A POSITIVE CHANGE
There’s a buzz about battery-powered cars. What are the best options?
THE QUESTION
I want to replace my 2011 Subaru Tribeca with an electric SUV as my urban fuel bills are too expensive. I’ve researched hybrids and plugins but would prefer a full electric. I bought the Tribeca for its electric adjustable seats for my bad back. Suggestions please?
Jo Collins, email
ANSWER
The electric car appeal is obvious but let’s not gloss over their high cost relative to a petrol or diesel car. Fuel bills may plummet but your initial outlay buying an EV is higher, even with government incentives.
You’ll also want a wallbox charger (from around $2000 fitted) to speed up home charging, and home solar’s needed to be properly zero emissions. Any EV will feel like a futuristic spaceship compared to your old Tribeca, albeit far smaller.
CHOICES
MG ZS EV ESSENCE, $44,990 DRIVE-AWAY
Australia’s cheapest EV is your (relative) budget way into electric motoring. Its single motor offers 105kw/353nm and zips the MG along at a decent pace. A 44.5kwh battery claims 263km range, but the reality is closer to an anxiety-inducing 200km. It takes about seven hours to fully charge using a 7kw wallbox.
Faux leather seats are comfortable and sixway electric adjustable, while there’s decent safety and equipment inside a roomy cabin.
Negatives include some interior plastic cheapness, average ride comfort and the front tyres spinning if you’re not gentle on the throttle. Servicing costs $1588 for five years.
An updated ZS EV with longer range arrives later this year and should be a better car, but prices will jump.
HYUNDAI KONA ELECTRIC HIGHLANDER, $63,000 DRIVE-AWAY
It’s $18k more than the MG but a far better EV. The Kona’s 100kw/395nm motor bursts with torque so it’s a fun and eager SUV. It’s comfy, quiet and real-world efficient too: Hyundai claims 305km between charges and that’s what you’ll get.
Hyundai’s home wallbox charger is $1950 and fills the battery in nine hours. Another $6000 buys an Extended Range Kona with more powerful motor (150kw) and bigger battery for 484km range, but that may be overkill.
Goodies include heated and ventilated power leather seats, digital dashboard, excellent infotainment and strong build quality. Some cheap cabin plastics and small rear seats and boot show it’s not perfect, while five years
of pre-paid services costs $1385. MERCEDES-BENZ EQA 250, ABOUT $80,000 DRIVE-AWAY
The EQA 250’s price is basically the same as a GLA 250 - Mercedes’ petrol SUV equivalent - helping the value proposition. It also looks stunning and the cabin’s glorious.
There’s heated electric faux leather seats, power tailgate, Benz’s excellent MBUX multimedia with twin 10.25-inch screens and lengthy safety. Adaptive dampers help with a cossetting, quiet ride. The 140kw/375nm motor gives ample shove while a 67kwh battery ofers a claimed – if optimistic – 426km.
Home wallbox charging takes almost 11 hours to full, but there’s a three-year Chargefox subscription thrown in for free public fast charging. Five years of servicing is $2200..
WILDCARD
HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 RWD, ABOUT $76,000 DRIVE-AWAY
The Ioniq 5 was our 2021 Car of the Year, but supply is so limited you’ll wait a long time to own one, hence it’s my wildcard.
Unlike the others it’s built on a platform exclusively for electric power so the interior is roomy and smartly packaged. Its edgy exterior styling, giant twin screens, range of sustainably sourced cabin materials and power ‘eco’ leather seats give a real futuristic feel.
The motor’s 160kw/350nm offers ample shove to the rear, but a truly rapid 225kw/650nm motor is offered for another $4000.
The 73kwh battery offers 451km range, and a home wallbox will fill it in just under 12 hours. Servicing for five years costs $1684. The drive, handling and cabin quiet are superb, there’s excellent safety and you look like you’re driving the future.
VERDICT
It’s a shame the Ioniq 5 (and the closely related Kia EV6) has such a long waiting list as it’s the obvious choice. It’s impossible to know the exact wait, but I’d get on the list immediately.