What do users consider the most efficient EV, factoring in affordable price?

The Koreans (Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona EV) are efficient and cost competitive, especially since they're still eligible for Federal tax credit.

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Don't just go by EPA for range. Real World Tests are more realistic. And guess which car comes out on top.
https://insideevs.com/news/407807/eletric-car-real-world-range-tested/

*Moderator note: InsideEVs is doing 70 mph range tests and posting the results on this page. https://insideevs.com/reviews/443791/ev-range-test-results/

 

If you want an relatively inexpensive and efficient EV, look at the Kia Niro, or Hyundai Kona. I think the Teslas are the most efficient, but they're quite a bit pricier.

 

I would add the Hyundai Ioniq, an efficient EV. If you live in an area rich with CCS-1, fast DC chargers, it could be very affordable. Use Plugshare but limit it to 120 kW stations to see what works.

Bob Wilson

 

If you live in a cold winter climate, you might want to see what the winter efficiency is too.

Note in this test the Kona may have had a heat pump installed. Also, the new Tesla's come with a heat pump.

https://insideevs.com/news/404632/winter-range-test-best-evs-cold-weather/

 

That's a real concern for me, living in Toronto, Canada, while shopping for a new 2021 EV with better range than my 2019 Nissan Leaf. I love what I've seen of the Mustang Mach-e, but it doesn't have a heat pump (whereas the e-tron, ID.4, and Tesla Y all do -- that's the only Tesla model with a heat pump).

 

The new model 3 now comes with a heat pump. Like so many things with Tesla, the information that's just a few months old is now out-of-date.

 

I think if you want absolute value for range the Chevy Bolt is your best choice. While MSRP is close or the same as the Kona, GM seems to be offering huge deals on them. I’ve read new models being sold well under $30k.

if efficiency is more important than range then the Ioniq should also be considered.

And if you don’t care about features then the entry level Kona is something worth exploring.

 

LOL - so true!

 

Just finished shopping for these and completely agree with this research. The Kona’s features are MIA unless you get near the top of the line. Unless you’re happy with very bare bones, I found the Bolt better value for identical ranges.
Note: The Kona is having both motor and battery (LGChem) issues. The Bolt also has a battery recall but only to ~mid-2019, so only an issue if you plan to buy off-lease.


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It depends a little on how you plan to use the car. If this will be your only vehicle, then you need one that you can use for all purposes, like travel. The charging rate and charger availability/reliability is an important factor. This is Tesla’s biggest advantage. The Bolt is the best value per miles range but the charging rate is too slow for long trips. The others mentioned might have faster charging, but the fast chargers are sometimes expensive, unreliable and not as common. That is getting better though.

 

I would like a Tesla too, but it is too expensive for me to use as a second car and it's one charge range is not enough to visit my friends in Vermont where there are no chargers. If one has two cars, then the EV can be used for short trips and the other one for long trips. Exploring all the possibilities I bought Honda Clarity because of it's configuration. The charge for short trips I do is enough (the first 5500 km I did on about 1/3 of the tank), and for long ones there is a generator to take care of them. For a 550 km trip it consumed 24 liters of gasoline. Good for me, because if I would do the trip on Tesla, I would have to stop for charging (have no idea for the cost), even with fast charge it is about an hour. And the Clarity has cost me $40K CAD compared to $70K for Tesla. When I retire and the time will not be an important issue, I will definitely buy a Tesla. I like those cars very much.
When you choose a car, don't look at the buying price only. First it has to serve your needs, not cost you much in maintenance and have a good selling price when you decide to replace it with a new car. The low selling price is deceiving, and in most cases it is to lure the buyer to the dealership.

 

I think you are over estimating the time it takes to charge a Tesla if you do it in a smart manner. I believe Bob charges to 80% and it takes him around 15 minutes for his standard range plus.

The issue I have with PHEVs is that capacity loss becomes a bigger issue versus a 200 mile plus BEV for those who buy the vehicle.

The other issue is resale value. The Tesla's seem to be holding up pretty well considering how many used Model 3's on the market right now.

 

Leaf Plus and Bolt are the value leaders with Bolt being marked down to mid 20s new in some places, and Leaf down to the Teens post all rebates in some states. Leaf is also the only ev with an active aftermarket battery upgrade market.

 

If you're going strictly by the numbers and the Bolt is cheap enough, then there's your decision. If you take resale value into account, though, as others have suggested, you'll reach a different conclusion. If initial cost is the main consideration, the last time I checked, you can still buy a basic Model 3 with a nominal range of 220 miles for around US $35K if you insist. (You can do this on the phone or in person but not on the Tesla web site.)

FWIW, I looked at everything available before deciding on a Model 3, which, BTW, neither my wife nor I liked when we first checked it out because of the lack of instruments behind the steering wheel and the snotty salesman in Palo Alto. We got over that when we went to a different Tesla store after driving the Leaf, Kona, Bolt and i3. I'll omit the hype and just say that, apart from the design, which we like much better than any of the alternatives, this car is tremendous fun to drive, every single time. It can take a week or two to really get used to the interface, but once you do, you realize that nearly everything is available via voice command.

It cost more for the initial purchase than a close-out on a discontinued car like the Bolt, but it was still under US $40K before taxes and rebates for a Model 3 standard range plus, so for 10-15% more than a tricked-out Leaf (~US $45K but a bigger rebate), we got a car that is twice or three times as good and will be worth a lot more at the end of five years.

We're not driving long distances, especially with Covid, and we do charge it from the roof, but for those with questions about the last 20 miles of range, note that is does come with a converter and, if necessary, you can trickle charge it anywhere. We have had no quality issues and enjoy the frequent software updates.

Here are the only negative comments I have: It looks too flashy, with blue paint and white interior, to park in questionable neighborhoods and, with the fancy wheels and high-performance tires inflated to the recommended pressure, the ride is stiff. A friend who drives often from L.A. to the Bay Area bought the extended range version with the standard gray wheels and softer tires, which solved the second problem. For the first, I have a 10-year-old Toyota.

 

It's funny you mention that, because I've been thinking the same thing -- that driving a Tesla would look flashy and expensive, even though the other cars I'm considering (like the Mustang, e-tron, or I.D.4) are not much cheaper, when equally configured. But my mind equates "Tesla" with "showy and expensive".

 

Consider a Hyundai Kona Electric. It still qualifies for the full federal tax credit. For a while they were in short supply and dealers weren't giving any ground on price, but that may be changing now. The car is very efficient in power use and many owners -- me included -- report it greatly exceeding the EPA-estimated 258 mile range. The lowest trim level includes safety tech that I'm pretty sure you have to pay extra for on the Bolt.

 

I can’t find anywhere that the Bolt is discontinued. GM’s site lists 2021 models in both USA and Canada.