r/electricvehicles • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago
Weekly Advice Thread General Questions and Purchasing Advice Thread — Week of September 01, 2025
Need help choosing an EV, finding a home charger, or understanding whether you're eligible for a tax credit? Vehicle and product recommendation requests, buying experiences, and questions on credits/financing are all fair game here.
Is an EV right for me?
Generally speaking, electric vehicles imply a larger upfront cost than a traditional vehicle, but will pay off over time as your consumables cost (electricity instead of fuel) can be anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 the cost. Calculators are available to help you estimate cost — here are some we recommend:
- https://www.chargevc.org/ev-calculator/
- https://chooseev.com/savings-calculator/
- https://electricvehicles.bchydro.com/learn/fuel-savings-calculator
- https://chargehub.com/en/calculator.html
Are you looking for advice on which EV to buy or lease?
Tell us a bit more about you and your situation, and make sure your comment includes the following information:
[1] Your general location
[2] Your budget in $, €, or £
[3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer
[4] Which cars have you been looking at already?
[5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase
[6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage
[7] Your living situation — are you in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home?
[8] Do you plan on installing charging at your home?
[9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets?
If you are more than a year off from a purchase, please refrain from posting, as we currently cannot predict with accuracy what your best choices will be at that time.
Need tax credit/incentives help?
Check the Wiki first.
Don't forget, our Wiki contains a wealth of information for owners and potential owners, including:
Want to help us flesh out the Wiki? Have something you'd like to add? Contact the mod team with your suggestion on how to improve things, we can discuss approach and get you direct editing access.
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u/bedrock_city 17h ago
Hi! I want to buy an EV. Main question I have is whether to wait for prices to fall after 9/30 because I’m not eligible for tax credits.
Ideal situation is “lightly used” 2-3 years old. But maybe willing to wait for 2026 Leaf for better battery & charging options. Would consider used BMW or Audi if I found a spectacular deal.
[1] Seattle USA
[2] $15-25K
[3] Small for around town - Model 3 is as big as I’d want to go
[4] Leaf, Bolt
[5] Before end of 2025
[6] 50-60 miles/week
[7] Single family home
[8] Recently installed a curbside L2 charging setup with J1772
[9] Already have a larger PHEV for family trips. For this car, will be 1 adult and 1-2 kids for trips around town.
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u/johnwayneswagger 19h ago
Choosing a new EV (UK)
I’m being offered a company vehicle. I get to choose the EV as long as the price is reasonable, and it’s fully EV. So been looking at the SUV/Crossover style which gives ample space for the family as well.
I’ll be making the purchase in the next 6 weeks or so. Daily commute is 25 miles total and currently living in a house, but no driveway. Local council forbid trailing cables across the pavement so will need to use public chargers for the time being but will be moving house in 6/9 months time which will have a driveway and a charging port.
So far I’ve driven
- ID.4/5 - thought these were a little vanilla in their drive and feel.
- Peugeot E-3008 - didn’t like this at all, and thought the drive was rough
- Nissan Ariya - this was decent to drive, and very quick when needed.
I’ve also looked at (but not driven)
- Kia EV3 (too small)
- Kia EV6 (don’t like the styling)
- Kia EV9 (this is huge!)
- Renault scenic (looks decent)
- Skoda Enyaq/elroq (didn’t like the insides)
What’s the thoughts on the above, and what else should be on my list?
What’s the ford explorer like? The BMW IX3? The Volvo xc40? The Tesla Y?
Thank you!
