second hand EV

Worried2019 · 07-04-2026 08:23PM #1

Hi all, just looking for some advice from someone more knowledgable than me.

I am looking at buying a second hand EV from NI as the second car in our family. We have a petrol ‘family car’ this would be to replace my husbands diesel car which is going to cost more to fix than it is worth.
It would be used mainly for short journeys 10km daily round trip type thing commuting to work or dropping/collecting kids some days, popping to the shops etc.

Is there anything specific that I should look out for with regards to EVs, specifically second hand? We won’t be doing long trips other than driving it from up north to north dublin after buying it but other than that very short trips.

We are looking to spend about €10k and buying up north seems to make sense.

Anybody got any tips on what I should look out for as positives or negatives.

Many thanks for any advice you can give

Buddy Bubs · 07-04-2026 08:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058436833/second-hand-ev

Same as any car really, battery health check about the only thing specific to electric vehicles.

Buying from NI you need to be sure of the vehicle history to avoid charges, this goes for any car

joe1303l · 07-04-2026 08:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058436833/second-hand-ev

I’d suggest you go with something like this but it’s slightly outside your budget without a haggle;

https://www.usedcarsni.com/2020-Volkswagen-Golf-99kW-e-35kWh-5dr-Auto-399278042

Worried2019 · 07-04-2026 09:12PM

thank you - yes I saw that and looks great but wondered about the mileage? Would that not be considered really high especially for an EV? My husbands 10 year old diesel has less miles than that (probably why it’s packed in because not driven enough to be fair)

MojoMaker · 07-04-2026 09:16PM

11,500 miles per year? Not only is it not really high, it's not even high, it's completely average.

You are an outlier Worried2019.

bazz26 · 07-04-2026 09:19PM

Lol, 69k miles on a 6 year old car is low mileage.

Worried2019 · 07-04-2026 10:05PM

it’s 69k miles though so 110k km which is above average. I would have thought mileage on electric vehicles would have tended to be a bit lower - might have been a misconception though

bazz26 · 07-04-2026 10:09PM

It's not though. It's 11.5k miles or 18.5k km per year which is average. And it being an ev makes no difference to that.

...Ghost... · 07-04-2026 10:21PM

If you are sure it will be the shopping trolley car, then a 2020 Nissan Leaf fits the bill. No need to venture north unless there is a good deal.

Also for what you need, you could spend half that and get a 2014/15 model. I did the same a few months ago. Got a 2015 Leaf for the Wife. Cost around €5k and I did happen to buy it in NI, but only by chance.

The e-Golf is not a bad shout, but they are imo a bit overpriced most of the time.

The thing about getting an EV as a second car....it tends to become the main car.

joe1303l · 07-04-2026 10:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370641#Comment_124370641

If you want a low mileage car you’re not really going to get one for €10K. Maybe revisit the budget ?

mr chips · 08-04-2026 12:13AM

There are a few options, depending on your needs, e.g. how many kids you need to fit in the car and how big they are etc. The eGolf above or a Leaf will certainly do the job, as will a Hyundai Ioniq if you can find one for your budget. Other options include a Renault Zoe, Vauxhall (Opel) eCorsa, or a Peugeot e208.

As Ghost says, you could well find that the EV becomes the go-to option as often as possible. Plus even if you don't plan to do any longer trips in one, a car with a bigger battery won't need to be plugged in as often.

MojoMaker · 08-04-2026 09:15AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370846#Comment_124370846

Complete and utter misconception.

Not your fault, it's a product of all the FUD swirling around the EV domain for many years.

unkel · 08-04-2026 12:58PM

There is no value buying it in the north. Far less room for negotiation than down here, there is the risk the car will not be tax free, the hassle of getting it replated and of course their MOT is not valid here, so you would need to get it NCTd. Plus the prices of second hand EVs in the north have shot up far higher than down here since the oil crisis started

For your use case, I'd get a 2014/2015 Leaf for about €3k

glen123 · 08-04-2026 02:03PM

I would also go for older Leaf.

Had 2017 one for 4 years, did over 110k km in it. Sold it last year with 180k on the clock when it was still doing 130km summer/110 km in winter on one charge. It passed NCT with that mileage without any issues too right before I sold it being an 8 year old car at the time. Brilliant car but had to sell as needed more range as circumstances changed.

