There are a lot of complaints from people saying that EVs are simply too expensive for ordinary people to be able to afford them.  And yet, many ordinary people drive them.

Is It True? 

There is no doubt that an electric car is more expensive than a petrol or diesel equivalent to purchase brand new.  That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, given motor manufacturers have been spending huge amounts in research and development in respect of electric vehicles and they have to recoup this.

So electric cars are more expensive to buy.  However, once you have the they are cheaper to run.  The cost per mile to drive an EV is certainly less than it is for a car with an internal combustion engine.  There have been a few sensationalist stories where journalists have found charging them on a long journey can be almost as expensive as refuelling a ICE car, or even more expensive.  However, these people appeared to be choosing the most expensive way to charge the EV and not planning their journey at all.  The chargers closest to where I am now range, in cost, between 44p and 85p per kW.  Some motorway chargers are as cheap as 66p per kW, whilst others are as much as £1 per kW.

But, most people charge at home and might benefit from cheap overnight deals or special EV rates.  These can make recharging an EV really cheap.  Some people have solar panels or wind turbines that allow them to charge for ‘free’.  The rental property I was in when I bought my first EV, where I remained for a while as a three EV household, had solar panels.

Servicing and Maintenance 

EVs have very few moving parts, significantly fewer than an petrol or diesel car.  That means that servicing costs should be cheaper.  It also means that replacing parts should be a lot less frequent.

When driving an EV, you don’t use the brakes anywhere near as much as you do in a car with an internal combustion engine.  Instead, you will use some level of regenerative braking, where the electric motor will be used to slow the vehicle down, recouping more energy into the batteries.  Brake components last a very long time in electric vehicles.

But, People Can’t Afford the Purchase Price

Some of those complaining about the cost of EVs on social media have said things like, “I’ve never spent more than £5,000 on a car, so I can’t afford £60,000 for a new EV.

They seem to be missing the point.  If they never spend more than £5,000 on a car, they’re probably not buying brand new cars anyway, so why complain that they can’t afford a brand new EV… and why choose a price that suggests a premium brand EV?

If they’re buying second hand, look at second hand EVs.  My first EV purchase was a ten year old Leaf 24kW and it served me quite well, even if it did have a depleted battery.

Right now, on Auto Trader, there are hundreds of EVs for less than £10,000 and the cheapest are under £4,000.

Amongst the EVs available for less than £10,000 there are Nissan Leafs, the Mitsubishi i-Miev, Citroen C-Zero, Renault Zoe, Peugeot Ion, Renault Twizzy, Kia Soul EV, the VW eUp and the Smart ForTwo EV.

There are even a number of brand new ‘cars’ listed in this price bracket… Admittedly, these are the Citroen Ami quadracycles and they have a top speed of just 28mph, but if all of your driving is city centre and you’re not venturing out on the faster roads, it’s apparently a hoot to drive.

So, EVs may not be cheap, but they are within most people’s price range.