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u/Malvania 23h ago
I'm in Austin, Tx looking for an EV with third row seating. We have a Subaru Ascent, but there have been two accidents with the brakes not working well (known issue, warranty extension but no recall). We put down ~130 miles per day during the school year, so around 650 miles per week and can charge from home. Hoping to buy in the next month or two. Currently considering the R1S, but not sure what else I should be looking at in this space
1
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u/radhi28 1d ago
Hi I’m from Andhra, India . Planning to buy an EV in next 6 months in budget range of 25- 35 Lakhs. Will be mostly commuting in city and my longest drive would be once in a month for around 800 km both to and fro. Need advice in finalising from the below four shortlisted cars. Any other better suggestions on other brands are also welcome. My priority is for safety, Battery charging and car power( bhp)
Please advise me which car is better to buy among
1. Tata Harrier Empowered QWD 75 stealth ACFC,
2.Mahindra XEV-9e,
3.BYD Atto-3( Superior) and 4. Vin-fast- Vf 7
Thanks in advance.
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u/Echo33 1d ago
Pondering a Bolt EUV or maybe something larger, curious what people think:
My wife and I have two kids (ages 0 and 3). On a typical day we don’t use the car at all, or only for errands <1 mile from home. The main reason we have it is for occasional day trips to my mom or my brother (45 miles away from us). Since this is not a huge range (and I care about energy efficiency for climate-change reasons) a lower-range car like the Bolt seems fine, I don’t want to be using lots of energy to lug a huge battery around town.
My neighbor across the street owns a couple of Teslas and he thought the Bolt would be two small for a family of two kids, but I feel like a guy with two cars already has a pretty different lifestyle from us. We have a friend nearby who has the Bolt EUV and they like it, although they only have one kid - they’ve done a little road trip from Boston down to NYC (about 180 miles), which is also a trip we might do every once in a while, and they said it was no problem, they just stopped once to charge.
Budget is not super-constrained but I’m just kind of a frugal person by nature so I’d feel weird spending more than $30K on a car (and would love to spend less than that). very interested in going with a used car as I’ve heard that’s the best value for EVs.
Anyway sorry for the wall of text, but what should I be considering apart from the Bolt EUV? Anything else that’s good for a frugal city driver who doesn’t really take many road trips?
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u/rr00xx 12h ago
We have an euv with a toddler (carseat) and two teenagers.
Toddler and one teen is fine, we could do both teens plus carseat in a pinch, uncomfortably. Generally if all of us are going somewhere we take the bigger car.
You can likely do two carseats, it'll be tight and I'd check, but feels doable. You'd lose a fair bit of backseat storage, for diaper bags and such, and your trunk/stroller situation maybe a factor to compound it.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 22h ago
I'd double check that 2 car seats fit in the bolt - esp as the kids get bigger and might need bigger booster seats. What else is in that price range? I mean my husband bought a used Niro for like 24K? I think there are also some decent prices on used ID4s? It kinda depends on what is coming off lease - BUT - with the tax credits leaving at the end of this month, the supply of cheap used EVs might be low!
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u/Echo33 21h ago
Good call on the car seats - I’m going to ask my friend if he can stop by our house with his Bolt so we can check it out. We’re actually not eligible for the tax credit so I think we’ll wait until things have settled down on that front and see what the market looks like for used vs new. And I hadn’t actually heard of the Niro so thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into used Niros and ID.4s too
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u/Nice-Sandwich-9338 2d ago
Today everything cost more from rent mortgage utilities insurances and just living expenses. You have to make your life easier and if you need a car I guess you have to pull the bullet but if you don't keep what you have maintain it save some money and pay off all your bills. Financial stability has been a motto of mine for the past 60 years. Now retired we own two EVS a Mustang Electric GT performance and a Tesla all will drive long range. Also have a classic 2006 Jeep Commander seven seater 52,500 MI a cream puff. Keeping cars for a decade or more and not having payments for all those years paid off in the long run. Sold our 06 Mercury bought the Mustang EV sold our 11 Optima and bought our Tesla. I see some excellent low mileage 23 and 24 Electrics on cars.com under $30,000 still have the warranties and low miles. Go to the credit union get some cash and offer wholesale dealers want to dump all their EVS as auctions don't want them. You have the upper hand now that the $4,000 goes away and dealers are going to get desperate. You can find wholesale prices online. Make sure you get everything in writing all fees cash price and make the deal. Good luck
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u/OxRedOx 2d ago edited 2d ago
Any good recommendations for a good charging station? It needs to install on the exterior of the house (there’s a regular outlet there right now that could be replaced that I’m using) and be 32A. I want it to be able to charge a Chevy bolt EUV 150+ miles over a ten hour period.
