Are you thinking you want to switch to an electric vehicle
but didn't think they were affordable?
Well, we've got two used bets that you can basically
plug into the wall and get plenty of charge
for your daily commute.
You'll smile every time you drive past a gas station.
And one of them may even surprise you, so stick around.
Hey, everyone.
I'm Yomary from Edmunds, where we're
known as the car-testing pros.
We've teamed up with the experts at CarMax
to help you find the right vehicle for your needs.
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Electric vehicles, or EVs for short,
are rapidly gaining in popularity.
Most car manufacturers have dipped their toes
into the electric game for several years
now, which means there are plenty of used options
out there.
To get the most out of an electric vehicle
and be able to fully charge it every night,
we'd normally recommend installing a Level 2
charger at home.
But these cars have short ranges,
so a Level 2 isn't as important.
The average commute is 30 miles, and both
of these recommendations can use a regular household outlet
to charge the car overnight for plenty of commuting range.
First up, BMW.
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Wait.
What?
You might be asking.
Yes, BMW.
So why is this car affordable?
Well, because the i3 falls right into the sweet spot.
I'll show you.
Some models of the i3 can be at the top end
of our affordable pricing scale here,
but you can find a 2017 i3 for right around $22,000.
The i3 debuted in 2014, but we're talking 2017 and 2018
models here.
The 2017 is significantly less expensive,
but it lacks some changes that came in 2018.
So you can spend a little less on the older one
or get more stuff in the newer version.
Regardless, we recommend the 33 kilowatt-hour battery
in either one.
It has 170 horsepower and, get this, rear wheel drive.
The i3 also has a carbon-fiber structure and a really cool
interior, so it definitely stands out.
Range for the i3?
Well, it depends.
For 2017, the shortest range is just an EPA estimated 81 miles
with a full charge.
That's the base i3, which BMW called the "60 amp-hour battery
version."
Then there's one with a bigger battery, the 94 amp-hour,
and that has an EPA estimated range
of 114 miles on a full charge.
The changes for 2018 included mild styling updates
and an upgraded infotainment system.
There's also a sporty 2018 i3 S version with more power
but less range.
With Level 2 charging, it takes about four to five hours
to charge the battery.
On average, you can get about 5 miles per hour of range
on a 120-volt plug, so average commutes
are easily within reach charging overnight.
This BMW EV is dripping with character and personality.
Driving an EV is about taking a different path.
Right?
Well, the i3 is definitely different, even
among other electric cars.
Next up, the Nissan Leaf.
You may remember this car was really ahead of the EV curve,
having first debuted back in 2011.
You can find the Leaf for a CarMax average
price of around $22,000 for the 2018
and about $26,000 for the 2019 Leaf.
This current generation of the Leaf made its debut with an EPA
estimated 150 miles of range at 100% charge.
In 2019, Nissan offered the Plus version.
It has a bigger battery that provides an EPA estimated range
of up to 226 miles.
For context, these ranges are all
fairly low compared to the latest new EVs,
but they're more than enough for most commutes.
If those prices still sound out of your budget,
there is the previous generation Leaf.
But we'd highly recommend sticking to the last two model
years of the generation, the 2016/2017, due to an upgraded
battery pack available on the SV and SL trim levels,
which get an EPA estimated range of 107 miles
with a full charge, up from 84 miles in the previous model
years.
CarMax sells the 2016 Nissan Leaf for about $15,000
on average while the 2017 sells for an average of $16,000.
Both generations of the Leaf have an estimated Level 1
charge rate of five miles of range per hour maximum.
So with a 10-hour overnight charge,
you should have enough for your average daily commute.
The Leaf is not a fast car.
In our Edmunds testing, it did a 0 to 60 time of 10.2 seconds.
But it has almost 24 cubic feet of maximum storage capacity,
the most of any car on this list.
In both generations, that, plus the low price of entry,
makes the Leaf worth the look.
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Thanks for watching.
We hope this gets you thinking about some EV options that
make great day-to-day cars.
Please let us know if you see either one of these
in your garage's future and what other budget-friendly bets
you're looking at.
Let us in the comments below which one of these
is your pick.
And for an upcoming segment, let us
know what questions you still have about electric vehicles.
We want to hear about it.
Until then, thanks for watching and I'll
see you here next time.