Non-Tesla EVs in Canada

[jm_cct]

What EV would you get if you were not going to get a Tesla in Canada? Considering price, availability, charging network.

I'm considering a non-Tesla EV as my secondary for my wife who finds our Model 3 too large. Bonus points if it is a compact or sub-compact. Generally used for city commuting- the real kicker is no at home charging. I charged at work before the pandemic, but now I just hit the supercharger every few weeks.

 

[Webeevdrivers]

Well, can't speak from experience of owning other EV's but our first generation 30 KWH leaf has been flawless after almost 4.5 years of ownership. I think we may have gone through 2 jugs of washer fluid and that is it for maintenance. It has had one software update and some sort of service bulletin that took 30 minutes. Other than that it is the most reliable car we have ever owned. Great car. I drive Olaf (the leaf) as my daily driver. Wife drives Jarvis (the model 3) as her daily driver. We use Olaf when its cold (its got a heated steering wheel) and the Model 3 for everything else.

We looked at the new Leaf SL Plus before we bought the Tesla and actually had one on order for awhile. Wife changed her mind after Nissan pissed her off and she ended up with the Tesla. Great car. I drive it whenever I can.

Here is a few pics for size reference. Olaf fits in my garage a lot easier than Jarvis...but I'm still relegated to the driveway. Sigh.

I believe the dimensions of the new leaf are almost the same except for a centimetre or two. Hope this helps. Good luck shopping.

 

[zwz002]

My list would look like this: Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Ioniq, Kona/Niro, Ford Focus Electric, VW eGolf. You'd have to rely on third-party charging networks since charging at home isn't an option. Level 3 charging would be the alternative to supercharging.

 

[InternetDude]

Bolt, Ioniq, Leaf would be on my shopping list. But if it was me I’d probably put a Prius Prime or other PHEV above the BEV.

 

[UncleCreepy]

We were in the same situation a few months ago. Gf needed a new car, but didn't want a Tesla due to size/price.

She ended up with a Chevy Bolt. She wanted the car to be as small as possible with as much range as she could get. As for me, I wanted her to buy a car with active battery heating/cooling.

In direct comparison the Chevy feels like it's permanently in chill mode (which is good because of the FWD), also the efficiency is not nearly as good as the Tesla's. A big plus is the heated steering wheel, although a few days ago I would have preferred a cooled steering wheel lol.

And there is of course the general problem you have with many non-Tesla EVs: if you're going on a long trip, you'll have to spend more time charging. The Bolt is nowhere near 100 kW (more like 50 kW) so it takes quite some time to recharge the 66 kWh battery. Manageable though, it's just something to keep in mind.

Then again, you still have the Tesla for those long trips.

 

[wayner]

There isn't a huge size difference between the Bolt and Model 3 - it seem to be about 0.5m longer and .1m wider.

 

[Panda1]

Why not consider the BMW i3 it’s small and actually not a bad drive great for around the city

 

[Can37]

We have an e-Golf as well as out 3. The e-Golf is a great city car, easier to drive than the 3 and much more maneuverable, the turning circle is tiny and it has really good visibility from the driver's seat. It is nippy, very comfortable, very quiet and very well built. They are starting to come off lease now and there are a lot available at dealers as we got all the US build slots.

 

[pcons]

+1 on the Bolt. Depending on your needs even a volt is a good option. We own a bolt and I had 2 volts before the model 3.

Still some things I like about the bolt (but still heavily prefer the 3): No phantom phantom drain, heated steering wheel, hatchback, easier to get kids/car seats in and out of the back, can easily flip between normal and low Regen and have a Regen on demand paddle, it has android auto and apple carplay integration, birds eye view camera for parking and seeing what is around the car.

Personally I would stay far away from an i3 due to repair and service costs I've heard about.

I've always been curious about the Mitsubishi Outlander. It's like a gen 1 volt, and much better range than a Prius prime with way more space. Given that we barely drive the bolt that may have been a better fit for us. But without home charging you would probably be using a lot of dino juice with a phev so my vote would still be for a bolt.

 

[jm_cct]

Thanks for all the great feedback

 

[Mvdaog]

What EV would you get if you were not going to get a Tesla in Canada? Considering price, availability, charging network.

I'm considering a non-Tesla EV as my secondary for my wife who finds our Model 3 too large. Bonus points if it is a compact or sub-compact. Generally used for city commuting- the real kicker is no at home charging. I charged at work before the pandemic, but now I just hit the supercharger every few weeks.

Polestar 2

 

[Lon12]

+1 on the Bolt. Depending on your needs even a volt is a good option. We own a bolt and I had 2 volts before the model 3.

Still some things I like about the bolt (but still heavily prefer the 3): No phantom phantom drain, heated steering wheel, hatchback, easier to get kids/car seats in and out of the back, can easily flip between normal and low Regen and have a Regen on demand paddle, it has android auto and apple carplay integration, birds eye view camera for parking and seeing what is around the car.

Personally I would stay far away from an i3 due to repair and service costs I've heard about.

I've always been curious about the Mitsubishi Outlander. It's like a gen 1 volt, and much better range than a Prius prime with way more space. Given that we barely drive the bolt that may have been a better fit for us. But without home charging you would probably be using a lot of dino juice with a phev so my vote would still be for a bolt.

We own an Outlander PHEV GT. Please do not buy one without knowing the issues with the BMU. Mitsubishi Canada would not help me nor would the dealership. I'm very disappointed with their response. You can view the online petition asking for help:
Sign the Petition

 

[MTL_HABS1909]

We thought about all this too, but ended up getting a 2nd Model 3. After driving our first Tesla everything else just felt like too much of a downgrade.

 

[hingisfan]

I'd go Niro EV or Leaf if non Tesla.

 

[S'toon]

I'd put the Kona over the Niro myself. That's just me though.

 

[Pescakl1]

If you are looking at used small car, the spark is something to get a look at.

As new, if she wants a small car, a Kona would be good... or a bolt.

 

[Ocelot]

Kia Soul .ev. It’s great.

 

[MountainPass]

My wife just got a Hyundai Ioniq EV and so far we are quite impressed. It is averaging 105-115wh/km and can drive as far as my SR+. Not bad at all!

 

[SmartElectric]

If you want small, Smart Fortwo electric is the ticket for $10K used.
My wife loves her full sized Model S, but for local trips to the shop or errand, she'll take the Smart.
8 air bags, safe car, fun to drive, but only 100 km range in good weather, so "know your route"!