| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? 10:19 - Jun 26 with 2877 views | wombat |
just asking out of intrest ! |  |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 14:38 - Jun 26 with 767 views | dmm |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 14:03 - Jun 26 by Juzzie |
They look a bit weird but apparently are quite good and quite reasonable second hand prices.
What's it like to drive/own?
Most of my car usage is supermarket run and kids taxi. It's all short, local stuff which is not good for ICE cars as they never get up to working temperature.
I'd rather buy, for example, an ICE car with 100,000 miles but mainly motorway use than one with 60,000 but used in the same way I do.
Electric cars I believe are ideal for this short journey type use a there are no issues as no combustion engine etc to get up to temperature to then be at its most efficient and reliable.
[Post edited 26 Jun 14:46]
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It's fine once you get used to driving a heavier car. It's the battery that adds weight. I say fine, it's almost too easy to drive and I still miss using gears but that's probably just me. Lots of bells and whistles many of which I turn off or ignore.
I'm much the same as you in terms of distances I drive. I prefer taking the train for long distances. You're spot on with the efficiency over short distances and there's no waiting for the engine to warm up in winter either. |  | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 14:44 - Jun 26 with 756 views | R_from_afar |
I'm on my second, a Cupra Born long range, with a heat pump.
I had my first one, a BMW i3 Range Extender, for nine and a half years, from new. I only changed vehicles because I now need to go to Scotland quite often and that was challenging in the i3; EV range has gone up a lot in the last few years.
We have done the 410 miles to my in-laws in Scotland a few times in the Born now, in a day. We only need to charge once and we do that while having lunch. Charging stations on motorways and major routes are pricier than elsewhere, as with petrol and diesel pumps, and you may have a short wait to use them, but if you drive a few miles off your main route, you can save time and money.
Even when chargers are occupied when you reach them, in most cases now, you shouldn't have a long wait because they are so fast.
If you buy an EV, do bear in mind how fast the vehicle can charge. If you go to a 100kW charger but your car can "only" charge at a maximum of 50kW, you'll have a longer than necessary wait. |  |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 15:45 - Jun 26 with 669 views | wombat |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 14:44 - Jun 26 by R_from_afar |
I'm on my second, a Cupra Born long range, with a heat pump.
I had my first one, a BMW i3 Range Extender, for nine and a half years, from new. I only changed vehicles because I now need to go to Scotland quite often and that was challenging in the i3; EV range has gone up a lot in the last few years.
We have done the 410 miles to my in-laws in Scotland a few times in the Born now, in a day. We only need to charge once and we do that while having lunch. Charging stations on motorways and major routes are pricier than elsewhere, as with petrol and diesel pumps, and you may have a short wait to use them, but if you drive a few miles off your main route, you can save time and money.
Even when chargers are occupied when you reach them, in most cases now, you shouldn't have a long wait because they are so fast.
If you buy an EV, do bear in mind how fast the vehicle can charge. If you go to a 100kW charger but your car can "only" charge at a maximum of 50kW, you'll have a longer than necessary wait. |
just swapped over from an Audi Q7 wife already had a tesla ,now ive joined the tesla club and in the week or so of owning one wont go back to ICE car, ranges isnt a problem even on long trips ,, charging network is brilliant , recent trip to norfolk cost us £24 quid there back and all the miles inbetween. being able to cool the car down b efore you get in to it , and als warm it when the weather gets colder be handy for the early start away games , charge from home for next to nothing with octopus 7p a KW and the house is getting the same price as well during the charge cycle . | |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 15:51 - Jun 26 with 662 views | Paddyhoops |
I have a ford transit . The bigger one. Range is 150 in summer and 130 in winter.
I live in Watford but the majority of our work is in London . Charge about twice a week possibly an extra short charge now and again .
Ideal for London but not great for longer journeys.
Congestion charge is free but won’t be from 2026 .
Well done Sadiq . So it’s not about pollution it’s about money eh?
They’re great to drive and the charging points especially in my area are numerous.
It’s yes from me. |  | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:03 - Jun 26 with 647 views | nick_hammersmith |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 13:46 - Jun 26 by MelakaRanger |
Leasing is the way. You cant beat the depreciation game but rather than cough up best part of £40K and lose 25% when you drive it off the forecourt, pay it monthly over 3 or 4 years.