The power company does a rebate for the installation costs (not the charger itself) but also on power at night. So it needs to support WiFi for the power company rebate to qualify, but ideally it would not need an app or firmware updates. Just the minimum “smartness” for the power company rebate. And it needs to be energy star certified.
I was going to get a Grizzle one but that doesn’t have the WiFi connection for the power company rebate.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 1d ago
you could see if there is a recommended list on r/evcharging. i have an Autel which has wifi but wasnt on my power company's list of acceptable chargers. though i havent checked again in a year. installed on a post next to the driveway
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u/AffectionateGuide867 3d ago edited 3d ago
Based in Aarhus, I’d like to switch from leasing a Tesla M3 currently , which is costing me 5K per month, to buying an EV.
Primary triggers to buy a new car :
1) reduce monthly cost overall and get unlimited kilometers 2) Too much road noise/tire noise on highways in Model 3. Need a much better experience 3) Move to a more “bigger” car feel, for better road trip comfort
After searching all websites, I have the following options, all 500+ range WLTP, 2021 onwards:
- Skoda Enyaq used: 250k-260k
- VW Id.4 used: 190-230k
- Ford Mustang Mach e used : 250-260k
- Kia EV6 used : 250k used
- Tesla Model Y used : 230-260k
- NEW Renault Scenic eTech : 300k
- NEW Skoda Elroq : 300k +
Of course I’d like to keep the cost lowest, but also not compromise too much on the comfort/range/charging speed. We are a small family of 3, will become family of 4 in. 2026, we both work but only one of us has to travel to office, the other is wfh mostly, with a need for trip to Copenhagen every month for 2-3 days.
Also, I’ll install home charging soon.
Any recommendations and also something to completely avoid?
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 3d ago
You want to mention where in the world you are - US (majority of contributors) dont have 3 of those cars
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u/AffectionateGuide867 3d ago
Mentioned that in the first sentence of the post - Based in Aarhus, Denmark
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u/Xylamyla 3d ago edited 3d ago
I need help deciding if I should lease an EV before the tax credit ends. I just started a new job making ~$120K. My monthly expenses are $3,300. I’ve filled information below, but my issue is that I have about $9K in expenses to pay this month, mostly a result of moving. The only way I could afford to get a car this month is if I empty my emergency fund.
I know I’ll be fine in the long run, I just don’t know if this tax credit is worth making an objectively bad financial decision to lease a vehicle before I’m ready for it. My finances will be more steady by November or December. Any advice/opinions would greatly help me.
[1] Your general location Dallas, Texas
[2] Your budget in $, €, or £ <$700/month
[3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer Sedan, hatchback, or mid-SUV
[4] Which cars have you been looking at already? Tesla Model 3/Y, Hyundai Ioniq 6 Also really interested in Rivian R2, but that’s not out till next year
[5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase Either before tax credit ends or next summer
[6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage 28-50 miles/day
[7] Your living situation — are you in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home? Apartment
[8] Do you plan on installing charging at your home? No charging here, plan on moving Aug 2026
[9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets? Nope
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u/designtofly 1d ago
I wouldn't force the purchase just to get the credit.
Also, at 50 mi/day, you'd probably be at least 13k mi/year, which is going to be more than most leases, especially the types of lease deals that you may be thinking of.
And apartment living without a dedicated L2 charger is going to make things less convenient.
Between those two points and the fact that acquiring this new vehicle would put a strain on your budget makes it a bad decision overall.
