Second Thoughts

[Shengis]

I’m having second thoughts about going ahead with my first EV and wonder what other people’s thoughts are. Two things are on my mind. EV electric tariffs or the sudden lack of, and potential for more choice in the market following the MG4.

To those who know stuff about electricity tariffs and companies, what’s going to happen with all of the EV tariffs which have all suddenly been dropped just in time for me ordering my first electric vehicle?

I promised the wife we’d save £££s but with these tariffs now disappearing the savings aren’t going to be near as good using electric at the normal going rate.

I’m thinking maybe i should wait until this all blows over. Who’s to say the energy companies won’t take the piss and there will be no special off-peak EV rates?

And the other thing to consider, on the back of the MG4 there may be potentially more choice at better prices to come on EVs in the next couple of years. Might get something even better for similar prices.

Thoughts?

 

[skynett]

I’m having second thoughts about going ahead with my first EV and wonder what other people’s thoughts are. Two things are on my mind. EV electric tariffs or the sudden lack of, and potential for more choice in the market following the MG4.

To those who know stuff about electricity tariffs and companies, what’s going to happen with all of the EV tariffs which have all suddenly been dropped just in time for me ordering my first electric vehicle?

I promised the wife we’d save £££s but with these tariffs now disappearing the savings aren’t going to be near as good using electric at the normal going rate.

I’m thinking maybe i should wait until this all blows over. Who’s to say the energy companies won’t take the piss and there will be no special off-peak EV rates?

And the other thing to consider, on the back of the MG4 there may be potentially more choice at better prices to come on EVs in the next couple of years. Might get something even better for similar prices.

Thoughts?

This is going to be my First EV and also my first New car purchase also.

With regards to EV tariffs Octopus is accepting customers every day even without an EV so just get a smart meter installed first, change to their standard tariff once they have connectivity to your smart meter its easy to switch to Octopus Go, the 4 hour nightly rate at 7.5p is fixed for a year mostly and that should be enough for a lot of people unless you drive 200 miles daily.

Secondly about the car itself, there will always be something better every couple of years. You would wait forever!

I wish I had bought the Tesla Model 3 when it open in the UK around july 2019.. new ones were going for 38,500 then all in, fast forward 3 years later 2019 used are selling for about the same price from 3 years ago. I also tried buying a used Model S dec 2019 then Covid happened, would have sold the same car now 2 years later for the same price I paid 2 years ago... the MG ZS EV bought by loads of people here were being sold 2 years later for more than they paid or very close, not saying that trend will continue but I would say if you can afford it and love the car, just go for it.

 

[TallPaul]

I’m having second thoughts about going ahead with my first EV and wonder what other people’s thoughts are. Two things are on my mind. EV electric tariffs or the sudden lack of, and potential for more choice in the market following the MG4.

To those who know stuff about electricity tariffs and companies, what’s going to happen with all of the EV tariffs which have all suddenly been dropped just in time for me ordering my first electric vehicle?

I promised the wife we’d save £££s but with these tariffs now disappearing the savings aren’t going to be near as good using electric at the normal going rate.

I’m thinking maybe i should wait until this all blows over. Who’s to say the energy companies won’t take the piss and there will be no special off-peak EV rates?

And the other thing to consider, on the back of the MG4 there may be potentially more choice at better prices to come on EVs in the next couple of years. Might get something even better for similar prices.

Thoughts?

I own a MG 5 LR but have a Trophy in red on order. I have a podpoint home charger but I'm not on a EV tariff. To charge my car to 80% at anytime costs me between £10-£12 so it's still cheaper than diesel for me. As for waiting new cars and models, tomorrow never comes and there is always going to be something new and better on the horizon.

 

[AdamMGEV]

I’m having second thoughts about going ahead with my first EV and wonder what other people’s thoughts are. Two things are on my mind. EV electric tariffs or the sudden lack of, and potential for more choice in the market following the MG4.

To those who know stuff about electricity tariffs and companies, what’s going to happen with all of the EV tariffs which have all suddenly been dropped just in time for me ordering my first electric vehicle?

I promised the wife we’d save £££s but with these tariffs now disappearing the savings aren’t going to be near as good using electric at the normal going rate.

