need a new car - don't know where to start!

eskimalita7

Is there anyone out there who enjoys researching this kind of thing? I wonder if you could give me some pointers, please?

I need a small car, must be reliable, I'd like to take the decision that is best for the environment (eg new electric or buy an old banger), and I want to find the most efficient way of buying please (outright, HP etc).

Some background:
We have survived as a family of 5 with just one car for almost 10 years... a new job for me and 2 boys with sporting commitments in completely different directions from January mean that we are going to have to buy a second car...  I did try some calculations where we used a taxi for 4 x football runs per week (and I continue to use public transport for the school run and to get to the station) to see if that made more sense. Not sure I got very far looking at it this way, but it is an option...

Our family car is a 2016 Toyota Verso, 5 seater. It does the job, and its reliable. We are not particularly interested in a car as a status symbol. My husband needs a car for work as he is a labourer and not always working near public transport, hence why I do the school run on the bus etc.

The second car needs to drive to the station 2 x per week, do the school run sometimes, and drive one son to football training 4 times per week (approx 20 mile round trip in surburban London so no ULEZ etc).

I have looked at a Peugeot e-208, or a clapped out old banger second hand (eg old VW polo 10+ years old). I like the idea of an electric car. I don't really want the hassle and unreliability of a second hand car, although I'm a great believer in re-using and buying second hand.

We have some savings (c. 20K) which we can use if this is the most efficient way of using them (if not, we will spend on home improvements in the new year). I can also afford monthly payments on HP or PCP. I earn very comfortably, but I am not into flashy stuff.

MX5huggy

Do you have a drive where you could charge an EV? An EV without home charging is a big commitment (although not impossible). 

eskimalita7

MX5huggy said:

Do you have a drive where you could charge an EV? An EV without home charging is a big commitment (although not impossible). 

yes, we have a driveway.

JJ_Egan

Current problems are a shortage of new cars with continual rise in the price of used cars .

theoretica

Do you have car club cars parked near you?  It might be something to add into your consideration.

Herzlos

How many miles are you likely to be doing in it? I suspect it's not going to be enough to justify an electric car. Though if you do go electric it'll be a lot more convenient and you might find yourself using it more than the larger one).

Used car prices are bonkers at the moment so you're probably as well looking at new/nearly new.

As for paying, PCP usually comes with the best incentives, take them out and then settle the finance the following week.

Onto the car, If you don't need to get all 5 of you in it together, it sounds like you'd be best with a petrol supermini. Something like a Toyota Aygo or Citroen C1. Possibly even a smart car.

Grumpy_chap

eskimalita7 said:

The second car needs to drive to the station 2 x per week, do the school run sometimes, and drive one son to football training 4 times per week (approx 20 mile round trip in surburban London so no ULEZ etc).

I have looked at a Peugeot e-208, or a clapped out old banger second hand (eg old VW polo 10+ years old). I like the idea of an electric car. I don't really want the hassle and unreliability of a second hand car, although I'm a great believer in re-using and buying second hand.

I think a used EV could well be a solution here.  If the battery has degraded slightly so reducing range, that won't be an issue for the distances you are looking to travel - an early Leaf or Zoe could well be "just-the-ticket" and offer good reliability plus lower total cost of ownership than a second-hand ICE and certainly a big saving on a new e-208. 

A used EV should be more reliable and do away with many of the reliability concerns you may have with a similarly aged / priced ICE.  Of course, faults with items such as climate control, stereos, electric windows etc would all be exactly the same with an EV or an ICE but the fundamental reliability ("starts every morning") should be greater with an EV as there is simply less to go wrong.

You could pick up a clean example for around £6k (be sure to get an "owned" battery, not "leased" battery):
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110248839009

There's a journalists view of buying used EV here:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/content/features/video-buying-a-used-ev

I think you may find that @DrEskimo can also give some first-hand knowledge of this experience.

Petriix

The e-208 is pretty small and not great value. We bought an MG5 last year and it's been excellent. Prices have been really good but they have just jumped up a bit with the reduced grant and are likely to increase again in January.

Buying a new car is never a great money saving idea, but depreciation is insanely low on new EVs right now and second hand prices are crazy high. So, if you were ever going to buy new, now is a good time.

Just don't expect to get the published 'range', you'll get about 60-70% of the WLTP range in winter or if you drive at motorway speeds.

knightstyle

as this car will spend most of its time parked and will not be used for long journeys I would not spend a lot on it, £5k buys a decent one. Look at local garages who will service it and buy a common model they will service, not diesel and electric cars only make sense if you do a lot of miles a year in it.
Neighbour just bought a VW Up 2016 for £4800 with 12k miles, it is like new.

Goudy

What about a Toyota Yaris Hybrid? 
Perfect for scooting around town.
Really reliable.
Cheap to run.
You should easily find a late used one well within your budget.
You could also benefit from Toyota Relax, this is were they will warranty the car for another 12 months every year up to 10 years (or 100,000 miles) as long as you service it at a Toyota dealer. So even buying the right 5 year old model could still see you with another 5 years warranty.

Want something a bit bigger, what about an Auris Hybrid? All the same benefits but with more room.

jimjames

eskimalita7 said:

I have looked at a Peugeot e-208, or a clapped out old banger second hand (eg old VW polo 10+ years old). I like the idea of an electric car. I don't really want the hassle and unreliability of a second hand car, although I'm a great believer in re-using and buying second hand

An older car doesn't need to be a clapped out old banger. My 20 year old car has never let us down in 4 years of ownership but it is regularly serviced and any issues fixed that may arise. On the other hand a friend with an electric Peugeot under 12 months old had a fault develop on holiday that couldn't be fixed so the dealership had to provide a temporary car and arrange for the broken one to be transported back from Cornwall.