Watch out for servicing 'Scams' for EVs. Some are downright daylight robbery. Nissan wanted me to service the Leaf every 12 months. In 3 years it cost me over £600 in servicing costs. My current Hyundai has a 3 yr manufacturer service deal including its MOT. Total cost was £305
My new Hyundai Kona only needs a service every 2 years, so on a 3 year lease it will need just one service. I think its the same for VW EVs . But check the servicing requirements & costs before committing. Check with the manufacturer not the dealer. My new car dealer was adamant my new Kona would need a service every year. Hyundai HQ (UK) confirmed it was only necessary every 2 years. My dealers response was ' you learn something new every day'
Charging. Always top up at home every night. And if you use Octopus go or Intelligent tariff that can be up to 6 hours every night for just 7p per kw - for all the power the car takes and also that used by the home. I am on Octopus Intelligent and I often also get a good few hours of 7p leccy during the daytime too, especially at weekends. And if Octopus give a £50 cash credit if you switch to them using a code from an existing customer. Octopus also have a charging app wher the cost of the charge is placed against your home electricity bill. Quite handy and often there is a small discount on the chargers normal rate if you use their app.
As you say, most trips are 5-10 miles. My longest is usually Devon to Heathrow around 200 miles. An easy non stop journey but as its nearly 5 hours driving we stop half way for a drink/food etc and charge the car at the same time. The car doesn't need the stop- we do:)
If you are charging away from home then try and use Tesla Superchargers if you can. They can be up to half the price of some major charging networks and oftten have even cheaper rates at off peak times
For example. Tesla Bristol Cribbs 51p per kw (only 37p from 8pm to 9am). Instavolt Cribbs 87p per kw
Tesla Amesbury 51p (43p 10pm to 8 am) and just 100 yards away you have: Instavolt 87p and Gridserve 79p
Hope you enjoy the test drive. Way back in 2015 it took just 1 min of our test drive for us to decide |
You don't need to plug in every night, this is not a good idea.
--unless you mean to just charge at night if your tariff is cheaper?
The battery technology is similar to your mobile phone, just on a larger scale.
For the health of the battery array its better to run it low before charging.
I've heard it described as seating in a theatre. It's quick to fill up when its empty, but the last 10% takes a while (more effort) to fill up, if you think of everyone else moving to allow the electrons to find an empty seat.
Range anxiety is a thing though, and if you are the kind of person who worries when their fuel light comes on, then maybe an electric car isn't for you!
We've driven to France, Belgium and Holland in ours with no issues. Superfast chargers are much more prevalent abroad, however you can get fed up with the volume of apps you need to download, unless you have access to a TAP card for charging, you might find yourself entering your credit card details on pony websites in the dark at Centre Parcs in a forest in Belgium...
-- More of a UK problem, I've found a few chargers vandalised. I'm guessing the cables get stolen from forecourts to be weighed in for the copper? Can be a pain in the arse if you need a charge on the move, although a few of the apps do show if the chargers are free and working, so again its all about preparation.
Only leased, I wouldn't advise buying these, as the resale on a 4 year + eV is poor.
They are great fun to drive though, I used to be able to commute without touching the brake in my i3 and in traffic they can be very smooth to drive with the CVT gearboxes |  | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:07 - Jun 26 with 641 views | Wilkinswatercarrier |
My next car will be electric, already decided. It's now pointless having a petrol car in London due to the cost.
BYD have just opened a showroom in Thames Ditton. Anyone know if they are any good? | |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:11 - Jun 26 with 635 views | nick_hammersmith |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 15:51 - Jun 26 by Paddyhoops |
I have a ford transit . The bigger one. Range is 150 in summer and 130 in winter.
I live in Watford but the majority of our work is in London . Charge about twice a week possibly an extra short charge now and again .
Ideal for London but not great for longer journeys.
Congestion charge is free but won’t be from 2026 .
Well done Sadiq . So it’s not about pollution it’s about money eh?
They’re great to drive and the charging points especially in my area are numerous.
It’s yes from me. |
Ridiculous isn't it?!
So it turns out the congestion charge wasn't about reducing emissions in the centre of town at all?
Kahn really doesn't help himself sometimes does he? If the tube network was better, then it would be a viable alternative. Its still rattling away using Victorian infrastructure, while costing more per mile than rail transport in most other countries, absolute state of it | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:35 - Jun 26 with 623 views | MelakaRanger |
Check out my post. Octopus offering a BYD plus free charging plus a free charger for £299; a month come September. By all accounts BYD make a cracking EV |  | | |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:41 - Jun 26 with 619 views | MelakaRanger |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:03 - Jun 26 by nick_hammersmith |
You don't need to plug in every night, this is not a good idea.
