EV recommendations for family with a baby

simonw

Hi,
We are looking to change car in the next six months as we have a baby on the way and will need a bit more space than our current 2017 nissan micra (for the baby seat, dog, buggy and occasional passengers!)
Our milage even pre covid was very low on average, the longest regular trip would be about 40km return and that would be maybe once or twice a week, so I presume fully electric would be suitable.

I'm looking for recommendations for what models of EV I should look at, and what should I be paying attention to for second hand buying etc? Budget wise, I'm not sure what is realistic, is there value in an 8/10year old EV? Or would the battery life have significantly declined by then?

Any links or suggestions would be appreciated!

Cheers!

NIMAN

If you're only doing 40km max per day, there is loads of value out there.

Even very old ev would do a job for you, but I wouldn't be buying really old and dirt cheap, at least so your purchase will last for a few years to come.

Most EV are decent sized except for maybe the Renault Zoe.

There are plenty of Leaf for sale, and I easily fit a family of 5 in mine. Boot space maybe isn't great but should suffice for one child .

Black_Knight

Ioniq is a decent family car. Boot is perfect for 1 child, but gets tighter when there's 2. Range is a fairly guaranteed 150km year round, but up to 230km in summer on <100km roads.

Probably around €16-17k in the near year for 2017 models, and still comes with years manufacturers warranty, and 4 years battery warranty.

slave1

2016/2017 Nissan Leaf also a viable option for you, very reliable and right now my 2016 Leaf 30 has about 130kms Winter Range

listermint

Black_Knight wrote: »

Ioniq is a decent family car. Boot is perfect for 1 child, but gets tighter when there's 2. Range is a fairly guaranteed 150km year round, but up to 230km in summer on <100km roads.

Probably around €16-17k in the near year for 2017 models, and still comes with years manufacturers warranty, and 4 years battery warranty.

Tried the ioniq with our pram. It wouldn't fit. It's pram dependent. Could squeeze it in at a push but nothing else.

Black_Knight

listermint wrote: »

Tried the ioniq with our pram. It wouldn't fit. It's pram dependent. Could squeeze it in at a push but nothing else.

That's a big pram/buggy. We've an uppababy vista. Arguably one of the wider buggies. Fits perfectly, with room to spare. Tried it in the eNiro and it just fits.

Calahonda52

Black_Knight wrote: »

Ioniq is a decent family car. Boot is perfect for 1 child, but gets tighter when there's 2. Range is a fairly guaranteed 150km year round, but up to 230km in summer on <100km roads.

Probably around €16-17k in the near year for 2017 models, and still comes with years manufacturers warranty, and 4 years battery warranty.

MJohnston

I'm here to be the annoying ecomentalist voice and say that the majority of cars will be fine. We had a Mini Clubman from literally the month after our son was born until he was about 3 (the majority of the pram/buggy era). It comfortably managed all types of early years nonsense that we had to travel with. Adding a dog into the mix might change the equation, but please don't assume you'll need a giant SUV or anything!

JohnnyJohnJohns

Our Ioniq has served is well but with two it's a bit tight and we do travel Dublin to Kerry every month or two (pre covid) we've a fairly big buggy and it fits fine. It's overall a pretty great car and except for adding an extra passenger last January I think we'd have no intention of changing. We had a funeral to attend 3 weeks ago and managed to do the journey with one stop at birdhill for a fast charge and feeding the kids but it was no hassle really.

Black_Knight

Black_Knight wrote: »

That's a big pram/buggy. We've an uppababy vista. Arguably one of the wider buggies. Fits perfectly, with room to spare. Tried it in the eNiro and it just fits.

+1 on all of the above, though Kona instead of eNiro.

@OP - Spent quite a lot of time humming and hawing over what to do with basically exactly same requirements. Newborn on the way with all of the paraphernalia they bring with, dog, not huge miles required. < €20k budget

Got it down to only really 3 viable options, each with their own 'issues'.

1. Renault Zoe - Great range, ridiculously good boot considering the size, horrible back seat for anyone but baby/dog.
2. Nissan Leaf24/30 - Dated enough at this stage, affordable, decent but not great boot. Struggles for range. Cheapest option! Could get fully set for €10k if range < 100km is only ever required for next 3/5 years.
3. Ioniq 28 - Good back seats, boot fits the big buggy (but not a lot more!), nice spec. Range could be an issue but BMS and charging capabilities are great.

Went with Ioniq, am only running it a couple of weeks at the moment but am very happy so far.

ELM327

With that small mileage you don't need a supermini (or even a full EV).

