Non-Tesla recommendations for 2nd cheaper EV

[Glan gluaisne]

Years ago, a schoolfriend decided to tour the Scottish Highlands (starting from the south of England) on a Raleigh Mobylette. For those unfamiliar with it, this was a belt drive 50cc moped, with a top speed of around 25mph. He managed the trip just fine, despite the thing only have a fuel tank that held a couple of pints of petrol.

Sometimes trips that stretch the capability of a vehicle can be fun.

 

[Adopado]

The bike comparison is quite relevant. Even modern bikes often have a range similar to an ev. Obviously fill ups are quicker but a bit of planning is needed, particularly with the reduced filling station options in recent years.

 

[pgkevet]

I remember my moped days - six decades ago and it was an old rusty thing then. The advice if running out of fuel was to break wind into the tank and wait for it to condense. The pedal option avoided such obscene practice from being necessary. 2pints of petrol at less than five bob a gallon and a squirt of 2-stroke oil and one was king for 60 miles...

 

[RedMod3]

I've already decided that air-con will not be used, and I won't go above 60mph. Also, plan on stopping every 45 miles for a top-up with at least one or more alternative emergency nearby stops en-route.

If I attached a 240V converter to the Smart car to connect and charge the main battery, very clearly, I'd accelerate the discharge from the battery; that was my joke.

Yes, it will be an adventure and a bit of fun, and that's why I'm doing it once and once only.

 

[Adopado]

I've already decided that air-con will not be used, and I won't go above 60mph. Also, plan on stopping every 45 miles for a top-up with at least one or more alternative emergency nearby stops en-route.

If I attached a 240V converter to the Smart car to connect and charge the main battery, very clearly, I'd accelerate the discharge from the battery; that was my joke.

Yes, it will be an adventure and a bit of fun, and that's why I'm doing it once and once only.

Just say the word and I'm sure you could have a fleet of TMC member Tesla support vehicles in convoy! (Unfortunately I'm too far away otherwise I would "do a leg" with you!!)

 

[Medved_77]

£26,145 for the ID3 Life Pro Performance model:

Volkswagen ID.3 Electric Hatchback 150kw Life Pro Performance 62kwh 5 Door Auto £26145 @ Drive The Deal - hotukdeals

21% saving. Suggests to me they're struggling to shift them.

 

[gangzoom]

The bike comparison is quite relevant. Even modern bikes often have a range similar to an ev.

When ever I see words 'bike' and 'EV' in the same sentence this is what I think of .

Battery current is on 31st cycle (250wh capacity), drive train has done 2550km assist distance, so 7.75kWh to cover 1600miles = 4.8 watts per miles I think.......just a bit more efficient than my other EV!!

 

[Alan J]

£26,145 for the ID3 Life Pro Performance model:

Volkswagen ID.3 Electric Hatchback 150kw Life Pro Performance 62kwh 5 Door Auto £26145 @ Drive The Deal - hotukdeals

21% saving. Suggests to me they're struggling to shift them.

The Vauxhall Dealer near me (north Glasgow) is offering £10K off a pre-registered Corsa e, you can get top of range for bottom of range price.

 

[Medved_77]

The Vauxhall Dealer near me (north Glasgow) is offering £10K off a pre-registered Corsa e, you can get top of range for bottom of range price.

Good thing is that the price gap between ICE and EV versions of similar cars is definitely narrowing.

 

[tess19]

Not sure about everyone else, but I prefer to buy a car that is the MRRP without haggling (Tesla) rather than one at market price but way below the fake MRRP. You have haggle to see how much you can get below the MRRP but then pay BIK, road tax and everything else based on full MRRP.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Not sure about everyone else, but I prefer to buy a car that is the MRRP without haggling (Tesla) rather than one at market price but way below the fake MRRP. You have haggle to see how much you can get below the MRRP but then pay BIK, road tax and everything else based on full MRRP.