--unless you mean to just charge at night if your tariff is cheaper?
The battery technology is similar to your mobile phone, just on a larger scale.
For the health of the battery array its better to run it low before charging.
I've heard it described as seating in a theatre. It's quick to fill up when its empty, but the last 10% takes a while (more effort) to fill up, if you think of everyone else moving to allow the electrons to find an empty seat.
Range anxiety is a thing though, and if you are the kind of person who worries when their fuel light comes on, then maybe an electric car isn't for you!
We've driven to France, Belgium and Holland in ours with no issues. Superfast chargers are much more prevalent abroad, however you can get fed up with the volume of apps you need to download, unless you have access to a TAP card for charging, you might find yourself entering your credit card details on pony websites in the dark at Centre Parcs in a forest in Belgium...
-- More of a UK problem, I've found a few chargers vandalised. I'm guessing the cables get stolen from forecourts to be weighed in for the copper? Can be a pain in the arse if you need a charge on the move, although a few of the apps do show if the chargers are free and working, so again its all about preparation.
Only leased, I wouldn't advise buying these, as the resale on a 4 year + eV is poor.
They are great fun to drive though, I used to be able to commute without touching the brake in my i3 and in traffic they can be very smooth to drive with the CVT gearboxes |
I’ve topped up my car most days. 3 yrs ago when new I had a GOM of 310;in the summer. Currently I get a GOM of 305-310. Battery degradation is no issue at all
Range anxiety. Never had it in 10 years. It’s a made up issue
Yes ideally if charging “on the road “. Unplug at 80% and move on. It’s far quicker that way
And totally agree. Lease Is the sensible way to go | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 17:04 - Jun 26 with 585 views | BrizR |
Had a Leaf for a couple of years, nice little car, range wasn't good enough for motorway driving really but great as a local runaround. Newer ones with better batteries will be fine. Take care on which plug type it takes because the rapid chargers are mostly on CCS2 (which I think is now the standard) but some cars like the older Leaf models are on ChaDeMO or however it's written and you'll often find there's one or none of those on the public chargers. When I replace my current car I'll get another EV if I can afford it. | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 17:15 - Jun 26 with 562 views | QPR_Jim |
Polestar 2 - cracking car, managed to do a 220 mile round trip on a single charge, which is as much as I need normally. Have the luxury of stealing the wifes car if the situation calls for a longer drive.
Some other EV's I've test driven were too toy-like trying to re-invent the interiors etc. The Polestar is like a normal automatic car until you hit the accelerator. A friend has a Cupra Born, that looks pretty good too. |  | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 17:42 - Jun 26 with 542 views | lassel |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 11:37 - Jun 26 by Hunterhoop |
I’ve had an EV through company salary sacrifice scheme. Kia EV6.
Really good car. Very quick, especially off the mark. Much quicker than my old 2nd hand BMW M3 from standing.
Enormously spacious in the back and passenger area. Boot is okay. Very easy to drive. Decent infotainment system.
The charging aspect requires a little bit of planning but there are apps for it so it’s 5 minutes. Have driven it to Liverpool and Cornwall loads without issue. There are more high speed charges than people think. And Kia’s can use the Tesla superchargers too, not that I need to often.
Public charging is pricey though, similar to petrol. You need a home charger. Wouldn’t recommend an EV if you can’t install one. If you can, I certainly would recommend. And environmentally, they pay back on overall life cycle emissions at about 10-15k miles, so after that you are saving emissions vs an ICE vehicle (and that includes the whole lifecycle of the vehicle - battery and material extraction, manufacturing, etc). So, if you’re looking to buy/lease new and think you or someone else will drive it for more than 2-3 years, and you care about your emissions, get an EV. If you don’t, do whatever you want! |
How have you found the EV6 HH?
I’ve had a few Kia’s and loved them but the MIL got an EV3 which almost instantly stopped charging due to a failure of the charging port and by the time they could fit it in for replacement had fully discharged the battery which also had to be replaced. | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 17:45 - Jun 26 with 536 views | Superhoops2808 |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:35 - Jun 26 by MelakaRanger |
Check out my post. Octopus offering a BYD plus free charging plus a free charger for £299; a month come September. By all accounts BYD make a cracking EV |
Thanks to Melaka who lead me through the misconceptions of electric cars.