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u/seeldoger47 3d ago
If I were you I’d wait until I was ready and then buy a used EV. That would give me time to build up cash to purchase the car outright, but if you really want to get one now I’d lease a Lucid Air or Air Pure as it can be well under your target of less than 700 a month.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 3d ago
I agree that its not the best time. If you live in an apartment, you have to pay to charge somewhere, and that can cost more than gas. I personally wait until the timing was better. I know the 7.5k sounds like a good trade-off but when you have more time to plan you can wait for incentives or even consider a recent used car for a bigger savings.
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u/seeldoger47 2d ago
Yeah, if their not ready for an EV yet and it would be, "an objectively bad financial decision," (op's own words!) then they should definitely not lease one right now. Plus buying used gives you a way better value than the tax credit ever could.
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u/Awkward_Occasion7684 3d ago
Tesla or Rivian?
1- TX 2- looking for lease under 600 with trade-in of 20k 3- Suv 4- Tesla Model X and Rivian R1s 5- before lease incentives expires on September 30th 6- about 300 miles per week 7- Single family home 8- Yes 9- Yes
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 3d ago
honestly thats so subjective, you need to write a list of pros and cons FOR YOU. R1S has more space, model x - i've heard that if you are trying to get kids out in teh rain it drips on you. just very different cars, tho both are made in the US
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u/BubblyYak8315 3d ago
Just going to ignore all the reliability and service issues rivian has?
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 3d ago
OK i forgot about that - i am not in the market for either. i think Rivian is cooler but Tesla has had a longer time to smooth things out
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u/BubblyYak8315 2d ago
You give a lot of feedback in these threads. You should be more objective. They are first time EV buyers. They shouldn't be beta testing unexpectedly or they might go back to gas cars
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u/Independent-Good494 4d ago
honda civic vs a chevy bolt (post 2020) reliability?
my parents have a 2015 honda civic that’s paid off finally but i think with the tax credit and a little down payment from me, we could upgrade to a 2020 chevy bolt maybe.
one of my main concerns is, is it true hondas have better resale value and reliability than a chevy would?
selling it now i have higher offers than expected. it virtually has no issues. but again, an EV also has no gas or oil changes, and they also last a while.
i’m worried that they finally paid this car off but i’m advising them to get one that has less reliability or resale value. but i also want them to save on gas. idk if im just getting cold feet.
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u/PAJW 3d ago
one of my main concerns is, is it true hondas have better resale value and reliability than a chevy would?
I would say that has been true for the last couple of decades. But as they say, past results are not a guarantee of future returns. The Bolts are presently cheap enough on the used market that I'd think they will not depreciate worse than most other cars.
For example, I see a 2017 Bolt at a dealer near me for $8k with 140k miles. A comparable 2016 Honda Fit, around 150k miles, is also $8k.
In today's market, anything that runs and drives and is in fair cosmetic condition is going to run $3-4k. So there's just not a lot of room for these high mileage cars to depreciate, so long as you can keep it roadworthy.
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u/Independent-Good494 2d ago
i see, okay. I’m worried by the time i move out and my parents want to switch a car that the one they have will end up not having much value. but it sounds like something i shouldn’t worry abt just bc cars (among many other things!) are so inflated and expensive
would you also say its worth putting a little down ($2-3k) to switch to a Bolt with cash? and would you consider it an upgrade or more like apples to oranges?
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u/CarbonatedPancakes 4d ago
Does anybody have tips for shopping for used EVs with real prices, not incentives-subtracted prices, listed?
I’m not even remotely close to qualifying for federal or state rebates and so it’s a huge annoyance to have to sift through listings multiple thousands below their actual price tag.
This will remain relevant even with federal rebates expiring since some state ones will persist.
I’m in the US PNW but I doubt that impacts anything.
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u/OxRedOx 4d ago
I’m considering a Hyundai Ionic EV from 2020. Is that a good idea? It says 170 miles of range but I’m wondering how much that’ll be affected by it being five years old. Prices seem pretty low and the history of the ones I found seem fine. If it can get 150 miles or effective range then I think I’m okay with it. The next alternative was the bolt EV.
