Want to get in on the electric car revolution, but have a lower budget? Here are our best used electric cars 2021
Millions of car buyers are now considering if an electric car could work for them. These models are all the rage – they produce no emissions at the roadside, are ultra-quiet and performance can be incredibly impressive. There are more and more electric cars available these days but new models are expensive – so why not consider one of our best used electric cars instead?
A used electric car could be an even better buy than a used petrol or diesel car, as EVs are proving to be very reliable so far, with fewer moving parts and less to go wrong. They also tend to do fewer miles in the same amount of time, so there are some used electric cars out there that are like new even at a few years old.
An electric car needs to work for you. If you can charge up at home and don’t tend to do lots of motorway trips, they’re perfect. Charging at home can mean ultra-low running costs that no petrol or diesel car can dream of getting close to, and of course there are plenty of environmental benefits as well.
If you’ve never tried an electric car, take a test drive in one of our examples below. Every car we’ve picked is a great example of the electric car breed, with punchy performance that could change your mind about this new kind of transport.
Read on to find out our picks of the best used electric cars for 2021…
Best used electric cars to buy:
Volkswagen e-Golf
Tesla Model S
Renault Zoe
Kia e-Niro
BMW i3
Nissan Leaf
MG ZS EV
Volkswagen e-up!
1. Best used electric car: Volkswagen e-Golf
Electric cars have come a long way in a short space of time, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be looking at used examples, because cars like the Volkswagen e-Golf will be perfect if your annual mileage is low and you want to seriously slash your motoring outgoings.
The 24.2kWh battery gives an official range of 118 miles on a full charge, which takes around 22 minutes on a 50kW DC rapid charger. This increases to six hours and 45 minutes using a home wallbox, which means a full top-up overnight shouldn’t be a problem. If you rarely travel more than 50 miles a day – and not many of us do – then an early e-Golf could be for you.
Of course, the same great qualities as every other Golf are present here, so the cabin is well built and the materials feel upmarket. The infotainment is good, the car is refined and comfortable, and there’s plenty of room. The only slight sacrifice comes in boot space, but its 341-litre capacity is still very usable.
Compared to EV competitors of a similar age, such as a Nissan Leaf or a Renault Zoe, as good as those cars are, the e-Golf offers more usable range and higher quality.
VW e-Golf (Image: Volkswagen.co.uk)
2. Tesla Model S
You’ll pay around £30,000 for a used Tesla Model S, which might sound like a lot – but a used Model S is a fantastic choice. This is the car that made electric motoring premium, and forced rival manufacturers to build their own upmarket EVs. It’s a desirable machine with amazing tech, great usable range and superb performance for the price. There are a few different versions to pick from, but you’ll see mostly 85 models at this budget, which has a range of over 260 miles. That’s plenty for most users, and the Tesla Supercharger network around the country means long trips are no bother.
The Tesla is good to drive, and while build quality could be an issue – even new models suffered from this, let alone cars with over 100,000 miles on the clock – the Tesla powertrain should prove to be reliable.
Read more: Autoexpress
It’s Time to Go Green!
If you would like to know more about Solar Panels and the PowerBanx range of home battery systems, and get a free instant quote, please complete our online form:
