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Does anyone regret buying EV?

Praetorian22

Hey Folks,

I'm just curious if anyone regrets buying an EV vehicle in the last five years for example? I know by all accounts EV technology is going to continually improve and get better but did anyone find themselves perhaps going electric a little too early?

After seeing great vast amounts of depreciation with some cars in particular (E-Tron, Ioniq) anyone thinking they should have kept with an ICE vehicle a little longer? While all cars depreciate add the charging infrastructure and cold weather into the mix.

I don't drive an EV myself but wouldn't rule one out in the not too distant future. With Tesla lowering prices and BYD entering the show the market for EV's continues to get more diverse.

So anyone any regrets? Would you have bought another dirty diesel, smooth petrol or went hybrid given the choice again?

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Summer2020

No regrets whatsoever. Would switch to a 2 car EV household if I could. Bought ours in Jan 2022 and got a much higher trade in price for our petrol qashai than we’d get now as used car prices were much higher then. So depreciation isn’t much of a factor for us

[Deleted User]

Another i3 owner here, initially as a 2nd car but in reality it’s the one we use the most. No regrets but not sure what to change it for. Nothing on the market is as revolutionary as the i3 was and none of the other offerings interest us. No plans to go electric with the family car as take too many long trips with it including the annual French holiday

MrMusician18

I don't regret buying an EV but I do regret not waiting 6 months. Easy to say now with hindsight and at the time there was pressure to change to something better.

Seeing the paper value of the car sink much faster than anticipated has been unpleasant. We bought used and pushed out seller very hard for value so didn't get reamed as badly as some. That said realistically if we were to sell it today we'd be lucky to get 7k less than what we paid. That's the kind of depreciation you see on new exec. cars, not used family ones.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121710764#Comment_121710764

Fair enough but that list of issues you have posted reads like a conspiracy forum post, most ev drivers have seen their insurance drop especially for the performance on offer, the lack of physical buttons is a modern car thing not an ev thing, and what servicing is expensive when the warranty runs out. There isnt much to service.

The range and charger queues depends on your usage requirements to be fair, if range doesnt meet yours then thats understandable.

crl84

Nope, changed last year and glad I did. Went out looking for a petrol to replace the diesel Focus, and ended up with an EV. We'll definitely replace the other ICE with an EV in the next couple of years.

The supposed horror stories have turned out to be complete nonsense.

Saving loads on fuel, and would be even more if I wasn't WFH 3 days a week. Probably have the cost of the EV versus equivalent ICE made back in less than 2 years just on fuel alone.

Don't care about depreciation as I'm not planning on changing for a few years at least, and like new ICE cars, if you're worried about depreciation, then a brand new car is a foolish choice.

Gumbo

Out of all the cars over the last 10 years, the one I really regret is the BMW 530e. Problems, really bad bmw customer service. More problems.

It's actually more annoying to own than any of the EV’s I’ve had or still have.

Its immaculate and one of the highest spec 30e’s in the country, hence the hesitation is getting rid of it, but I think this year will see it go.

jasonb

I really don't regret it, bought a 2nd hand L24 in late 2018. The range wasn't great but for 95% of my journeys it was fine, public charging was still free and electricity was cheaper back then so I ended up paying about €25 a month for charging at home. A complete no-brainer for me, considering my average journey distance. Loved the tech that came with the car and it definitely felt like the way to go.

Came into a little bit of money in 2021 so in the end I bit the bullet and took a chance on getting myself a new L40, my first new car in years. I got lucky in that I got the car before things got bad with waiting lists etc. It was another no-brainer for me, all the things I loved about the L24, but now with better range and even more tech gadgets etc. Driving it two years now and I love it. Still barely use public chargers, and while it's now costing me about €60 a month to charge at home, that's still less than half of what my Petrol costs used to be. I haven't looked at depreciation figures, I'm sure I'd have a heart attack if I did, but then I've no plans to sell this anytime soon at all. We have my wife's Prius for the longer family trips around the country for when we don't fancy stopping to charge, but that's only a couple of times a year. I could never seen myself going back to ICE now, and any EV I get for the rest of my life is probably only gonna have even better range etc.

byrne249

Ignoring capital outlay I've consistently done conservatively 33+kms/euro. Versus my old octavia which was doing 6-7km/euro. This is not something one can regret. Assuming the car works correctly of course. Switching to energia and further elec price drops I look forward to doing 55km/euro. Including capital outlay I'll hit 1euro/km after only 12 months driving. To put in context, the used octavia purchased for only 1500e ONLY managed 5km/e over a 9 year career. There is simply no comparison. I also am led to believe that the performance drop of the battery will favourably compare to performance degradation and repairs to a similar ICE.

Here is a token historical account of trains and gives some insight on how long this changeover will take. Beginning in the 1900s steam locomotives were gradually superseded by electric and diesel locomotives. With railways fully converting to electric/diesel power beginning in the 1930s.

And frankly, the longer the changeover takes the better for everyone who bought early and holds on to the car. People who buy every year anyway don't care about depreciation so the depreciation argument is null.

All the neanderthals who fear change are doing is missing out on cheap energy that doesn't leave cities in a cancerous smog.

higster

Regret going EV....definitely not. Both cars in house now EV and both loving it.

Regret buying the ev model i did (Jag I Pace)....no and yes. No as love the car itself (handling, comfort, looks, speed, roomy etc) but yes due to reliability and ~75km short on range I need now (when bought it range was grand for needs)).