I'd get an Outlander phev. Get the 4h spec or better and it's a really well equipped car. Daily commutes of 40km done on EV mode with plenty of space.

Black_Knight

ELM327 wrote: »

With that small mileage you don't need a supermini (or even a full EV).

I'd get an Outlander phev. Get the 4h spec or better and it's a really well equipped car. Daily commutes of 40km done on EV mode with plenty of space.

Tis true. An EV might do you, but you'll pay the premium, and if/when baby 2 comes along you might be looking to change again, to something much more expensive in the EV world. This is the scenario I find myself in now. Stick with the ioniq and take a chance when we head on big trips (both in baggage and distance) or splash out big time on one of the newer SUV style EVs.

We'll see how the Christmas trips go next week.

Laviski

if you see a decent 2018 leaf (or upwards , latest gen), check it out. Ourselves have a big buggy and there is plenty of space to slot it in and still fit some extra bits in too. Ideal city car. Can do long journey's too, but just means a bit of planning and possibly making the journey longer than it would be in a ICE or the longer range EV's. Just for clarity motorway speeds kills range, (ie: once you go over 100km/h), i have got 250km out of a single charge but my driver behaviour was economical. Since 95% of my journeys are short so the leaf works for my needs. Got new early this year and still no regrets.

If you can hold out, then do as there will be more model's out next year but that is really dependant on your budget and only if you are looking to buy new. Otherwise keep an eye out for the barging thread for secondhand EV's and no harm looking at the dreamer's thread too so you know what to avoid

zg3409

Really old Nissan leafs will get you 80km round trip easily, so less than 10,000 is possible. Main downside is any trip beyond range needs public charging , and with a short 80km range EV that means stopping every 80km for 30 minutes+
In reality there not really suitable then for long distance trips and on some routes there is not even fast chargers. They are more suited to 2 car household s, but ideal if you never go more than 80km from home. They are bigger than a Micra. You won't save much on fuel as you don't use much fuel now. Do the sums take one for a test drive, and happy motoring. An ioniq is probably overkill.

eagerv

Another vote for the Ioniq 28kWh.


We bought a second hand one last February to replace our aging Prius as a second car and also to see if an EV would work for us. It has been used more than expected, often as our main car before I changed my ICE to an EV also. It's refined (Once we put decent tyres on it), comfortable, well equipped and very efficient. Also it charges quickly if needed on a trip.
So yes, it worked well for us. I don't think you would be disappointed..

Lantus

So always start by shortlisting the cars you feel are best for your needs. Then if you want a particular power train see if those needs are met.

Current evs are not quite in the family segment just yet. So while your mileage suits an ev or a phev or a hybrid your dog and baby needs might just not align.

Your mileage assuming 80km a week is 4000km a year. Even at 5k a year is just 500eu a year petrol so your fuel cost is negligible. About 10eu a week....

denismc

The one thing I hate about the Ioniq is the sloping roof at the back makes putting toddlers into their seats a pain, you literally have to slide them in horizontally!

simonw

simonw wrote: »

Hi,
We are looking to change car in the next six months as we have a baby on the way and will need a bit more space than our current 2017 nissan micra (for the baby seat, dog, buggy and occasional passengers!)
Our milage even pre covid was very low on average, the longest regular trip would be about 40km return and that would be maybe once or twice a week, so I presume fully electric would be suitable.

I'm looking for recommendations for what models of EV I should look at, and what should I be paying attention to for second hand buying etc? Budget wise, I'm not sure what is realistic, is there value in an 8/10year old EV? Or would the battery life have significantly declined by then?

Any links or suggestions would be appreciated!

Cheers!

With a young baby you need to think of how many trips you will take beyond the range, eg holidays. Assume you will be keeping holidays national for a few years. While it’s only a few times a year I think it warrants consideration.

With that in mind I don’t think a 8/10 year old ev will work for you as a sole car because range won’t get you far and last thing you will want is frequent 40min stops for charges (growing to a lot longer if you have to divert to find one and queue). If you do go ahead you will have to consider borrowing a car or renting a car for holidays.

MJohnston

Mayo_fan wrote: »

With a young baby you need to think of how many trips you will take beyond the range, eg holidays. Assume you will be keeping holidays national for a few years. While it’s only a few times a year I think it warrants consideration.

With that in mind I don’t think a 8/10 year old ev will work for you as a sole car because range won’t get you far and last thing you will want is frequent 40min stops for charges (growing to a lot longer if you have to divert to find one and queue). If you do go ahead you will have to consider borrowing a car or renting a car for holidays.

