ᐅ BEV – Battery Electric Vehicle Experiences and Recommendations
Created on: 23 Jan 2025 15:14
T
Tolentino
Dear forum members,
I know this is a homebuilding forum, but relevant car forums tend to be either very brand-loyal or strongly critical of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Since I assume there is a significant overlap between homeowners and BEV owners, I’m posting my question here. I chose this subforum because it seemed somewhat related—discussing household technology felt off topic.
I’ll soon be returning my ZOE and am currently exploring options for a replacement. It should again be a small to compact car, with 80-90% urban driving and average daily distances of about 25 km (15.5 miles). Occasionally, I drive 40-50 km (25-31 miles) in the city (about once a month) and very rarely 180 km (112 miles) on highways and country roads.
Absolute exclusions:
Tesla, for ethical reasons
Vehicles with a new price over 50,000 EUR (approx. $53,000), because the financing rate would be too high
Less preferred:
VW Group cars
Obvious SUVs
Another ZOE
Models I am interested in:
Renault 5 (possibly too new and expensive)
Hyundai Kona Electric (this is my upper limit for SUV styling)
MG4
Opel Corsa-e (though it didn’t perform well in ADAC tests)
Mainly looking for personal experience reports.
So, please share your thoughts—thanks in advance!
I know this is a homebuilding forum, but relevant car forums tend to be either very brand-loyal or strongly critical of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Since I assume there is a significant overlap between homeowners and BEV owners, I’m posting my question here. I chose this subforum because it seemed somewhat related—discussing household technology felt off topic.
I’ll soon be returning my ZOE and am currently exploring options for a replacement. It should again be a small to compact car, with 80-90% urban driving and average daily distances of about 25 km (15.5 miles). Occasionally, I drive 40-50 km (25-31 miles) in the city (about once a month) and very rarely 180 km (112 miles) on highways and country roads.
Absolute exclusions:
Tesla, for ethical reasons
Vehicles with a new price over 50,000 EUR (approx. $53,000), because the financing rate would be too high
Less preferred:
VW Group cars
Obvious SUVs
Another ZOE
Models I am interested in:
Renault 5 (possibly too new and expensive)
Hyundai Kona Electric (this is my upper limit for SUV styling)
MG4
Opel Corsa-e (though it didn’t perform well in ADAC tests)
Mainly looking for personal experience reports.
So, please share your thoughts—thanks in advance!
W
wiltshire25 Jan 2025 22:11Tolentino schrieb:
It should be the e-2008, which is only available from 239 (with 5,000 km / 3,100 miles) per year at the earliest. But thanks for the tip. I found the one for €189 (around $205) at 5,000 km (3,100 miles) per year and the R5 for €199 (around $216) – both fully electric, of course. Posting links here would be against the rules.
Tolentino schrieb:
Oh dear, I just watched a video summary of an evclinic article.
Apart from the Fiat 500e, none of the Stellantis group electric cars are recommended. D Honestly, that sounds a bit too generalized to me. I would rather say it depends on personal experience. Before we bought our eGolf, we also looked at the Stellantis Corsa/Mokka 2082008 and quickly lost interest. Neither of those cars suited us. From the armrests in the door to the entertainment controls.
Nida35a schrieb:
I sat in the new Skoda Elroque today, That would be my top choice today. The EQA 2025 and the Audis are unfortunately beyond my budget.
H
hanghaus202326 Jan 2025 15:53Unfortunately, I can't contribute much to your question since I always prefer used cars. At least the major depreciation is already taken care of.
Since September 2023, I have had an ID3 without any problems, except for one user-related issue that caused the comfort limiter to stop working. You can get used to such extras.
25,000 kilometers (15,500 miles) in 16 months. Charging in summer costs me 1.3 kWh/100km (1.3 kWh/62 miles), in winter 6.6 kWh/100km (6.6 kWh/62 miles). My diesel car, which I still use for long-distance, can't match that.
Since September 2023, I have had an ID3 without any problems, except for one user-related issue that caused the comfort limiter to stop working. You can get used to such extras.
25,000 kilometers (15,500 miles) in 16 months. Charging in summer costs me 1.3 kWh/100km (1.3 kWh/62 miles), in winter 6.6 kWh/100km (6.6 kWh/62 miles). My diesel car, which I still use for long-distance, can't match that.
Arauki11 schrieb:
For us, the main advantage of having a second electric car is that often one is parked and charging at home while the other is on the road. Depending on our needs, we switch cars between us, and from March/April onwards, we won’t need any electricity from the grid for the cars. With only one electric vehicle, you usually can only charge it in the evening, after the sun has gone down, or on weekends. That might be enough in summer, but during the transitional months having two electric vehicles really makes sense. Of course, it makes sense in terms of using a photovoltaic system.
However, compared to the Astra K (2020 model) as a second car, the closest in size would probably be a used ID3. I would exchange them one-to-one, but the ID3 easily costs €4,000–5,000 (4,300–5,400 USD) more than the Astra’s residual value. With €70 (around 75 USD) per month in fuel costs, I can still drive the Astra for many years.