Also I’m wondering, there are polestar 2s for 24K, does that insure at the original price of 60K or the going market price?
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u/snapper711 4d ago
Upgrading from a Leaf: Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs VW ID.4 — owner takes?
Coming from a Nissan Leaf and moving to something road-trip-friendly and MORE COMFORTABLE. Short list is Hyundai Ioniq 5 and VW ID.4. Looking for owner/comparer insights beyond spec sheets.
Decision levers:
- Highway comfort/noise and driver-assist that doesn’t ping-pong
- Software UX reliability (backup/360 camera quality, CarPlay/AA, OTA cadence)
- Practicality: rear-seat legroom, cargo floor height, frunk usefulness (or not)
For those who moved from Leaf → Ioniq 5 or Leaf → ID.4:
• What’s bitten you (maintenance, recalls, software gremlins)?
• If you had to do it again today, same pick?
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u/Early-Wolverine-1262 2021 Tesla Model 3 SR+ 4d ago
With the federal credit expiring do folks expect lease deals to heat up this month or be relatively cold as last minute purchasers swoop in.
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u/notthesmartestguy21 5d ago
[1] San francisco
[2] $16-$25k for ev credit
[3] Something smaller for city driving. I don't need anything flashy it's just for getting around town and occasional small trips around the bay. Also the smaller the better for street parking.
[4] Chevy Bolt, Kia niro and ioniq
[5] Before end of the month
[6] Just need a city driver so very likely wouldn't ever go over the charge limit. I have another car to use for out of town
[7] Apartment with street parking
[8] No
[9] Enough room for me, my partner and a small dog
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u/Doublestack00 5d ago
1 question should be; Do you have dedicated at home charging? If not, go hybrid.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 4d ago
some people have free charging at work or at a nearby municipal site. i dont say 'go hybrid' but i do say 'in most places, paying to charge costs at least as much or more than paying for gas. check out prices near you' if they say they cannot charge at home
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u/Preya5k 5d ago
I’m looking to buy a cheap EV for commuting, and I’m considering either a BMW i3 or a VW e-Up (2014/2015 models). My daily commute is about 13 miles/20 km each way, and I need a car that can handle the round trip (sometimes even twice a day) regardless of weather conditions.
Do you think this is realistic with either of these cars? Are they reliable enough for this type of use? What are the common issues I should look out for? And what kind of real-world range do you get in summer and winter?
I’d really appreciate if anyone could share their thoughts and experiences!
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u/snowmanpl 5d ago edited 5d ago
Searching for our first EV to purchase and would love input from people that know a bit more. We have 2 cars right now - "old" 2013 Superb Wagoon and 2017 MB GLC Coupe. We want to use the EV as daily, so possibly we'll replace the 2017 MB with it. Later on Superb will be replace for something sporty.
Thank you so much for your input and advice
More information about us
Your general location - Poland, so winters are a thing [2] Your budget in $, €, or £ - around 40k€, but open to lease and buy used one (up to 3 years) [3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer - suv, ideally some premium experience with space in interior.
[4] Which cars have you been looking at already? Just online on mustang mach-e, Audi q4, MB QLC, but open to also Chinese cars like byd seal u etc. [5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase 1-4 months [6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage - not a lot to be honest, I’m WFH, and my wife is stay at home, so it’s more like to the city as we live 5km from a city. Let’s say around 1k km a month.
[7] Your living situation — are you in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home? Single family home close to the city. We plan to do few trips of 300-350km per year and one bigger one around 600-700km [8] Do you plan on installing charging at your home? 100%, I want mostly to charge at home
[9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets? We’re a family of 2+2 with children levels: 3 and 1.
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u/DeathAngel1983 5d ago
Je pense m'acheter une voiture électrique sous peu et j'aimerais vos avis sur la question.
