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.

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

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Twice as many electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in 2020 compared to the previous year, with new company car tax rates driving uptake.

Analysis of the latest sales data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) by the RAC, shows more than 200,000 pure EVs have now been registered since 2010.
In December alone, 21,914 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were registered – the highest ever recorded in a single month, beating September’s figure of 21,903.
Overall, there were 108,205 BEVs sold in 2020, significantly more than the 66,879 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) registered during the year.

In terms of non-plug-in mild hybrids, the SMMT data shows that 110,087 cars were registered.
Rod Dennis from the RAC says that there’s still a long way to go, with only a “tiny fraction” of the total 31.2 million cars on the UK’s roads fully zero-emission, but the direction is becoming clear.
“The sight of more electric vehicles on our roads, many sporting number plates with the new ‘trademark’ green flash, might begin to make drivers who are considering changing their car look into whether ‘going electric’ makes sense for them,” he said.

“Issues around charging infrastructure aside, it’s the cold hard economics of buying or leasing a car that might yet hold them back with pure electric cars continuing to command a premium list price over their petrol and diesel equivalents.”
Incentives for fleets and company car drivers, however, have helped drive the record-breaking year for EV registrations, thanks to new benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rates, introduced last spring.
Most of these registrations for BEVs and PHEVs (68%) were from fleets.

Gerry Keaney, chief executive of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), says that 2020 has been a “tipping point” for EV uptake and demonstrates what can be achieved when Government works closely with fleets to develop a set of powerful grants and tax incentives and invest in a robust public charging network.
“The latest BVRLA data shows that the fleet sector continues to lead the charge towards zero emission motoring, with battery electric vehicles responsible for 21% of company car registrations in the three months to October 2020,” he said.

The growth in EV registrations is impressive, with 6.6% of all new vehicles registered in 2020 being zero-emission, up from just 1.6% in 2019 and 0.7% in 2018.
It means that getting on for a fifth of all cars registered last year (17.5%) were zero-emissions capable – up from just 7.4% in 2019.
Dennis said: “While petrol car registrations will likely recover somewhat in 2021, the question is how many drivers are prepared to switch to an EV at the expense of conventionally fuelled vehicles.
“As the impact of the pandemic continues to be felt the inclination of drivers and businesses to continue acquiring new cars will be critical, as will the effectiveness of dealers in being able to conduct new car sales entirely online during lockdowns. But there is surely little doubt that 2021 will shape up to be a very exciting year for the UK’s electric car market.”

Read more: FleetNews

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Zap-Map in the UK focuses on electric mobility. People can visit its website or use its app to find EV chargers near them but Zap-Map does more. It lets drivers see in advance how much it will cost to recharge their cars using a particular public charger and calculates the cost of charging at home based on local electricity rates and time of use.

In November, it asked 2,000 EV drivers — the group included owners of battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars — in the UK whether they would consider going back to driving a car powered solely by a gasoline or diesel engine. 91% said no way, about 9% said they weren’t sure, and less than 1% reported they couldn’t wait to once again ride around exclusively in a cloud of exhaust gases. 73% of those who took the survey said the electric car they were driving was their first EV. 52% had purchased their EV with the last year. 91% of EV drivers reported they were satisfied

Owners of several electric cars — Volkswagen ID.3, KIA Niro PHEV, BMW 3 Series PHEV — reported they were 100% satisfied with their vehicles. The Tesla Model 3 got a 96% satisfaction rating as did the battery electric KIA Niro. The Hyundai Kona electric scored a 94% satisfaction rating while the Renault Zoe came in at 92% satisfied and the Nissan LEAF at 90% satisfied. Year to date, 9.7% of all new car sales in the UK are electric or a PHEV. In 2019, the number was 3.2%. Back in 2015 it was a barely discernible 1.1%.

Commenting on the latest survey, Zap-Map co-founder Melanie Shufflebotham, said “Our latest poll shows the strong and enduring impact of switching to a clean car. The evidence in favor of electric vehicles grows more compelling with each one of our surveys, even in a year as disruptive as 2020.”

She added, “The challenge for the automotive industry is to take advantage of the opportunities that EVs present, not only in terms of the rapidly expanding range, but also ensuring that sales staff are knowledgeable enough to present the benefits to their customers. At Zap-Map we monitor the growth of the charging network and it’s clear that many of the historical challenges of owning and running an EV have fallen away. The dramatic growth in EV sales in 2020 is one of the good news stories to come out of this difficult year for the car industry.”

