Buying an EV- is now the best time?

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I'm quite impressed by the current market where EV's have depreciated 50% after 12 months (I'd prefer a 2 year old one that had depreciated 75% though )

So is it a good time to buy one? My 2008 Renault Nissan is starting to show it's age, there might be a couple of MOTs left in it before The Welder needs to come out, but if EV prices start to climb again I'd hopefully chop it in while it has some value against a cheap EV.

I've given up with this "work" thing, so I don't need to commute, just very short journeys with the occasional 40 miler visiting friends. I'm happy for it to take all day or longer to charge on my drive, and I don't really need 50KW DC charging.

Anyway, I'm after suggestions as to A Good Buy.

Requirements:

1) It must have a "Magic carpet ride" and comfortable seats. I want to waft over the rutted pot-holed cart tracks that my Council claim are "roads" in comfort, (as Hammond said, the tracks in Zimbabwe are almost as bad as the "roads" in England) and go over speed humps like they aren't there. Basically, I need the wheels to jiggle up and down like fury, but the body remain absolutely still.

2) It must be cheap!

3) It must not break for many many years.

4) Range needs to be at least 120 miles in Winter, obviously 1,200 would be better, but 120 would be enough.

5) It must not have vital functions hidden behind a "subscription model"

6) It must charge from a 13A socket @ 1.5-2KW (I don't mind buying an extra 3 pin to type 2 lead if required as long as it supports it).

7) It must be smaller than a Tesco parking space.

8) Must have a reversing camera.

9) 4 doors, so I can strap The Dog in the back.

#1 is the most important, if I'm dropping £15K on a car I don't want one that is undriveable because of a spine jarring ride!

A 50KW Renault Zoe ticks some of the boxes, coming in at about £15K for a 12 month old one, and there are a few about

BUT--

1) Why would you just throw away £15K to "get rid" of one after 12 months, unless there is a Big Problem with them?

2) They seem to show a lot of expensive hard to diagnose faults like the regenerative braking failing and turning into an immobile brick with no warning.

An older BMW i3 might do, but the rubber band tyres are a bit off putting, and IC BMWs aren't renowned for reliability..

I don't fancy a Chinese cheapie either...

What can I get for sub £15K?

Keep_pedalling

Have a look round for a Kia Nero, you should be able to find one in your price range with 3 or 4 years manufacturers warranty left on it. The same warrantee applied to an MG 4 which can be had for less, but that seems to be out because it is Chinese made.

All EVs can be charged from a 3 pin socket with a granny charger.

ontheroad1970

I think a  lot of people are selling because they didn't do their planning ahead of purchase.  You do need to plan more for journeys, particularly in winter when range decreases and adapt your driving style.

WellKnownSid

We bought our Zoe last year - local dealer wanted £19,990 for an 18 month old example with 9k on the clock - after much research managed to get an approved used one from a Renault dealer for £13k (11 months old with under 3k on the clock and 4 years of (extendable) manufacturers warranty).

Definitely do your homework - there is a cliff face between 1-2 years old.  If you are in Scotland you may be eligible for the 0% finance deal which has come back around for 2024.

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WellKnownSid said:

We bought our Zoe last year - local dealer wanted £19,990 for an 18 month old example with 9k on the clock - after much research managed to get an approved used one from a Renault dealer for £13k (11 months old with under 3k on the clock and 4 years of (extendable) manufacturers warranty).

Definitely do your homework - there is a cliff face between 1-2 years old.  If you are in Scotland you may be eligible for the 0% finance deal which has come back around for 2024.

What is the ride like- does it crash over speedhumps or waft over them like a magic carpet?

The Zoe does seem reasonably affordable, and a lot about.

I suppose when one comes up near me I can try a test drive.

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Keep_pedalling said:

Have a look round for a Kia Nero, you should be able to find one in your price range with 3 or 4 years manufacturers warranty left on it. The same warrantee applied to an MG 4 which can be had for less, but that seems to be out because it is Chinese made.

All EVs can be charged from a 3 pin socket with a granny charger.