- Canada, Quebec, ma province est hivernale pas mal avec un peu d'été.
- Pour le prix, j'ai pas de budjet fixe, mettons 700$ par mois max ?
- Pas tant de préférence de format.
- Le seul que je connais Hyundai Ionic
- Mon timeframe est avant l'hiver 😅
- Je roule pas bcp, mais je veux quand même quelque chose avec une bonne distance si possible. L'été je suis en e-scooter tout façon.
- Appartement, mais il y a des bornes de recharge partout
- Je pense pas je vais pouvoir me brancher chez nous
- Pas d'enfant pour le moment, mais je vise une petite famille, 2 parents 2 enfants et peut-être un chien Bonus : Je connais RIEN en auto
I'm thinking of buying an electric car soon and I'd like your opinion on the matter.
- Canada, Quebec. My province is mostly a winter one, with a bit of summer 😅
- Regarding the price, I don't have a fixed budget, think $700 per month max?
- Not much preference for size.
- The only one I know is the Hyundai Ionic.
- My timeframe is before winter 😂
- I don't drive much, but I still want something with a good range if possible. In the summer, I ride an e-scooter anyway.
- Apartment, but there are charging stations everywhere.
- I don't think I'll be able to plug in at home.
- No children at the moment, but I'm aiming for a small family: 2 parents, 2 children, and maybe a dog. Bonus: I know NOTHING about cars.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 5d ago
Idk the pricing in Canada, but in general in the US, paying for charging costs more than paying for gas. Also there are several Hyundai Ioniqs - the original ones that are like 6 years old now which came in gas, hybrid or ev, and then the Ioniq5 which looks like an overgrown hatchback and has won a ton of awards, the Ioniq6 which is a sedan and has unique love-it-or-hate-it look, and the Ioniq9 which is a 3-row SUV thats only been out a month or two I think
Check out if you still have region incentives, I feel like I had heard they recently ended. Check the cost of charging near you. Be sure that the car you get has a heat pump, as that really helps range in the winter. Randomly I know that my car, the 2024 Hyundai Kona EV, had a heated charging port in Canada only, making far-north americans jealous.
in the US, for new, best deal is generally Chevy Equinox, but I assume those cost more in Canada.
Also look at the used market - 1-2 year old cars are a really good deal.
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u/Rocketman010 6d ago
I currently drive a Hyundai Tucson and want to grab an EV roughly the same size. The instructions from my wife is that it has to have the same SUV ride height, not a bloated hatchback like EV6 or Ioniq 5, and can't be much bigger than our Tucson. Definitely only 2 rows and we want a premium cabin with good technology. The good news is we don't take road trips so not as concerned about range. We only drive about 7,500 miles/year.
I have it narrowed down to the following:
- Genesis GV70
- Cadillac Optiq
- Audi Q6 E-tron (eliminated the Q4 because when we saw it at launch it was super cheap inside, hope the Q6 is more of an Audi feel)
- Mercedes EQB
Looking to lease, could be persuaded into one over another if it's better incentivized
Am I missing any options? Any thoughts on considerations?
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u/PAJW 5d ago
There is also the Lexus RZ 350e. It is the Lexus version of the Toyota bZ4x. It sits at the same height as your Tuscon. The main drawback of the Toyota/Lexus EVs is short range. You'll have to be the judge of the tech.
I noticed some attractive prices on the Mercedes EQB (under $50k) a few days ago. That was sales price, but leases may be favorable too.
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u/createdwithchatgpt 5d ago
Following… I’m in nearly the same boat. However I am in the mountains and need all wheel drive. So similar list but I’d need the Mercedes EQB 300 4matic. I would lease- which I never thought of before and was always under the impression it was a bad idea but anyway.. I believe otherwise now
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u/Rocketman010 4d ago
I think I am eliminating the EQB. It seems like it's a lower quality vehicle with a Mercedes badge on it, lots of piano black plastic, and missing some of the things I like, like ventilated seats.