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121710428#Comment_121710428

I’ve solar too and last year from the beginning of April to July 5th 100% of my charging came from solar excess.

it you have solar, and have a car(s) sitting on your driveway for most of the day then it makes even more sense…

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121710090#Comment_121710090

Do you think that the chances of the government making changes to taxes on EV ownership to compensate for losses in excise on fuel/vat on servicing/generally less economic activity might end up causing issues?

I appreciate that one needs a car of some description and these things are just a side effect of owning such an item.

This is an interesting thread. I don't have an EV and don't plan on changing from my 16 year old diesel any time soon or indeed the other 13 year old diesel in the house but I'd reckon the disincentives to own such cars will start to ramp up in the next five years, on the other hand, I can't see the state not increase the various taxes associated with EV use.

kippy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121710666#Comment_121710666

In fairness, you could say the same about the take-up of EV. I appreciate that most people can 'refill' at home but not all and the lack of a charging infrastructure is one barrier to mass take up. If hydrogen cars have decent range, durability and dont cost the earth literally and in monetary terms there's no real reason they won't gain popularity.

...Ghost...

Firts EV in 2017. Added second EV a few weeks later. Both 24kWh Leafs (3 and 5 years old when bought). Sold the older one and replaced with a Tesla M3. It's the first brand new car I have purchased.

I only regret that I didn't know about EVs sooner.

donkey balls

Switched over last year from an A6 quattro to the E tron, Mainly commute between the house and work both based in Dublin and can charge at both locations. Yep the price of the cars are dropping but what I'm driving is on a different level comfort wise range is crap.

If I was doing high mileage then I would have stayed with the A6 as it's a miser on fuel once on the motorway. I'm going keep the car for another few years and see what comes on the market then. One option would be depending on trade in value is to give the missis the E tron sell her car and get another electric.

Praetorian22

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121711785#Comment_121711785

Just out of curiosity what E-Tron are you driving? Really like the look of them

turnfan

Went from a 2010 Skoda Superb to am ex demo 2019 Ioniq 28kwh in June 2019. I sometimes irrationally regret it, (size etc) but there is no doubt it was the correct decision. I intend to keep it forever! The car runs for pennies.

donkey balls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121711796#Comment_121711796

E tron 55 quattro S line blk edition.

quokula

No regrets here. Had an ID3 since 2020 and it's the best car I've ever owned. I've owned more expensive, more premium cars and the ID3 has a lot of annoyances around its infotainment system, but the advantages of the powertrain make up for all of that, whether it's the much cheaper running costs, the convenience of never having to worry about range or queue up at petrol stations anymore, the bags of torque at all rev ranges which is great for overtaking or getting out into junctions and means you no longer have to think about gearing, or the pure refinement of the silent, smooth electric motor that makes driving so much more relaxing.

We're hoping to be a 2 EV family by the end of this year.

Wanderer78

any experience with ev vans, i see some couriers are starting to use them, looks like i ll be getting a van soon?

liamog

Mod Note: Split off the bickering posts, keep to the topic instead of attacking each other https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058334395/differences-of-opinion

mfceiling

We have one Tesla model 3 performance and a BMW 840d.

The BMW rarely gets driven now. My wife owns the beemer but drives the Tesla more than I do.

No complaints here at all.

Just a point on people talking about the heavy depreciation. Do ICE cars not depreciate anymore?

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712443#Comment_121712443

We had 2 Kangoos and currently have a fleet of Nissan NV200 vans. Great city vans but nothing that would do a cross country run.

Ev fan

No regrets. Started in 2020 with a new egolf with 200km range. Upgraded to ID3 in 2021 in particular for the greater range but also because it was designed as a ground up EV. In 2023 I changed to the Cupra Born as I felt it was significantly nicer outside and in while retaining a robust design and build quality. Driving an EV is I find a very smooth, quiet and calm experience. I won't be changing back unless some unforeseen catastrophe happens. I think it's important to note that EVS and particularly batteries are on a steep development curve. So the question I think for a lot of people is when do you jump in given the rapid pace of change. Some people might for example be waiting for solid state batteries to be launched which will have longer ranges and other advantages- charging etc. However that may not happen until 2027 or so or if it is a Toyota - more like 2050! Cheaper/smaller EVS should be the next wave over the next 18 months- hopefully this might encourage a lot more people to take the leap.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712565#Comment_121712565

they do of course, but since covid, second hand markets have remained strong, second hand ice cars still going for silly money

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712570#Comment_121712570

...probably be going with something bigger, but interesting to hear, theres a large transit regularly doing its rounds in my area, impressive to see

Redfox25

No regrets at all. Bought a m3 rwd in Sept 22, barely got to drive it as my missus would disappear in it any chance she got.

We ended up getting her a m3 in Jul 23 as she wasn't enjoying her civic anymore.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712582#Comment_121712582

Yes the transits are around me with A Post alright but all local deliveries.

Nigzcurran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712582#Comment_121712582

I had my first day out in our new electric transit today around Dublin. I covered 180kms and had 20kms remaining so was a bit tight. Max speed I got on the M50 was 117kmph. Lovely yoke to drive compared to the previous 2018 crafter

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712819#Comment_121712819

Did you have any extra weight in the van? I'd love to get some for work but 180kms will prob be significantly lower when we add our equipment, tools, products, roof racks, 2 and 3 men in them etc...

Don't think it's a runner for us yet.

The technicians in them won't have patience for charging and they will have down time. Not sure if vans are going to get there for us any time soon unfortunately. Although looking at Id buzz cargo next week which will have much smaller demands on it

Nigzcurran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712840#Comment_121712840

Feck all weight to be honest and I drove it as eco as possible 99% of the time