The RAC has highlighted one electric car as a cheap used buy (stock) (Image: Getty)
Since electric cars returned to the UK’s streets en-masse for the first time in nearly a century in the 2010s, people have been fascinated by them.
However, one thing that has often gotten in the way of people buying them is price, with many models more expensive than their petrol or diesel counterparts.
What’s more, even when people had the money to buy them, they might choose to spend that money on a nearly-new used petrol car with more kit.
Fortunately for the savvy motoring buyer thousands of electric cars have now made their way onto the used car market, and the RAC has established a list of the best ones on sale, including one car five times cheaper than a rival.
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A Nissan Leaf can be had for as little as £1,700 (Image: Getty)
In their list of the best used electric cars, the RAC highlighted the Nissan Leaf, one of the earliest mass-produced electric cars of the 21st Century. It’s been described as some as a car that helped to kickstart the electric revolution in the UK thanks to its relative affordability and trailblazing nature, entering a market when few other major manufacturers would.
Highlighting the Leaf, Lawrence Allan remarked: “It’s hard to believe that the sort of budget that buys you a rusty, polluting old banger can get you into a smooth-driving, eco-friendly electric car. But the popularity of the original Nissan Leaf means there are plenty around at near rock-bottom prices.”
The Leaf, which first went on sale in the early 2010s, is now available from around £1,700, around four to five times cheaper than the £7,000 MG 5 and £8,000 electric Vauxhall Corsa also on the list.
However, Lawrence warned that this price gulf came with a geographical as well as actual price. He said: “It’s worth remembering that these early 24kWH Leafs didn’t have the longest of ranges when they were new.
“After well over a decade of use, you could see anything from 100 miles from a charge in stop-start urban driving (where EVs perform best) to below 50 miles on the motorway.”
As a result, while it may be tempting to save all that money and buy a Leaf, one has to remember that it will likely not have the same versatility as its more expensive rivals.
An electric Corsa (Image: Getty)
Meanwhile, a recent review by the RAC on the latest Nissan Leaf continued to praise it, scoring it an 8.5 stars out of 10.
Dan Powell wrote: « The Nissan Leaf is an extremely likeable electric car. Effortless to drive and extremely refined, it is a well-rounded effort that reaffirms the Leaf’s place as a market leading EV. Its smooth and soft driving manners may leave some enthusiastic drivers cold, but we think the Leaf’s low running costs and upmarket interior will win over the majority of family car buyers. »
The RAC’s recommendations come months after a motoring expert suggested that the prices of a lot of used electric cars could plummet, opening up opportunities for buyers around the country.
Speaking to the Express last year, co-founder of ClearWatt Patrick Cresswell said new stock from just a few years ago is now hitting the second hand market.
He said: “March of 2022 broke all the records for new EV sales, with more battery-powered vehicles sold in that month alone than all of 2019 – and much of that stock is now hitting the second-hand market, as three-year lease terms expire.
“We estimate 350,000 used EVs will be sold this year – and up to 40,000 could be in March alone.”
