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!
J
Jesse Custer
27 Jan 2025 18:43
At that time, my wife was standing in front of a Dodge RAM 2500 with the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine in the Laramie trim with the Mega Cab... then she looked at me and said, "If you were a Transformer, at least I would know what you look like as a vehicle..."

On the topic: we are currently considering an inverter for my wife—as with our photovoltaic system, driving in summer is practically free and even in winter not excessively expensive...
F
filosof
12 Feb 2025 21:03
Tolentino schrieb:

I have now also shortlisted the Inster and it has even overtaken the R5 in my mental ranking. The R5 is nicer and sportier, but the Inster is more practical and in a certain way smarter.
Honestly, if I were a car, I would probably be an Inster. 😀

The Inster is currently available at Leasingtime starting from €119.00 gross...
W
wiltshire
16 Feb 2025 00:02
@Tolentino: Have you already made a decision?
Small, attractive, and currently available for under €140 (about $150), there is the GWM Ora 03 (formerly Funky-Cat). It should be technically similar to the Mini Cooper SE – Great Wall Motors is the development partner of BMW for this vehicle.
Tolentino16 Feb 2025 02:36
I am currently waiting for feedback from my dealer, who arranged the current car.
There are almost family-like obligations involved... I hope he can get me the Inster at a good price. After extensive research, I am increasingly convinced that it is the ideal city car.
Tolentino14 May 2025 15:11
Well, it turned out to be the Inster (in the Trend trim).
The delivery time is reportedly until August/September. We’ll see.
A
Allthewayup
14 May 2025 15:21
Tolentino schrieb:

Well, it turned out to be the Inster (with the Trend package).
Delivery time reportedly until Aug/Sep. We’ll see.

May I ask about the conditions? Or did I miss that?