With sky-high gasoline prices, a lot of new car buyers are thinking about making the switch to electric. Automakers are racing to bring plug-in hybrids and all electric models to market.
Right now, EVs command a premium price, but as production increases and more choices become available, prices should come down.
The latest crop of full-electric vehicles can now go greater distances on a single charge – between 200 and 250 miles on the low end, and 300, 350, or 400 on the high end.
EVs are quiet, fun to drive, and the new models are really roomy.
“This is one of the things that people really like about EVs – they get a much bigger interior space,” said Paul Eisenstein, editor-in-chief at The Detroit Bureau. “A Kia Ev6, for example, might be compact from what we call the footprint, the exterior dimensions, but then you get inside and it’s almost midsize. In some cases, you’ll get EVs that are a class or two bigger than what you would think because of the size of the body.”
Critics are taking notice. All three nominees for “World Car of the Year” at the New York International Auto Show in April were EVs: the Ford Mustang Mach-E; the Kia EV6; and the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which won the award.
The many benefits of buying an electric vehicle
With a zero emissions electric vehicle, it’s Earth Day, every day.
But there are other benefits: EVs typically require less maintenance than conventional vehicles: no oil changes, no filter changes, and no tune-ups. And the brakes generally last longer.
A Consumer Reports analysis found that, EVs save 60 percent in fuel costs and 50 percent in maintenance costs when compared to gas-powered vehicles.
“EV owners could save between $1,800 to $2,600 in operating and maintenance costs for every 15,000 miles compared to drivers of gas-powered vehicles,” said Mike Monticello with CR Autos. “So, there’s some real savings to be had there.”
Consumer Reports has always advised against buying a model during its first year of production. Monticello says that includes the new crop of EVs coming to market in the next few years.
“Let the automakers work out some of those bugs that typically happen with new vehicles,” he said. “It’s not necessarily even related to the electric powertrain. It might be just maybe they put a new infotainment system in, or they put different controls in and stuff like that. Any time you bring in a whole bunch of new parts, you’re asking for some potential reliability issues.”
By waiting, you’ll get more models to choose from. That means more features and lower-priced options.
More Info: Is It Time to Buy an Electric Vehicle? This story includes an episode of the Checkbook’s Consumerpedia podcast about electric vehicles.
