If the two people behind a major website championing electric cars have both done it, the rest of us should probably take note.
Whisper, so not too many people hear it, but used five-year-old electric cars are arguably one of the best vehicle purchases you can make right now, whatever your environmental credentials. It makes particular sense if you are one of the millions of people who use their car most days.
Long considered way out of the price range of normal car buyers, good quality electric cars that were launched a few years ago, are now hitting the used market for less than £7,000.
Nissan Leafs, which cost £30,000 (after grants) eight years ago, can be found for £5,700 with about 60,000 miles on the clock.
A Renault Zoe, with a leased battery and with fewer miles on the clock, starts at about £6,500.
Even the more futuristic-looking and previously expensive BMW i3s, made from recyclable parts, can be had for £13,000 for a five-year-old, low-mileage model. Once purchased, these environmentally friendly cars cost a few pounds a week to run – attractive at a time when petrol costs £1.30 a litre and diesel averages £1.36.
Interestingly, used electric vehicle prices have, in recent months, started rising – a near unheard-of thing in the used car market – as demand outstrips supply. They are also increasingly being sold by a new group of car dealers that have emerged only selling electric vehicles.
When Guardian Money last spoke to Melanie Shufflebotham, who runs both the EV charging app Zap-Map and the Next Green Car website, she was running a leased Leaf. However, it emerged this week that both she and her co-owner Ben Lane have opted to buy used models in recent months.
“Until recently buyers of used EVs feared being left holding a worthless car because the expensive battery had died,” she says. “Those fears have proved largely unfounded and, eight years on from the introduction of the Leaf here, we can say that the technology’s longevity has proven itself. Smart buyers attracted by super-cheap running costs and the clear environmental benefits are moving in.”
This is not an academic view – she has put her money where her mouth is and now owns a 20,000-mile Leaf that she bought for £13,750 used.
“Mine is the 30kWh version that gives a real-life range of 110 miles. It is three years old and performs faultlessly, and the battery is running at more than 95% of its original capacity,” she says.
“I have the benefit of the remainder of the eight-year (or 100,000 miles) warranty that will replace the battery if it falls below 75% capacity, but I’m not expecting it to. My partner at Zap-Map, Ben, has also just bought a used BMW i3.”
The reasonably priced used market, she says, is dominated by three cars: the Leaf, the BMW and the Zoe. All have sold in volume and are proven.
In most cases buyers of the first two marques will own their battery. In the case of the Zoe, you will own the car, but still have to lease the battery – at £49 a month.
Shufflebotham says the booming interest in used electric cars has led to a number of car dealers starting to specialise in used electric vehicles only. The likes of We Are EV or JustEVs are not tied into one brand as traditional dealers tend to be, but will sell all makes.
JustEVs, based in Hampshire, currently has 50 electric vehicles on its books with the cheapest car at £6,995.
The firm’s Red Middleton says anyone wondering whether these cars were built to last, should take a look at its own Leaf which has 187,000 miles on the clock.
“It still manages 75 miles on a full charge, and drives really well. Buyers have woken up to the fact that used EVs are now affordable for everyday motorists, and there is huge demand out there for good used models. We are very busy at the moment for this reason,” he says.
A key benefit for electric car buyers is that vehicle excise duty falls to zero, saving £140 a year compared with the average car.
Annual servicing should also be cheaper – there’s no oil to change, no spark plugs to keep an eye on, no gearbox and fewer moving parts.
But an EV typically costs a little more to insure than conventional models, because they are more expensive to repair in the event of a crash. However, LV=, which is trying to be the go-to insurer for electric cars, says the Leaf now only costs £10 a year more on average to insure than a petrol Nissan Micra.
Electric car buyers have complained of bigger hikes in the past, although LV= says the difference in premiums should fall over the coming years as the number of electric cars on the road increases, and the cost of repairs continues to fall.
One of the problems for potential buyers is the almost bewildering array of models, battery sizes and claimed ranges.
The Leaf is typical in that originally it came with a 24kWh battery, which was then upped to 30kWh. Later models came with a 40kWh battery. The bigger the number, the higher the number of miles you’ll get per charge.
The early cars will typically manage 75 miles between plug-ins. The 30kWh cars will manage more than 100 miles, while the newer used models promise 150.