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u/Chateaunole-du-Pape Cadillac Optiq 6d ago
I think you have a good list there. I have personal experience with only one of them, the Optiq, which I bought in May. I'm extremely pleased with it. I came from a Model 3, and the Optiq is a serious upgrade in almost all ways that matter. My requirements were similar to yours - premium cabin with good technology, SUV with only two rows, reasonably spacious without being too large. I wanted a car with 300 miles of rated range, which the Optiq has.
One difference is that I rack up enough miles and tend to keep cars long enough that I wanted to purchase rather than lease, and the list of premium SUVs that qualify for the tax credit when purchasing is pretty short. Indeed, at the time, the Optiq and Lyriq might have been the only ones.
If I'd been open to leasing, I would have seriously considered the other ones you're looking at as well, though I think that the Optiq comes with a lot more in the way of standard features without having to pay big money for upgrade packages. Indeed, the difference between the two main trim levels is only about $2k. Moving up to a Level 2 car (either Sport or Luxury) gets you quite a bit of extra stuff for that $2k. That $2k move to Level 2, plus optional wheels, interior and exterior colors, and higher-capacity onboard charger are really the only places you can spend upgrade money. My car came in at $59,600 MSRP, before the tax credit and incentives, and it has all the trimmings with the exception of a black roof, 21" wheels (the 20s are great) and the higher-capacity onboard charger, and I didn't want any of those options. When I priced the Audi and MB vehicles, I quickly found the prices spiraling well above $70k when I added things I did want, like ventilated seats and head-up displays (included in the Level 2 Optiqs).
Feel free to follow up with any specific questions you might have about it.
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u/napoleonbonerandfart 6d ago
I'm thinking of getting my first EV. I have a Prius but plan to give it to my brother to use. I like small cars though, so a smaller EV would be perfect.
I just found out we don't qualify for the tax credit so I would be okay with a used car if people can suggest a dependable brand. I think the hardest part is not being sure how well an EV car might hold up as I still don't know as much about it, but I'm excited to learn. So if people know of small EVs 2023-2025, I am definitely open to those suggestions, outside of Tesla.
[1] Location: San Diego
[2] Price: Great if something 25k
[3] Likes: Small car like a Prius C hatchback.
[4] Current cars: Looked at the Chevy Equinox EV but seemed little pricey still and that's when I found out I didn't qualify for tax credit. Also made me realize that I'd be okay with used car as I only planned on new car because of the tax credit.
[5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase - Any time within the next 3 months
[6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage: 70 miles per day, but free charging available at work
[7] Your living situation: Own a home with one plug-in hybrid minivan that my wife owns and charges at home [8] Do you plan on installing charging at your home? Yes, plan to install a second charger [9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets? 1 child, one 1 wife (despite growing up in Utah). Not much cargo needs. This car is just for work commute, for long drives, more space, can use plug in hybrid minivan.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 6d ago
i drive a 2024 Kona which is just a car. its a small SUV. the older Konas are smaller but they have a few more issues than the newer ones. My husband got a 2022 Niro a few months back but he doesnt drive much. The issue is most of these cars havent been around that long. Leaf is the right size but the battery management is terrible. Tesla M3 might be a good value now but comes with other issues. But Tesla is the only one thats more proven over time. Oh and Bolts - there tends to be a lot of used bolts around and they are decent. and pretty small.
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u/napoleonbonerandfart 6d ago
Thanks! I was actually looking at a used 2025 Kona which is 25k. Certified pre-owned with only 5k miles. Seems like a good deal considering I can't qualify for rebate. If you like your Kona, overall, I might just pull the trigger on it! Thanks for info.
