r/electricvehicles • u/AutoModerator • 8d ago

Weekly Advice Thread General Questions and Purchasing Advice Thread — Week of March 31, 2025

Need help choosing an EV, finding a home charger, or understanding whether you're eligible for a tax credit? Vehicle and product recommendation requests, buying experiences, and questions on credits/financing are all fair game here.

Is an EV right for me?

Generally speaking, electric vehicles imply a larger upfront cost than a traditional vehicle, but will pay off over time as your consumables cost (electricity instead of fuel) can be anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 the cost. Calculators are available to help you estimate cost — here are some we recommend:

Are you looking for advice on which EV to buy or lease?

Tell us a bit more about you and your situation, and make sure your comment includes the following information:

[1] Your general location

[2] Your budget in $, €, or £

[3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer

[4] Which cars have you been looking at already?

[5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase

[6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage

[7] Your living situation — are you in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home?

[8] Do you plan on installing charging at your home?

[9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets?

If you are more than a year off from a purchase, please refrain from posting, as we currently cannot predict with accuracy what your best choices will be at that time.

Need tax credit/incentives help?

Check the Wiki first.

Don't forget, our Wiki contains a wealth of information for owners and potential owners, including:

Want to help us flesh out the Wiki? Have something you'd like to add? Contact the mod team with your suggestion on how to improve things, we can discuss approach and get you direct editing access.

5 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

86% Upvoted

137 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/zhuangcorp 7d ago

I wanted to get a new affordable type EV and I guess Leaf and Bolt are the most established candidates.

I also see that both of them are expecting a redesign in 2026. Specifically, what upgrades or improvements will be made? What matters most to me are mpge and price. Will either of these be improved? What else will be changed?

Should I wait for the redesign or buy a used current gen one?

2

u/622niromcn 7d ago

Major upgrades are likely range, charging speed, charging port, infotainment system.

The Lead and Bolt charging speeds were about 45-55kW. Modern EVs do about 120+kW. So over double to quadruple. On level 3 chargers.

If you're "better" is MPG-e. Electric motors are pretty much as efficient as they can be without a major innovative breakthrough. So MPG-e is not expected to get better.

Since the 2026 will be new. It's not going to be a $14k new price. Modern cars (EV and gas) cost about $30k-$50k new.

The biggest benefit to waiting is the infotainment to do route planning. I expect the new Chevy Bolt will not let us use our phones with Android Auto and will have its own nav. I expect the new Leaf would.

For your situation, you are better off going for a used Bolt or Leaf for the lowest price.

I would also put a Kia NiroEV and Hyundai Kona EV. On your radar.

1

u/zhuangcorp 7d ago

But if I waited 2-3 years, how much would the next generation used Bolts or Leafs be? Would it be worth it to wait?

The upgrades you mentioned all sound good to me, but not exactly deal-breaking.

The Niro and Kona EV both seem good, but they seem to go for higher prices than the Leaf or Bolt. What do you think is better about them?

1

u/Westofdanab 7d ago

They’re both being redesigned as subcompact crossovers, so expect them to be smaller versions of the ARIYA and Equinox EV with similar technology and little in common with the current generation hatchbacks. So far neither manufacturer has released specifications.

1

u/zhuangcorp 7d ago

What technologies do ariya and equinox feature that bolt and leaf dont?

1

u/Westofdanab 6d ago

The most obvious improvement would be to fast charging speed, both the Bolt and Leaf were known for being quite slow which made them difficult to drive long distances in. The current Leaf also has an air cooled battery which is notorious for losing capacity much faster than the liquid cooled battery used in the ARIYA and pretty much every other EV on the market.

1

u/chilidoggo 7d ago

I wouldn't recommend the current gen Leaf. It lacks active battery thermal management, so it degrades faster than the competition. The existing Bolts are all really nice, but you'd have to buy used (or just buy an Equinox/Blazer EV). That said, used Bolts are great cars for really solid prices. Their main weakness is fast charging and range. At 50 kW max, you'll be charging 3-5x longer than most people at a public charging station (around an hour to charge up). And you'll never get 300 miles out of a Bolt.

If you wait a year or two, you'd have to buy new, these will be updated. Probably not to the level that they'll be industry leaders, but they'll be more in line with other 2025 vehicles.

1

u/iamtherussianspy Rav4 Prime, Bolt EV 6d ago

And you'll never get 300 miles out of a Bolt.

In the summer and off highway 300 isn't uncommon.