EV car strategy

[pksilver]

Hi all,

Just bought a 2yr old used MG 4 EV with the intention of keeping it for 3 years so i can sell on with some warranty remaining but just wondered what most peoples' plan is when they buy a EV do they plan to keep long term or keep changing ever 3 year period? Does anyone keep beyond the warranty and take out an extended on? TIA

 

[Gadget Geek]

My first EV, Ioniq 28kWh was a stop gap until the Kona 64kWh became available 18 months later. However, that Kona MY had a design fault and the reduction gear was replaced twice under warranty. Didnt fancy changing the reduction gear when the warranty ran out, so got the ZS Trophy. I will keep this one for as long as it keeps going. If I was going to change the car every few years, I would probably lease.

 

[pksilver]

Ah ok good to hear! So will you keep your ca lt beyond its warranted and take out an extended warranty plan ?

 

[Bam Bam]

Got the LFP battery version (bought outright) so hopefully it will last a very long time.

Expect to keep this one for a long time (our last car was nearly 14 years old when we traded it in), but will review after a few years.

Hadn't considered extending the warranty, how does one go about this?

 

[Rolfe]

I think the NMC batteries are proving pretty durable too. My last car was about 14 when it was written off due to bodywork damage. I loved it to bits, but decided pretty quickly that this was my moment to get into EVs.

I'm expecting Caliban to last me the rest of my life, barring accidents, and really, I think it would be just the same if I'd gone for the LR model. Which I suppose I could have done with last week when I drove over 900 miles, but it was fine. I didn't bargain on loving the way the car drives so much that I'd decide to take off for the south coast of England on a regular basis!

I think the longevity of EVs is going to have a big impact on the car manufacturing industry eventually. Longer lived cars means fewer need to be manufactured. The market is going to shrink. But this isn't a bad thing. Companies need to be flexible and diversify.

 

[tsedge]

Hi all,

Just bought a 2yr old used MG 4 EV with the intention of keeping it for 3 years so i can sell on with some warranty remaining but just wondered what most peoples' plan is when they buy a EV do they plan to keep long term or keep changing ever 3 year period? Does anyone keep beyond the warranty and take out an extended on? TIA

I think EVs are a good bet for low cost long-term ownership, maintenance is low and batteries should outlast the car (regardless of type).

We bought our MG4 new, in 2022, because at that time there was much less available secondhand and most of it older EVs for a high price.

Right now, I'd consider buying secondhand 18 months old or older because prices have dropped so much. The MG5 is a great buy secondhand and the MG4 prices have also dropped a lot.

The MG5 and ZS EV have shown that relatively little goes wrong, if things are going to break they happen early on but in general MG EVs are a good reliable purchase.

The main hardware issues have been with new models, but these tend to get solved in the first two years of the car being on sale.

Software bugs are the main bug bear, but again this is most prevalent when a new model is first launched and updates do come out - it is getting them installed which can be the issue.

Our plan was always to change the car after 3-4 years (we are on a 4 year PCP) and that hasn't changed, we took delivery in March 2023 and so that means we'll be looking from late 2025 onwards.

If we needed a second car, I would definitely buy secondhand, probably a Leaf for sub £5k or a Zoe for £7k or maybe even a VW eUp if I wanted to stretch to £10k - can't see the point in a new purchase for a second car.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Ah ok good to hear! So will you keep your ca lt beyond its warranted and take out an extended warranty plan ?

If the car behaves itself then I shall probably keep it beyond it's warranty. Hadn't considered an extended warranty. I'll do some research.

 

[okohll]

The plan is to keep it until it drops, or until I see an unbeatable deal on an old Porsche Taycan with air suspension

 

[Archev]

The plan is to keep it until it drops, or until I see an unbeatable deal on an old Porsche Taycan with air suspension

Inspect it thoroughly for LE JOG stickers ?

 

[jackois]

I think the NMC batteries are proving pretty durable too. My last car was about 14 when it was written off due to bodywork damage. I loved it to bits, but decided pretty quickly that this was my moment to get into EVs.

I'm expecting Caliban to last me the rest of my life, barring accidents, and really, I think it would be just the same if I'd gone for the LR model. Which I suppose I could have done with last week when I drove over 900 miles, but it was fine. I didn't bargain on loving the way the car drives so much that I'd decide to take off for the south coast of England on a regular basis!

I think the longevity of EVs is going to have a big impact on the car manufacturing industry eventually. Longer lived cars means fewer need to be manufactured. The market is going to shrink. But this isn't a bad thing. Companies need to be flexible and diversify.

I've got the LR... I've just turned 70 and expect it to last out my driving career... there's nothing else I particularly fancy at the moment...

 

[Archev]

I've got the LR... I've just turned 70 and expect it to last out my driving career... there's nothing else I particularly fancy at the moment...

Same here - except for a cyberstirrer or a Rivian or a ….. what’s arriving tomorrow ??

 

[Rolfe]

Same here. Unless they do an X-Power in the SE trim!

 

[Archev]

Same here. Unless they do an X-Power in the SE trim!

Xpower estate would be nice.

 

[pksilver]

Interesting, I would have thought most EV users that plan to keep their cars beyond its warranty period would be taking out an extended warranty due to the big worry about the cost of battery replacement (is it circa 8k?) but it seems that most are not worried about it!

 

[Rolfe]

Not worried about it at all. Experience is showing that EV batteries are more durable than even the manufacturers anticipated, never mind the FUD that's been going around. MG is now offering a lifetime warranty on the MG4 batteries in some markets, and even extending that retrospectively to cars already purchased. Even if that offer hasn't (yet?) been made here, they're the same batteries. If the manufacturer has such confidence, why would I worry?

You might as well suggest that anyone intending to keep an ICE car beyond its warranty period should take out an extended warranty due to the big worry about the cost of an engine replacement. I mean, it does happen, but it's not something that's common enough for anyone to lose serious sleep about it.

Another thing. Battery prices have been falling like a rock recently. By the time my warranty is up in 2030 these things could be as cheap as a new clutch.

 

[tsedge]

The only thing that matters with the battery is if the range is long enough for regular journeys. If you lose a bit after a few years, it probably won't make any difference. I think people will be fine.

 

[Archev]

The only thing that matters with the battery is if the range is long enough for regular journeys. If you lose a bit after a few years, it probably won't make any difference. I think people will be fine.

Well everyone says the world’s shrinking so that should keep things even ?