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis had this to say. “While the challenge is often convincing owners of petrol and diesel vehicles to switch to an electric vehicle in the first place, this data shows that once people have done so they seldom look back — which is also positive news for manufacturers that are investing heavily in electric vehicles and cleaner technology. While would-be electric car drivers might worry about range anxiety, they should also be aware that the number public charge points is increasing rapidly and infrastructure continues to improve. They should also remember that the vast majority of their journeys are unlikely to be over several hundred miles, meaning that for day-to-day travel, operating an electric vehicle is a clean and cost-effective option.

“These figures show the momentum that is behind getting drivers into electric vehicles, something that is likely to build as we move closer to the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. We are doing our bit in giving drivers confidence they can make the switch, with 80 of our patrol vans now fitted with mobile emergency charging units, and half our fleet fitted with All-Wheels-Up recovery systems, removing the need for drivers to wait for a flatbed if they need a tow.”

Read more: CleanTechnica

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Automakers have already begun to abolish ICE.

This year has made clear that the internal combustion engine’s (ICE) days are numbered. 2020 saw explosive growth in the automotive industry’s EV segment, with nearly every major manufacturer and brand group announcing, unveiling or debuting new and upcoming electric vehicles. Tesla managed to retain its position at the head of the market this year but its lead over rivals is shrinking as automotive stalwarts like GM, Fiat Chrysler, Hyundai Motor Group and the Volkswagen Group all jump into the EV fray. 2020 saw more than just new EV models, though: The battery technologies that power them and the transportation infrastructure that leverages them enjoyed some impressive advancements of their own.

Though it did not meet as many historic milestones as SpaceX did in 2020, Tesla still managed to get itself onto the S&P 500 market index, set quarterly vehicle delivery records (and is on pace to meet its year end goal of 500,000 deliveries), as well as make founder Elon Musk an obscene amount of money.

Among the company’s notable accomplishments, Tesla extended the range of this year’s Model Y to more than 400 miles per charge — that’s a 20-percent improvement over the 2019 model — as well as increasing its acceleration and lowering its price. Tesla also began delivering its new Model Y in March (including the company’s millionth vehicle) and rolled out a three-row, seven-seat option in early December. Unfortunately, the company’s long awaited electric Semi won’t see the light of day in 2020; Musk announced in April that its release has been delayed until 2021. However, Semi production is already beginning to ramp up in advance of that goal.

“It’s time to go all out and bring the Tesla Semi to volume production. It’s been in limited production so far, which has allowed us to improve many aspects of the design,” Musk wrote in a leaked email seen by CNBC.

Tesla made additional headlines in September during its Battery Day event when the company announced plans to develop a new generation of less expensive, more capable batteries within the next two years or so, which could lead to Teslas costing as little as $25,000. Even more exciting, Musk took the opportunity to unveil a new 1,100 HP “plaid” Model S as well. It goes on sale in 2021.

2020 has also seen a number of pricing shenanigans for some of Tesla’s more popular features. For example, In May, Musk announced via Twitter that the company’s forthcoming “full self-driving” package would become available in July for a whopping $7,000 — a grand more than the company had initially quoted. And, true to Musk’s word, that price increased again in October to a cool $10,000 once the feature entered beta. Musk claims that once completed the FSD package could be worth as much as $100,000 — despite its capabilities being panned by Consumer Reports and earning mediocre scores from Europe’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Tesla also kneecapped its used car warranty and eliminated its long-standing seven-day return policy for new vehicles without any real explanations as to why. That’s due in part to the fact that Tesla also axed its entire PR department this year, opting instead to just have Musk tweet through it.

Tesla also helped found the Zero Emission Transportation Association, or ZETA, a 26-member lobbying group tasked with promoting and advocating the further adoption of EV technologies and services to lawmakers. We’ve already seen some significant movement towards EV tech at the state level with California moving to ban the sale of new ICE vehicles by 2035.

“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said at a news conference in September. “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. You deserve to have a car that doesn’t give your kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse and create more days filled with smoky air. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”

Read more: engadget

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Manufacturers’ share prices will be dependent on their ability to avoid losses on ‘stranded assets’, says analyst

Carmakers will increasingly find themselves in a race to shut, switch or sell factories producing vehicles with internal combustion engines to avoid being left with “stranded assets”, as regulators set a course for a decade of electrification to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Traditional manufacturers are currently playing a “zero sum game” because growth in electric car sales eats into the value of internal combustion engine factories, which “are effectively stranded assets”, a leading analyst has warned.

Philippe Houchois, an analyst at Jefferies, an investment bank, said carmakers’ share prices will be in large part dependent on their ability to avoid losses on fossil fuel assets. “If you want to be a better valued carmaker you need to find a way to shrink your assets faster than a gradual transition to electric vehicles would suggest,” he said.