I’m thinking maybe i should wait until this all blows over. Who’s to say the energy companies won’t take the piss and there will be no special off-peak EV rates?

And the other thing to consider, on the back of the MG4 there may be potentially more choice at better prices to come on EVs in the next couple of years. Might get something even better for similar prices.

Thoughts?

I got my first EV a couple of years ago which was an MG5 and absolutely loved it. Its a bit like going from a manual to an Automatic... I could never understand the appeal until I did. Its the same gong to an EV, i'd never go back. Because I got a really good deal on the MG5 I sold it this week for more than I paid for it 2 years later. Ive bought an MG5 Trophy and have ordered another MG4 Short range one as our second car.

I think the price especially of the short range will never be beaten for what the car is. Its a really good car.

In terms of price to charge. Tesco gives you some free charge, I charged at a SWARCO charger yesterday at 27 pence per KW.... hopefully you can get on to Octopus, and even if not its still cheaper and more convenient than petrol IF... you can charge at home.

If you're doing loads of Motorway miles I'd maybe say wait a couple of years.... if not then get one you won't regret it... and yes there will always be a better model around the corner... same with anything.

 

[Ian Key]

It'll cost me £14 for a full charge of the Trophy for 250 miles of driving using a home charger on my Economy 7 tariff. My current diesel car has a range of 420 miles which in the Trophy would cost me £24 to do that distance but in the diesel it would be over 3 times that.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

This is going to be my First EV and also my first New car purchase also.

With regards to EV tariffs Octopus is accepting customers every day even without an EV so just get a smart meter installed first, change to their standard tariff once they have connectivity to your smart meter its easy to switch to Octopus Go, the 4 hour nightly rate at 7.5p is fixed for a year mostly and that should be enough for a lot of people unless you drive 200 miles daily.

Octopus have "paused" all their smart tariffs for a week or two, until they understand what the government's new energy bill means to their electric bills.

 

[NickHeynes]

I'm on B gas std variable and the pricing still work for me .
I do about 250 miles (50 mile round trip) Monday to Fri commuting and even with the slight fall in petrol prices, the fact that it's mostly city driving means that the MG4 SR should be fine for me .

It will work out cheaper that my current car.

There are always new cars coming along which is why I like pcp's, especially in the current climate.

 

[wandle MG4 trophy]

In the medium term the government is likely to push energy companies to Time of Use tariffs (which will only work if you have a smart meter). They are likely to incentivise you not to use electricity at peak hours in order to balance demand on the grid. Whether they lower the price at times of low demand remains to be seen.
As others have said, there is never a good time to buy a new car as the next bigger and better model is always just months away. But consider whether your current car has advanced safety features eg driver aids and physical crash protection that new cars have.

 

[Big Al]

Have 800 miles on my MG4, the cost charging at home on economy 7 = £38.40. So just under 5p per mile. And thats in cold weather, early starts, motorway and AC on. My previous car Mazda CX-5 could only just do 20p per mile. So even if the electric tariff double, which they cant because of government cap, EVs are still way cheaper.

 

[siteguru]

The best I've ever achieved in my diesel Insignia is 10p per mile (when diesel was £1.17.9 per litre) which was about 53 mpg. Current best is 15p, and more typically 17p.

If I can average 3.5 miles per kWh then I should get 175 miles out of the SE SR (based on 50 kWh usable). A full charge to 50 kWh on the current cap rate would cost 50 x 34p = £17 ... that would give a running cost of 9.7p per mile. Improve the efficiency to 4 mpkWh and that changes to 8.5p per mile.

 

[rogrug]

Secondly about the car itself, there will always be something better every couple of years. You would wait forever!

This. The pace of development it rapid at the moment, and there will always be a better car with bigger faster charging batteries around the corner.

But if you keep waiting, you will never get one - if you want one, get one now and enjoy it, then in 4 or 5 years time it will still be worth something and you can get a better one then.

 

[RichardC]

Range envy will always be around. Before EV’s the choice we made when buying cars was not based on the size of the fuel tank but on many other factors.

Buy a car that suits your needs and one that you will enjoy driving.

