A Megane (with heat pump) should have the legs as well as the legroom.

Deep boot space so you might need the boot false floor kit so a dog xarrier could be used more easily.

Gaz

 

What about a used ID3 with the bigger battery?

 

Is that a firm no on Renaults? The 5 is 5 cm narrower and 25 cm shorter than the egolf so is actually a pretty small car even though it looks chonky.
Edit: sorry I’d assumed these had been out long enough to drop down in price but aparently not yet.

the id3/cupra does handle like a small car in car parks as it’s turning circle is fantastic and the wheels are in the corners. It didn’t feel bigger than a Clio in car parks.

 

I heard that Renault consider the R5 has given them the equivalent of a new brand launch.
It's completely altered public perceptions of the company and opened-up new markets for them.

 

The id3 or Cupra Born are the obvious choices.

Other options are the MG4 or E-Niro or Kona.

 

Kia Soul FE? Should be reasonably priced 2nd hand, with good range, but probably dated interior now, and near end of oem warranty.

 

The new Leaf should be one of your options.

It is smaller than the original Leaf yet more spacious, it has the range, built in the UK, space for 2+2+1.

Width unfortunately the same as the Id.4 but it should feel less like driving a boat.

 

The new Leaf should be one of your options.

It is smaller than the original Leaf yet more spacious, it has the range, built in the UK, space for 2+2+1.

But will be out of his price range!

 

Having driven fatso through a couple of Cotswold villages recently having a car which is a bit too wide can be quite a pain....

MG5 estate? Cheap as hell and can be absolutely hammered. It's 1808mm wide in the body which is reasonably narrow but it does have a decent boot.

 

The new Leaf should start at £25k ish.
OP spent £40k on a brand new ID.4 a few years ago, surely they can spend a bit more if they want to.

If you buy a £200k Ferrari which is worth only £80k a few years later, surely they won't flinch on a brand new £120k car, is my reasoning.
There will be PCP and all kinds of options to afford it against a £17k pay out on their ID.4

 

Whilst this is a fair point, the OP specifically said that he didn’t want to spend any more than he gets for his id4, which he estimated to be £17k.

 

If you like the id.4 as a car and just want a smaller one, surely the id.3 is the obvious choice?

Same battery options and being smaller and lighter, more range from the same battery…

 

Hmm, I wasn't getting notification about replies, sorry about that!

To respond to a few of the suggestions:

• The Megane is too wide (only 2 mm narrower than the ID.4), and also our 4-year experience with the Zoe put us off Renaults...
• Renault 5 is too expensive (and a Renault)
• ID.3 and Cupra Born are big contenders. For some reason I thought the ID.3 was the same width as the ID.4, but I see now that isn't true at all.
• Kia Soul - can't get past the looks (sorry!) and it "feels" big to my wife
• Leaf - would never even consider buying a chademo car in 2025...
• MG5 - narrow but looong - wife has an issue with estates for this reason

I took a few minutes to put together this chart for the wife:

(Range Rover just for comparison)

Standouts seem to be the e-Niro (not the new Niro EV) and ID.3/Born. The old Kona would be perfect but the boot is even smaller than my e-Golf's!

 

The Megane is 84mm narrower than the ID4 and has a half decent camera system making parking quicker and easier than a number of other vehicles. The auto dipping side mirrors when reversing help some people avoid kerbing too.
It's nothing like a Zoe so not rally comparable.

Gaz

 

ID3 and you're done

Nippy, small outside, reasonable spaceinside, good turning circle, ok efficiency (180 winter? 240 summer?). Under budget perhaps if 58kWh, or go for larger battery for your longer trips.

 

MG MG4 2022-present vs. Volkswagen ID.3 2019-present

MG MG4 Hatchback 2022-present vs. Volkswagen ID.3 Hatchback 2019-present. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.

www.carsized.com

I also like smaller but capable cars so this website is my bible. May be useful for you to show visually what 15cm shorter than something else may look like. As well as showing what 10cm width may look like.

I notice you dont have the MG ZS~70kWh listed, it may be too wide but they are dirt cheap.

Your MG4 in the selection above, you done say if it's the Extended or Long range. Just wanted to chime in that the MG4 extended could be a little more than your budget but should easily be on par with the ID4 range wise.
If kit isn't as important you could get the long range SE which will be considerably cheaper.
Also if you did get the trophy it has 360 cameras as standard (SE doesnt) so despite being wider than the ID3 you'll have a better idea of where the corners are.

I personally keep jumping between a used ID3 Tour and a used MG4 Trophy, but then I keep getting put off by reports of dying screens on the ID3 (but like the OTA updates) and dying chargers on the MG4 (but like the 360 cameras) which makes me ping pong back and forth...

 

So I looked it up and it seems the Volve EX30 is available in the UK. Honestly, I'm surprised it's not more widely talked about here as in the US it has received raving reviews.

