The cost of choosing a long-range electric car | Axon’s Automotive Anorak

Although basically content with the fully electric MG4 EV she bought just over two years ago, the hassle of charging her MG, plus the constant range anxiety she frequently experienced with the car’s real-world range — which never quite matched the ‘official’ manufacturer’s published figures — had convinced her that the system to run an EV as your main vehicle on a day-to-day basis in the UK as yet wasn’t quite ready, despite her initial laudable intentions to ‘do her bit’ to help reduce emissions.

After her first mixed EV experience, my friend was now ready to have one final fling with an ICE-powered new car whilst she still had a reasonable selection to choose from.  Like me, her typical average annual mileage was much higher than the norm, with much of this achieved on the continent. A realistic usable tank/charge range of around 400 miles, but at least 350 miles between fill ups/charges, is essential.

In her late November Budget, the UK Chancellor laid out her plans for a new per mile road tax that will be introduced from April 2028, affecting EVs — that will now have to pay 3p per mile driven, with VED for plug-in hybrid vehicles due to be charged at 1.5p per mile. This will likely have a further discouraging impact on the already struggling sales of new EV and PHEV cars, which won’t be welcome news for the motor industry.

Partially prompted by this, my best advice to my friend is to consider a new petrol/electric hybrid, which will still give her the longer-driving distance potential she desires whilst also offering reduced Co2 levels and taxation. For her c.£30,000 budget, she wants a new mid-size five-door hatch (but definitely not a cumbersome and high-rise crossover or SUV) with reasonable space and comfort.

The choice of a suitable brand new car is now surprisingly limited, with the capable Ford Focus falling the latest victim of the future EV-only new car offering. A new Mazda 3 or Citroën C4 X hybrid would be my personal sub-£30k recommendations, with the excellent latest Renault Clio being a bit too small and even a new hybrid Vauxhall Astra, SEAT Leon or Peugeot 308 now comfortably exceeding her £30,000 budget by some margin.

With many vehicle makers becoming increasingly vocal about their concerns to meet the EU’s pending 2035 ICE-ban deadline (2030 in the UK) as simply not realistic nor achievable, a handful of manufacturers are continuing their development of future ICE technology capable of running on sustainable ultra-low emission fuels.

Renault, for example, is now re-introducing petrol engines on the continent for its Megane hatchback range, in the absence of enough ready customers for its EV model versions. So, given her high-mileage driving needs, my best advice to my friend is to buy a new ICE-powered car overseas within the EU.

Granted, it will be left-hand-drive (LHD), but given that she usually drives as many miles on the other side of the road as she does in the UK, LHD won’t be a disadvantage. Also, with new petrol cars permitted to remain available for the next decade with the EU, rather than just five years in the UK, she will have a much wider selection of new ICE models to choose from.