 

[Silver estate]

I own a MG 5 LR but have a Trophy in red on order. I have a podpoint home charger but I'm not on a EV tariff. To charge my car to 80% at anytime costs me between £10-£12 so it's still cheaper than diesel for me. As for waiting new cars and models, tomorrow never comes and there is always going to be something new and better on the horizon.

Same here on my elcky cost as I’m on a 21p KWh and 24p standing charge so moving to Ev tariff would not be wise now
I only do about 300 miles a month so cost is still less even against a petrol car

 

[tsedge]

Octopus have "paused" all their smart tariffs for a week or two, until they understand what the government's new energy bill means to their electric bills.

Yes. I believe this is only temporary as you say, to work out how the peak/off-peak rates will change under the new cap.

 

[altexa]

I really know nothing about charging infrastructure in the UK - feel free to blow me off if it's nothing like what I'm going to describe.

Where I work there are no less than three separate shopping centres within a 15 minute walk to my office. One of them has granny-charger style chargers which are free, and which are switched on from 8am. Another has single-phase type 2 (6.6kw) which is free too, but which only opens at 10am, and a third which opens at 11. All of them are free, and unlimited use (so far...)

I don't have my MG4 yet, but have been coming to work in a Leaf for the last 14 months, in that time I have spent...nothing on charging it. Not a penny. Compare that to the Yaris hybrid I had pre-covid, and which was a very frugal car, and that used to cost me 77 euros a month (Paris area).

Again, in the UK things might be different (I was around Cambridge the other week, but didn't get a chance to look). From what I see around here, you need to look out for the free chargers - none of the ones I use are advertised anywhere - not even in the apps!

 

[meangreen]

And the other thing to consider, on the back of the MG4 there may be potentially more choice at better prices to come on EVs in the next couple of years. Might get something even better for similar prices.

In technology terms if you wait for the next improvement, you'll be waiting forever. If the car suits you, then I'd go for it.

Price of electricity is high at present but it won't be forever. You can also supply partly by solar if you add that to your home. Let's be realistic, the price of petrol and diesel is never going to be under £1 a litre again.

I just paid £90 on a comprehensive service on my Nissan Leaf, the price of just the oil on my wifes Suzuki Swift Mild Hybrid was £55 at the last service. So there are savings to be had there and with the annual car tax. Insurance I think is a bit more with an EV, depends on what ICE you are driving before.

 

[TheArcher]

I’m having second thoughts about going ahead with my first EV and wonder what other people’s thoughts are. Two things are on my mind. EV electric tariffs or the sudden lack of, and potential for more choice in the market following the MG4.

To those who know stuff about electricity tariffs and companies, what’s going to happen with all of the EV tariffs which have all suddenly been dropped just in time for me ordering my first electric vehicle?

I promised the wife we’d save £££s but with these tariffs now disappearing the savings aren’t going to be near as good using electric at the normal going rate.

I’m thinking maybe i should wait until this all blows over. Who’s to say the energy companies won’t take the piss and there will be no special off-peak EV rates?

And the other thing to consider, on the back of the MG4 there may be potentially more choice at better prices to come on EVs in the next couple of years. Might get something even better for similar prices.

Thoughts?

Just go for it. Cheaper servicing and a lot of fun.

 

[tsedge]

Don’t wait, take the plunge. You can wait forever.

There’ll be a bunch of off peak tariffs very soon. The government need us to modulate usage to get through the winter. They’ve already said people with a smart meter will be paid £4/day (voluntary) to reduce their usage in the peaks.

You want to be ready to go with this, not leaping in late when the herd suddenly realise they want an EV and the new tariffs.

 

[Shengis]

Don’t wait, take the plunge. You can wait forever.

There’ll be a bunch of off peak tariffs very soon. The government need us to modulate usage to get through the winter. They’ve already said people with a smart meter will be paid £4/day (voluntary) to reduce their usage in the peaks.

You want to be ready to go with this, not leaping in late when the herd suddenly realise they want an EV and the new tariffs.

If that thing about getting paid for having a smart meter is true then I better get a bloody smart meter to work!

 

[tsedge]

If that thing about getting paid for having a smart meter is true then I better get a bloody smart meter to work!

Actually it could be £10 a day - but not every day:

Households could get £10 every day for using energy off-peak

It is hoped the scheme will help to prevent organised blackouts

www.examinerlive.co.uk