Corolla(or any) hybrid vs electric. Which one to choose

[Niky]

Please delete if inappropriate here

Lately I've been looking lots of reviews of the new Tesla model 3, and I am really liking it!!! Quality and materials seem to be improved, quieter, better ride

I was wondering why would you buy a new Corolla, or any Toyota hybrid vs Model 3 or any other electric car

Few obvious reasons, such as price, range, high depreciation and warranty, but I've been doing some calculations that the new standard range Model 3' (long term) running monthly cost might just work out the same, if not even cheaper (for me - see fuel below) than a new Corolla?

Fuel - I can potentially charge the Tesla at work, and only need public charger when going on a road trip around UK - doing at least one every year. Doing over 20k miles per year which is over £2.2k for fuel

Servicing - It seems Tesla don't have any servce schedule, but only recommendations which can be done anywhere and don't affect the warranty, so virtually £0 for service 

Range - one charge should be just enough for my weekly commute 

Haven't checked insurance cost for a Tesla, 18inch tyres are around £175 each, road tax from next year will be the same as the Corolla

Etc....

What are your thoughts?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Moved to General Discussions

[MC1216]

Niky

If it works for you then there is no reason not to buy a Tesla...i am not anti EV as they work for some people but they don't work for me...i would not want to drive from Preston to Malaga worrying about where to charge.(a journey i make at least twice a year)

The biggest benefit for EV's has been BIK for companies/drivers.

The new Tesla 3 is better in quality and range.

The downsides as pointed out is depreciation...my friend who works for a large North West car dealer says only lease EV's...they have more or less stopped taking in EV's in P/X as they can't sell them on and are losing money on most of them.

If you can charge at work that is a benefit if you don't have a home charger.

Insurance should not be too bad as i have a friend with one who pays £800 a year.

They are quick and having driven one they are also smooth.

If the figures work then yes go for it.

Mark

[forkingabout]

I can't charge an EV at home or work, I would have to make a journey to a public charger & then wait around while an EV recharged.

I recharged my C-HR hybrid last night in 5 minutes at Tesco as I was passing & then had 450 miles range available plus that's not including the reserve.

An EV just isn't practical for my usage, a Toyota hybrid works out perfectly for what I need.

[Mojo1010]

If it works for you then why not. Ev is probably the best car to drive for a smooth and relaxing experience. If I was able to have a home charger then I would probably have gone for a used Kona ev.

My street lamp post charge point is 60p kWh day time fee and 40p midnight to 7am. Spent a week in Cornwall last month covering 980 miles, one way was 290m. Finding accommodation with a charge point is super limited. 

 

[yossarian247]

I tend to keep cars until they are 10-12 years old, so what would concern me most with a Tesla (or any EV) is doubts over the longevity. 'Old' EVs are still a relatively unknown quantity.

Although the build quality of Teslas has apparently improved, I've seen (or rather heard) a lot of fairly recent Tesla model 3s making awful plasticky rattling sounds from underneath at low speeds lately. Perhaps just a loose undertray or similar but doesn't inspire confidence in what are only 1-2 year old cars!

[TonyHSD]

If company money yes why not, Tesla are the best ev in terms of Battery and e motors. Fastest cars in the world if that matters too. 
However like any other phev or bev they have ultra heavy and ultra expensive batteries that with the  time to renew they cost as much as the total value of the car for outside warranty work and any other work outside warranty comes at great expense, which in a long term ownership can be a huge inconvenience. 

[Cyker]

7 hours ago, Mojo1010 said:

If it works for you then why not. Ev is probably the best car to drive for a smooth and relaxing experience. If I was able to have a home charger then I would probably have gone for a used Kona ev.

My street lamp post charge point is 60p kWh day time fee and 40p midnight to 7am. Spent a week in Cornwall last month covering 980 miles, one way was 290m. Finding accommodation with a charge point is super limited. 

 

60p/kWh for what I assume is 7kW charging??? That's daylight robbery! Literally!!  

That was already expensive for rapid chargers, but if that's for 7kW AC charging that's just extortionate!!

EVs really are only cheaper to run if you can charge at home if that's the state of public charging infrastructure!

 

5 hours ago, yossarian247 said:

I tend to keep cars until they are 10-12 years old, so what would concern me most with a Tesla (or any EV) is doubts over the longevity. 'Old' EVs are still a relatively unknown quantity.

Although the build quality of Teslas has apparently improved, I've seen (or rather heard) a lot of fairly recent Tesla model 3s making awful plasticky rattling sounds from underneath at low speeds lately. Perhaps just a loose undertray or similar but doesn't inspire confidence in what are only 1-2 year old cars!

I'd say their fit and finish is improving, but I'm not so sure about build quality in the Toyota sense of the word. They still have issues with mechanicals and e.g. using plastic for parts that really should have been made of metal.

One thing with Teslas is they are very heavy on continuous software updates which is both good and bad; Good in that bugs get fixed, but bad in that new bugs get introduced and sometimes you can go to your car and find the whole UI has changed and you have to re-learn where the menu options have gone.

I don't know what their customer support is like - I've heard mixed views; For some they bend over backwards and just fix things, but other say they're fobbed off and obstructed. It does seem you really want the car in-warranty as things can get expensive quickly when out of, esp. if you have an uncooperative service centre.

 

My main problem with EVs is they are all too big, too heavy, and don't have enough range - I'm using to having cars that are sub-4m long and sub-1.7m wide with minimum 400mile ranges, peaking at over 600 for my Mk1 D4D (Which was also the smallest car I've owned!  )

I also can't charge at home, so in all areas that I want a car for, they are just worse.

A lot of people buy EVs because they think they are cheaper to run - No longer the case - or they are better for the environment.

I don't believe they are better for the environment, so there is literally no advantage I can see to get one over what I have now (And that I only got because of KHAAAAAN! otherwise I'd still be in my Mk1 D4D!  )

[AJones]

21 hours ago, Niky said:

I was wondering why would you buy a new Corolla, or any Toyota hybrid vs Model 3 or any other electric car

If you can't charge at home and find yourself driving along routes or in parts of the country where charging facilities are more limited (I'm thinking rural areas, small towns etc) then running an EV might still be a challenge at this point, making a HEV more attractive. 

If you can charge at home, or at work, but have concerns about public charging facilities, long distance drives etc then a plug-in hybrid would let you shift your day to day driving to electric without any concern or inconvenience related to range and charging. I think there's a lot of people who could happily and easily run a PHEV, shifting a large chunk of their mileage to electric without any inconvenience or anxiety at all.

Compare the new Prius PHEV vs. an EV.

 

[Mojo1010]

13 hours ago, Cyker said:

60p/kWh for what I assume is 7kW charging??? That's daylight robbery! Literally!!  

That was already expensive for rapid chargers, but if that's for 7kW AC charging that's just extortionate!!

EVs really are only cheaper to run if you can charge at home if that's the state of public charging infrastructure!

 

I'd say their fit and finish is improving, but I'm not so sure about build quality in the Toyota sense of the word. They still have issues with mechanicals and e.g. using plastic for parts that really should have been made of metal.

One thing with Teslas is they are very heavy on continuous software updates which is both good and bad; Good in that bugs get fixed, but bad in that new bugs get introduced and sometimes you can go to your car and find the whole UI has changed and you have to re-learn where the menu options have gone.

I don't know what their customer support is like - I've heard mixed views; For some they bend over backwards and just fix things, but other say they're fobbed off and obstructed. It does seem you really want the car in-warranty as things can get expensive quickly when out of, esp. if you have an uncooperative service centre.

 

My main problem with EVs is they are all too big, too heavy, and don't have enough range - I'm using to having cars that are sub-4m long and sub-1.7m wide with minimum 400mile ranges, peaking at over 600 for my Mk1 D4D (Which was also the smallest car I've owned!  )

I also can't charge at home, so in all areas that I want a car for, they are just worse.

A lot of people buy EVs because they think they are cheaper to run - No longer the case - or they are better for the environment.

I don't believe they are better for the environment, so there is literally no advantage I can see to get one over what I have now (And that I only got because of KHAAAAAN! otherwise I'd still be in my Mk1 D4D!  )

If it works out for someone like the OP then electric is probably best driving experience when the range is more than enough for normal use. 

Though energy prices have shot up due to the recent war. It used to be cheaper like 45p per kWh day time rate, that is still expensive over hev. 10-15p home charging then it's fine. 

[Cyker]

Yeah, if you can charge at home, esp. with solar or Octopus' insanely cheap night rate, EVs make much more sense.

One day I might own my own house and be able to do that, but not any time soon!  

 

[Niky]

Thank you all for your comments.

I still have one year left on the PCP with my current MY22 Corolla TS. Very likely I will buy it off and keep it for another 1-2 years until I hit 100k miles, but I'm exploring other options too. Got already few emails from Toyota inviting me to talk about new opportunities😃The Corolla would be the best car out there, only if it was a bit more quieter on the motorway - really don't like how noisy it is with high speed

Never been interested of electric cars before, due to all the reasons written above, but the new Tesla model 3 is definitely an interesting one, and I will keep an eye in Tesla's forums. 4 years PCP should be a very good option, also should work financially well for me as I can charging it for free at work

I really love the Lexus ES300H, but the price tag and running cost might be too high for me. Higher compared to the Tesla, and definitely not close to the Corolla

9 hours ago, AJones said:

Compare the new Prius PHEV vs. an EV.

I don't think the new Prius will be a good seller in UK considering its price tag. May just end up with another Corolla TS when the time comes.