EV 2nd hand purchase thoughts UK

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CFCWalrus

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Evening all,

Forum has been recommended to me as a place to learn and get advice - no pressure!!! Title says UK but all thought and ideas are welcome.

I’m looking to purchase (almost certainly on PCP) 2 EVs in the next 12-18 months. I’m looking for some advice and thoughts about all things 2nd hand EV as that seems to be better value than new. Possibly first discussion point there.

We starting to look for a Mini Cooper for Mrs CFCWalrus as she has always loved them and I hate her current petrol Fiat500. We’ve got some equity in that as it is massively under miles.

That will be sought out within 3 months. Any thoughts on what we should be looking at in the 2nd hand market for red flags for Minis and any EV really.

Does mileage on the car matter as much as a petrol vehicle? Other than battery wear (and how do I check this?!) what else is peculiar to EVs that are used?

I will be looking next year when the Kia Xceed lease is expiring and will be looking at an EV with greatest range. The furthest we travel is Southampton to Mold (Wales) or Bude in Cornwall so topping out at 250 miles-ish. Any thoughts here?

thanks all in advance.

CW.
 
Excellent questions, I've broken into parts to address my experience:
CFCWalrus said:
We starting to look for a Mini Cooper for Mrs CFCWalrus as she has always loved them and I hate her current petrol Fiat500. We’ve got some equity in that as it is massively under miles.

That will be sought out within 3 months. Any thoughts on what we should be looking at in the 2nd hand market for red flags for Minis and any EV really.
Click to expand...
See if she would drive a BMW i3-REx (Range Extender) PHEV. The 2017-2018 years have the larger battery giving in my case 106 mi EV range with 88 mi gas. It is small and BMW nimble. However, the short wheel base that gives it great City handling can lead to 'rocking' if the roads are rough.

It is easy to 'sit in' instead of 'sit down' or 'sit up.' The four seats with coupe doors gives it easy access to load stuff. Fold the seats down and the inside reminds me of a 'Tardis'. When driving beyond EV range, it is like a motorcycle cross country trip ... drive an hour and ~15 minutes and stop to fill the 2.3 gallon tank (and recycle the beverages.)

CFCWalrus said:
Does mileage on the car matter as much as a petrol vehicle? Other than battery wear (and how do I check this?!) what else is peculiar to EVs that are used?
Click to expand...
The parts in common between EVs and gas cars suffer similar wear: suspensions, tires, body paint, and interior. These are equally time and usage wear parts. For example, my 2017 BMW i3-REx has some wear on the steering wheel (matches my 74 year old body.) However, the brake pads and disks last until it goes to the salvage yard thanks to regenerative braking.

As for battery, there are several way to estimate the health:
  • Indicated percentage and range - take the indicated EV range and divide by the battery percentage. This will give a first approximation of the 100% battery range . . . BASED on how it was most recently driven. An unscrupulous seller might drive the car a significant distance at 50 kph (~30 mph) to give an 'optimistic' range.
  • Test drive - note the % battery and indicated range. Then drive it for at least 10% of the indicated range as if you owned it and were a teenager. Return the car and note the % battery and remaining range. Divide the test drive distance by the change in battery percentage to get a somewhat realistic, estimated battery range.
Check these auxiliary parts:
  • Road side tire inflator and 'goop'. I use sticky string kit for a better performance.
  • Portable charger. In North America, we have two AC voltage plug standards, 120 and 240 VAC. A multi-voltage, portable charger with adjustable current limit is best. If there are alternate plug standards, plan to buy adapters.
CFCWalrus said:
I will be looking next year when the Kia Xceed lease is expiring and will be looking at an EV with greatest range. The furthest we travel is Southampton to Mold (Wales) or Bude in Cornwall so topping out at 250 miles-ish. Any thoughts here?
Click to expand...
It is not just the vehicle range but also the charging station density and their reliability. I use the free:

This web page includes user reports about reliability and useful details. Also, I use it to find motels with free charging. It is nice to wake up with a fully charged EV.

Bob Wilson
 
Last edited:
CFCWalrus said:
Any thoughts on what we should be looking at in the 2nd hand market for red flags for Minis and any EV really.

Does mileage on the car matter as much as a petrol vehicle? Other than battery wear (and how do I check this?!) what else is peculiar to EVs that are used?
Click to expand...
I've put 80,000 miles on my 2021 Mini Cooper SE. No problems, no noticeable drop in range. The SE is a very reliable car, because the F56 gas model it is based on has been around forever, and the EV components come from the well-developed BMW i3. Both the i3 and F56 SE are discontinued models, but either would be a good choice.

Since you're in the UK I don't know if you've looked at the new MINI Cooper EV (J01) that's built in China (for now), but that does have a range of up to 250 miles (depending on model).
 
Puppethead said:
I've put 80,000 miles on my 2021 Mini Cooper SE. No problems, no noticeable drop in range. The SE is a very reliable car, because the F56 gas model it is based on has been around forever, and the EV components come from the well-developed BMW i3. Both the i3 and F56 SE are discontinued models, but either would be a good choice.

Since you're in the UK I don't know if you've looked at the new MINI Cooper EV (J01) that's built in China (for now), but that does have a range of up to 250 miles (depending on model).
Click to expand...

Good to hear about the Cooper 2021 as that’s the one we’ve been looking at. Will test drive the new one too but price might be the factor. We shall see!
 
bwilson4web said:
Excellent questions, I've broken into parts to address my experience:

See if she would drive a BMW i3-REx (Range Extender) PHEV. The 2017-2018 years have the larger battery giving in my case 106 mi EV range with 88 mi gas. It is small and BMW nimble. However, the short wheel base that gives it great City handling can lead to 'rocking' if the roads are rough.

It is easy to 'sit in' instead of 'sit down' or 'sit up.' The four seats with coupe doors gives it easy access to load stuff. Fold the seats down and the inside reminds me of a 'Tardis'. When driving beyond EV range, it is like a motorcycle cross country trip ... drive an hour and ~15 minutes and stop to fill the 2.3 gallon tank (and recycle the beverages.)


The parts in common between EVs and gas cars suffer similar wear: suspensions, tires, body paint, and interior. These are equally time and usage wear parts. For example, my 2017 BMW i3-REx has some wear on the steering wheel (matches my 74 year old body.) However, the brake pads and disks last until it goes to the salvage yard thanks to regenerative braking.

As for battery, there are several way to estimate the health:
  • Indicated percentage and range - take the indicated EV range and divide by the battery percentage. This will give a first approximation of the 100% battery range . . . BASED on how it was most recently driven. An unscrupulous seller might drive the car a significant distance at 50 kph (~30 mph) to give an 'optimistic' range.
  • Test drive - note the % battery and indicated range. Then drive it for at least 10% of the indicated range as if you owned it and were a teenager. Return the car and note the % battery and remaining range. Divide the test drive distance by the change in battery percentage to get a somewhat realistic, estimated battery range.
Check these auxiliary parts:
  • Road side tire inflator and 'goop'. I use sticky string kit for a better performance.
  • Portable charger. In North America, we have two AC voltage plug standards, 120 and 240 VAC. A multi-voltage, portable charger with adjustable current limit is best. If there are alternate plug standards, plan to buy adapters.

It is not just the vehicle range but also the charging station density and their reliability. I use the free:

This web page includes user reports about reliability and useful details. Also, I use it to find motels with free charging. It is nice to wake up with a fully charged EV.

Bob Wilson
Click to expand...

great reply! Thank you
 
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