Should I buy used EV?

muffinek

My car is beyond economical repair and I am shocked how prices skyrocketed since I bought current one 8 years ago.

I am forced towards certain types of car due to my driving pattern.

I drive car about 4 times a week but do only about 2k miles a year around town with constant stop/start and I cam drive only automatic cars.

I am considering getting either Suzuki Vitara or Honda HRV, both petrol and around 2020 plate.

However EV cars caught my eye, like Kona or Niro. Researching online, it looks like EVs are much better suited for me and I get more tech/gadgets within the same price approx £12k

However I am looking to keep my next car for as long as possible, at least 10 years and I am not too sure how likely it is to have EV fully operational in 10 years, putting it at about 15 years old. I also assume whenever anything goes wrong it will be more expensive and more difficult to fix it as not all garages can do EVs.

I dont know much about cars, so any feedback much appreciated. Ideally I would buy hybrid Toyota or Lexus but they are out of my price range unless I would look for 12+ years old car.

facade

The short trips with constant stop-start will suit an EV perfectly. (Most have an app on you 'phone that lets you turn the heater on remotely, or on a timer so that the car is all defrosted and warm inside when you get in in the Winter, which is a big advantage over a petrol/diesel)

If you are driving 40 miles a week stop-start in town you are likely driving for 3 hours or more, which will be enough to keep the 12V battery charged.

If you have a drive so that you can charge at home it is much easier and cheaper, but 40 miles a week would mean charging a Kona or Niro less than once a month, if you have a Lidl with a fast charger you can do that whilst shopping. (and still be cheaper than petrol)

Make certain that a Hyundai or Kia has a valid warranty, some of them miss the service as they are handed back just before the service is due, and then by the time it comes out of trade the service is well overdue which voids the 7 year warranty.

No-one can really say if a second hand Kona/Niro will last another 10 years, the main battery almost certainly will, but you are at the mercy of some quite complex electronics that is very expensive to fix without warranty.

To be honest, the way that modern cars are going, I think you would be hard pushed to buy a new car of any type and have it last 10 more years!

muffinek

If I was buying a new car then I would be less concerned but as I would buy 5yo Kona or Niro, that would put them out of warranty or almost out of warranty.

Keep_pedalling

I would go for it, most EVs come with at least 8 years warranty on theHV battery which is more than you get on an ICE engine, and on your millage even if the battery drops to 70% SoH (which is unlikely) you will still have plenty of range to meet your requirements.

forgotmyname

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82171111#Comment_82171111

That depends on how the cars system measures the battery SoH, if the entire pack is fairly evenly degraded
then yes but if you get some failed cells then the SoH could be misleading. Car dealer on YT had that very
issue recently.

Bought a car from auction with from memory was 80% health but when they hit a hill the charge plummeted far
more than a 80% healthy battery should. I think the car even slowed on one hill but picked up some of the charge
when the road levelled off.

facade

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82171305#Comment_82171305

That was an early Leaf that had been rapid charged a lot, which overheats the cells at the back of the (not very well) air cooled battery and kills them. It is the main reason that leaf batteries fail, and Nissan never repair them under warranty due to the careful wording and the way the car measures it's SoH.

It won't be a problem with a car that has battery cooling* like the Kona or Niro.

*or better thermal management to shut off the charge before a cell overheats. (Which my Dongfeng Dacia does, but it has only ever had a 50% rapid charge once)

daveyjp

Toyota, Lexus and Suzuki all now provide a warranty for up to 10 years (vehicle 11 years old when it ends) or 100,000 miles so they have plenty of faith in the ability to a build a vehicle which lasts.

The post is a little confusing but I read it as 2,000 miles a year all around town, that's about 5 tanks of petrol. It therefore comes down to a decision about confidence in the longevity of all the systems fitted to an EV.

.

Keep_pedalling

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82171360#Comment_82171360

Same applies to an ICE car, especially one that rarely gets properly warmed up.

Mildly_Miffed

2k miles/year, across 4 trips a week, is about 5 miles for the average trip. In a city.

Would public transport, even taxis, make more sense than buying a fairly expensive car, insuring it, maintaining it, watching it depreciate?

£10k of depreciation over 10yrs = £1k/year = 50p/mile alone.
Let's assume another grand for insurance.
Another grand a year for parking costs, fuel/electricity, maintenance, etc.
We're up to £1.50/mile, or £15 for each of those 10 mile round trips, £60/week.

muffinek

Correct, my main concern is around longevity of EV and then potential ease/cost of repair.

I alo recognise issue with ICE and the fact that 2k miles a year around the town has negative impact on them.

On a separate note, if I was to buy EV, it would be only with independent battery test. The ones I have seen so far were 90%+ and no mention of dead cells, so I assume none were present during the testing.

muffinek

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82171387#Comment_82171387

You are 100% correct. Financially I would be better off using taxis but it is not as easy with a young child that needs to be taken to various activities, birthdays etc