I am looking to buy my first EV, it will end up as our second car and probably our primary vehical for our growing family. I have been looking at reviews and test driving when I have time.

One thing that has been getting to me about the reviews is they focus so much on how sporty the car is, especially it’s acceleration. Thing is, I live in a big city and don’t particularly care about that kind of thing. Yeah, I get that the tech for an EV is inherently more tuned for that, but it’s like every review is “It’s so fast!”.

They also compare to Tesla a lot, but as this would be my first EV, it doesn’t really mean a lot to me and I am not particularly interested in Tesla.

Seems like the things I really want to know never really get talked about - how does it hold up with kids? can it fit car seats without a hassle? How frustrating are the controls I actually use (climate, environment, lights, wipers, etc)?

Are there any resources aimed at just the normal every day experience in the car?

  • @reddig33English
    4•1 year ago

    Pretty much any EV is going to get up and go. Some things to keep in mind (If you’re in the US).

    • Look for one with a decent range. I get about 160 miles out of my Bolt EV during the summer because I have to run the AC, and GM in its infinite wisdom has chopped off 20% of my battery range for “safety”.
    • The current Nissan Leaf is a nice car, but you can’t charge it anywhere but home because it uses a dead connector standard called ChaDeMo.
    • Older used Nissan Leafs (previous compact design) are cheap because their batteries are out of warranty. I would avoid these.
    • There are some older “compliance car” EVs that don’t go very far (60-80 miles when fully charged). These would be things like the EV Golf, and Fiat 500e. I would avoid these.
    • Be sure to check the blind spots. I regret not paying extra for the blind spot alert and the simulated overhead camera mode.
    • You likely don’t need to install a 240v charger. Especially if this is a second car. He travel charger it comes with plugs into a normal outlet and will likely replenish it enough overnight. Try it first and see (Unless you’re getting a rebate and the 240v charger ends up being free with installation.)