Are Electric Cars Actually CHEAPER? | Mini EV vs Mini Petrol

Considering an electric car? Worried They might be more expensive than petrol? Rory's done the math to work out whether cars with electric powertrains are actually more expensive than those with petrol. The results may be surprising!

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[skzqfjx]

Sally just made the decision to buy a bike instead. 🚲

[eyedeasneverdie]

But, which one has a drift mode?

I could sit back and listen to Rory give a 3 hour lecture about anything car related and never get bored, glad hes found a home at Autotrader, hes my favourite car reviewer.

[steveholderness]

I lease my Peugeot e-208 GT through my work's salary sacrifice scheme for £319 a month over 3 years with no deposit (10k pa mileage). All tax, insurance, maintenance, tyres, servicing and breakdown cover is included - I charge it at work for free and at home for about £6 per 200 miles (home charger is included for free with a Peugeot). Couldn't be happier with my switch to electric from my 7 year old Fiesta ST that I'd owned since new.

[YTdelsCmtsNoRsn]

One thing's for sure, a Mini is overpriced no matter what version you buy.

[andreashedlund]

What about service costs and depreciation?

[caio]

£1200 in insurance for a mini????
Where does Sally lives? Kabul?

[stevennewton]

Don’t think comparing a Cooper Sport against the Electric is logical, Cooper S would be more relevant since they have similar performance and price point. I personally have gotten 135 miles of range from the MINI Electric when using it as a city car.

[Rocketboy-qgts]

Rory what about yearly servicing costs???? They almost disappear with an EV.

[GabrielNica]

This is disappointing, to be honest. Why wouldn't you compare the Cooper SE to the Cooper S? Comparing it to the base Cooper doesn't make sense. The Cooper S would be a better comparison as they have the same amount of power and offer the same kind of fun. Sure, the Cooper SE seems like a worse deal compared to the 1.5-liter Cooper but it's considerably more fun to drive and that counts for a lot of people. Also, you don't HAVE to buy a home charger, you can use a wall socket if you're charging over night. Redo the math with the Cooper S and you'll see the Cooper SE is much better value.

[Lenderz]

You didn’t factor in the OLEV charger grant.

[FrilansPhilip]

Mind blown... ✊🏿 Do compare with a diesel version next!! #AutoTrader

[DashCamSerbia]

Just buy a used car, and save a lot more money. 3 year old car at 50% the cost of the new one.

[nealp]

The savings in fuel and running costs are not significant if you make a decent amount of money, especially if you can afford a new car of any sort.

[simonreeves]

I went electric in September 2019 with a BMW i3. I do around 12, 000 miles a year, mostly to and from work. I'm lucky, we have a driveway and I charge overnight on Octopus Go - 5p per kWh. I used to spend about £220 a month on petrol, I now spend about £20 per month on charging. Once the PCP is paid off, this will be a cheap car to run. No servicing, the most it needs is the cabin air filter changing and brake fluid - both I can do myself. No oil changes, air filters, spark plugs, fuel filters, cam belts, fan belts. The electric is so much better to drive, I don't get as stressed in traffic, and electric cars benefit from pre-conditioning - fabulous in January to get into a car that is 19 degrees C and has ice free glass, and in summer, at the end of my day in the office, I can choose to get into a nice cool car for the journey home. The only major issue could be battery life, but it is looking like most EV batteries are good for about 12 years and 300, 000 miles, only time will tell for sure.

[stephendk]

You seem to have forgotten the savings on the service! No engine no oil change, a Tesla model 3 does not even need a yearly service to keep its guarantee, assume BMW Still makes people get a service, more reason for a model 3 💪

[georgegeorgiy]

Do your homework properly mate!!!
How about oil, filters change every 10K miles and another car service on petrol version ???

[Paul-GrnHil]

In the USA if you configure a Mini S and match all of the equipment options with a Mini ES with Signature Plus, The list price of the ES version is $3, 000 USD LESS before you factor in the $7, 500 tax credit. So in the US it ends up being $10, 500 CHEAPER to buy the Mini ES. I have one on order and can’t wait to get it.

[ianmearsphoto]

Something not really taken into account is the fact that its usually pretty easy to get a good discount on an ICE car but almost impossible on an EV so you're going to be starting out with an even bigger deficit.

[robsmitha]

Just sold a Zoe ZE40 (psid £17800 for it battery inc- these deals just aren't available now). The charger came in the price. I just sold it for £13600 to a dealer after 3 years. £20 per month electricity, less than £100 per year servicing. EVs have gone up a lot in price in the last three years so I have bought an old Merc SLK for some fun. The Zoe felt a lot more modern than that but SLK more fun.

[ssllhh]

make the peugeot 208 diesel versus electric comparison