Which car should I get?

Albermarle

GDB2222 said:

I’m just trying to understand what car we should get. To put this in perspective, I’m thinking about a Volvo XC40 light hybrid, but I noticed that Which? have other cars rated higher.

Our priorities are 
4/5 doors saloon or estate 
Very safe
Maybe 2-3 years old 
We’re happy to pay £30k but the budget is flexible, and would consider a lease.

We’re in our 70s, and we have had our present car 16 years, so it is quite possible that this is the last time we will buy a car!

One odd thing we want is a powered driver seat, so that the car will automatically adjust to whichever of us is driving.

If you were happy with a used one, then a Mazda 6 estate would fit the bill. 
Very reliable
Powered driver seat with memory. ( with the 'Sport version') 
Not too overdone on the techy stuff.
For example.

Used 6 | Solihull | Mazda

pallyman

Try putting in a search on Autotrader with memory seats & the price you want to pay etc

MattMattMattUK

Do you have the option to charge an EV at home?

GDB2222

MattMattMattUK said:

Do you have the option to charge an EV at home?

We are thinking of downsizing, and I don’t know whether the house we move to will have a driveway. 

Bigwheels1111

I can upgrade my car if I want, it’s a 2016 Peugeot 5008 1.6 bluehdi with 28.5k on the clock.
But like you I don’t know if I will have a driveway.
I only do 3k miles a year, so upgrading makes no financial sense.
If I were to.

Option 1, I like the MGS5 EV trophy, list price £33,750. Can be had for £22.990 new.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202505112284713?sort=price-asc&searchId=271335ec-399e-4918-8206-a3fad2dc8348&aggregatedTrim=Trophy%20Long%20Range&make=MG&maximum-mileage=100&model=MGS5&page=1&postcode=S402sf&advertising-location=at_cars&fromsra&backLinkQueryParams=aggregatedTrim%3DTrophy%2520Long%2520Range%26channel%3Dcars%26make%3DMG%26maximum-mileage%3D100%26model%3DMGS5%26postcode%3DS402sf%26sort%3Dprice-asc%26flrfc%3D1

Reasonable range, high spec vehicle, cheap to run if I can have a home charger.

Option 2, Jaecoo 7 PHEV, after a test drive with my friend I liked it even more, £30,500
https://www.360vehicleleasing.co.uk/car-sales/jaecoo/7-suv/1.5t-shs-luxury-5dr-auto-106764

If you buy at the right time some car are cheaper new than second hand.
Just watch out for luxury car tax.

The difference in these 2 cars price for me is, with a driveway, home charger etc.
I should pay 3p a mile or less on the EV.
350,333 miles is the price difference.
Let alone service costs are around half the price if not lower.

I was not an EV fan, until I started driving one all day.
It is just effortless, smooth and comfortable.

If the government raise the luxury car tax level next year, I would get the MG IM5 performance.

GDB2222

There are reports that the chancellor is considering introducing a mileage charge for electric vehicles. About 3p a mile. For people doing 3000 miles a year, that’s £90, which is not going to make much difference if you prefer electric cars. 

That MG looks like a bargain! 

I’m not going to buy an unknown brand of car, as there’s too much risk that the company could go bankrupt or simply leave the uk market and not bother with supporting existing vehicles. It may be my ignorance, but Jaecoo seems to fall into that category. 

facade

GDB2222 said:

There are reports that the chancellor is considering introducing a mileage charge for electric vehicles. About 3p a mile. For people doing 3000 miles a year, that’s £90, which is not going to make much difference if you prefer electric cars. 

Unfortunately, that was "leaked" to news sources known for hyperbole & clickbait, so it is passing somewhat under the radar, as frankly, no-one believes a word they say!

So, rather than getting the tractors out to block all the roads, striking & rioting (like they would in France) our complacency is seen as approval, and the Chancellor can bring the implementation forward.

silverwhistle

GDB2222 said:

Herzlos said:

I had an XC40 rental a while back and it was certainly nice though I'm not sure I'd ever get used to the handwriting recognition for the GPS. 

As mentioned, cars have advanced hugely in the last few years so everything will be quite different to your 16 year old car. I'd go and sit in as many as you can, see what they are like to get in and out of. 

What kind of mileage do you do? If it's really low and you've got a driveway, then you may find a full EV is going to be easier to maintain than a hybrid. 

We do about 3000 miles a year, and an electric car would be fine for now. However, we are thinking of downsizing, and I don’t know whether the house we move to will have a driveway.  I won’t want an electric car if we can’t charge it at home.

I can understand that home charging is so convenient and cheap, but with your prospective mileage charging once every two or three weeks, maybe when you do a shop, may not be as bad as you think. If you get a subscription for the most convenient charge company the cost should be acceptable too.

Frankly having a hybrid with the extra technical complexity and servicing costs seems pointless with your mileage. Getting a vehicle with V2L like my MG4, is also quite useful in different situations. Imagine not having to take a flask on days out, just remember the kettle!

As for prospective mileage costs, bof, it'll happen eventually or they could do the simpler solution of putting up income tax which at least has the advantage of being a progressive tax.

Herzlos

I certainly think that for most people, especially with really low mileages and no congestion charging / company car benefits, a hybrid is the worst of both worlds. 

There's more weight to carry, more to go wrong and virtually no fuel savings, plus there have been complaints about the 12V starter battery going flat on hybrids with low usage but I can't remember what models that applies to. 

I suspect, though it may be a bit risky, that at under 60 miles per week, you would probably be fine charging most EV's every other week whilst doing the shopping. So whilst a driveway will obviously make it easier for you, not having one wouldn't be a complete deal breaker. The safer option would be to just stick with petrol (non-hybrid) though. 

GDB2222

silverwhistle said:

GDB2222 said:

Herzlos said:

I had an XC40 rental a while back and it was certainly nice though I'm not sure I'd ever get used to the handwriting recognition for the GPS. 

As mentioned, cars have advanced hugely in the last few years so everything will be quite different to your 16 year old car. I'd go and sit in as many as you can, see what they are like to get in and out of. 

What kind of mileage do you do? If it's really low and you've got a driveway, then you may find a full EV is going to be easier to maintain than a hybrid. 

We do about 3000 miles a year, and an electric car would be fine for now. However, we are thinking of downsizing, and I don’t know whether the house we move to will have a driveway.  I won’t want an electric car if we can’t charge it at home.

I can understand that home charging is so convenient and cheap, but with your prospective mileage charging once every two or three weeks, maybe when you do a shop, may not be as bad as you think. If you get a subscription for the most convenient charge company the cost should be acceptable too.

Frankly having a hybrid with the extra technical complexity and servicing costs seems pointless with your mileage. Getting a vehicle with V2L like my MG4, is also quite useful in different situations. Imagine not having to take a flask on days out, just remember the kettle!

As for prospective mileage costs, bof, it'll happen eventually or they could do the simpler solution of putting up income tax which at least has the advantage of being a progressive tax.

Fuel duty is effectively a tax per mile travelled, and it’s reasonable to expect something similar for electric cars. So, it’s something plausible for the Chancellor to introduce soon, if not this year then soon.

 The MG 5S looks tempting at £23k. Does anyone have any views?