first time EV buyer, looking for advice

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JasonL

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Good morning folks,

I'm looking to buy our first full EV sometime in the next few months. We currently drive a 2014 Subaru Forester and a recently purchased 2017 Chevy Volt. My son is about to get his drivers license and current plan is to let him drive the Forester and for us to purchase an EV.

In an ideal world, I'd go for the cheapest Tesla Model Y, but obviously that's at least a year away. I was originally thinking I'd go for a used, low mileage 2018 Nissan Leaf SL, then resell that in a couple of years for the Model Y. I'm partial to the SL because of the technology/safety features (blind spot detection, collision alerts, etc).

Given the current landscape, however, dealers and carmakers seem highly motivated to sell their new vehicles. Nissan currently has a 5k incentive on the 2019 Leafs, and my local dealer is offering an OTD price on a 2019 Leaf Plus SL of $37800. With the 7500 federal tax credit, that brings it down to just over 30k, maybe 5k more than I would spend on a used 2018 with 60-70 less range. Is it safe to assume that the tax law won't change to remove that credit?

My daily commute (assuming we ever start working in the office again) is about 45-50 miles.

I also was looking at a 2020 Chevy Bolt which is about 31k plus taxes/fees, with a current promotion. Really annoying that they don't offer adaptive cruise, which I've really gotten used to in the Forester and like a lot.

Would love to hear any thoughts / ideas from those who have gone through similar decisions.

Thanks!
Jason
Central Virginia
 
1. I don't think the tax credit is going away anytime soon.
2. I wouldn't be surprised to see a new tax credit for buying a new car that shows up after we get the virus under control.
3. The Leaf doesn't seem to get very good resale value, so I would buy a used one over a new one. Especially, since you really want a Tesla.
4. If are thinking about the Bolt, then I would see if you can rent one for the day to see of the seats will work out for the amount of driving you do. If you live close to a large airport, then you might find one on Turo
5. You will probably find a working fast charger (high voltage DC) harder to find for the Leaf. So that's something to consider if you get a Leaf and plan to use it outside of your daily commute.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/price-trends/Nissan-LEAF-d2077
 
Let me suggest looking for "End-of-Lease" EVs:
  • Depreciation savings is much greater than a new car with the maximum $7.5k, next year (non-refundable*) tax credit.
  • Lease cars are kept in pretty good shape and turned in with many worn things fixed (aka. tires).
So I would start with www.fueleconomy.gov and use the 'power search' function:
  • Set "Fuel Type" to electricity
  • Set year range back 2 to 4 years
  • Search the 'usual suspects' for cars with 12,000 miles per year and check history
I would also look at the Plug-in Hybrids. They give electric efficiency around town with the long legs of a gas engine. For example, our BMW i3-REx which was our gateway to the Std Rng Plus Model 3. Unlike a sedan, it has easy access seats and loading. I've also heard good things about the Hyundai and Honda Clarity.

Bob Wilson

* - if the tax credit exceeds your tax liability, you don't get the extra as a refund.
 
I personally stay away from Nissan Leafs due to the air cooled battery.. I'm in Florida and it gets pretty hot here and older Leafs usually show a lot of degradation while for example used Bolts have very little degradation. If you are looking for an SUV body type, the Niro would be an excellent choice if you are looking for decent interior and storage room or the Kona Electric if you are looking for Tesla like range for less money than a Tesla, especially as Hyundai and Kia still have the full tax credit. My total cost for my Kona Electric after tax credit was just over $30k and that includes sales tax.. 27k miles on my Kona so far and no reduced range or any other issues..
 
I am driving a Model3 for 16 months now and in the present technology and charging landscape consider this an excellent choice.

However, my original idea was to lease a "cheaper" electric car for 3 years before making the plunge into a bigger investment. So I researched and test drove the Chevy Bolt multiple times. I even ordered it. The reason that I drive the Tesla now has nothing to do with the Bolt as a car, but with the lack of interest by GM to sell me the Bolt. So in the end I cancelled my Bolt order, Tesla put a brand new Model 3 in my driveway within a few days and I got the full tax rebate :-)

From my experience and based on the fact that Chevy is having really good deals on the Bolt right now, I can recommend it if a Tesla is not an option right now.
 
I leased a Hyundai Kona a year ago and have been very happy with it. Great range over 260 mile per charge. Have driven it on a 2000 mile road trip with no issues. I leased because there are a lot of new option coming up in the coming years. In particular I like the Volvo xc 40 recharge which comes out this year. I am not a fan of Tesla not because it isn't a great car but because I like to be able to work on my own cars. I am an Engineer and always get the factory manuals and do all my own work. With Tesla the manual and parts are not available to the owners. This is not important to most people but it is to me especially if I plan on keeping the car for over a decade which is common for me.