Worried2019 · 08-04-2026 03:48PM

thanks everyone - very helpful. Will have a look at the ones suggested

munsterfan2 · 08-04-2026 04:00PM

We have a 2017 30kwh leaf, bought 6 years ago for 12k as 2nd car... quickly became our main car due to how cheap it was to run. Still going strong. 180km done, still good for 130k range.

evftw · 08-04-2026 06:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124372915#Comment_124372915

The 24 kWh battery version is better than the 30 kWh btw. Any 2014-2015 will have this superior battery. The earlier version, until 2013, of the same capacity battery is less good. The 24 was even available in some 2018 cars.

...Ghost... · 08-04-2026 09:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124372915#Comment_124372915

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124373354#Comment_124373354

Yes, ideally a 2014 or 2015 model is what you want for a Leaf. 2016/17 30kWh usually have high battery degradation. I've only personally found one with a good battery a few months ago and recommended it to a boardsie.

Gadge · 09-04-2026 12:48PM

I'll be buying an EV in the next couple of months as the price of diesel is killing me. Switched jobs last year and am now making a 152km round trip daily, 90% of which is motorway/dual carriageway. Currently I'm driving a 2.0 Tiguan and driving very conservatively am getting about 7L/100Km. Before the fuel crisis this was setting me back over €100 per week, and it's a lot more now. I got a solar setup just before Christmas so now it makes sense to get an EV. My budget is max €25k, I got Google Gemini to crunch the numbers for me, and taking into account my exact commute and budget, it recommended the Tesla Model 3, Kia EV6 and Ioniq 5. I've always had my eye on the latter two but the Tesla not having to be serviced every 15k Km just to keep it in waranty is really appealing since it would save me a fortune. The Toyota bZ4X while not being quite as efficient is also ineresting with the 1 million Km battery range (subject to conditions I know). There's still some great deals to be had in the North wth the VRT relief, I was wondering what recommedations any of you lads here may have for my situation.

Thanks!

joe1303l · 09-04-2026 12:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124375614#Comment_124375614

I’d add an Enyaq 80 to that shortlist and charge using night rate. Better off exporting your solar.

Gadge · 09-04-2026 01:03PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124375625#Comment_124375625

I agree with you but I work shift and half the time I'll be charging the car during the day. I'll have a proper look at the Enyaq thanks.

unkel · 09-04-2026 01:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124375614#Comment_124375614

If I were starting a job with a daily commute of over 50km each way, I would have bought an EV the day before I started that job 😀

Gadge · 09-04-2026 01:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124375706#Comment_124375706

Same for me, if money grew on trees 😀

unkel · 09-04-2026 01:40PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124375790#Comment_124375790

You'd be wasting money if you didn't buy an EV. Might even be worth it getting a small loan to get one if you don't have the cash in the bank. The EV is the money tree…

Gadge · 09-04-2026 01:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124375800#Comment_124375800

I'll have money in the next month or two so I'll pull the trigger then. The Enyaq is interesting although the 80 variant is fairly expensive. One plus of the Teslas are the ability to extend the battery warranty by 30K miles. And obviously the Toyota bZ4X million Km thing. What do you have yourself?

unkel · 09-04-2026 02:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124375857#Comment_124375857

I currently have and have had loads of EVs over the past nearly 10 years. I wouldn't bother with extending battery warranties. The standard warranties are plenty good. And battery degradation isn't really any concern. Not even over a very long time with huge mileage.

I agree with you that the Enyaqs - nice looking as they are - are overpriced. If money is tight, go with as low a budget as you can, that still suits your needs. A 100km commute is nothing for most EVs. Even a €6-7k high miles 28kWh Ioniq can do that in the middle of winter on a bad day if you hammer it at motorway speeds

Gadge · 09-04-2026 02:34PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124376021#Comment_124376021

I'll be willing to spend about 25k… are you selling your tesla :D

unkel · 09-04-2026 02:42PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124376083#Comment_124376083

Haha, I don't think so. It has FSD and it is very interesting to see how that pans out. Hopefully it will be allowed in the EU tomorrow, even though my hardware would likely have to be upgraded by Tesla (for free)