1. Estimate how much range you realistically need. The bigger the battery, the heavier the car, the less fuel-efficient it will be.  Here is a rough guide of realworld ranges for different battery sizes: 30kWh around 100 miles, 50kWh 150-200 miles, 60kWh over 200 miles and 80kWh 250-300 miles.  Always assess whether a car works for you based on realworld range, not the “WLTP” figures quoted by manufacturers.
2. Calculate your budget, remembering that fuelling your car is likely to be much cheaper than petrol or diesel. Smaller runarounds are widely available pre-owned at under £10k (£150/month on PCP finance).  There is a lot more choice if your budget is between £15-20k (£250/month on PCP finance).  A budget of £25k+ will get you a long range, premium, fast model. If your budget is under £5k it is unlikely that a fully electric model is available (yet!).
3. Think about how many people or how much stuff needs to be transported. You might need a model that can take a roofbox or has a tow hitch for example.
4. When buying secondhand ask for a battery state of health certificate and confirmation of service history. Electric cars do need servicing – some every year and at least every 2 years.  You can expect an HV battery to degrade at a rate of about 2% a year.  If you purchase a 3 year old electric car look for battery health of around 94%, and if it has fallen below 90%, ask for a discount as the car will travel fewer miles than you would expect for age on a full charge. We check that all our cars have great or excellent battery health and full service history.
5. An electric car is still a car, so listen out for noises from the suspension, look for warning lights on the dashboard and check that tyre condition and depths are as described. We confirm the provenance of every car we sell, we test drive each for at least 50 miles, we check that all the functions and buttons are working perfectly and we liaise with manufacturers on recalls and servicing. Our cars are beautifully prepared – preowned and preloved.
6. If you want a car for adventures or you will be relying on the public charging network, opt for a model that has “CCS” for rapid charging rather than something that doesn’t rapid charge using DC or uses CHAdeMO.
7. Here’s answers to some frequently asked questions: Yes, they are all automatic!  No, they are significantly less likely to combust (0.0012% chance vs a 0.1% chance of an ICE vehicle catching fire).  Yes, HV batteries are designed to last 25 years (the average age of a car on UK roads is 9.4 years).   No, hardly any range at all is lost when stuck in traffic jams!

Here at EV Experts we stock examples from most manufacturers and can talk you through all the options.  If it isn’t on the forecourt, the chances are we can source it for you.  Check out our other help and advice guides for more information.