Not sure how the size compares to your available compact EVs in the UK but by American standards, it's rather small.

In fact, once my lease is up on my iX, if the new and improved Chevy Bolt EUV doesn't have a performance model capable of a 0-60 near 4 seconds, an EX30 is what I will be leasing next. I'm also considering a Neue Classe iX3 if lease prices are competitive when shopping. Either way, it comes down to one of those three vehicles as I want better efficiency than I currently have with the iX.

 

1837 mm wide so 1mm wider than the MG4 (between the MG4 and the ID.4 on my table). As an American living in the UK, you really can't compare car sizes between the two countries - the ID.4 is sometimes called a "hatchback" in the US, while here it is a decently-sized family SUV! (As an anecdote, when we first moved here we bought a Nissan Qashqai, called a Rogue in the states. We always felt like it was a big(ish) SUV because we drove it on UK roads, until the day we parked it next to an American Dodge Grand Caravan... I swear you could have fit the Qashqai inside the Grand Caravan's boot!)
Size aside I do like the Volvos but the EX30's boot seems tiny - at 3318 L it is even smaller than the old Kona's!

 

One thing to watch with the eNiro - the boot may be listed as 451L online but the UK spec one is absolutely not. It has a foam insert that sits below the boot floor and probably removes around 75L.

Other market versions of the eNiro don't have this insert, I've no idea why they decided to put it in the UK one. If you're reasonably handy it's pretty trivial to remove the foam insert and create a new floor from a piece of ply covered with rubber sheeting, costs around £50 to make.

 

I suspect you can get them ready made, either from Kia or as an aftermarket accessory from a specialist supplier (like you can frunks etc for multiple cars from that site in Ireland)

 

MG MG4 2022-present vs. Volkswagen ID.3 2019-present

MG MG4 Hatchback 2022-present vs. Volkswagen ID.3 Hatchback 2019-present. Compare car dimensions (length, width and height) vs. street perspective.

www.carsized.com

I hadn’t noticed untill looking at that but the overhangs are a chunk bigger on the mg4. If you minus the wheelbase from the total length to get the overhangs, then the mg is 9 cm greater. No idea how that’s distributed front to back.

One thing to watch with the eNiro - the boot may be listed as 451L online but the UK spec one is absolutely not. It has a foam insert that sits below the boot floor and probably removes around 75L.

It’s an oddly shaped thing. My brother had an old Niro at the same time I had my id3. He came to bail me out one time when I had a double puncture on my bike and it was surprisingly difficult to get the bike in, it’s doesn’t feel any bigger than the id3 at all.

 

It’s an oddly shaped thing. My brother had an old Niro at the same time I had my id3. He came to bail me out one time when I had a double puncture on my bike and it was surprisingly difficult to get the bike in, it’s doesn’t feel any bigger than the id3 at all.

This I can agree with. I can fit 4 big suitcases in the boot with the false floor removed but I need to drop the rear seats to get a bike in.

 

@Greenline this should answer your question 😂

 

I can't see videos through my firewall. Any way for a synopsis?

 

This is the kind of scenario the new LEAF is aimed at..
But that's not going to be available for a few months.
And it won't be £17k!
Ditto - the MGS5.
I've found the Kia Soul to be a good size, and the range is fine.
Boot space could be an issue coming from the ID.4 though, which will also apply to most of that era of Kia EVs. Yes, it's ugly but the driving position is good, it's easy to park, and feels small enough.
Just wish it had the 360 cameras and it would be perfect for me.
We have the Vauxhall Zafira if we need to haul junk around.. or transport dogs that have rolled around in cow pats all afternoon.

 

You could easily get a 73 id3 Tour with the big battery and ALL the options for the trade in… only downside is 4 seats.

 

That is the problem with so many new cars, the width can make them a right pain to live with, my old E-Niro is 1805 so easy to live with, not found anything yet that entices me to change, width being one of the issues. I find the boot OK but a bit larger would be better, as said removing the first layer of polystyrene and fitting a lower floor should be a simple matter. You should be able to find one of the last ones before the change within your budget. The replacement Niro EV is not quite as economical.

 

I believe the iD.3 Long Range option restricts you to 4 seats, not 5. Reason is the battery weighs rather more, and pushes the total weight too close to some limit or other. 2000 Kg maybe, whatever.

 

Do you like how the ID.4 works?
If so, buy an ID.3. It's better than an ID.4 if you do not need the space or regularly carry backseat passengers. It drives great and is one of the easiest cars of its size to park and manoeuvre that you will find. There are loads about at good prices in the used market.
I drive both our cars regularly and the ID3 feels significantly smaller on the road / to park.
If you want a change, maybe a Megane? I had a test drive as a passenger in one with my mum and was impressed, although rear visibility was poor (that put her off). And there are still very cheap leases about on Ford Pumas that might bring a new one in budget if your mileage is low (edit, probably wouldn't have the range).

