Anyone got an electric car ?

[UnrelentingFruitScoffer]

Seriously considering the Nissan Leaf as a second car and for short distances to my work and to the shops and such. Do you find it easy to use an electric car?

Not a car person at all but would love an electric. However we live on a busy main road without parking so can't see it ever being realistic.
I see the impact of car pollution every day and I worry constantly about my children's health but it's a shame electric cars are so far out of the price range for normal families.

We've test driven an E-Niro (boring on the outside, amazing on the inside with amazing acceleration and tech..). Kona very similar, maybe a bit more plastic interior but also pretty cool. I like the look of the Kia Soul EV (bit quirky but good visibility in the back for the kids). Just wish we had the 30 odd grand lying around that they all cost...

Bump

I've been looking at hybrids. We're a one-car household so we are leaning towards hybrid (self-charging or plug-in) rather than fully electric, as I'm a bit nervous about running out of power on longer journeys. I like the Kia Niro and will test drive it soon.

From an environmental POV, while electric/hybrid cars might be "cleaner" to run, they are certainly not cleaner to produce. The batteries require expensive materials that are difficult and costly to mine. That's why there are such long waiting times for all the electric cars atm.

So, bearing that in mind, we will probably get a used hybrid rather than brand new (tempting as it is to get a new one!) - better to drive a car that has already been produced rather than sponsoring the production of more cars.

And if we really care about the environment we should use cars for as long as possible rather than replacing them for a new and shiny one every few years.

backwoodsgirl that article now has an update discrediting it. Check this instead. Electric cars are even greener if you get your electricity from a renewable electricity company, but obviously that is not presently true of public charging points. www.google.com/search?q=electric+cars+environment&oq=electric+cars+environment&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.14294j0j4&client=ms-android-huawei-rev1&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

I have a tiny Smart Fortwo EQ which is fully electric. Had it since March and love it.

Very easy to drive. Quite nippy with excellent responsiveness. Dh loves it when he gets the chance to drive it.

We have a charger at home. Very easy to use.

I do a short work commute daily and not a great deal more. City driving with restricted on street parking, so it's perfect my job.

Has anyone had any experience with their hybrid/electric vehicle breaking down and subsequent problems?

Watching with interest. I would love to have an electric car as my next car but I don't think the local charging infra structure is ready yet and I can't afford an electric car. Paying 30k for a car is out of my reach

You can buy a decent second hand electric car for 7 or 8 grand.

I seriously thought about a a Kia Niro or Hyundai Ionic- you can pick up a decent 1-2 year old for under 20K.

But it's just too much of a leap for me just now; I do up to 50 miles daily of mainly motorway commute at 70mph. There are no charging points at work.

If I was pootling around locally or city driving, it would be a no-brainier.

In the end I went for a Kia Sportage- when I change it in 5+ years, I think the technology will have improved & my next car will be electric/hybrid.

We have a Mitsubishi Outlander Phev. Had it just over a year

Very pleased with it. Not had any issues with pedestrians and in fact the dogs can hear it pull up to the house, but then it is one if (if not the) biggest hybrid on the market so it's size prob makes it noisy!

I've got a Renault Zoe, which I paid £5k for last year. They have increased somehow in value now. I also rent the battery for £48 per month which also is breakdown cover or run out of electric. This is how the car was so cheap because of the leased battery.
I don't have a home charger as I have a Lidl 1 minute away with free rapid chargers so I use that once or twice a week depending on what journey.
My local authority offers a free parking permit if you have a 0 emissions car so in all council carparks I can park for free-range which I was paying £4 a day for previously.
No tax and my insurance was 300 cheaper than my old car.
Next to no servicing costs as no oil to change etc.
I've been on long journeys and just figure out the route before hand. There is a really good route planning app that calculates good routes with what chargers etc.
I can't imagine myself going back to petrol or diesel.
There is a new Renault Zoe coming out soon which looks fab 😀

We’re EV Leaf converts, bought a used one (at a stretch, definitely couldn’t afford new). We are a two car family, so we were just planning on doing short journeys and commutes with it. However we love it so much it is now the main car. For long journeys we just plan ahead and relax. It’s so much fun!

We had a charger installed for free at home.

Haven’t found any mystical free public chargers yet, but a full charge at a service station costs under £5.

I bought a used leaf 2 years ago.I love it.I can do a 40-50 Mike round trip easily and I know where the free chargers are near me. I came close to running out of charge once and the warning was king enough for me to get to a charging point. We have a prius for long journeys, which is 10 years old and has never needed anything doing to it apart from the usual tyre change.

Also looking at hybrids. Took long hard look at the new Mini Countryman hybrid specs. Can’t remember if it’s just out or very soon. Looked impressive. Have never liked the ‘new’ minis and just struggling to get over that as standard spec enviable compared to many similar sized hybrids/Es.

@noodlenosefraggle are you in London?
Where I am in Yorkshire there is still not the infrastructure for charging , so home chargers are essential

@HeronLanyon I'm resolving myself to a hybrid . Renault Zoe would be my first choice, is a lovely EV for my commute but there's a new model out soon so prices will drop.
Hoping that we see increasing numbers of EVs on the road in the coming years so more chargers get built!

@NorfolksGiven your Zoe sounds fab! I missed the boat and have only just considered one, prices on leased battery models have risen but I guess everything will drop once the new model is released.
I would do it in a heartbeat (even at brand new at £15k) if we had the charging points but we have a very long narrow and steep drive and would be worried about scratching the car!
Hopefully there are solutions in the pipeline for those who don't have off street parking - either residential street chargers or some sort of wireless charging! Even better, a range that means you charge less frequently...

@MoreProseccoNow I have a very similar commute and have reluctantly come to the same conclusion that the EVs within budget are very nearly but not quite meeting my needs yet.
But give it 2 years and I think they will.

@TooLateToDrinkCoffee you can but at 7 or 8k you're looking at lower range eg the Zoe 22kwh which you'd struggle with for anything beyond pootling about.

Op, look at the lifetime costs of electric cars. They are way way higher than petrol/diesel. It's the replacement parts. They are extortionate.

It's expected in the next decade or so as they become more popular they will fall in line with petrol/diesel lifetime costs, and then after this move to a position of being more economical but make sure you do your research here properly.

Can anyone recommend larger cars please? Ideally a 'higher up position', a large boot, folding/splittable rear seats, roof window, and can take a tow hitch?! My mind explodes when looking at cars!

@Bluntness100 you can buy extended warranties on this which are quite reasonable.
In warranty, the savings on petrol, tax, and maintenance make EVs much cheaper for many people
EVs also have far fewer parts than petrol or diesels to go wrong in the first place

tiddle thanks - I’ll take a look.

Currently I need a mix of city battery friendly driving plus 300 miles frequent motorway journeys. Am not a car owner at the mo - member of ecar club now. Need my ‘lifestyle’ to either change a bit or resolve itself before I decide for sure between hybrid/Ev.

Agree with previous poster that car searches become bewildering. Have found car publications really useful (eg articles ‘top 10 hybrids’ etc. They at least start to identify things which may be priorités and what is out there.

Star
If you want a large hybrid I think the Mitsubishi Outlander is a good bet. It was too big for me!