Me too! Going through this daft process at the moment, with getting prices for a new car for my wife (her first EV). She hates the haggling, so gets me to do it. I hate it too - have to psych myself up to do it. The sooner other manufacturers adopt the same sort of policy as Tesla the better. I've no idea why cars are mostly sold like this, either. Pretty much everything else we buy is advertised at the actual price we'll pay - what makes cars so different?

 

[Mperkins28]

What is the performance like in the ID3, are they quick?

 

[Doudeau]

The sooner other manufacturers adopt the same sort of policy as Tesla the better.

Looks like she’ll need to visit a Porsche dealer then

 

[Avendit]

What is the performance like in the ID3, are they quick?

TLDR: no.

But in line with VAG expectations I'd say. Fast ones GTI like, slow ones 10ish seconds to 60 (from memory). So nothing on an SR+ even, but respectable by old standards.

 

[RedMod3]

Not sure about everyone else, but I prefer to buy a car that is the MRRP without haggling (Tesla) rather than one at market price but way below the fake MRRP. You have haggle to see how much you can get below the MRRP but then pay BIK, road tax and everything else based on full MRRP.

I'm not sure if I agree, even though the process would be fairer. Dealers try and maximise their profits and operating this way allows them to. If some people are willing to pay list and do not haggle the extra margin on those sales allows the dealers to make a small margin on extra unplanned sales where people haggle hard. However, the dealer probably could not afford to sell all cars at the lowest price. My local dealer for the Smart was very inflexible, not willing to discuss discounts other than the manufacturer's contribution, so I had to go further away. Had the same issue 7 years ago with a small Toyota, local dealer just offered £500 off, but I got £1,500 off from a dealer in Cambridge. So the haggling suits me, but my wife hates it too.

 

[Adopado]

I'm not sure if I agree, even though the process would be fairer. Dealers try and maximise their profits and operating this way allows them to. If some people are willing to pay list and do not haggle the extra margin on those sales allows the dealers to make a small margin on extra unplanned sales where people haggle hard. However, the dealer probably could not afford to sell all cars at the lowest price. My local dealer for the Smart was very inflexible, not willing to discuss discounts other than the manufacturer's contribution, so I had to go further away. Had the same issue 7 years ago with a small Toyota, local dealer just offered £500 off, but I got £1,500 off from a dealer in Cambridge. So the haggling suits me, but my wife hates it too.

So you are saying that "good hagglers" are entitled to cheaper cars and everyone else should pay more? Isn't it fairer for everyone to pay the same price? That price being somewhere between an inflated starting figure and a mega cheap "deal".

 

[browellm]

You don't have to be a good haggler to type in some boxes in Carwow, chaps.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

We're off to have a look at a Renault Zoe GT Line tomorrow, as she's changed her mind (again . . .) and thinks that she prefers the look of the Zoe to the e-208 (the opposite of the preference expressed last week). Definitely some pretty cracking deals around at the moment, getting ~£5k to £6k off list price seems to be commonplace.

There also seem to be quite a few pre-registered cars around for much better prices, but none within easy reach from us at the moment. Looking around at adverts, plus sites like Carwow and Drive the Deal, I get the feeling that there's quite a few dealers that are really keen to shift stock. The dealership we spoke to this afternoon we quite open about them having lots of new stock at their import centre, so she could have pretty much any colour spec she wanted within 24 hours.

 

[pdk42]

What is the performance like in the ID3, are they quick?

My wife has the 205 horsepower version. It’s about the same 0-60 as the current Golf GTI, so it’s not bad. But it’s not got the punch that any of the Teslas have. However, it’ll still embarrass many other cars if you’re in the mood - like all EVs, throttle response is immediate and torque is high.

 

[RedMod3]

So you are saying that "good hagglers" are entitled to cheaper cars and everyone else should pay more? Isn't it fairer for everyone to pay the same price? That price being somewhere between an inflated starting figure and a mega cheap "deal".

What I am saying is that we all have a choice to buy a car or not at the price offered. I would NOT have ordered a Smart Car at list price as it is far too high, so by offering a cheaper price, a dealer got an extra sale and a contribution towards their fixed costs.