Five-year-old vehicles are now great value and prices are rising as buyers cotton on

If the two people behind a major website championing electric cars have both done it, the rest of us should probably take note.

Whisper, so not too many people hear it, but used five-year-old electric cars are arguably one of the best vehicle purchases you can make right now, whatever your environmental credentials. It makes particular sense if you are one of the millions of people who use their car most days.

Long considered way out of the price range of normal car buyers, good quality electric cars that were launched a few years ago, are now hitting the used market for less than £7,000.

Nissan Leafs, which cost £30,000 (after grants) eight years ago, can be found for £5,700 with about 60,000 miles on the clock.

A Renault Zoe, with a leased battery and with fewer miles on the clock, starts at about £6,500.

Even the more futuristic-looking and previously expensive BMW i3s, made from recyclable parts, can be had for £13,000 for a five-year-old, low-mileage model. Once purchased, these environmentally friendly cars cost a few pounds a week to run – attractive at a time when petrol costs £1.30 a litre and diesel averages £1.36.

Interestingly, used electric vehicle prices have, in recent months, started rising – a near unheard-of thing in the used car market – as demand outstrips supply. They are also increasingly being sold by a new group of car dealers that have emerged only selling electric vehicles.

Read more: The Guardian