Hey Scotty,
I live in California where gas prices are insane. I plan to go electric for my next car. What’s the best ev for under 45k. Tesla Model 3 or Ford Mustang Mach E. Any other recommended options.
Don't buy either one; get a Prius. Yes it's not fully electric but still gives very good mileage and quality and reliability. You can do a quick search on this forum about Tesla and Ford products to learn more about why to not purchase them. Tesla and all its recalls and catching on fire etc. And Ford unfortunately is not known for making good quality.
Both are junk. I would look at Toyota and Honda in that order.
Getting an EV is financially shooting your self in the foot.
Let's start by stating that ALL EVs are extraordinarily unreliable - there's no way around it.
And the brands you're looking at all rank very low on reliability.
Repair costs on EVs are insane, and no one knows how to work on them.
The value of EVs is also frankly terrible, A Mustang Mach E starts at almost $44k for a COMPACT suv - and by the time you spec it up to have the extended range battery, pro-pilot and other stuff that comes free on any other car you're looking at an EYE WATERING $62,000 AND THIS DOESN'T EVEN INCLUDE A REASONABLE WAY TO CHARGE IT AT HOME (The charger that comes with it takes 4 days to charge it)
If you want a "funky" looking SUV, a Hybrid $26k Kia Niro LXS that already comes with it's own version of the Pro-Pilot, and there's no need to charge it - is backed by a 10 year warranty (warranty is SUPER important when dealing with these batteries that cost many thousands) and it does 50mpg.
Even with $8 gas, Assuming electricity is free, Comparing a high trim-level hybrid to the base-trim EV, Assuming reliability and no out-of warranty repairs on that Ford (and there will be), you'll brake even only at over 110k miles.
BUT - With current Gas prices, Current EV reliability - chances are you will not.
If you want something that consumes virtually no gas but doesn't cost an arm and a leg - just get a plug-in hybrid. a $30k Kia Niro Plug in is also backed by a 10 year warranty and you have a 26 mile EV range (enough for most people's commute) after which the gas engine kicks in and extends your range or gives you a powerbost when you floor it.
Additionally, of corse there are great cars like Toyota Hybrids. They're probably the most reliable but they aren't all that efficient and Toyota warranties are a bit short and you probably want to have all of that space-age tech under warranty for as long as possible.
Also, if you plan on spending so much money on a car and you want it to be fuel efficient and cheap to run - a LEXUS NX hybrid is a good option.
But if you definitely want an EV money pit, I'd recommend the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the warranty is good and it's a good car overall. It's also a good looking car.
Slightly off topic, but kinda interesting.
On the subject of the "Funky" design of the Kia Niro I wrote about:
I noticed that it looks suspiciously similar to the Citroën C5X.
That Kia SCREAMS Citroën design language (The chrome "eyebrow" across the bumper [on the real thing it's the air intake in the middle and headlights on the sides] and the big "eyes" under it)
I would consider RAV4 prime or Prius prime. They are not fully electric but they give you great mpg with the ability to use electric only (for short range though) and also you don't have the range anxiety and charging issues pure EV cars give you.
The Toyota Bz4x will arrive next year. It's basically a full EV Rav4
