Mini Electric?

 

Zoe… I’m not too keen on them as I’ve read lots of negative comments about them, or am I'm being unfair?

Probably, like all makes models you can find lots of negative comments and experiences.
Zoe makes a good first EV.

 

Yeah, my neighbours Zoe died with a leg in the air. They were dumb enough to finance it, no warranty with a battery lease! Baptism of fire...

 

Some possible solutions links below…

Not a huge selection of small used EV’s so Pug e208 size might meet your needs.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/used-small-electric-cars-eight-best

Best used electric cars for less than £15,000 – cheap EVs reviewed and rated

A brand new Dacia Spring electric car costs just £15,000, but what could you buy on the used market for the same money? Here's our top 10

www.whatcar.com

 

At the budget, a Zoe ZE50 with Rapid Charge capability would take some beating (streets ahead of a 500 imo)

 

Gwm ora?

 

Ora just about for the £13k..good shout

 

BMW i3 42kwh. Corsa, or E208 are obvious choices.
Maybe go look at a Mazda MX-30. Bigger than planned and not the best EV, but will do the job and a nice place to sit. Also you can afford a two year old one with a years manufacturers warranty and 6 years battery warranty left. Or just over budget will get you a 1 year old example.
Maybe if you can wait a year or maybe less a Leapmotors T03.

 

If she doesnt like the Mii/eUp range I would look at a 500e or i3, but it depends what she wants. In my experience these sorts of second cars are usually bought on style over how they drive, and range doesn't really matter by the sounds of it.

 

The 500e is a much better car than the petrol 500. Though it looks the same it is entirely different, sharing no panels at all. It’s a great car. The 500e, despite being part of Stellantis along with Peugeot and Vauxhall, is on an entirely different platform. The Corsa/208 (same car, different styling) are pretty good, though with some questionable quality, I’d be wary of buying an early one.

 

Nissan Leaf.
Reliable, most value for your money, they're giving them away, made in UK.
Not the smallest but nimble enough.
30kWh can get you 100 miles but barely, can be had for £3K.
40kWh will give you 150 miles but costs £6K.
Proper car, Tekna versions come with 360 camera, sensors, ProPilot, LED headlights, etc...

 

Yep, if a Leaf isn't too big (they're not tiny) and isn't too ugly/dull (subjective) then you generally get a lot of reliable "just gets the job done" for the money. Depends whether whatever else you do with the money you save will bring you more joy than a more stylish/exciting car would?

 

I didn't suggest the Leaf as it's over 1m longer than the current car. A car that is a third longer is quite a bit bigger. But apart from size will fit the bill.

 

My wife has a Zoe and absolutely loves it. It has a few French quirks and the remote app leaves things to be desired, but basically is a great buy if one is not doing long trips. I actually prefer driving it to my Kia Soul EV.

 

i found no mention of egolf.

probably the best battery you can get with balance for certainly the cheapest maintenance.

plus it is a golf.

also unlikely to get any better range, unless you find a great deal on bmw i3.

my 2014 version (i bought it a bit out of a rush, so not the best autonomy you can find), it has 100km autonomy in summer and average range of 70km in my experience in poland so far i would say. because it went as low as 50km using sporadically in city while staying inside of it for long time using cc as little as possible, seat always warm.

on the road i can still hit above 80km, but i did not take the chances given how terrible the charging structure feels everywhere in my trip to london, during summer.

 

found no mention of egolf.

Well, think the OP wants a modern car 😂

 

Surprised not to see Ioniq 28 and 38 kWh mentioned. Both are brilliant cars for the money. If you go for SE spec you have heated and cooled seats as well. They easily do 100 and 130 even in winter and 140 and 190 in summer. Hatchback style, so plenty of space.
Here you go:

Auto Trader UK - New and Used Cars For Sale

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autoselect.arval.co.uk

 

agreed.

other than range/autonomy, i believe it still stands as the best battery in the market eu/usa (i got no idea of asia). always at 100%.

i used to fit a whole 190x90cm regular cheap wholesale matt on my good old ioniq 28 and sleep with ultra comfort there. fold it into the hatch, still with some space to take away vision and add bags, plus 3 more people in the car.

almost regret selling it, when i decided to go wild nomad style and that i wanted to upgrade (for better autonomy).

but it ain't a golf!

