Don’t buy an electric car before you’ve read our 11 things you must know – The stuff they don’t always tell you

Like any radical new technology, electric vehicles (EVs) can be confusing. Are they cheap or expensive to buy and run? Do they actually do any good for the environment? Are range anxiety and charging real worries? And what are they really like to own, to drive and to look after?

The good news is there are undoubted up sides to owning an EV, but you need to know about the battery-powered pitfalls too. Good news for you, then, that this here is our guide to the 11 things every driver should know about electric cars.

1. Some electric cars are ludicrously fast

The latest Tesla Model S sports a ‘Ludicrous Mode’ that allows the four-door saloon to blast to 60mph in just 2.8 seconds. That’s precisely the same performance as Porsche’s 918 Spyder supercar and faster than just about anything else on the road. In other words, electric cars today are most definitely not the feeble carts of yesteryear. Just like combustion cars, they’re available in a wide range of specifications with performance to match. You simply cannot generalise about electric cars being slow any longer.

2. Some electric cars are cheap

Yes, the aforementioned Tesla might break the bank at upwards of £80,000, but cars like Renault’s Zoe are much more accessible. In many ways, the Zoe is a standard compact hatchback, similar in size to Renault’s own Clio or the Ford Fiesta. You can buy one from just £13,995. You can also put one on your drive for around £160 a month and a deposit of just £600 £155 a month and a deposit of just £250. So EVs are no longer the preserve of well-heeled early adopters. If you are in a position to buy almost any new car, you can probably afford to add electric to your shortlist.

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