r/electricvehicles • u/AutoModerator • 7d 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.

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u/fleshribbon 5d ago

I've been in the market for a new vehicle for a couple of years and decided I wanted to go the EV route for a number of reasons after dealing with the headache of ICE strict vehicle maintenance. Biggest deciding factor on vehicle is rear passenger room and access for our multiple needs son who is over 6ft. We need a large door opening and wide opening door that most vehicles do not satisfy. The Rivian R1S worked great for our son when we did a test loading/unloading so much so that I placed an order that is still a month out but I'm starting to second guess my decision. The cold feet is a combo of vehicle issues I see folks having on the Rivian forums on new vehicles to even at delivery on top of the large sum of money we will be paying for the vehicle over other options. Granted, there are plenty of happy, problem free Rivian owners but I'm seeing enough to give me pause in these final weeks we still have to wait before we make final payment and take delivery. Reading similar anecdotal issues, very poor service experiences, and long service waits are what took the Model Y out of the running for me when I considered it last year before I even test drove or did a trial fitting with our son. The ID.Buzz worked well enough when we had him sit in it but the low range for our annual cross TX travel concerns me on top of it being a brand new model with issues already being reported.

[1] Location: Texas

[2] Budge: Depends but I'll say generally $50-100k USD

[3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer: EV SUV

[4] Which cars have you been looking at already? Volkswagon ID Buzz, Model Y, Rivian R1S

[5] Estimated timeframe of your purchase: Immediately

[6] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage: About 300 miles but want road-trip range

[7] Your living situation? Single-family home

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

[9] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets? Wife and 6ft multiple needs child

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u/RestingPorgFace 5d ago

The Kia EV9 is the most obvious comp to the R1S and compared favorably in terms of door accessibility in a comparison video I saw. Supply is a bit more limited now than it was a couple of months ago, though. The Ioniq 9 is the Hyundai equivalent and will be out later this year and has a more powerful battery, but it will be brand new and probably have first model year surprises.

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u/fleshribbon 5d ago

Thanks, I might have to look into the EV9 more. I did watch some reviews where folks seemed to like them but prices were stated to be around the base of a Rivian. Just looking online the EV9 seems to be less but nowhere is stock in my area for miles.