Pat drives a BMW i3 94Ah REx 2018.
This is Pat’s first electric car, he’s owned the BMW i3 3-4 years and drives under 5,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 10,000-20,000 miles and he achieves 100 miles from a full charge.
Why did you choose the BMW i3?
I was attracted initially by the design. I wanted as small a car as possible that had sufficient range for my needs. When I discovered the range extender, that clinched it for me.
Positives – List 3 or more reasons why you love this electric car
- Range extender prevents any range anxiety. On longer journeys using Economy mode, the range is considerably longer, up to 200 miles with judicious use of the range extender.
- a comfortable driving position which is highly adjustable including a seat belt that does not cut across my neck
- funky style in bright colour makes it easily distinguished from other cars
- fun to drive.
Negatives – List 3 or more things that you really don’t like about this electric car
- No leather seats available
- release mechanism for lowering rear seat backs is difficult to reach
- tendency to accidentally release bonnet catch when opening door.
Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?
None
Surprise us! Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about this electric car
I cannot praise the range extender facility too highly. On one occasion, during Covid, I had occasion to drive from Southampton to Leeds with a badly depleted battery and no opportunity to recharge. The range extender got me there with just 2 stops for petrol.
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What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?
At the moment, I don’t know of anything that could compare for my needs. Just wish something similar was still produced. Because of my low annual mileage, I just hope something better is available by the time that my battery needs replacing. At the moment, I would rather pay for a new battery than change the car.
Home charging unit – outline both positive & negative elements
I have a Pod Point home charger with a lock. It has an attached cable and plug which makes it easy to charge at home but it may have been better to have a separate charging cable which could plug into other chargers.
Electricity supplier & tariff – outline both positive & negative elements
I tried to switch to an EV tariff but it was not possible because I was not able to have a smart meter fitted. As it turned out, however, remaining on a standard tariff was better because I normally only need to charge about once a month and under the EV tariff, I would have lost more from the cost of other electric usage than I would have gained from charging the car at a reduced rate.
What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?
Only use them occasionally on longer journeys or when away on holiday so don’t remember enough to make recommendations but they have recently improved in that they can operate using just a debit or credit card. Ones where you have to register and/or pay in advance and receive a credit for unused charging are useless for drivers who do not regularly use the same network. I’ve had problems registering because of a poor mobile signal and have the odd £5 credit on various networks that I haven’t managed to use.
Insurer – outline both positive & negative elements
Direct Line – I don’t bother shopping around just to save a few pounds.
Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running a BMW i3
Costs me about £10 per month to charge but used to be about £5 before the rise in electricity prices. In contrast, my previous car was a Smart that cost me about £50 per month in petrol and a petrol car of the same size as my EV would cost more than £50 per month. Road tax is similar to the Smart. Insurance is higher but not by much and it’s a bigger car. Servicing costs are less because it needs fewer services. Savings are about £50 per month.
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