The general rule is the bigger the capacity, the higher the purchase price. Buyers who drive 25 miles to work and back will be more than happy with the lower-capacity models which are the cheapest to buy. If you need a bigger range, you’ll need a bigger battery size.
A Zoe is considered the cheapest way to get a used electric car. Buyers have to factor in the battery lease payments – typically £49-£59 a month – which at least ensure you will always have a top-notch battery.
The cost of an overnight charge that delivers a typical 100 miles of driving is about £3-£4 depending on your electricity tariff. A fast charge at a motorway service area or other area typically costs a Leaf owner about £4-£6 depending on battery size. A £6 charge in a 40kWh car should deliver close to 150 miles.
To go the same distance in a petrol car would typically cost £24 – more if your journeys are all around congested towns.
The fact that there are zero exhaust emissions means you can jump in the car to drive across town with a much clearer conscience.
What if you want a new car?
If you are in the market for a new electric car, Auto Express has rated the Kia e-Niro as “pound for pound” the best electric car on sale.
Its testers had the 64kWh five-door model for more than 10,000 miles and named the Kia e-Niro “a great family car that happens to be electric”. “It’s better to drive than many petrol cars, is way cheaper to run and is a fuss-free joy to live with. I absolutely love it,” was the testers’ final verdict.
Its testers found it would deliver a real-life range of 200-300 miles per full charge depending on the weather – it was at the lower end in the coldest months. When using Kia’s super-fast 100kW chargers, they said they were able to add about 150 miles of range in 30 minutes of charging.
This car can be bought for about £33,000, but most people will want to lease it. Deals vary but Lingscars, usually one of the cheapest around, will rent you one for the short term of two years for an upfront payment of £1,770 and 23 further monthly payments of £590 a month. That allows the user to drive 10,000 miles a year.
For comparison, the more conventional Kia Niro hybrid estate can be leased for four years at Lingscars for £278 a month with a first payment £834. But you’ll have to factor in the fuel bills on top.
A basic Mondeo can be leased for almost the same prices – again over four years. Note two-year deals tend to be pricier than traditional four-year terms.
If the Kia doesn’t do it for you and you have set your heart on the Tesla Model 3, a three-year personal lease will cost you £445 a month – but you have to put down a hefty £4,000 upfront payment. You are restricted to 8,000 miles a year.
As you’d expect, the “affordable” Tesla has more wow factor than the Kia, but it is not as practical. It should deliver a real world range of 180-200 miles between charges – less than the Kia.
Lingscars will also rent you an electric VW Golf for £230 a month for three years with an upfront cost of £2,070. A top model that is on its way is the Hyundai Kona Electric 64kWh. With a real-life range of 259 miles, What Car said it was the best performing car it has tested so far. Leases on this model are coming soon.
‘The car has more than managed all I have thrown at it’
Like most other people who have an electric car, Vicky Wyer says she could never go back to a diesel car. The landscape designer, from Hitchin, Hertfordshire, says she has “absolutely loved” her Nissan Leaf over the 18 months she has had it.
“I use it to drive the 45 minutes (30 miles) to work, three times a week and easily get there and back on a full charge. I have the mid-sized (30kWh) version that gives me a real world range of about 100 miles, and I have to say, it has been a revelation.
“It’s nippy, reliable, super comfortable, and will carry four people easily. The road tax is free and the savings on fuel are phenomenal. I used to drive a Ford Mondeo diesel, so this is a much greener option, one that I have not regretted for a moment.”
She has a 7kWh charger at home that will give her a decent charge in about three hours, or a full charge overnight. The car was leased on a three-year contract and she has the option to buy it at the end of the term.
She thinks she may be an unusual electric car user in that she has never had to use a public charger, purely she says, because she can currently get everywhere she needs to go on a full charge.
“The only downside I can think of is that the Leaf doesn’t have as big a boot as my old Ford. I particularly love the heated steering wheel which might sound odd but it has been great for me as as I suffer poor circulation. I like the fact that Nissan gives you the option to hire a petrol car for two weeks a year if you need to make a longer trip. I may use that next year, but so far the Leaf has more than managed all I have thrown at it,” she says.
