Jim wants a new motor

Please talk to me about cars. To @Ingo's delight I'm sure, I am tempted to get us one finally. I'd want it to be an electric, or perhaps electric hybrid. Probably a small SUV style. I quite like the idea of the lease model where you essentially rent it for a few years then hand it back / get a new one? We could afford a lump sum up front if it helps get a good price. There seems to be some sort of salary sacrifice thing through my work which I need to look into, though that that restricts the providers / choice.

So yeah, any info along these lines useful please.

Is anyone doing similar through work?

How much do you pay?

Recommendations for lease car providers?

I don't really like the car, but £120 a month seemed super cheap for this:

www.leaseloco.com/car-leasing/vauxhall/frontera/83kw-gs-44kwh-5dr-auto/51706/2-24-5000-12-0/4058079fc7adf7321130a24363c39ef6/config

Cheap but a very low range. I'm sure it's fine if the range is good enough for you

Really slow for an electric too

Look at leasing.com for comparisons

Also worth asking if you can get one as a company car.

Most journeys will be around Sheffield and outskirts. Maybe 3-4 times a week? We don't need one for commuting as I'm remote and the missus goes to London on the train every week. I guess we'd visit family in Nottingham once a month or so. Then 2-3 times a year we'll probably drive to Scotland and I guess would need to factor in stopping to recharge somewhere. I think it'll be taking Little Miss Shady to various clubs at the weekend ... Family outings to the peaks and stuff like that ... I'd like to be able to drive to go for a run in some different areas occasionally. A walk round a reservoir etc.

We don't have a driveway which is a bit of an issue for an electric. Some people drag a cable across the pavement but that's opening a can of worms.

I know some friends who have an electric and they charge it on someone else's drive nearby that you can book.

Is 5000 miles going to be enough?

I have no bloody idea tbh. Need to think about that. Gut reaction is yes. But I'm not seriously interested in that car anyway, it was more just an example.

Most important thing for Jimbo is having a think about what sort of of mileage and trips he's going to do, rather than 'I just want an electric car'. That way, you can start looking at options based on range rather than purely price. If you're going to be driving it up and down the M1 regularly, you want something with a battery capable of doing at least 200 real-world miles off a full charge. Otherwise, you're going to spend far more time and money than you'd like plugged into chargers at motorway service stations.

Absolutely budget for an extra grand to have a wall charger fitted at home (if you have the driveway and space obviously). The novelty of public charging 'while you grab a coffee' wears off pretty quickly - especially when you're paying nearly 10 times as much as you would at home. Octopus Energy has a couple great EV tariffs where you can charge overnight for peanuts. Mrs BW's Golf, for example, will take a 100 miles of charge in the early hours for about £1.50. Our Ohme charger has been brilliant - great app, simple to use - but was just over £1,000 with installation from memory.

Electric cars are not for everyone but we've become total converts. I can't imagine going back to a petrol or diesel again, and certainly not a manual gearbox. They're far, far nicer to drive (especially in built-up traffic), more responsive, quicker off the line, etc.

That sounds a total ballache. You must be talking about mains charging, too, which you can forget in a practical sense. Larger cars would take 12-18 hours to charge off a three-pin plug.

They're are decent apps, however, which pinpoint all the public chargers and those households that rent theirs out. Zapmap is good for that. I'd recommend downloading it ahead of any decision and see what charge points are close to where you live.

Worth looking if Sheffield are involved in this - Government grant programme to "support residents without access to off-street parking to charge their EVs at home".
www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-the-electric-vehicle-ev-pavement-channels-grant

And 5,000 is hardly anything for a year. If you're factoring in a couple of long drives to Scotland, you'd need more like 10,000 I'd say to cover the family visits to Nottingham and the 3-4 uses a week you mention.

A single return drive to Scotland with driving around while there is going to be pretty close to 1,000 miles by itself.

Local mate of mine is always writing to our local councillors about pavement gutters as he wants one installing, so I presume Sheffield aren't doing it. Hopefully soon.

Yeah you're right.

That assumes that you can park nicely outside your house. Not sure about Sheffield but round here you are lucky if you're parked in the same street!

Yeah parking round here is tricky. Tight narrow terrace streets. That said I think we'd manage it enough to charge a vehicle. Especially as I'm at home most of the day so I could move it when opportunity presents.

I love electric cars, we have had only electric for 6 years now. I wouldn't change, having said that I would agree with Tricky that you need to seriously think about whether it is right for you if you don't have off road parking.