Don’t be too demanding
Is electric driving expensive? Not at all. It’s possible for just a few thousand euros! But you do have to settle for a used electric car with a limited range.
The cheapest new electric car is the Dacia Spring. It costs a minimum of €18,000 and for that money offers a 70 hp electric motor and a 24 kWh battery, good for a range of 225 kilometers. Do you want to drive electric for less? Then you’ll have to rely on a used electric car. These also come in various price ranges. From Audi’s A6 e-tron with 2,500 kilometers of experience and a price tag of almost €75,000 to Kia’s e-Soul for €7,500. However, electric driving is possible for even less money. For just a few thousand euros, you can step into an early EV, although you will have to make some concessions in terms of range and charging capacity.
Peugeot iOn and Mitsubishi i-MiEV
The cheapest electric car in absolute terms where you don’t have to rent the battery, unlike many cheap used Renault Zoes, is this Peugeot iOn. Indeed: the Peugeot cousin of the Citroën C-Zero, which is based on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. It has kei-car proportions, making it remarkably narrow and tall. It costs only €2,950, is from 2012 and has just under 87,000 kilometers on the odometer. The Peugeot iOn was already not impressive in terms of performance, and after about 14 years, it certainly hasn’t gotten any better. Of the once stated 130 kilometers range, likely not much remains, and it can charge at a maximum of 3.7 kWh.
What else you get: the first rear-wheel drive Peugeot since the 505. That sounds more interesting than it is, of course. The iOn is minimalist city transport that in this case enriches your life with alloy wheels, air conditioning, a simple radio, and racing stripes. Prefer the Mitsubishi original? For just €50 extra, you can step into this white i-MiEV with less than 65,000 on the odometer. Actually a better deal, though in this case, it’s more about which exterior appeals to you most. We particularly appreciate the wheel design of the Mitsubishi.
This Nissan Leaf costs next to nothing, but also needs a bit of love.
Nissan Leaf
Of course, in this price segment, you cannot ignore the first generation of the Nissan Leaf. The cheapest working example costs €3,950, is 12 years old, and has about 125,000 NAP kilometers on the odometer. The white example could use a visit to the car wash, but according to the advertiser, it will be clean soon. You have to accept the dent in the left front fender, although it might be possible to repair it for not too much money. It doesn’t seem to be a real gem due to the non-working left front dipped beam, though the advertiser is honest enough to show it – just like the dent – in the images.
What else the Leaf has: front and rear seat heating, air conditioning, and a 24 kWh battery which – when the car was new – was good for a range of 199 kilometers. Is this one too scruffy for you? No problem, there are quite a few used Nissan Leaf models for sale for under €6,000, including younger examples with a 30 kWh battery. These are certainly also worth checking out.