The industry has already made significant steps away from fossil fuels. The year 2020 will be seen as key for electric cars because of new EU regulations that mandated a limit on average carbon dioxide emissions of 95g/km across all cars sold. The UK has committed to carrying on its emissions regime at an equivalent or stronger level after the Brexit transition period ends on 1 January 2021.

The regulations have prompted a rapid increase in electric car sales as carmakers scrambled to avoid fines worth hundreds of millions of euros – although Volkswagen has already conceded that it will miss its 2020 target, incurring a fine estimated at around €270m (£248m).

BMW announced on Sunday it would build 250,000 more electric cars than it had previously planned between now and 2023. Oliver Zipse, the company’s chief executive, said he wanted roughly 20% of cars it sells to be electric by 2023, up from 8% this year.

More than 560,000 battery electric cars were sold in the year to November in western Europe, according to figures from Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin-based automotive analyst. Battery electric vehicles accounted for 8.7% of total car sales in November, up from just 2.7% the year before. Despite missing its emissions target, Volkswagen’s ID.3 became Europe’s most popular BEV, with 10,500 sold in October – although that still represented about a third of the sales of the internal combustion bestseller, the Volkswagen Golf.

The EU regulations will become slightly tougher during 2021 but carmakers already have their eye on two key milestones in the next decade. Carmakers will have to cut carbon emissions by 15% between 2021 and 2025, and by 37.5% from 2030, a requirement that will lead to the rapid decline of mass-market internal combustion engines.

However, tougher rules are expected as the EU aims to produce net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. In the autumn EU officials floated halving car emissions within a decade.

Transport & Environment, a Brussels-based campaign group, has called for a final date of 2035 for the sale of all fossil-fuelled cars in the EU, a move that would match the UK’s ban. T&E’s forecasts suggest that the current targets allow carmakers to slow their rollout of electric cars, which the group argues would represent a missed opportunity for Europe to retain its lead over rivals including China.

Julia Poliscanova, T&E’s senior director for vehicles, said: “The current electric momentum risks fizzling out as soon as 2022 unless stricter CO2 rules are put in place.”

David Bailey, a professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham, said the likelihood of even tighter regulations raised the risks of stranded assets particularly for German carmakers, who were paying the price for taking the “wrong path” of investing heavily in diesels. The diesel industry was then rocked by costly emissions-cheating scandals, albeit related to harmful nitrogen oxides rather than carbon dioxide.

“You’re going to see the massive investment by the German makers in EVs, but they’ve got a huge sunk asset in diesels,” he said. “They’re trying to eke out some sort of profit from their existing lineup while investing in new technologies.”

Read more: The Guardian

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2020 has proved to be a big year for electric vehicles. With increasing demand, the production of EVs has increased significantly and newer and more innovative models have come onto the market.

It means that 2021 looks set to be an even bigger year for battery-powered cars. Needless to say, there are some exciting new electric vehicles on the horizon, but we’ve picked out some of the key ones you should be getting excited about.

Ford Mustang Mach-e
Ford’s new Mustang Mach-e is by far one of the most exciting EVs due to arrive next year. As the firm’s first standalone electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-e is how the Blue Oval will properly announce its entry into the battery-powered world.
With more than 330bhp on tap and a 0-60mph time of just over five seconds, the Mustang Mach-e looks set to have the performance boxes ticks, too.

Skoda Enyaq
Electric models are cropping up thick and fast across the entire Volkswagen Group and Skoda looks set to become the next to debut its own electric vehicle with the new Enyaq. With a range of up to 316 miles, the Enyaq is expected to cost from £33,340 – excluding the Government’s plug-in car grant.
It’ll be available with two battery size options, too, as well as rapid charging capabilities.

Mazda MX-30
Mazda’s striking MX-30 looks set to shake up the EV segment, bringing striking looks and a classy cabin alongside that all-important electric powertrain. Though its range is on the shorter side of things at 124 miles, as a rival to the likes of the Honda e and Mini Electric the MX-30’s practicality shines through.
Plus, it features clever suicide-style doors which are likely to get a conversation going.

BMW iX3
Though BMW’s i3 has been a key contender in the EV segment for many years now, the German firm has yet to elongate its range of electric vehicles – until now, that is. The iX3 enters into the flourishing electric SUV area of the market, bringing a high ride height and imposing looks, which are part and parcel in the segment.
It’s got a decent 285-mile range, too, and will deliver a 0-60mph time of 6.5 seconds.

Cupra el Born
Cupra has really come on song since announcing itself as a standalone brand from Seat, introducing smart and performance-orientated models. In 2021, Cupra will be switching its focus to electric vehicles with this – the el Born.
Based on the same platform as the Skoda Enyaq, it too will bring a range of over 300 miles as well as fast charging capabilities.

Read more: EveningExpress

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