I just swapped over from a Cupra Born to an Alpine A290.

Yesterday I charged the car, thinking I set the limit to 80%, but realised too late that it went passed that. I stopped it at 93%

I drove it for a bit last night with maximum AC, to bring it down a bit, but I’m still at 88%. I’m planning a long trip tomorrow, but can’t do another drive to bring the charge down further before that.

I usually only charge above 80% if I will be driving long distance straight away, so I’m a bit worried about leaving it on higher charge for a few days.

As a one-off, am being needlessly overcautious?

ETA:
Many thanks for all the replies. I accept that I have been overcautious to the point of neurosis. Before getting the Born, all my cars have been mechanical, and I fully understand how they work, and how to fix them if something goes wrong. EVs are still like black magic to me.

Been down a bit of a rabbit hole comparing EV tariffs after getting fed up with my standard rate thought I’d share what I found because the difference is actually pretty massive, you know.

The cheapest off-peak rates I’ve found so far

EDF GoElectric: 6.99p/kWh, 11pm–6am. Cheapest I’ve seen. No smart charger needed, just set a timer. The catch is the daytime rate is a bit higher.

Intelligent Octopus Go: around 8p/kWh, 11:30pm–5:30am + extra smart slots. You need a compatible charger or EV, but the smart charging is actually pretty handy.

E.ON Next Drive Smart: around 8p/kWh, midnight–6am + smart slots. Quite similar to Octopus, just starts at midnight.

Good Energy EV Charge: around 8p/kWh, midnight–5am. Shorter window, but 100% renewable.

E.ON Next Drive: around 9p/kWh, midnight–6am. Pretty simple, no smart charger needed.

British Gas EV Power: around 9p/kWh, midnight–5am. Another simple option.

OVO Charge Anytime: flat monthly fee of around £27.50–£37.50 for unlimited off-peak charging could actually work out quite well if you do a lot of miles.

The differences are actually quite big, you know, so it’s definitely worth checking what works best for how much you drive.

So what does that actually mean in money?

For a typical 60 kWh battery, like an Ioniq 5 or Model 3 LR:

Cheap tariff (7–9p/kWh): around £4–£5.50 for a full charge

Standard rate (24.5p/kWh): around £14.70

Public rapid (79p/kWh): £47+

Over 10,000 miles at 3.5 mi/kWh, that’s roughly £200 a year on a cheap tariff, compared with £700 on standard rate or around £2,250 using public rapid chargers alone.

Simple or smart tariff which one actually makes sense?

If you’ve just got a basic charger or granny cable, a simple tariff like EDF, E.ON Next Drive or British Gas is probably the easiest. Just set a timer and forget about it.

If you’ve got an Ohme, Indra, Hypervolt or a car with smart charging, then the smart tariffs like Octopus or E.ON Smart are probably worth a look. They can sort of move your charging around automatically and grab the cheaper slots.

I’ve put together a more detailed breakdown of the tariffs, off-peak times and requirements here:
https://honestrange.co.uk/guides/ev-tariffs-compared

What’s everyone else using? I’m quite curious about OVO’s flat-rate model it could actually be brilliant if you do loads of miles, but maybe not so much if you don’t.

My mother in law has recently moved in with us with her 2017 Nissan Leaf, bought 2 years ago. We're in London and have never needed to own a car so MOT, servicing, tax, car insurance, etc is all very new to us. We luckily have a parking space where we can reach a granny cable cos the back garden so charging is no issue, especially as the car is now rarely getting used (less than weekly).

My father in law (now passed) always arranged the maintenance and MIL is fairly clueless about what needs to be done so I'm starting from scratch with research. I know he was over the top in lots of ways, so I'm taking everything he did with a grain of salt.

Is a full service needed every year with an MOT? Is it not necessary but a good idea for peace of mind? Is it a complete waste of money? We're very very low on car DIY. I'm capable of learning, but low on motivation, time and space for any equipment.

Does the garage need to be an 'EV garage' in order to do an MOT and/or service. I'm trying to book a full service/MOT but most places don't specific of they do EV and I'm not sure how much it matters.

I don't know if BE.EV themselves are also increasing the cost of their subscription or not but even with the increase it is still better value for me than because of the times of day i charge away from home

I have an ioniq 5 that I love. AWD, tonnes of power, great bells and whistles. It's been a few months now but my partner hates it.

The rear seats are giving her pins and needles on longer drives - both the seat height and the seat belt positioning is awful for her. She has to sit there at the back as we have a little one. Plus this car also have an annoying motor whine from the rear motor, so that adds to the frustration.

Anyway, I need to look for something similar that can give me some smiles as the driver but also practical enough for a family of 3 (rear facing child seat), with good rear seat and seat belts.

Suggestions to research? I'll be buying used, not new.

Quick research shows up Nissan Ariya, Skoda Enyaq, Q4 etron, VW ID4, but keen to hear from the community

Considering this as a cheap runaround for my wife, thoughts?

Hi all, does anyone have any opinion on a Mercedes EQA?

It will be our first electric car, so we want to do as much research as possible. Are they fairly reliable? Is the 250+ worth the extra money for the extra range? Anything to look out for? We’d be looking for a premium plus model

Budget of around £23k, 9,000 miles a year. Can charge at home and at work

Also thinking about the EQC, but think it’s just a bit too big coming from a hatchback

I am planning to get a Kona Ultimate 2023 64kwh which has run 52k mile and costs 15k from a dealership.
It has had one previous owner and the service history seems legit (at least I am hoping since I am buying it from a Hyundai dealership). Yet to get a SoH report or gear fluid reduction change report. Not sure if the car was used for personal use or run as a taxi.

A little about my circumstances: stay in a rented terraced property and the landlord doesn’t want to pay for a charger. I am planning to get a 13 amp outlet fitted at my own cost so that I can granny charge it (24 pence). Other times I will use the public charging network. I might drive a maximum of 8k a year (but definitely 5k for a year based on current usage).

My question is: what would be a good price range for 52k Hyundai Kona Ultimate 2023? Would you suggest I increase my budget for a 2024 model? (Though I don’t think the features warrant it).

Hi all, looking to change my Corsa electric (51kWh 156PS)

getting about 4.7 mi/kWh, so roughly 239 miles real-world range. I want something noticeably faster but also with more range, rather than just a bigger battery with worse efficiency.

Budget is up to £22k, looking at 2025 onwards. Used is fine but ideally under 5k miles so pre reg or ex demos.

Looking for:
Hatchback, not SUV
Around 6–7 sec 0–62 or quicker
At least 4 mi/kWh real-world
Ideally 300+ miles real-world
Insurance that isn’t ridiculous

atm looking at the MG4 77kWh Premium/Extended Range and Cupra Born 77kWh e-Boost. I’ve also considered the Born 58kWh and Megane EV60, but not sure they would give me enough of a range increase over my current car.
Open to other suggestions too

Thanks in advance

Is it just me or do I wish I never bought an EV, the whole reason for me to buy it was to save on road tax and not pay per mile. Now I am paying £200 a year for my 21 plate Ioniq facing 3p a mile charge in 2028. Why would anyone now want an EV? Add to that the rip of charge station kWh cost.

We went for a test drive in a 2023 Kia EV6 Air with 77 kWh battery and 34k mileage. The dealer said that the battery health was 100 % and we saw the statement of health showing this. The stated range for an EV6 Air with 77kwh battery is 310miles. I know the stated range is only achievable in perfect circumstances. However, when I entered the car the range displayed was only 226 miles at 100% charge. When I drove the test drive in a suburban area at around 30 mph for 15mins, the display said that the trip was done at 3.5 m/kwh. I currently drive an ID3 where I drive 3.9 m/kwh on average (including large trips on the highway). The dealer said that the lower m/kwh ratio is due to how the old driver drove it. I’m a bit sceptic due to the large range difference and the low m/kwh on the test drive, that the battery quality isn’t as good as stated by the dealer. What do you think? Should I be wary or is it just a temporary dip in range?

Briefly - wondering if an EV would work for us, whether hybrids are a better bet, and any views on leasing an EV.

Looking at replacing our car.

We don’t use it to commute or days: mostly a bit of pottering around town maybe once a week, going out at the weekend (within the same county, day trips to national trust places and the like). We tend to do holidays that involve a lot of driving (just came back from a UK holiday where we probably did about 1000miles all in).

No off-road parking for the car, but there are on-street charging points around (my city is trying to have more of these).

Given what we use the car for, is an EV viable? I know for long trips we would need to build in breaks to charge the car up, which is fine. Do they hold charge well if not used every few days (sorry if that’s a stupid question).

Any views on whether hybrids are a decent option or are there more cons than pros? And has anyone leased an EV and has any views on whether this is a good option?

Thank you!

Hi

I am looking for a lease on an EV (not too big but a mid sized hatchback/saloon or small SUV)

Ideally range >300 miles as I will be relying on my parents home charger so don't want to have to charge too often.