We have a Hyundai Kona and have a Ford Puma on order, so both my wife and I will have electric cars. Will never go back to petrol or diesel, so much cheaper all round for the electric car. |  | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 17:55 - Jun 26 with 526 views | loftupper |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:11 - Jun 26 by nick_hammersmith |
Ridiculous isn't it?!
So it turns out the congestion charge wasn't about reducing emissions in the centre of town at all?
Kahn really doesn't help himself sometimes does he? If the tube network was better, then it would be a viable alternative. Its still rattling away using Victorian infrastructure, while costing more per mile than rail transport in most other countries, absolute state of it |
Surely it was about reducing congestion! Is the clue not in the name? | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 18:08 - Jun 26 with 506 views | Tonto |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 17:55 - Jun 26 by loftupper |
Surely it was about reducing congestion! Is the clue not in the name? |
Congestion charge was about reducing traffic congestion. An ev creates as much congestion as a normal car.
Reduced congestion helps reduce pollution though.
And it was Ken who put it in not Sadiq.
The ULEZ is specifically about pollution. |  |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 18:17 - Jun 26 with 500 views | Paddyhoops |
It wasn’t my intention to make this a political thread when I mentioned Sadiq khan.
I like some of the stuff he does. Some I don’t .
If we’re trying to cut emissions , it doesn’t give my company an incentive to get electrical vans though by putting extra costs like congestion charge on top of parking charges which even for electrical vans are exorbitant. | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 19:12 - Jun 26 with 454 views | dezzar |
Anyone had a new kitchen recently ? | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 19:55 - Jun 26 with 413 views | Juzzie |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 16:11 - Jun 26 by nick_hammersmith |
Ridiculous isn't it?!
So it turns out the congestion charge wasn't about reducing emissions in the centre of town at all?
Kahn really doesn't help himself sometimes does he? If the tube network was better, then it would be a viable alternative. Its still rattling away using Victorian infrastructure, while costing more per mile than rail transport in most other countries, absolute state of it |
Same with diesels back in the day. The fuel was cheaper than petrol and they were being championed as the car to have. Then when there were a significant number of them on the road…. wallop, diesel fuel rose and became more expensive than petrol. Ker-ching. Utter con job. |  | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 20:03 - Jun 26 with 395 views | Hunterhoop |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 17:42 - Jun 26 by lassel |
How have you found the EV6 HH?
I’ve had a few Kia’s and loved them but the MIL got an EV3 which almost instantly stopped charging due to a failure of the charging port and by the time they could fit it in for replacement had fully discharged the battery which also had to be replaced. |
My EV6 has been fine. Had it 2.5 yrs and not had a single issue. The real range is up around 260-300 in the summer and 200-220 in the depths of winter. More than enough given you’ll stop for a piss or bite to eat before reaching that mileage, especially with young kids. Charges quickly. Can handle 130-150 kw per hour so we don’t have long to wait. The back seats are incredibly spacious which is great for car seats and having extra space to pack things, given the boot is (only) 480L.
I have to hand it back soon as am leaving my company, but I would seriously consider leasing an EV6 again. From the research I’ve done, I reckon it is the best value for all round performance of its cohorts.
It’s a long and wide car, mind. Deceptively so. Might be relevant for some. Also, I think it looks nice, again compared to some of its rivals. Good car. |  | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 20:19 - Jun 26 with 382 views | R_from_afar |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 13:02 - Jun 26 by TheChef |
Nah. Quite happy to stick with hybrid thank you.
Still don't think the infrastructure is quite in place for electric (let alone the rubbish ranges).
And anyway once everyone has an electric car, the Illuminati will just be able to switch off all the cars and you'll be imprisoned in your own homes.
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I'd agree that there is a lack of chargers in some areas, for example, much of Wales.
What sort of range do you think you need? My Cupra Born can do around 270 miles at motorway speeds. I would think most people would want a break from driving after three of four hours.
Re some fiend switching off your home charger, that can only happen if you have an Internet connected unit. I opted for one which isn't.  | |
| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 20:26 - Jun 26 with 378 views | ChrisNW6 |
What are peoples experience of owning one without the ability to home charge? I live in a terrace house with no off street parking and limited lamppost chargers in the area. I have heard the local charging points and lamppost chargers can be pretty expensive as well.
I would happily pay for the work, to add a covered channel under the pavement and have a charging point in the front of the house, but the council does not currently allow this. I do see some homeowners running cables through letter boxes and the cables being covered on the pavement with a rubber mat, but this is a trip hazard and against the law.
How are other people coping without home charging? | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 21:04 - Jun 26 with 346 views | padstow |
I have a 2024 BMW i4 M50 and my wife has a 2025 Rivian R1S Tri-Motor.
