YoIf your current car is about to expire and you think an electric replacement is too expensive, think again. Three-year-old Tesla Model 3s and Kia e-Niros, which can travel between 400 and 480 kilometres on a single charge, can now be bought for as little as £14,000.
In the past year, prices for used electric cars at dealerships have fallen to such an extent that previously unaffordable models are now within reach of many families for the first time.
Prices have fallen so much that two weeks ago Auto Trader said they had reached near parity with petrol cars. The average price of a three- to five-year-old electric vehicle in July was £18,964, compared with £18,076 for petrol models of the same age, it said.
Three or four years ago, buyers were snapping up innovative, super-efficient models in droves. They typically cost £40,000-£50,000 new, but now, after three years, these vehicles are appearing on the used car market with 60,000-75,000 miles on the clock, at much more affordable prices.
“There are some spectacular deals out there,” says David Smith of Cheltenham-based Cleevely Electric Vehicles, one of the UK’s most respected independent sellers and suppliers of electric vehicles.
“Cars that have proven to be reliable, with batteries that offer a range close to what they had when new, and many with several years of warranty remaining, can be purchased for a fraction of their new price.”
When asked which electric car he would recommend to a family for under £15,000, he is unequivocal in his recommendation of the Kia e-Niro with a 64kWh battery.
“These cars are really efficient, have a good range – around 400 kilometres, depending on conditions – and have proven to be reliable both mechanically and in terms of battery life,” he says.
“Many of them will have the remainder of the original seven-year warranty. If you do a lot of long journeys and have to rely on public chargers away from home, then you might prefer to go for a Tesla, which gives you access to its fast-charging network. But for those looking for the best car for the money, the e-Niro really delivers on what it promises.”
Smith says another model the price-conscious EV buyer should consider is the MG5, which is a traditional-looking estate car. Cleevely Electric Vehicles has seven mobile mechanics who travel around the UK in these models to service the vehicles, and says they have proven to be very reliable – in several cases they have travelled more than 200,000 miles without any major problems.
Smith says buyers shouldn’t be put off by relatively high-mileage electric vehicles, even though there’s a perception that they’re a risk because batteries can fail or degrade. Smith says his company has seen many cars with 60,000 miles that show very little loss in range relative to new ones.
One advantage of opting for a high mileage used electric vehicle is that all the problems that can plague new electric vehicles will have been eliminated.
This week, Guardian Money found several Kia e-Niros with 64kWh batteries for sale on Auto Trader for between £14,000 and £15,000, some with as little as 37,000 miles on the clock. If you’re willing to buy privately (without the consumer protection that comes with buying from a dealer), the cars are significantly cheaper.
Long-range used Tesla Model 3s with around 100,000 miles on the odometer can be bought for less than £15,000, while £20,000 will buy you a more recent model with 55,000 miles on the dashboard. There are several cars for sale with 170,000 miles on the odometer, and some Teslas being used as taxis have done 440,000 miles, suggesting they are good for long hauls.
Unless you’re only making short trips from home, we’d go for the longest-range model you can afford—one that gets you between 250 and 300 real-world miles on a single charge.
If £14,000 is beyond your budget, used MG5s with a 61kWh battery can now be had for £10,000, with 75,000 miles on the clock. These will do around 200 miles on a single charge in real-world use. More recently launched MG4s with a 64kWh battery and a 250-mile range start at £16,345 used, with 20,000 miles on the clock.
Richard Symons, who founded R Symons, a specialist EV dealer in 2010, is another fan of the e-Niro if you need a family car that offers good interior space. If a standard sedan suits your needs, he says Tesla Model 3s are now fantastic second-hand buys. “We sell them and drive them ourselves,” he says. “We have a white Model 3 that we use daily and it now has over 100,000 miles on the odometer. At the time, the only thing it needed was some new suspension bushings at a cost of about £1,500, some wiper blades and tyres.
“They are high-performance cars packed with technology (if that’s your thing) and charging them at home costs very little.
“About 38% of the charging has been done using Tesla’s fast-charging network, which is supposed to be tougher on batteries. The car’s battery is still running at just under 90% of its original capacity. If the battery has problems in the future, it’s easy to fix now. It’s possible to replace damaged cells in a couple of hours. Much easier than replacing an engine in a conventional car.”
If you’re still not convinced, consider his latest comment: he says that buyers who can charge their vehicle at home using an off-peak EV tariff will pay as little as £150 for every 10,000 miles travelled – a fraction of the £1,600 it would cost to refuel a petrol or diesel vehicle over the same distance.
Darren Cassey, website reviews editor at used car sales website Carwow, says the fall in used electric car prices means those hoping to buy new should consider the used car market first.
“With the number of electric models on sale constantly growing, there is now plenty of choice within a £15,000 budget. You can opt for the attractive and quirky BMW i3, which is a fantastic city car, or perhaps a Citroën ë-C4, which is comfortable and suitable for family life,” he says.
“Even if you’re already considering a new EV, don’t discount the used-vehicle market: for the price of a new, conventional EV, you have a wide variety of high-tech and luxury models from premium brands that are a couple of years old and have barely been used.”
What do I need to know about purchasing?
The most important thing to consider is how the car will be charged. Electric vehicles remain the most cost-effective option for those with a charger at home. Buyers will need to switch their electricity supply to a specialist EV tariff – these typically offer overnight charging for around 8p per kWh (or £5 for a 60kWh charge), making the car very cheap to run.
However, it’s a completely different story if you’re going to rely on public “superchargers”, which are fast but now very expensive. Which? said in July that these chargers typically cost 79p per kWh – ten times more than home charging rates and more expensive than using a petrol model.
You should also consider insurance. As a general rule, we believe that EV owners will pay twice as much to insure a similar model as they currently pay for a petrol or diesel version. This can vary greatly, so we strongly recommend you get a full quote before making a purchase.
The next thing to consider is what kind of warranty is left on the car. Kias come with a seven-year warranty up to 100,000 miles, while Tesla Model 3s have an eight-year or 150,000-mile warranty, whichever comes first. Make sure the previous owner has kept up with the maintenance regimen and that the warranty is still in effect. Your local dealer will be able to tell you about this. Don’t just take the salesperson’s word for it.
One of the advantages of buying from one of the dealers who now specialise in used electric vehicles is that you have the Consumer Rights Act on your side if the vehicle turns out not to be as described. They often offer some form of warranty independent of the manufacturer’s.
Don’t forget to factor in the cost of charging cables, which, at £200-£300 each, can be very expensive. Some sellers include the cables, others don’t. Tyre wear on EVs isn’t the problem some would have you believe, although replacements may cost a little more than on your old Ford Focus. However, servicing should be cheaper.