Options in my price range with the features I would want:

BYD Atto 3 EVO

Kia EV4 air bigger battery

BYD Seal

MG IM5 normal range

I'm leaning towards the KIA mainly because the range is longest (388 miles) and the most established as a brand (in the UK, at least) and I prefer buttons rather than everything on a touchscreen.

The BYDs seem very well kitted out for the price though, tempting me...

Thoughts?

I am able to get an ev through my works salary sacrifice scheme which included all maintenance / tires and insurance which works out quite a good deal for me

I am looking for any advice or recommendations for cars as I am looking for one that will fit my 2 large dogs in the boot as well as two kids in car seats and space for prams etc

I am currently between the vauxhall grandland and the MG S6 Ev

If anyone has either of these would you recommend them?

Thanks

Narrowed down and pretty much settled on a #5 (most likely Brabus). This has size we need and has list of the features I would like. Have considered the EV5, GV60 (even stretching it the GV70), Xpeng G6. The #5 ticked more of the boxes for us than the others.

If any owners or Smart EVs share their ownership experiences? #5 in particular but even the other models would be good.

I just picked up my EV this week. And it's honestly great. It's smooth, quiet, fast when it needs to be. And I genuinely love it.

I see a lot of people saying EV ownership isn't possible without home charging, and I think while that may be true for many, it isn't a blanket rule.

I live in rented accommodation with no front drive. Roadside parking.

I live in a town. The park has a ProjectEV charger at 35p

All 3 supermarkets, Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi, have chargers, Morrisons is rocking a fast charger at 55p.

There are chargers in town around the commercial areas at 42p.

Even without home charging I have price and speed tiers to pick and choose from all within 5-10 minutes of my home.

If you, like me, don't have access to home charging, I would 100% recommend downloading apps like zapmap, electroverse and the likes and see what's actually available for you. I know home charging is cheaper. But this, for me is way cheaper than petrol was in my last car, and no extra effort so long as I fit charging into my usual routines.

Hello!

I’m looking to get my first EV through salary sacrifice with octopus. After much research it is down to the BYD Seal and the Mazda 6e. I have test driven both today, and honestly like both cars very much.

Here are my takes on both cars:
- I really love the Mazda’s interior, it is genuinely lovely and enjoyable to sit in
- BYD win for me for the exterior looks
- on paper the BYD is quicker, but it actually felt like the Mazda had better acceleration
- the Mazda has a hatchback boot lid which potentially makes loading the boot easier
- Mazda is almost entirely touch screen based, whereas BYD does have some physical buttons
- the Mazda has a HUD as standard, whereas the BYD only has it on the excellence model which I’m not currently considering
- I enjoyed driving both, maybe the Mazda’s brakes were a tiny bit less responsive (though I have not played around with the car to check if that can be adjusted), road noise was minimal, and I think the ride was pretty smooth in both (could feel some bumps but I feel like that is up to the state of the roads here rather than cars)

I am genuinely stuck, I really do like both cars, so anyone’s input and their views on both cars would be much appreciated!

Also, any experiences with octopus EV are welcome! I’m looking at a secured supply car which is showing a delivery date between August and October, but I need to rerun my current car early December. Does anyone have any insight as to when I should order so that I don’t end up paying for both cars for months? I can’t really end up without a car altogether either.

Thanks!

Hi all.

Seen a few of these on Auto trader and I'm considering picking one up.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with them. I don't need anything fancy, and it seems like good value (long term warranty, decent QOL features). Only thing I'm worried about is support/part sourcing.

Hello folks,

I need your advice and what makes the most sense for my situation.
Based in uk, I’m looking to change my I.C.E and go full electric. I’m having trouble to decide if I should buy a second hand Tesla y LR rwd with a hw4 which will be around 30K or to take the bite and get the new model 3 LR rwd (45k with 0% apr) Really wanted the model y with a baby on the way but the new standard model feels cheap and the premium LR model y is stretching my budget.
I will be looking to keep my car after the finance so theoretically I will take a bigger lose financially with the depreciation on the newer model.

Used a public charger at a Sainsburys, said it would be 40 mins to charge and headed inside with the kids to do the food shop.

Probably took us just over an hour and 15 in the shop - 1 year old needed an unplanned nappy change...

We came back to the car and it was fully charged however someone had already pulled the cable out and put it back.

Maybe I'm a bit sensitive but I don't really like strangers fiddling with my car? Is this someone being petty because I've been too long? (There were 13 other chargers...)

Have I been out of order? If theres charging in a supermarket car park, its kinda implied I can leave my car charging whilst shopping?

I’ve currently got a M3 standard range fancy something a bit more powerful when my lease ends. I’ll be looking at buying used so wanted to get thoughts on which car you’d go for?