Yes, I know I’ve spoken about Electric Cars before.
Yes, I understand not everyone is in a position to buy an electric car.
Or are they?
We need to reduce emissions. That’s clear. Are electric cars the answer? – well, they’ll help. What will help more is if we walk, bus, rail, etc… now, these options are not always viable. And we need to jump into the car to go somewhere. So what can we do to be more greener?
Well.. to those saying, Bal… these electric cars are expensive! – Yes, I agree. They are, but many are coming down in price. Many have done over the past few years as they’ve got more popular – supply and demand. So with prices coming down, they are beginning to become more affordable.
If you are petrol/diesel right now – I’d suggest a hybrid. (See previous blog post about this topic).
If you’re moving to electric, there’s some great options…
One of the cheapest new electric cars you can get are Skoda CITIGOe-iV. Around the £15,000 mark – it’s perfect for around town driving!
Now, 135 miles you might be thinking… yes. Ok, it’s not alot – but again, it’s perfect for around town. If you want more miles, you’ll need a little bit more money. Now… for a bit more money, you could get an Hyundai Kona or there’s a Chinese alternative;
The Aiways U5 does 210 miles and is from £28,000. Looks half decent too.
Then you can spend a little more… and when you’re in the £30k+ bracket, there’s alot more to choose from.
Prices will come down. There’s second hand electric cars you can also look at. Take the Renault Zoe for example… which you can pick up used for around the £10k mark.
It’s a roomy car that can easily seat four people, although rear passengers do sit higher than normal because the batteries are tucked away under the back seat.
Older models have a 22kWh battery with a real-world range of around 100 miles. More recent ones have a bigger 41kWh battery for 180 miles of driving between charges.
Something important for you to note – initially, the Zoe was available with a separate battery leasing option, which meant you would pay for the battery each month in addition to the cost of the car. This initiative was dropped in 2019, but keep an eye out for used models that come with an additional battery lease cost.
Versions badged ‘i’ include the battery but are generally more expensive to purchase as a result. There is a benefit to leasing the battery, however; if the condition of the battery reduces below a certain point – in turn reducing how far you can travel per charge – Renault will replace the battery for you.
The key thing to remember is the additional cost savings.
Combustion Engine vehicles need servicing and there’s more parts that could fail compared to an electric car. You don’t necessarily need the yearly or every 10k service. Yes, you need to check tyres and other things – but nothing engine related!
And then finally… if you are looking for a used electric car… but you’re budget is under £5k… I’ve found something for you…
Here’s the full description..
Fully working techx model , No road tax , No congestion charge , Air con and touch screen android radio 6 inch screen , Heated seats , Can charge at home from normal plug socket type 2 takes 6 to 7 hours, DC fast charger also CHAdeMO at station, Takes 40 mins, 75 mile range on full charge , Lowest insurance category, £4,300
To be fair, for £4,300… 75 mile range…. you can’t really go wrong for around town driving!