I hadn't thought of a Niro, there don't seem many about though that don't have taxi mileage on them, and they seem expensive.

lordmountararat

I bought a 2 year old Fiat 500e earlier in the year with less than 2000 miles. It cost half the new price and is immaculate. It's real world range is 165 miles on a full charge (not the 199 miles that Fiat claim). I charge it from a 13 amp three pin domestic socket, which is slow but perfectly OK for my needs. It certainly can fit into a Tesco parking space, but it is a small car with the back seats only really suitable for children. It has only two doors and a tailgate but I can strap my 12 Kg dog in the back easily enough. It is very manoeuvrable and has a tight turning circle. As I get older I appreciate a car that is so easy to drive.

WellKnownSid

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WellKnownSid said:

We bought our Zoe last year - local dealer wanted £19,990 for an 18 month old example with 9k on the clock - after much research managed to get an approved used one from a Renault dealer for £13k (11 months old with under 3k on the clock and 4 years of (extendable) manufacturers warranty).

Definitely do your homework - there is a cliff face between 1-2 years old.  If you are in Scotland you may be eligible for the 0% finance deal which has come back around for 2024.

What is the ride like- does it crash over speedhumps or waft over them like a magic carpet?

The Zoe does seem reasonably affordable, and a lot about.

I suppose when one comes up near me I can try a test drive.

Definitely try one first to see if it suits.  It's not a wafty car compared to something like an Ioniq - but the handling feels a lot tighter.  Think of a Zoe as a Clio-sized car with Megane suspension and an extra 100kg in weight riding on 16 inch alloys.  It won't crash over speed humps but it can get unsettled if you're driving enthusiastically over poor roads.

Over the Summer we took ours on a long weekend - a 700 mile round trip to London.  It's a great car for local routes but it's not until you take it on a cross-country drive that you realise just how effortless and vibration-free an EV is.  It gobbles up the motorways and you really do arrive at your destination fatigue-free.

Range is a realistic 180 miles in Winter / 220 miles in Summer.  The range on the guess-o-meter is typically unrelated to the real world, you learn to judge it much better by looking at the %age (around 2 miles / %).

Main dealers have the best cars by far, groups like BSM are good for the occasional bargain.  Get one in the warranty period and you can extend it.  Cars registered up to 31/12/2022 came with a 5 year warranty, those from 01/01/2023 just 3 years.  Also remember that the Zoe is now out of production as of last March - so you want to drive a hard bargain if you did consider one...

Grumpy_chap

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I hadn't thought of a Niro, 

My Nephew, and then my Brother, purchased the Hyundai equivalent which is called the Kona.  My Brother certainly sings the praises, having swapped from a history of "premium" vehicles - Mercedes, Audi, Evoke - he says it is as good as any of them once you get over the badge.

What types of deals are there on the e-C4?  If that fits budget, it may well be expected to have legendary Citroen ride.  I have never driven one so cannot advise.

When selecting an EV, you may wish to confirm the NCAP rating as part of your assessment of suitable models.  Some of EV's have managed to achieve the "zero" rating, which must take some doing.

ThorOdinson

Keep_pedalling said:

Have a look round for a Kia Nero, you should be able to find one in your price range with 3 or 4 years manufacturers warranty left on it. The same warrantee applied to an MG 4 which can be had for less, but that seems to be out because it is Chinese made.

All EVs can be charged from a 3 pin socket with a granny charger.

Was going to suggest a Niro as well. The lower spec models, 3 years old, low mileage, suit your budget and needs perfectly.

Alternatively there is the Kia Soul which has the same battery options but is a different shape. Both have a long battery warranty, and the batteries generally hold up really well - you would expect a 3 year old car to be at 100% Stage of Health (SoH) and even older ones with over 100k miles on them are still showing that.

Ectophile

Grumpy_chap said:

When selecting an EV, you may wish to confirm the NCAP rating as part of your assessment of suitable models.  Some of EV's have managed to achieve the "zero" rating, which must take some doing.

That's because the Euro NCAP process is a moving goalpost.  So an older model might have achieved 5* when first launched, but when the manufacturer sends the face-lifted model off for re-testing, it's done against the new rules and gets only 1*.

The reason modern cars have annoying features that bong at you while you're driving, or slam on the brakes, or wrestle the steering wheel from you, is that Euro NCAP will give a car no stars unless they are fitted.