My sister lives in the SF Bay Area and works for a tech company where she charges her current car (2018 Leaf SV) for free. Recently it was totaled due to a minor side collision. It’s drivable and could be put back on the road without any repairs as a rebuilt title, but she wants a new car (another EV), most likely used.
these are her top choices, as written by her:
Nissan leaf SV plus - fine but the efficiency really sucks so have to charge a lot
Hyundai Ioniq 6- apparently good efficiency and it’s also a sedan
Kia Niro - love the safety features and how quiet it is and really efficient
I told her her best bet is to get another Leaf. They’ve been making those long enough as one of the first EV from a major manufacturer and they’ve had time to perfect them somewhat. Nissans have problems with their automatic transmissions and sometimes their ICE engines but the Leaf obviously bypasses all that. She’s leaning towards the Kia and I told her that Korean cars just don’t have the quality, but I couldn’t really explain it to her. What are some reasons that she shouldn’t get the Kia? Besides the theft issues. Or maybe any other EVs might be better than the Nissan? The new Toyota EV was considered as well but it’s too expensive and we also agreed that while it’s a Toyota, it’s still a relatively new model, so better to wait and see if they’ll hold up.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/hmg/
Scotty's car reviews are at the bottom of the front page, but here's the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIiDeeZMWlQ
I can think of two very good reasons not to buy one of those:
1. It's an electric car
2. It's a KIA
If you told me that I would totally know what you mean. But try explaining it to her… and ignore the fact that it’s an EV. She’s already got one so she’s made up her mind a long time ago about having one.
If she's determined to go that way she'd be better off at least staying away from Kia.
I'm afraid there is not a lot of good you can say about any of those, especially the Kia. Take a look in the search bar for previous discussions of the Kia EVs. And on top of all the past problems, now there's something else: battery replacement scandal. Multiple sources are reporting that Kia EV batteries are basically unreplaceable. If you damage one (such as by running over road debris), you have to replace the entire "battery assembly". Problem is, you can't get one, and if you do, it is $50,000. That's not a typo; it's the correct number of zeroes. Which means that any battery claim will automatically cause the vehicle to be totaled.
(Just speculation: lithium batteries are very expensive and supply everywhere is short due to the demand from EVs. Automakers get all kinds of government incentives to make new EVs but none for "battery assemblies". So they make money when you buy a car, but there is no profit in selling replacement batteries. Since they need to manage their allotment of batteries to put into new cars, they don't really want to "waste" one on an existing car.)
You are also right about the leaf. The range is so small, they basically cannot be used for anything other than local errands. Interstate highway travel is not feasible (especially if you are running the heat or AC).
If she is determined to get an EV to take advantage of that company perk, then a much much much better option would be a Toyota Prius Prime (or Rav4 Prime). It's chargable and has decent all-electric range. But infinitely more reliable than anything on her list. Plus no range anxiety.
By the way, I hate to give a "none of the above" answer to your question. But in this case, the answer really is "none of the above". There is none of those cars I can recommend in good conscience.
I hope she has bags of money
It costs $60k to replace the battery. If she tries to sell it without replacing it, it will be worth zilch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr3mFzh0KSk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEXieo06ta8
Well, $60,000 Canadian. 😉
YES because Scotty Said So. Lol.
I suggest checking out the Volkswagen ID.4 as it qualifies for a $7,500 tax credit. It might not be as quick as a Kia EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5, but it is a very solid choice. Make sure to get the AWD Pro S version for the extra power and traction.
you'll need the tax credit to fix all the cheap plastic that breaks on VW's!
{pear}:laughingoutloud:
