Grim... wrote:
GazChap wrote:
I'm strongly considering replacing the Leaf with a BMW 520d (probably estate, but not ruled out saloon) in September when the lease is up.
Was that a one year lease?
Two.
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How did that work out financially? Did you save a considerable amount on fuel?
Depends how you look at it, really. Here's the total costs for the two year period (with the time up to September 2017 estimated, and assuming nothing unexpected)
£500 deposit.
£236.29 per month for the lease, for 24 months = £5,670.96
Insurance for two years = approx. £820
No VED.
Cost to replace all four tyres (two due to wear, two due to damage) - £400
"Fuel" - difficult to gauge as it just gets added to the electricity bill, but I reckon it's between £40-50 a month, perhaps less as we recently changed provider to a cheaper kWh rate.
So, in total about
£8,500 for the two years, or £354 a month.
Now, if you look at it from the perspective of me driving literal gas guzzlers previously, I've saved a fuckton of money. The last M5 for example was costing me near enough £400 per month in fuel alone, and that was before my daily commute increased from 10 miles to 36 miles. Plus the £500 a year tax, the insurance, the warranty payments and the cost for the finance, I've saved megabucks with the Leaf, even if it doesn't feel like it.
BUT, there's no escaping that range is a definite issue. Most of the time it's no problem, but occasionally it rears it's ugly head. Yesterday, for example, I drove to work (18 miles) and then had to drive immediately home again to rescue Jem from her "locked out" situation. That's 36 miles straight off. I'd have then needed to drive it back to work, then back home, then back to Shrewsbury again for shooting later in the day, and then back home - that's 108 miles, give or take a couple.
I might have been able to do it with strategic charging, but I couldn't be arsed so I just took the Celica instead.
I've not done the full maths yet, but in a year's time a decent 520d should be about £4K (for the E60/1 model at any rate) and that'll get around 50-55mpg. It should end up costing about the same or be slightly more expensive, but without worrying about range issues. I'm also considering the newer 5-series (F10/11) but they're pricier to purchase.
The challenge is that I need to find a car that will be frugal enough on fuel that it competes with the EV, whilst also being relatively pokey and fun to drive (the Leaf is surprisingly fun) and have enough of the creature comforts that I'm used to.
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99% of my driving is to Bedford train station and back, and they have free parking for EVs, so I could potentially save a fortune.
If you do almost exclusively short journeys (journies?) and are paying a decent chunk out per month at the moment for your car, an EV does make a lot of sense.