You want an EV but have doubts...

[madasafish]

Shock horror : expensive when new luxury car with £400k miles proves expensive to repair.
Well who would have guessed it?
Luxury ICE cars with similar mileage cost pennies to repair I suppose?

[Westy36]

Shock horror : expensive when new luxury car with £400k miles proves expensive to repair.
Well who would have guessed it?
Luxury ICE cars with similar mileage cost pennies to repair I suppose?

Maybe watch the video? The interview with Kevin from Cedar Electric talks about repair of EV & hybrid batteries, the costs involved, together with the how manufacturers are dealing or rather not dealing with repair issues. For example he referencs a JLR hybrid that dealers cannot repair and are quoting £22,500+labour for a new battery, whereas Cedar have a repair from £5000.   

[embee]

The suppressed residual values also mean that nearly new BEVs are being written off by the insurance companies. A 3yr old BEV has a retail value of at best 50% of the new  price, probably more like 30%, and replacement of a "damaged " battery costs more than the car is worth. They will not entertain battery repairs so the car is written off.
I wonder whether insurers are asking about battery repairs when quoting on used cars,  will they treat it like other modifications?

[guest13757]

I have zero doubts about EVs.  I am not buying one until I am forced to.

If I ran the world I would still certainly phase out ICE vehicles but with a view to becoming EV (Electric Vehicle) over a much more extended timeline, and wean people off pure ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) vehicles by providing a market of hybrids to choose from.   In the meantime I would prepare the country for a pure EV only scenario by laying in the necessary infrastructure, and allow battery improvement to take it’s course for a future EV only world.  And once that is done then switch to EV only.

Of course the climate lobby insist the immediate swap is needed to save the planet from emissions.  Is that right!  If reducing emissions was the end game a better approach would be to stop pure ICE vehicles now and replace them with hybrids and the emissions would probably fall by up to 50% based on my fuel consumption of my Jazz hybrid.  Instant reduction whilst setting up the future EV world.

The other huge benefit is that one battery for a 3 ton EV would make a hundred hybrid batteries (I guess, but you get my drift) so the available material can be shared around.  To that end Toyota and Honda have shown great wisdom by pursuing hybrid vehicles over the past couple of decades, whilst quietly pondering EV designs, but have been let down by stupid governments insisting our world will switch off ICE vehicles and switch on EVs come 2035 with no mention of hybrids.

There are none so blind as those who do not wish to see.  The people in charge have missed the perfect opportunity to use the hybrid stopgap to improve emissions almost overnight, and work towards an EV future.  Job done.

 I like to dream of a better world.

Addendum:  The funds for the new high speed rail link at £450,000,000 per mile -yes you read that correctly - would easily have sorted all of the above with some loose change probably.  Ho Hum!

[Kremmen]

With this EV dictate and insurance going through the roof I made sure when I moved earlier this year that I can easily do without a car

I have all I need within a 5 minute walk so once all my DIY / decorating is done I'm ending my 50+ years of motoring

[Westy36]

Vehicle insurance groups are being overhauled.

https://www.whatcar.com/news/car-insurance-groups-new-vehicle-risk-ratings-explained/n27157   

Todays cars tend to be much more complex machinery in general, and clearly EV's present their own set of unique issues.

 

[Kremmen]

From what I've read a lot of insurance companies make their own rules on insurance groups

[John Ratsey]

An email from my Honda dealer gives some useful comparison of PCP costs. Various incentives on the HR-V, even more incentives on the e:NY1 and nothing on the Jazz:

1. The New HR-V Model Year 2025 from only £299.41 per month with £2,000 deposit contribution, 6.9% APR representative and 5 years Honda car package.

2. The New Honda e:Ny1 from only £265.92 per month with £5,000 Fish Brothers Honda Saving, £3,500 deposit contribution, 0% APR representative and 5 years Honda car package.

3. The Honda Jazz From only £249.20 per month with 6.9% APR representative.

I'm puzzled why a Chinese-made Honda EV is so expensive and then needs big incentives to get people to by them. Why not lower the list price?

While Honda's hybrid technology is mainly good (but rubbish when the weather turns cold), I'll be considering an EV when my driving ambitions shrink. Ideally something with V2H and V2G enabled so I can get some financial benefit from the battery parked outside when I'm not planning to drive anywhere.

[Lord Voltermore]

While Honda's hybrid technology is mainly good (but rubbish when the weather turns cold),

I disagree that its rubbish in winter. .  MPG  is very good compared to most  conventional petrol ICE cars in summer. It may loose much  of its mpg advantage  and frequency of silent EV mode in winter or when driven at high speeds or enthusiastically  but mpg and noise levels are  still usually at least a good as, or better than most  conventional  ICE cars of similar size.  And retains the advantage of effortless automatic transmission.