I would definitely recommend you look at the Hyundai Kona Electric or the Kia Niro Electric
 
Frank K said:
I am driving a Model3 for 16 months now and in the present technology and charging landscape consider this an excellent choice.

However, my original idea was to lease a "cheaper" electric car for 3 years before making the plunge into a bigger investment. So I researched and test drove the Chevy Bolt multiple times. I even ordered it. The reason that I drive the Tesla now has nothing to do with the Bolt as a car, but with the lack of interest by GM to sell me the Bolt. So in the end I cancelled my Bolt order, Tesla put a brand new Model 3 in my driveway within a few days and I got the full tax rebate :)

From my experience and based on the fact that Chevy is having really good deals on the Bolt right now, I can recommend it if a Tesla is not an option right now.
Click to expand...
There are great deals on the bolt but it's losing it's tax rebate.. therefore they need to drop the price to be competitive with Kona and Niro.
 
I really appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts on this... it's a complicated landscape out there, with many factors at play. A few comments/questions based on the posts I read above:
  1. How does one purposefully find an end-of-lease vehicle? I've been looking on carvana, cars.com, not sure that I've seen the ability to filter on this information or have specifically seen this mentioned
  2. I thought the latest (or even 2018?) Leafs had a heat pump for battery cooling, but I could be wrong. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding.
  3. The Bolt no longer is eligible for the credit, BUT there seem to be incentives out there accounting for that, to offset that factor. I really wish they included adaptive cruise control. I love it on the Forester.
  4. Kia Niros are sadly not sold in Virginia, which is really annoying
  5. I will check out the Kona
  6. I just started thinking about the whole lease option myself - i've never leased before and need to educate myself on the pro's and con's. The mileage restriction has historically been an issue for me but these days with everyone staying at home more often I do wonder if that's less of an issue.
Thanks again, everyone - really appreciate the info!

-Jason
 
1.The traction battery is not liquid cooled in a Nissan Leaf. Some Leafs have a heat pump for cabin heating and cooling.
2. CarFax will tell you if the car is a lease return or the number of owners. Some dealers offer a free CarFax for vehicles listed at their dealership.
3. I would check out the various forums for the brand of car you are interested in to get a feel for the good and the bad.
4. Since your really want a Tesla, I would go with a used car. If you have the cash now, it may be a very, very, good time to score a steal-of-a-deal that's close to trade-in value.
 
JasonL said:
Kia Niros are sadly not sold in Virginia, which is really annoying

-Jason
Click to expand...

They are readily available in Maryland which, depending on where in Virginia you are, is not too far. I checked with my local (central Virginia) dealer, and they verified that they can service my Niro EV.

Sent from my P027 using Tapatalk
 
JasonL said:
I really appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts on this... it's a complicated landscape out there, with many factors at play. A few comments/questions based on the posts I read above:
  1. How does one purposefully find an end-of-lease vehicle? I've been looking on carvana, cars.com, not sure that I've seen the ability to filter on this information or have specifically seen this mentioned
  2. I thought the latest (or even 2018?) Leafs had a heat pump for battery cooling, but I could be wrong. Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding.
  3. The Bolt no longer is eligible for the credit, BUT there seem to be incentives out there accounting for that, to offset that factor. I really wish they included adaptive cruise control. I love it on the Forester.
  4. Kia Niros are sadly not sold in Virginia, which is really annoying
  5. I will check out the Kona
  6. I just started thinking about the whole lease option myself - i've never leased before and need to educate myself on the pro's and con's. The mileage restriction has historically been an issue for me but these days with everyone staying at home more often I do wonder if that's less of an issue.
Thanks again, everyone - really appreciate the info!

-Jason
Click to expand...
Just because a car isn't sold in your state does not mean that you can't buy out of state. I'm in Florida and went to Maryland to buy my Kona.. $70 for the one way ticket to Hagerstown and drove the car home to Florida. My local Hyundai dealer in FL is certified to work on the all electric Hyundai vehicles..
 
JasonL said:
How does one purposefully find an end-of-lease vehicle? I've been looking on carvana, cars.com, not sure that I've seen the ability to filter on this information or have specifically seen this mentioned
Click to expand...
Look for low mileage, <36,000 miles, used vehicles about 2-3 model years old. Then check the ownership record. If one owner, it is likely an end-of-lease so contact the seller for details.

Bob Wilson
 
bwilson4web said:
Look for low mileage, <36,000 miles, used vehicles about 2-3 model years old. Then check the ownership record. If one owner, it is likely an end-of-lease so contact the seller for details.

Bob Wilson
Click to expand...
We have a dealer here in Florida who specializes in off lease cars.. Offleaseonly.com..
They have Leafs,Bolts, Volts, BMW I3's and even Model S Teslas..
 
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