r/electriccars

Nearly a year after the expiration of a $7,500 federal tax incentive for new electric vehicles, California is stepping in to try to motivate buyers to go electric.

Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated $135 million in his new state budget to provide incentives for new and used EVs. Participating automakers will match the funds. The EV incentives will take effect in the coming weeks as the California Air Resources Board irons out agreements with dealerships.

Here’s what you need to know.

Hey all, first time buying an EV and would love some real-world input before I commit.

My situation:

• Budget is around $22k or 23k, used
• Live in the Midwest, so I'm expecting winter range to take a real hit
• Daily commute is only about 20 miles round trip, this will mostly be a local/commuter car
• I already have a gas vehicle for road trips, so charging speed/road-trip capability isn't a huge priority for me
• Not picky on looks or styling, just want something reliable and cost-effective
• First EV, so I don't have any brand loyalty or prior experience to lean on

Cars I'm currently considering:

• Chevy Bolt EUV Premier (2022/2023)
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 (2022/2023)
• Tesla Model 3
• Hyundai Kona Electric

What I'm hoping to hear about:

• How's winter range actually held up for those of you daily driving in cold climates?
• Any regrets or surprises after living with one of these day to day?
• Given my short commute and local only use case, is there an obvious best pick among these, or something else I'm missing entirely?
• Any reliability/maintenance gotchas I should know about before buying used?

Appreciate any insight, trying to make a smart first EV purchase without overpaying for capability (like ultra-fast charging) I probably won't use much given my short commute.

Hi all,

Currently window shopping EVs. Not in a rush but considering pulling the trigger end of the year or early next. I'm leaning towards waiting for the Chicago Auto Show in February so I can sit in the cars on display all in one day without having to go to different dealers and make a short list to test drive from there. I currently drive a 2020 Altima SL and while I fit fine in it and it's perfectly fine for my needs, the CVT went at 33k miles (thankfully 5 months before the warranty expired); so while people like to talk about range anxiety, I've had CVT anxiety wondering if/when it'll go again.

I'm 6'1 and while I've lost 100lbs (and going), I'm still on the hefty side so my primary desire is driver space. I will be driving/riding it 99% of the time solo so driver space is paramount over passenger space. Cargo space would be nice for the occasional Costco run, but it's usually my work bag going in the trunk day to day. My daily work commute is less than 5 miles a day, so battery range is not a huge deal since I can get by on Level 1 charging at home and have DCFCs not far from my house if necessary for occasional weekend trips.

The Ioniq 5 (limited) and Blazer seem to be the best 2 options from what I've researched. Ioniq 5 has the movable center console with good driver space, but then again, I'd be trading CVT anxiety for ICCU anxiety (although Ioniq has a long warranty where my Altima's powertrain warranty is now expired).

Blazer from what I've seen has plenty of room despite a fixed console, but is pricier than the Ioniq 5 when I'm done building it (trying to stay sub-$50k). It also appears to lack CarPlay which isn't end of the world, but would prefer CarPlay.

I test drove the Model Y a couple of years ago and while I fit decently in it, wasn't a fan of the how plain the interior was and the "iPad" screen controlling everything.

Any other suggestions from the crowd I should consider? How's the Mach-E when it comes to driver space? Appreciate any feedback.

So much for a dead auto brand.

Here’s my situation. I’m a recent college graduate. I’m renting with roommates and I’ve been looking into vehicle options for a used sedan, I’d really like to get an electric car to save on gas, but as I’m a renter, I can’t set up my own charging station and my Landlord isn’t willing to invest in one. I like where I’m at and don’t plan on moving anytime soon so I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with relying on only public chargers. Is that feasible long term? What do I need to know? And perhaps most importantly are there any cars/brands you’d recommend for this?

I currently live about a 5 minute drive from a tesla supercharging station but I’m not sure how that works with other brands. Theres also a plugshare station about 9 minutes away and an epic charging station about 6 minutes if you guys have any familiarity with those brands.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice you guys can give me, I’m interested to see what people have to say.

Update: So I found a 2017 kia soul ev that I believe is capable of fast charging at the chargepoint only 7min from my house, in addition to that I have a level 1 outlet on my porch I should be able to plug into (no level two outlet in the garage.) I haven’t seen the car yet in person but for $7500 it seems like a steal provided theres no catch, I think I might go with it. Lmk if you guys have any further advice, and thanks a million, this was super helpful

Second update: After the advice of my family and some people on here I’m not going with the kia. Currently I’m deciding between a few final cars but my top pick is back to a gas one, a 2018 Mazda 6 to be precise, one with a clean record and 68k miles for a 13k asking price, but I think I can get them to come down from that, so feel free to give your Mazda opinions too if you have them, I’ve heard good things about them from some car people I know so that’s what drew me to the brand. At any rate I’m still looking and will be until I hear back from my insurance adjuster (long story) so I’ll refrain from giving another update until I’m at least ready to go to dealership. Thanks again for all your help and leave any car recommendations in the comments, I’ll be sure to check them out.

p.s. the charging ports in my area are limited to CCS1’s, J-1772’s, and tesla super (another reason I can’t go with the Kia)

My current car has been on its last leg for a bit now. I feel ready to move to an electric vehicle. I do live 1.5 hrs west of Denver, in the mountains so need something on the more reliable side. Our weather is anywhere from -15°to 90°. This is what I’m looking for:

- AWD
- Spacious, I’m 6’1, partner is 6’3 and have a big dog.
- Comfortable seats and head room.
- We own a 4Runner TRD for rough trails, but would like to be able to use this car to get to normal trailheads on dirt roads.
- This will be the car we used for road trips, typically no more than 8 hrs away, usually in the winter for skiing. Normally it’s Salt Lake City Area (375 miles) and Jackson Hole (476 miles). Usually it’s just is 3, but sometimes we’ll leave the dog and add up to 2 more adults, total of 4. We’re fine with stopping 2-3 times.
- price: up to $45K, but ideally under $35K. We don’t lease, we buy and keep for 10+ years.
- Fun to drive would be ideal.
- Must have the ability to add a tow hitch, mostly for bike racks.
- Has roof racks for skis.

Ideally, no Kias or Hyundais. I don’t know want to have to tow this car down to Denver and wait 1-3 weeks for the ICCU to be fixed. I know all cars have issues and can break down, but we tend to be more remote than in a city more often. With that said, the area within an hour radius, has a great charging network. The car will not be garaged unfortunately.

What are some cars we should consider? Thank you in advance!