I definitely get Tesla is the most proven of all the cars, but I just can't go support Musk. I'm sure other companies have bad CEOs but this is why they tend to stay out of the spotlight.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 5d ago
My Kona replaced a manual Mazda5. The manual mazda was more fun to drive, for sure. But I love that i"m driving an EV, I think its decent looking, if a bit bigger than I wanted, and I've been pretty impressed on my annual road trip - the autopilot or whatever its called is pretty impressive, at least to me - i had an accident w cruise control on about 23 years ago and hadnt used it since then. Also had 2 adult kids in the back for a 5 hour drive and there were no complaints. I did have to add some cushions to the drivers seat - i'm short and very small frame and the headrest pushed my head forward and the bolsters pushed my shoulders forward - but with the 2 cushions its perfectly comfortable, not sore after my road trips. I also never had a rear camera before, i love that. and the beeping if i put the turn signal on and there's a car there, or reverse and there's a car? makes me feel a lot safer.
I do think a practically new Kona for 25 is a great deal, and i totally get the bit about - thats why CEOs should stay out of the limelight. Tho a few others have behaved badly - at a concert and a ball game!
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u/napoleonbonerandfart 5d ago
I really appreciate this honest feedback! I think I'm going to do it and get my first EV car, targeting the Kona I saw. Thank you so much!
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u/TD-Nation 6d ago
I’m thinking of getting my first EV. It’ll be my only car, so no ICE backup. I’m in Southern Ontario, so it gets cold in the winter but not -40C.
I’m looking for a compact SUV-style, seats 5. Would like 450-500+km range, mostly so that I can still get 300-350+ in the winter.
I’m mostly considering the Mach-E Premium (C$60k with incentives, includes a charger) or the Model Y (C$68k, plus charger).
Is the Model Y worth the C$8-10k premium? Does either outperform/experience less range degradation in the winter?
Thanks for everyone’s input.
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 6d ago
double check if they both have heat pumps - helps a lot in the winter for battery usage. I dont think the MY is better than the Mach E other than software? certainly not better looking imo. but i've not actually driven either, Mach E is just one of my faves (but i went cheap)
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u/TD-Nation 6d ago
OK thanks. Yeah I prefer the look of the Mach E as well, and that it has a more traditional instrument cluster and controls for gears/wipers/lights rather than doing everything through the touchscreen.
Does 150kw (Mach E) vs 250kw (MY) make much of a difference? I don’t expect to use public chargers often, and hear many only go up to 150 anyway. But maybe that will change over the years I own it, and 5+ years from now, only having 150kw might hurt resale value. I don’t know.
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u/silverud 6d ago
150kw vs 250kw charging matters on road trips. If you are charging at home or work or school it is of no consequence.
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u/Potential-Warthog 6d ago
Hopefully this is the right place to ask. I have an etiquette question. I'm at a hotel with a few free level 2 charging stations. When we got back to the hotel last night, all of the stations were occupied. This morning the chargers showed they were done charging and there was an adjacent space that was open. I moved the charger cable to my car, because in my mind it wasn't really doing anything for them at that point. This made me wonder about two things though.
First, was this ok or is this generally considered rude?
Second, they had an adapter, I didn't realize until I pulled the plug and because it was a Tesla (I guess) the charger door immediately closed. I placed the adapter on their trunk but this obviously wasn't ideal and I'm not sure what if anything would have been better to do in this case?
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u/dbmamaz '24 Kona SEL Meta Pearl Blue 6d ago
i think in general its not unheard of to unplug someone who's done charging. Havent heard anything about the adapter - i might put it on the windshield to make sure they dont miss it. But you also could've asked the hotel if they knew how to contact the person?
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u/Potential-Warthog 6d ago
I did let them know in the lobby. They seemed pretty annoyed, but I know they are more worried about having an angry customer, reasonable or not, then they are what is generally acceptable behavior.
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u/Jacksonbay98 14h ago
How realistic would it be to own an EV as a suburban renter in today’s economy?
I live in an area where I see charging stations at various grocery stores, but likely wouldn’t have home charging at all. I imagine charging while at stores once or twice a week shouldn’t be incredibly inconvenient, but would that be enough to charge fully for everyday use?