Today we went shopping (at OffLeaseOnly Orlando) for an new commuter vehicle for Val (replacing her 2015 Nissan Leaf, which will become my vehicle.) We wanted an EV with significantly more range than the Leaf (which is around 80 miles now), or a Plug in Hybrid that could do most if not all of Val’s 20 mile commute on battery power, but use gas for longer trips. I was most focused on the Chevy Bolt EV or Chevy Volt Plug in Hybrid, of which OffLeaseOnly had multiple units in stock, but we were lucky enough that they also had several other options to try out on the 1-3 year old used “off lease” market. [Because the uncomfortable drivers seats of the Bolt & Volt knocked them out of the running.]
All of the plug in hybrids we drove had almost no charge in their batteries when we took them off the lot for a test drive, so we got to hear/experience their gas engines relatively quickly. The Bolt & Ioniq EVs had enough charge for a test drive, but were at the lower (20-40%) end of their capacity. (Off Lease Only had 4 EV chargers on their lot that we could use to test the J1772 Level 2 charging port, or top up any EV we decided to buy while we did paperwork.)
Presented below are brief notes about the vehicles we test drove (rank ordered by how likely we were to buy them).
2017 Kia Optima Plug in Hybrid – Kia’s come with a 5 year warranty (of which almost two years remained for this unit). The Optima Plug in Hybrid was a clear winner over the Chevy Volt in interior comfort. The 9 kWh battery with 25-30 all electric miles is enough for Val’s commute, and the option of using gas for long road trips makes it a good 2nd vehicle to our older 2015 Leaf. Features like electric seat (with driver memory), auto-folding mirrors, heated seats & steering wheel won us over. (Our 8 year old also loved the “hidden compartment” (drink holder) that folds down from the middle rear seat, and the fact that the rear of the vehicle has its own set of directional vents from the HVAC system, and power plugs for his tablet.) Rear seat space is very good compared to the other offerings, but with a smaller trunk (non-hatchback, no pass through) the cargo space is the most serious negative when compared to the Bolt/Leaf/Volt hatchbacks. [The Honda Clarity had much better truck capacity plus the ability to fold down the seats with a pass-through.]
At $16,000 it was the same price as a 40 kWh Nissan Leaf SV and only $1,000 more than the Chevy Volt.
We ended up buying the Kia Optima Plug in Hybrid. Factors in our decision were the existence of almost 2 more years on the manufactures basic warranty, a nicely appointed interior, ability to go on long (gas powered) road trips, and relative cost among the competitors.
2019 Hyundai Ioniq EV – Very nice pure EV, substantially roomier than the Nissan Leaf. Back seat is better for 3 kids. Trim levels in general felt nicer than the Leaf. It was only one year off lease, 10K miles. At $17,500 it was the second most expensive option we looked at, but with 4 years remaining on the manufacturers warranty and such low millage, it was our 2nd choice. However, it only has a 28 kWh battery and 124 miles of range, which isn’t much of an improvement over our existing 2015 Leaf. [The only downside with this particular car was a significant amount of rust on the brakes (owned in NY previously) which might also translate to rust on other parts of the body.] Our 8-year old did comment that the rear seat-belt receiver in the back was “too high”, and it did look a bit higher than normal, but this was after several test drives, so he might have just been getting tired.
2019 Nissan Leaf SV EV – (We have a 2015 Leaf EV with a 24 kWh battery, this is the 2nd generation with a 40 kWh battery and different external styling, but otherwise felt very similar inside.) We were also concerned about battery capacity loss over time in the Florida heat due to passive cooling on the battery. At $16,000 it was more expensive than the Chevy Bolt, but with less range and reasonably comfortable seats. The choice between this updated Leaf and the Hyundai Ioniq would be tough. The Leaf has more battery/range, while the Ioniq had a nicer interior. Both seemed slightly over priced for the value they deliver.
2017 Chevy Bolt EV– Great range with a large 60 kWh battery. “Cockpit” is nicely laid out. Only major downside is the very uncomfortable seat. The seat belt receiver presses into the drivers hip on the right side, and you can feel a hard ridge of plastic on the left side of the seat which hits your hip bone. Val really liked everything but the driver’s seat, but decided that she couldn’t buy the car because it was too uncomfortable to sit in. This is a shame, because at $14,500, it was a very good deal for the 60 kWh battery capacity / 200 mile range. If you test drive one and can deal with the seat (or are willing to replace the seat) I think this would be your best “bang for the buck” for a pure EV.
2018 Chevy Volt PHEV – Good fully electric range (40-50 miles) plus gas range extending engine. Rear “bench” seat is bad for picking up 3 kids, with the center “seat” very much an uncomfortable shoe-horned in afterthought. The drivers seat is slightly uncomfortable, but 50% better than the Bolt. The seat-belt receiver still presses into the drivers hip (but the outer edge was more comfortable than the Bolt), so you can turn sideways to get away from the seat belt receiver on the right. The $15,000 price was less expensive than the other PHEV’s we tested.
2018 Honda Clarity Plug in Hybrid – Since we were considering Plug In Hybrids, we test drove the Honda Clarity as well. Best interior out of the lot (except for the infotainment display that felt “old school”). The most comfortable to drive out of the lot. Leather interior was very nice. But, the gas engine was exceptionally loud and revved up and shifted very frequently and nosily. It had excessive road noise, and at 45 mph had a reverberation effect that made us think a helicopter was flying by. The acceleration (with a low hybrid battery) was sluggish, and it was out of the 36,000 mile warranty period. It was also the most expensive car we tested at $19,000. The road/air noise + high cost combined to make this our last choice.