Full EV's have  a significant reduction in their sometimes already meagre claimed  range in cold weather  , due to battery performance or if the battery  has to power heating, air conditioning ,high speeds , extra lights etc.   It may still meet your needs better.

My dealer mentioned  they rely on the jazz as their best seller , helped  by  some sales  through Motability .   
Their advertised used car stock is currently 12 Jazz( inc crosstar)  (was 15)  and 13 CR-V's ,  and just 4  cars that are other honda models  (mostly 2024 cars, possibly ex demonstrators)

Bigger cars dont cost much more to build ,transport etc than small ones  - They  just leave a bit more empty space  between the wheels .  So more scope for discounts.   

If Honda have only imported a comparatively  few Chinese made EV's into the UK they may prefer to sit on them until buyers come along rather than dump them at a lower price than other cars they hope to sell.

[John Ratsey]

While Honda's hybrid technology is mainly good (but rubbish when the weather turns cold),

I disagree that its rubbish in winter. MPG  is very good compared to most  conventional petrol ICE cars in summer. It may loose much  of its mpg advantage  and frequency of silent EV mode in winter or when driven at high speeds or enthusiastically  but mpg and noise levels are  still usually at least a good as, or better than most  conventional  ICE cars of similar size.  And retains the advantage of effortless automatic transmission.

If Honda have only imported a comparatively  few Chinese made EV's into the UK they may prefer to sit on them until buyers come along rather than dump them at a lower price than other cars they hope to sell.

Honda could have provided measures such as thermostatically-controlled shutters for the engine compartment to help the engine heat up faster in cold weather but have no incentive to do so as cold weather isn't part of the WLTP test cycle.

Honda needs to either sell EVs or buy credits from EV manufacturers to avoid having to pay a fine of £15k per vehicle falling short of the target of 22% (in 2024 and progressively rising) of new EV sales https://www.evaengland.org.uk/our-work/zev-mandate/. I would have thought that £15k/vehicle provided an incentive to offer more choice and attractive pricing.

[Westy36]

MG EV's are the biggest sellers in this country, beating next best BMW by some margin.

"Discounts of around 20% are being applied to the MG4, and as much as 30% for the MG5 and ZS EV" so they are clearly over priced at list. Reviewers really rate the MG4 by all accounts, with all the usual journalists giving the car close to full marks.

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/mg-is-hottest-ev-brand-on-auto-trader-in-october-as-carmakers-slash-prices-of-new-cars/309202

[Julian Okampos]

After a decade of writing about cars and two decades in the kitchen, I can tell you that choosing a new vehicle is like crafting the perfect soufflé - it requires precision, timing, and just a touch of courage. My current car, like an overcooked roux, has become something of a disaster. While taking a break from testing new recipes, I found myself perusing https://carplus.co.uk/ sampling the automotive equivalent of a prix fixe menu. As someone who's test-driven everything from compact city cars (think amuse-bouche) to full-size luxury vehicles (the wagyu beef of automobiles), I'm looking for something that balances flavor with practicality. Perhaps a nice midsize hybrid - the perfect fusion of traditional and nouveau cuisine. Something that can handle daily trips to the market for fresh ingredients without consuming more fuel than a commercial kitchen uses gas. Time to stop tasting and start ordering, non? The perfect car, like the perfect meal, doesn't create itself. Bon appétit et bonne route!

[Lord Voltermore]

A small shopping centre  and supermarket near  me had about 20 of its already scarce parking places used to install  8 rapid charger places .Some spaces were  used to install a control room and what I assume are  large batteries to equalise power supply and demand.

 It was not operational for months, presumably due to power supply problems.    They have now installed 2 large portable, air conditioned ,units and 2 smaller temporary looking modules onto two of the charger parking places. So there are now only 6 places. The covers are now off so I assume they are working although I have yet to see anyone using them.   Maybe because they have to be  outrageously expensive per kw in order to pay for it all.        Meanwhile more cars are having to park on nearby residential streets.    Maybe the centre cafe will sell more of their £12 breakfasts, as more EV's start to drive the 2 miles from the motorway  adding to local congestion.       OK I suppose I do sometimes come off motorways to buy cheaper petrol  - without buying a  breakfast.   Rant over. It had no eco merits .

[olduser1]

MG's and others are being dumped in EU UK to destroy the domestic car market.

[John Ratsey]

MG's and others are being dumped in EU UK to destroy the domestic car market.

I read somewhere that the Chinese price of the cheapest BYD model is the equivalent of £10k so there's probably still profit in the current UK EV prices. Also, given that the financial penalty of not selling enough EVs in UK can be avoided by buying credits from EV manufacturers, this is a potential subsidy to those manufacturers. Honda did some discounting of the price of the e:NY1 (which, I understand, is made in China). They could afford to do more if it resulted in avoiding buying credits from others. However, I suspect there's a limit to the number of people who want to buy that particular vehicle, whatever the price.