In my experience with a baby (or any child) you will have no say in this matter and will need to stop fairly frequently anyway. Unless you feel like risking nappy changes on the move.

zg3409

MJohnston wrote: »

In my experience with a baby (or any child) you will have no say in this matter and will need to stop fairly frequently anyway. Unless you feel like risking nappy changes on the move.

With our youngest we often did 2 or 3 hours non stop to prevent them waking up on route. This made the ICE more preferable over EV. We did this regularly (once a month) , and any stops were often nappy emergencies/child woke up, not suitable as charging stops.

Public charging is the biggest downside of EV ownership particularly with 3+ onboard.

Black_Knight

MJohnston wrote: »

In my experience with a baby (or any child) you will have no say in this matter and will need to stop fairly frequently anyway. Unless you feel like risking nappy changes on the move.

we made it to Cashel with our youngest having just had a monumental **** in her nappy... mostly. I had just plugged in and was starting to clean up her chair etc when someone on an EV canonball type run started tapping at my window asking how long id be and if he could pay me to use the ionity units. We were worlds apart in our priorities. :rolleyes:

innrain

denismc wrote: »

The one thing I hate about the Ioniq is the sloping roof at the back makes putting toddlers into their seats a pain, you literally have to slide them in horizontally!

We found Axiss from Maxicosi to make life easier. It rotates facing the door for load/unload. I think Ioniq is the best option maybe followed by the golf?

Kramer

Black_Knight wrote: »

someone on an EV canonball type run started tapping at my window asking how long id be and if he could pay me to use the ionity units. We were worlds apart in our priorities. :rolleyes:

Yeah, sorry about that dude. I really was in a hurry tho (was running late for a rugger match) & being a Tesla driver, I thought I had a right to charge before you. There's a hierarchy & Tesla are at the top, rightfully. Korean economy cars are near the bottom.

:pac:.

That said, the Ioniq is still a good choice IMO for a family/young child requiring a pushchair/pram, depending on size etc.

ELM327

Kramer wrote: »

Yeah, sorry about that dude. I really was in a hurry tho (was running late for a rugger match) & being a Tesla driver, I thought I had a right to charge before you. There's a hierarchy & Tesla are at the top, rightfully. Korean economy cars are near the bottom.

:pac:.

That said, the Ioniq is still a good choice IMO for a family/young child requiring a pushchair/pram, depending on size etc.

Assumin you're joking.
But it's always first come first served. The leaf driver who knocked on your window should feck off, frankly.

And if its a tesla owner, then they should pay for the CCS convertor

Black_Knight

ELM327 wrote: »

Assumin you're joking.
But it's always first come first served. The leaf driver who knocked on your window should feck off, frankly.

And if its a tesla owner, then they should pay for the CCS convertor

Yeah, told him I'd be like 15 minutes I think. Got enough charge + a buffer to get home... Or so I thought. Motorway driving in torrential rain and wind had me crawling the last stretch into Cork.

From now on, it's not my fault either you bought a car with the wrong charge port, or that esb can't install multi unit sites.

Kramer

ELM327 wrote: »

Assumin you're joking.
But it's always first come first served. The leaf driver who knocked on your window should feck off, frankly.

Yes, I was joking.

It's strange behaviour from a (presumably) Leaf driver though. They should know an Ioniq 28 has a small battery & charges quickly, right up to 94% max, on DC.
They'd be looking at a 20/30 minute max wait, which is nothing really & wouldn't warrant knocking on someone's window.

liamog

Black_Knight wrote: »

we made it to Cashel with our youngest having just had a monumental **** in her nappy... mostly. I had just plugged in and was starting to clean up her chair etc when someone on an EV canonball type run started tapping at my window asking how long id be and if he could pay me to use the ionity units. We were worlds apart in our priorities. :rolleyes:

Let's see, up to around 25kWh for an Ioniq, 80c/kWh so your looking at €20 for the charge. Gimme €40 and I'll move!

Black_Knight

liamog wrote: »

Let's see, up to around 25kWh for an Ioniq, 80c/kWh so your looking at €20 for the charge. Gimme €40 and I'll move!

It was back in the days of €8 flat rate on ionity. Said he'd give me a tenner to move. I want even charging to full, just enough to get to Cork. Probably from 20%->50% (though I should of taken more)

ELM327

No time for that messing at all tbh. It's his own fault for buying a car with an outdated plug!

Black_Knight

Funny this, I was just checking out cashel recent usage (up coming trip), and noticed it's been pretty busy. 5 hours of CCS usage since 8am this morning to now. 20 minutes of CHAdeMO usage... Squashed between CCS usage. Some CHAdeMO leaf totally kicked a CCS car off its session and was called out on it.

Interesting though. Such little CHAdeMO usage.