P.S. if you really do want to keep the same or more range, if you went for an ID3/Born you'd need the 77kwh battery. There is a lot more choice of used cars in the 58 kwh version (which we find fine for long trips) but you lose about 30 miles vs a 77kwh ID4 on the motorway.

 

Do you like how the ID.4 works?
If so, buy an ID.3.

I do think an ID.3 would be our best option, as we do love the ID.4 just not the size. I guess my main issue currently is I don't want to lose any range but I didn't realise the 77 kWh ID.3 only has two seats in the back.. We've only got two kids so it isn't the end of the world, but we do occasionally have to take a third kids to a birthday party or something (I guess we could use the e-Golf for that though). I'll have a look around to see what the options are, I don't think I could stomach paying more for an ID.3 than we'd get for the ID.4, even if it is newer and has less miles (just an autism/psychology thing on my part).

 

FWIW, I recently traded in my 2018 Leaf and bought a 2024 MG4 Trophy Extended Range, and I love it. It is noticably shorter than the Leaf and so fits neatly in my garage. It is a few mm wider but I can cope with that. I paid less than £19k for it. It has all the toys - 360 cameras, heated seats, intelligent speed limiter etc. I would recommend it. The 77kWh battery should give 300 miles range in most scenarios.

I did a spreadsheet like yours, and was on the fence between the MG4 and the ID3. But the ID3 at that price did not have the 360 cameras, which is what swayed my decision.

 

MG4 it is then 👍

 

I do think an ID.3 would be our best option, as we do love the ID.4 just not the size. I guess my main issue currently is I don't want to lose any range but I didn't realise the 77 kWh ID.3 only has two seats in the back.. We've only got two kids so it isn't the end of the world, but we do occasionally have to take a third kids to a birthday party or something (I guess we could use the e-Golf for that though). I'll have a look around to see what the options are, I don't think I could stomach paying more for an ID.3 than we'd get for the ID.4, even if it is newer and has less miles (just an autism/psychology thing on my part).

Unless you do lots of journeys in the 150-200 mile range I would just buy a 58kwh one, but that's me. You'll find there are Pro Ss available with 5 seats now, but they are much newer, so more expensive. Newer Pro Ss also have less spec than an older 4 seat Pro S Tour. The Tour was almost at Max trim level, with travel assist, HUD etc.

 

Ok after a lot of car-searching and even more soul-searching I think it just isn't worth it for us to swap right now... Having settled on the idea of an ID.3, our options are basically either: 1) buy a similarly-aged ID.3 without any of the newer bells and whistles, sacrificing either a seat or some range, and hopefully come out of the deal with a few grand in our pockets, or 2) buy a newer ID.3 like the one I posted above, much nicer inside with everything we want but coming out of it with a car payment for 1-2 years (after finally paying off both cars 6 months ago). Neither option is particularly appealing right now, especially when other than the size and the occasionally-buggy infotainment, the ID.4 has been stellar. And we've had it from new so we know it.

The real crux of the matter is I'd place the completely arbitrary "value to us" figure for the ID.4 around £25k, and what we'd get for it is so far below that point that it isn't worth swapping... Similar ID.4s are listed on autotrader for £17-18k, Motorway would give us £14,945, and Car360 (where the ID.3 I posted above is) would only give us £12,490! I think it would be absolute insanity to give up a car we know and love, faults-aside, for such low amounts...

 

I think you've landed on the right decision there, as you have the e-Golf, just use that for the narrower around the doors runs and keep the ID.4 for your commute and longer road trips. I've only just read through this thread but the input from all has been good. Having had Souls and now now an ID.3 Pro S (last of the 4 seaters before they went to 5 in Mid 2024) I find both cars have pluses and minuses, but for me are the best cars in that size footprint based on others I drove when comparing them.

The Soul took me all the way down to Croatia and managed to fit 5 peoples luggage and 5 people in from Slovenia > Croatia. As long as you drop the floor and remove the parcel shelf in those cars the squared off backend allows for loads of cargo space, more than I can fit in the longer ID.3 boot, plus its rated for a roof box if you need even more storage and can take the hit on range. It's a real Swiss Army knife of a car and feels big on the inside (in the same way an ID.3 does) without having the massive footprint of modern SUVs. As we only have one kid, 4 seats in the ID.3 isn't an issue, it just means we can't take both the in-laws with us Both the wife and I have agreed that this size of car is as big as we want, so in a couple of years when my SS lease is up, we'll either buy the ID.3 or look at an EV3 (and possibly the Megane, which I did like, but the range suffered in comparison to the ID.3 Pro S and they were the same price on the Tusker scheme at the time).