 

You can get a 2022 Corsa E in your budget, could be worth a look. Our daughter likes hers.

We have a Mini SE, cracking car but not the most practical.

You say you have another car family outings longer distances, if it's ICE, you will probably finding yourselves grabbing the EV keys unless you absolutely have to use the ICE

 

You say you have another car family outings longer distances, if it's ICE, you will probably finding yourselves grabbing the EV keys unless you absolutely have to use the ICE

I was guilty of that even if taking the EV was painful sometimes.

 

eUp/Mii/CitiGo, Mini, Ionic, eGolf, Leaf 62, 500e, MX-30. Of course it has to be the right car at the right price.

 

Very good shout on MX-30. I never driven one but been in one as a passenger for about 20 miles. Very well put together, very smooth and almost silent. However the range....but it will work for the OP.

 

Seconding the e-Golf. We swapped our Zoe for an e-Golf back in June and I've never been happier. Fun to drive, cheap to maintain. If anything goes wrong, it is just a golf, so anyone with a spanner can fix it...

 

I'm looking for a 2nd EV as my daily, and an E-Golf would be at the top of the list in that price bracket. I recently saw an E-Golf which was a 1 owner (a DR), 2019 (mk7.5), 30k miles with the optional heated seats, upgraded infotainment system and digital dash for £9k on a private sale. It had full history, and had just been treated to a full set of Michelin Cross Climate tyres.
Unfortunately it sold before I could convince the wife it was a good buy.

 

I recommend the Zoe, and a warranty for peace of mind. The Corsa/208s are also nice cars but have their own expensive failures.

 

Slightly over your budget but there may be a deal to be had. DSG are highly regarded as a Zoe dealership.
The zero miles is obviously incorrect so would need checking.

2023 72 Renault Zoe 100kw Techno R135 50kwh Boost Charge 5dr Auto Electric Automatic In Midnight Blue

Look what I have found! Just £13990 with only 0 miles :)

www.dsgautomart.co.uk

 

Second cars in our household either ICE or EV have always followed the same guidelines.

No finance
Cheap parts
No timing belt or expensive service items
Cheap tyres
Fuel efficient
Reasonable level of safety
Known to be a reliable model
DIY friendly
If things do go pear shaped is there local support

 

Second cars in our household either ICE or EV have always followed the same guidelines.

No finance
Cheap parts
No timing belt or expensive service items
Cheap tyres
Fuel efficient
Reasonable level of safety
Known to be a reliable model
DIY friendly
If things do go pear shaped is there local support

Sounds like an e-Golf to me!

 

Completely off the wall but the MG5 would be a robust reliable car. If the good lady was comfortable with the size, maybe? I think it is 8 inches longer than a Zoe. Or maybe not the Peugeot 107 is tiny.

Many being used as taxis and James of James and Kate (YouTube) is up to 150,000 miles and still at 90% SOH.

You can only take her for a test drive to see. My missus was comfortable driving a Passat Estate... and does the MG5 have all round cameras like the ZS?

 

Yeah, waiting for an MG5 facelift to drop into my price range. MG4 is nice too but boot size no use for me.

 

Back in the day when small cars were fun and Ford made cars you wanted to buy, lol!

 

Thank you all for your input, I’ll discuss it with the better half and see what she thinks.

 

I'll put one more vote in for the Zoe. My ZE50 is now over three years old, regularly gives me efficiencies of over 4mKWH (up to 4.8 in the summer) with a reliable range of around 200 miles and has been a pleasure to drive. Can pick up a 3-4 year old reasonable mileage example for between £10-13K.

 

Mg5 a good car guys…….but brief is sub £10k……
Might be a couple in the country at that price, but stretched on miles and spec

 

and a long way off being 'small'!