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I've been itching to buy an electric car, but my current hybrid is still fine and gets ~45mpg. Additionally, the heavy incentives and constant model improvement
by ProfessorLayton 9y ago
I've been itching to buy an electric car, but my current hybrid is still fine and gets ~45mpg. Additionally, the heavy incentives and constant model improvements have caused resale values to continuously plummet [1], so there's no rush for me to buy. I can get a lot more electric car for a lot less money just by waiting a bit.
[1] A cursory craigslist search lists Nissan Leafs for $5.5k @26k miles, and 2014 BMW i3s ~$13k @45k miles. Electric cars seem to hold their values very poorly.
- jonas21 9y agoYou, as the first owner, get to keep the incentive, so why does it matter if it reduces the resale value?
- ProfessorLayton 9y agoWell, reduced resale values increase the total cost of ownership, so it matters to anyone looking to spend less by going electric. A Nissan leaf fairs particularly poorly, especially compared to its ICE counterpart, the Versa [1]. The resale values are plummeting more than the incentives given. It also matters to anyone looking at buying a used electric car (Me), since the rapid depreciation makes me hesitant to jump in, as patience can get me more features for the same price (range etc), or save me a lot of money. [1] https://www.edmunds.com/nissan/leaf/2017/st-401695947/cost-to-own/ https://www.edmunds.com/nissan/leaf/2017/st-401695947/cost-t... vs https://www.edmunds.com/nissan/versa/2012/st-101396336/cost-to-own/ https://www.edmunds.com/nissan/versa/2012/st-101396336/cost-...