We are looking for a smaller, cheaper EV with good range. Should we buy now or wait?

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I drive a 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid that’s coming up to 100,000 kilometres and is a great car. We usually keep our cars until the wheels fall off, but we may make an exception here for a number of reasons.

My wife and I are seriously considering moving to an electric vehicle. We are both retired and have no problems with a smaller vehicle and it would be our only car. Our price range would be in the territory of the Chevrolet Bolt. In the summer we drive to our cottage, which is 325 kilometres each way, so range and recharging stations are important, but during the rest of the year it’s primarily local driving.

Here are our questions:

1) Are there electric vehicles like the Bolt that you would recommend new or used?

2) Is this a good time to purchase an electric vehicle or are vehicles with more range coming down the pipe in a few years?

3) Are hydrogen cars actually being produced in significant numbers and becoming available?

– Christopher, Hamilton, Ont.

Petrina Gentile: We have a lot to tackle with these questions from Christopher. Shall we start with the last question on hydrogen? While some manufacturers, like Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, have hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on the road, they’re not being produced in significant numbers. And there isn’t the infrastructure to support them in Canada.

Mark Richardson: There are only public hydrogen filling stations in B.C.’s lower mainland and in Quebec, so those are the only places you can buy hydrogen cars. In Canada, only the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell are offered for sale. That’s not going to change anytime soon while automakers are ramping up their electric vehicle fleets. Let’s move on to Christopher’s main question.

Gentile: The Chevrolet Bolt is one of the least expensive EVs on the market, starting around $42,000. But there are other options, too, that cost slightly more. Unfortunately, Christopher lives in Ontario and there aren’t any provincial EV rebates available. At least he can take advantage of $5,000 in federal EV rebates to bring down the price.

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Richardson: You know, the first electric cars were all small and light, like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the BMW i3 of 10 years ago. Now, they’re much larger because people want SUVs and trucks, and the batteries are more capable. I think the Bolt is still the best value of them all, though.

Gentile: It is good value. But as I mentioned before, I still worry about the potential of fire risks with the Bolt. I know the vehicles were recalled and the issue fixed. But it’s top of my mind.

Richardson: I used to recommend the similarly sized Nissan Leaf, but I can’t do that anymore as a new car – not since the Leaf is the only electric vehicle that still uses the outdated CHAdeMO charging port. It’s great value as a used car, though.

Gentile: I think there are better options out there – maybe something from the South Korean automakers, Kia or Hyundai?

Richardson: Absolutely. Hyundai’s been in the forefront of the transition to electric vehicles, and the Kona EV has been around long enough that there should be some two-year-old models available on used-car lots. Same for the Kia Soul EV.

Gentile: I’d skip the Soul EV – the range is on the low side and the boxy design is a bit polarizing for some. But the Kona EV would do the trick. It’s good value for the money. It’s more stylish, has a decent range and comes with lots of standard technology.

Richardson: There’s a new and slightly larger Kona EV arriving too, as well as plenty of 2023 Kona EVs on dealer lots, so availability isn’t an issue.

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Gentile: Christopher also asked about other EVs coming down the pipeline with longer range. There are many new 2024 models coming soon like the Volvo EX30, Honda Prologue and the Chevrolet Blazer all-electric SUVs.

Richardson: I think the Prologue and Blazer will be too large for Christopher – the Prologue is a size bigger than the CR-V. The EX-30 would definitely appeal though. It’s a premium vehicle and it costs more because of it, certainly much more than a Bolt, but seems to do everything well.

Gentile: And there’s also the electric Chevrolet Equinox coming next year. Not only is it the right size for Christopher, since it’s a compact SUV, slightly smaller than the Blazer, but it’ll be one of the cheapest EVs on the market when it comes out next year, starting at $37,250.

Richardson: Ah yes – the Equinox is on the way. But that raises the question that Christopher asked at the beginning: should he buy now, or wait for better vehicles to arrive in the future?

Gentile: I say wait. Not only for the better vehicles with longer range, but also for the infrastructure. There will be more charging stations and most manufacturers are also adapting to Tesla’s North American charging standard, so it’ll be more convenient, easier and faster to charge.

Richardson: That’s not happening until 2025, but a couple of years seems a reasonable time to wait if you’re still uncertain about making the jump to full-electric.

Gentile: 2025 is only 12 months away. It’s worth the wait for a new crop of EVs to hit the market.

Richardson: Maybe, but it’s always worth waiting just an extra year for cars to be updated. Except, who knows if the federal government’s $5,000 ZEV rebates will still exist then?

Gentile: True. The feds have dished out a lot of money on ZEV rebates. But I still think they’ll be available for at least another year.

Richardson: Buying a new car now instead of waiting is always a bit of a gamble, because nobody can predict supply and demand in a year’s time. If Christopher wants an electric vehicle today, though, I think he’ll be very happy with either a Chevrolet Bolt or a Hyundai Kona.

Gentile: Forget about the Bolt, Christopher. Go for the Hyundai Kona.

What car should you buy? Write to Mark and Petrina at globedrive@globeandmail.com and use ‘What car’ as as part of your subject line. Emails with different subject lines may not be answered.

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