Switch on the electric at a lower price
There’s never been a better time to buy second-hand,
Car buyers have more choice and better access to information than ever before, but whether that’s a blessing or a curse remains to be seen. After all, the enthusiasm with which we embraced diesel as a low-co2 alternative to petrol in the Nineties and 2000s turned out to be short-sighted, to say the least, and it’s possible that we’re about to make the same mistake again with battery and hybrid cars.
That said, more households could buy a low or ultra-low emission model today than could, say, five years ago. Pure electric cars are still a little bit niche – we’d only recommend them to people with their own driveways, as public charging infrastructure is still a few years off being relied upon – but there’s a hybrid for pretty much everybody.
And plug-in hybrids offer many of the benefits of battery-electric motoring without quite so many of the pitfalls.
I’m often asked about hydrogen-powered cars. Yes, they will one day play a big part in the way we get around. And yes, the Hyundai Nexo is a very good car in its own right. But the infrastructure isn’t yet in place to support significant private uptake of fuel cells, and the most obvious applications for this technology in the near to medium term are in larger vehicles anyway.
The vast majority of people still buy fossil fuel cars. Specifically, petrol ones. And in terms of purchase price and cost of ownership, a £15,000 supermini is still a pretty good choice for most people. With the exception of the Renault Zoe, electric and hybrid cars tend to be much pricier than their conventional rivals, like-for-like.
So what should you do? Well, there is an option we haven’t yet discussed in this 69-plate new car special, and that’s buying a second-hand car. The Renault Zoe, for example, is one of my favourite electric models; it’s too old to be included here, but Renault’s innovative battery leasing scheme makes it an excellent choice for used buyers. And the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – Britain’s bestselling plug-in hybrid – is a solid second-hand car.
So while the latest crop of hybrid and electric cars is excellent, there’s a strong argument in favour of ignoring them. Leasing deals represent terrific value for families these days, but the financial and environmental case for buying a secondhand car grows by the day – and there’s never been a better time to buy a used hybrid or EV.