Blue View – Choosing an EV: Part 3

I’m a little behind in my blogs, but if you can remember that far back, I was in the process of deciding which battery electric vehicle would be best for us. There are currently 45 totally electric cars on the U.S. market, but I eliminated many of them based on our arbitrary criteria of cost (must be less than $50k), range (> 225 miles on a charge), dealer support (must have a local dealer), and availability (must still be taking orders for the year and have a lead time of less than 6 months).

In the last blog, I summarized the features, and the pros and cons of three of the vehicles that met our criteria– the Chevy Bolt EUV, Hyundai Kona EV and the Tesla Model 3 RWD. This week I’ll cover the remaining candidates:

Kira Niro

The Kia Niro EV is stylish inside and out, is quite roomy, and has a decent range (253 miles). Like most of the EVs under $40k, the charge rate isn’t great – about 43 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%, so road trips will require long pit stops every 3 hours or so. It comes standard with a host of nice features like a large 10.3-inch infotainment display with navigation, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, a host of driver-assistance features, and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Hyundai and Kia offer the best warranty of any company – 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper and 10-year/100,000-mile drive train and battery.

Base Price: $39,550 Well Equipped Cost: $39,550 Cost After Tax Rebate: $39,550

Range: 253 miles; EPA fuel economy, city/highway: 126/101 MPGe

Charge Time to 80% (Fast Charger): 43 mins; Full Charge Time @ 240 volts: 6.1 hrs

Pros: Great warranty, lots of standard features.

Cons: Front wheel drive only. Not eligible for tax credit

Overall: Stylish, comfortable, and a great warranty.

Toyota BX4X

Toyota is re-entering the EV market with the 2023 BX4X, and it is offered with either a front-wheel drive or, for an additional $2000, all-wheel drive. The range is slightly less than most of its competition (242 miles), and the charge rate is one of the slowest – 60 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%, about the same as the much less expensive Chevy Bolt. It comes standard with a panoramic glass roof and a host of safety features.

Base Price: $42,000 Well Equipped Cost: $44,155 Cost After Tax Rebate: $44,155

Range: 242 miles; EPA fuel economy, city/highway: 131/107 MPGe

Charge Time to 80% (Fast Charger): 60 mins; Full Charge Time @ 240 volts: 9 hrs

Pros: Lots of standard features.

Cons: Its competitors offer a better range and a faster charge time. Not eligible for tax credit.

Overall: A solid entry and it carries the Toyota name, but the competition at this price offers more.

Subaru Soltera

This is Subaru’s first EV and was co-developed with Toyota’s BX4X. It comes standard with all-wheel drive, dual motors and better clearance than most EVs, making it a solid contender in snowy regions or for those that like a little off-roading.

Base Price: $44,995 Well Equipped Cost: $45,313 Cost After Tax Rebate: $45,313

Range: 228 miles; EPA fuel economy, city/highway: 111/93 MPGe

Charge Time to 80% (Fast Charger): 60 mins; Full Charge Time @ 240 volts: 11.3 hrs

Pros: All-wheel drive is standard, plus many features aimed at the Subaru fans.

Cons: Slow charge time, limited range. Not eligible for tax credit

Overall: We had a gas-powered Subaru when we lived in Colorado, and liked it as a great all-around car, good for everyday driving or a rough, snowy mountain road, and the Soltera would be high on the list if we still lived there. Here in Las Vegas, those strengths don’t outweigh the cons, however.

Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Ioniq 5 is Hyundai’s top end EV. It has a great range (344 miles) and one of the fastest charging rates of any EV – 18 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% of full charge. That beats the Tesla Model 3 by 7 minutes. In addition, the electronics and display are impressive, and it has all the latest safety and convenience features. The inside is quite roomy and comfortable as well. Car and Driver rates it number one among all the EVs it reviewed, and number five on its list of “10 Best Trucks and SUVs for 2023” – one of the few EVs to make the list at all. Add to all that, it has one of the best warranties of any car, EV or otherwise, on the market.

Base Price: $41,450 Well Equipped Cost: $47,450 Cost After Tax Rebate: $47,450

Range: 344 miles; EPA fuel economy, city/highway: 132/98 MPGe

Charge Time to 80% (Fast Charger): 18 mins; Full Charge Time @ 240 volts: 7.2 hrs

Pros: Excellent range and one of the fastest charging EVs, with a great warranty.

Cons: Not eligible for tax credit

Overall: An impressive car!

Kia Ev6

The EV6 is Kia’s high-end entry in the EV field. Kia and Hyundai share their battery technology, so it’s no surprise that the EV6 has a similar range (310 miles) and the same fast charge time – 18 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%. Rear-wheel drive is standard, but is available in an all-wheel-drive version. If you are into performance, the GT model’s 576 horsepower will get you from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds – fast enough to blow by any gas-powered vehicle on the road – Maserati, Ferrari, or Stinger included. For the rest of us, the standard RWD version has more than enough zip. The cabin is roomy and quiet, and the EV6 comes with all the latest safety and comfort bells and whistles. Car and Driver Magazine rated it number two of all the EVs it evaluated – just behind the Ioniq 5. Hyundai and Kia offer the best warranty of any company on all their EVs – 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper and 10-year/100,000-mile drive train and battery.

Base Price: $48,700 Well Equipped Cost: $48,700 Cost After Tax Rebate: $48,700

Range: 310 miles; EPA fuel economy, city/highway: 134/101 MPGe

Charge Time to 80% (Fast Charger): 18 mins; Full Charge Time @ 240 volts: 7.2 hrs

Pros: Excellent range and one of the fastest charging EVs, with a great warranty.

Cons: Not eligible for tax credit.

Overall: Another very impressive car!

Nissan Ariya

The Ariya is Nissan’s new entry in the EV field, joining the venerable Leaf hatchback. It has nine different trims available (!), ranging from the basic Engage with a range of 216 miles and a starting MSRP of just over $43k to the Platinum+ e4orce, which starts at $61,525. The Venture+ trim package is in the middle, with a reasonably good range of 304 miles, and comes in just under our upper price limit at $49,005. The interior has a futuristic, rather minimalist feel. Like the Tesla models, Nissan has eliminated as many buttons and knobs as possible, replacing them with soft buttons on its wide display. One drawback is that the charge time is slower than others in that price range - 40 minutes to charge from 10% to 80% full charge.

Base Price: $44,500 Well Equipped Cost: $49,005 Cost After Tax Rebate: $49,005

Range: 304 miles; EPA fuel economy, city/highway: 111/95 MPGe

Charge Time to 80% (Fast Charger): 40 mins; Full Charge Time @ 240 volts: 14 hrs

Pros: Spacious interior, reasonable range.

Cons: Slow charge time. Not eligible for tax credit.

Overall: The Ariya has lots to offer, but doesn’t match up to the competition in this price range.

Whew – lots of candidates! I plan to narrow the choices down to three or four and then Marcie and I will take them all for a test drive. Nothing like actually seeing a car in person, sitting in all the seats, then taking it for a little spin, while trying out all the latest gizmos. The downside is that we’ll have to endure the high-pressure sales pitch from each salesperson followed by the “What’ll it take to get you to take this little beauty off our hands?” from the floor manager. After that, maybe I’ll hit my thumb with a hammer for a while - or worse, sit through a timeshare presentation.

See you next week when we finally conclude this very long blog series…