Mine has 523 bhp and, just to spite me, her massive 3 row 7,000 lb SUV has 850 bhp and does 0-60 on 2.9 seconds!
We live in the States and decided to initially dip our toe in by getting a Volvo V60 T8 Polestar hybrid. We drove it on fully electric so often we only filled the gas tank once every six months so we bit the bullet and now we're both fully electric and love them. Don't think we'd ever go back to ICE. We both suffered from massive range anxiety at first but once you change your thinking and get used to it then it's really not a problem. It's amazing how quickly 30 minutes at a charging station goes (to get your 10% to 80%). | | | |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 22:13 - Jun 26 with 295 views | ted_hendrix |
Probably of little Interest now I'm retired for nearly Five Years from our construction Company but any office block with car parking that we constructed had to have X amount of vehicle charging parking bays per building no Ifs or buts about It with the charging equipment installed at hand over.
I'd often go back to those buildings In the first year post completion and pretty much all of those parking bays were In use charging vehicles. |  |
| My Father had a profound influence on me, he was a lunatic. |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 22:48 - Jun 26 with 270 views | danehoop |
Took the plunge last year and settled on a new Hyundai Kona Electric. It is really good and like others said particularly like the heated/cooling seats, heads up display and excellent all round build quality. Slightly smaller than the Skoda Karoq it replaced but more than enough space for everything. We picked the top of the range version which came with slightly larger wheels, looks great but loses about 5-10% in range. Not that range is an issue to be honest in summer easily getting around 280 miles from a full charge. Has a heat pump as standard and that does help with the winter but still see around 240-250 miles even when it was at its coldest.
In terms of charging I think key to making it work is having the home charger and decent overnight tariff for your electricity. We pay around 8p per KW and top up every 10-14 days for about £4 each time. Compare that to our old Karoq and its about 90% cheaper than we previously were paying for petrol each month. If we regularly had to use the supercharger/public network it would still work out cheaper, but less convenient but no different to having an ICE car.
Downsides. Not many to be honest, we dont do too many long trips, but just needs a bit of thought when you are going to stop. I tend to top up a few times along a trip rather than perhaps stopping once as I might in an ICE car, but to be frank that probably is better in ensuring I keep fresher with driving and lighter in bladder than before!
It has been interesting switching back to an ICE car for the past week as using a courtesy car after someone crashed into the back of the Kona a few weeks ago at a set of lights. Firm view of the family is we cant wait to get the Kona back and we are definitely not going back to an ICE car, just seems noisy and less economic - you forget how quiet electric cars.
Interestingly |  |
| Never knowingly understood |
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| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 23:33 - Jun 26 with 223 views | wombat |
| anyone on here currently driving an electric car ? on 22:48 - Jun 26 by danehoop |
Took the plunge last year and settled on a new Hyundai Kona Electric. It is really good and like others said particularly like the heated/cooling seats, heads up display and excellent all round build quality. Slightly smaller than the Skoda Karoq it replaced but more than enough space for everything. We picked the top of the range version which came with slightly larger wheels, looks great but loses about 5-10% in range. Not that range is an issue to be honest in summer easily getting around 280 miles from a full charge. Has a heat pump as standard and that does help with the winter but still see around 240-250 miles even when it was at its coldest.
In terms of charging I think key to making it work is having the home charger and decent overnight tariff for your electricity. We pay around 8p per KW and top up every 10-14 days for about £4 each time. Compare that to our old Karoq and its about 90% cheaper than we previously were paying for petrol each month. If we regularly had to use the supercharger/public network it would still work out cheaper, but less convenient but no different to having an ICE car.
Downsides. Not many to be honest, we dont do too many long trips, but just needs a bit of thought when you are going to stop. I tend to top up a few times along a trip rather than perhaps stopping once as I might in an ICE car, but to be frank that probably is better in ensuring I keep fresher with driving and lighter in bladder than before!
It has been interesting switching back to an ICE car for the past week as using a courtesy car after someone crashed into the back of the Kona a few weeks ago at a set of lights. Firm view of the family is we cant wait to get the Kona back and we are definitely not going back to an ICE car, just seems noisy and less economic - you forget how quiet electric cars.
Interestingly |
Since the fixture list landed I’ve been checking how many charge stops I’ll need . For some of the away gmes with a. Full home charge should be on average one for a lot of them , and the average cost for away games will be going down even with the stops which helps as well. | |
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