme meant we got the charge point installed at home for free. Charge point at work is about £4 to go from 0% battery to 80%. Range only 100 miles so we kept the petrol car and are now a two car family. Still worth doing! We love the car, we don’t have many charge points near us but it is still brilliant. We have a charge point at Bannatynes and it is free to use at the moment. The range issues terrified us at first but you soon get used to it’s limits. Honestly people who are very negative about them tend to be people who don’t own one, we were much more positive after getting used to ours! Like I say, we wouldn’t solely use electric yet as we live in a crap area for charge points. If I lived in London we would never drive petrol! Oh the battery lasts a huge amount of mileage. More than most people would get through but we are relying on swapping ours in.

How is the leaf on a motorway, does it have enough speed to get by trucks? I’m seriously considering one but having been used to powerful cars I worry about this aspect.

I wouldn’t want one unless I could afford a Tesla as they look the best and have a decent range. Not that there would be any point me having one as we don’t have off street parking so I couldn’t charge it at home.

My commute is approx 40 miles each way and then I need to drive within my job. It's not going to be practical at the moment is it? Really frustrating- really want one!

Love my electric car the only downside is having to rent the battery. Everything else is just amazing. Save loads of money on fuel and my bills only went up about £10 a month and I charge it most nights.

depends. had several friends in milton keynes who got renault zoe on offer maybe 2 years ago? it worked out at 140 a month. no brainer,it saved 60 a month in parking and there were/ are loads of charging points.
going further afield tricky though. one planned to stop at a charging point and got there to find it out of service.

I’ve got a Leaf. Couldn’t recommend it high enough.

Leaving aside the massive benefits of being an electric car, it’s just a great car. Fun to drive. Looks nice (although that’s subjective). Great size. Good value. Very reliable. I just love driving it.

Electric cars are wonderful. They really are much better for the environment, despite the initial carbon cost of making a giant battery. Incredibly cheap to run in general. Much more reliable as there are far fewer loving parts.

They’re a much nicer drive - an electric motor gives instant torque, so acceleration (even on a Leaf) is bewilderingly nippy. No gears or clutch. Hill starts a doddle (CANT ROLL BACKWARDS).

Only drawback is range. My leaf does 85-100 miles depending on lots of variables. The Leaf is our second car so that’s not a problem.

If you can live with the range anxiety, go for it!

@Shenanigans

It’s great on motorways. The Leaf is a surprisingly speedy, sprightly car.

We're considering it for our next car. I only work 3 miles away from home so an Electric car would suit us perfectly. My concern is the initial cost and battery life, as we currently buy used cars for under 5k and keep them for about 4 years.

How long are most of your journeys? Under 10miles and I suggest an electric bike as you don’t get caught in the congestion.

Between 10 miles per trip and 60 miles then an electric car

@SleepingBooty

Concerns about battery life seem to be overstated. Older Leafs are holding their charge well.

I got a 2 year old one. Still has a “full” battery. I’ll trade it in when it’s 5 years old and get the newer model.

My journey to work is 14 miles, so would be great I think!

PP who asked about speed, max speed is 89 mph.

I went to a conference last week with a colleague. Only about 120 miles away. We agreed to car share. Except that she couldn’t find a hotel with a charging point anywhere near so we ended up taking my diesel.

I’ve almost been knocked down multiple times by electric cars. When you can go further than 100 miles in one and they sound like a Ferrari to bystanders, I’ll think about it.

Or you could look before crossing the road?

Thanks paddy looks like I need to book a test drive!

Actually, the issue has been when they’ve gone to mount the pavement I’m walking along to park.