Choosing An Electric Car
There are two things to consider when you are buying an Electric Car … range and budget. A Tesla will take you up to 400 miles before needing a top-up and has everything you would expect from a luxury car including a price tag of £40k-£100k for a pre-owned model. A Renault Zoe 24 kWh starts (pre-owned) at around £6k plus a small monthly battery lease fee, will cover 70 miles between charges and is a compact supermini.
The world’s most popular Electric Car is the Nissan Leaf because it is a consummate all-rounder. Pre-owned Electric Car models are available from £8k with no monthly battery lease payments – you own the car and the battery outright. Other Electric Cars of this size and range are VW eGolf, Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Soul EV.
If you are looking to make a statement – and only need 4 seats – the next biggest seller is the BMW i3 which has the performance of a hot hatch and the spec of a premium brand. There are a number of options range-wise as it is available with a range extending petrol engine or as a pure Electric Car. Budget-wise you will need £15k-£30k for a pre-owned model.
If you are a one-car household and need range flexibility the best fit for you is probably a plug-in hybrid. This will give you the Electric Car experience for short journeys but its petrol engine will extend range to that of a traditionally-fuelled vehicle. The most popular on the UK’s roads today is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV which is a 5-seater crossover SUV. Pre-owned models are available from £15k. Other PHEVs include Mercedes C350e or VW Golf GTE.
The Different Types of Electric Car
The UK is committed to banning the sale of new petrol/diesel vehicles by 2040. During this transition to a world of fossil-fuel-free motoring, three different concepts are available.
| EV (Electric Vehicle) |
PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) |
HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Electricity | Electricity and Petrol | Petrol |
| How they work | Powered by an electric motor. The battery is charged when plugged into the electric grid. | Powered by an electric motor and a petrol engine. The battery is charged when plugged into the electric grid and gives around 20 miles of electric driving. The car switches to its petrol engine when battery charge is low or power demands are high. | Powered by a petrol engine with the capability to switch to an electric motor when power demands are low. The battery is charged by the petrol engine. |
| Regenerative braking | Functionality built into EVs, PHEVs and Hybrids enabling the car’s battery to be topped up with charge during braking. As the accelerator pedal is released a braking effect is achieved by the motor switching to charging the battery rather than powering the car. This extends the battery range between charges and reduces wear and tear on brakes. |
||
| Emissions and air quality | Zero (local) emissions. | Zero (initial) emissions. Overall a lower emission car than a conventional petrol powered vehicle. |
Emissions are only lower than a conventional petrol vehicle when in city and traffic conditions. |
| Popular models | BMW i3 Nissan Leaf Kia Soul EV Renault Zoe Tesla |
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV VW Golf GTE Mercedes C350e BMW X5 40e Volvo XC90 Twin Power Audi A3 e-tron |
Toyota Prius Hyundai Ioniq Lexus range Infinity range |
| Running costs | Higher initial price offset with very low fuel, servicing and tax costs. |
Higher initial price due to twin technologies, no savings on servicing costs, lower taxation. |
Lower initial price but limited savings on fuel, servicing and taxation costs. |
See The Latest Electric Cars For Sale!
EV Experts sell nearly new and pre-owned electric cars. We stock pure electric cars which can also be called an EV, ZE (zero emission) or BEV (battery electric vehicle) and plug-in hybrids or PIC (plug-in car). EV Experts keep a range of demonstrator electric cars in stock from all the major brands. We strive to answer any questions that you may have about running, purchasing and maintaining an electric car. Give us a call and put our knowledge to the test!