I bought the UK’s cheapest EV and it’s such a chore – the range is rubbish especially in winter & parking is a pain
A CAR expert who bought the UK’s cheapest EV says it’s such a chore and the range is rubbish.
Rory Reid, YouTube director at AutoTrader, shared his experience with a Nissan Leaf.
He bought the used electric vehicle in 2021 and revealed several reasons why he “can’t stand” the car.
The first thing Rory criticised was the range of the EV claiming it had a small battery pack.
He said: “I did a range test in the warmer months and it went about 65 miles.
“However, I’ve also lived with this car during the winter months and the situation is a bit different. It drops to around 50 miles.
“When it gets really cold, the range drops significantly. It’s mainly because you have to run the heating.”
Rory then went on to describe how the cost of running a Nissan Leaf is becoming more and more expensive due to the cost of energy.
“Just because a car is electric, doesn’t mean it’s automatically cheaper,” he said.
“My provider is currently charging around 38p per kWh, which works out at £9.12 to charge this car and £10 to go 60 miles.
“The cost is around £11 for a petrol car. So the cheap electric car costs about the same as a fairly efficient petrol car.”
He also explained that you need your own driveway with a charger because you have to charge it “so regularly”.
It comes as EV sales plummeted by 11 per cent as private buyers worry about rising costs and where they can charge the battery powered cars.
After a surge in drivers buying EVs in the first half of the year, sales fell off in the second half of the year.