Think EVs are too expensive? Here are 11 for under $40K.

The average new car costs more than $47,000—here are 17 EVs for less than that.

See full article...

 

[Chemmy]

All of these are more expensive than the Yugo I bought in 1985 for less than $4,000 which I use to drive trombones deep into the woods.

 

[entropy_wins]

Thank for you an updated list!

Eventually it would be nice for a summary chart of basic specs, especially because of the rapid change in the connector needed.

 

[Toastr]

The Model Y image needs to be corrected--that's a refreshed Model 3. The Y still has the old fascia/headlight design and is waiting on a facelift.

 

[furrythundar]

All of these are more expensive than the Yugo I bought in 1985 for less than $4,000 which I use to drive trombones deep into the woods.

I….sadly, don't understand this reference.

 

[citizencoyote]

But the regular $39,995 Mach-E surely does.

This is only for the 2023 model year, correct? The 2024s all start around $42K+ MSRP (but you can probably get one cheaper with discounts).

 

[enlightened.doggo]

The Fiat 500e is hilariously overpriced for something that is really only suitable for driving to the grocery store with at max one adult passenger.

 

[jkreuzig]

Has anyone driven a newer (last 5 years) model Nissan Leaf recently? I was wondering if they managed to make the drivers seating area able to accommodate anyone over 5' 9". I have tried a couple of times to sit in a Leaf at a car show, only to feel like I'm sitting in a clown car with my legs jammed up. It wasn't just me that I saw this happen to.

 

[J.R.G]

An affordable one, too—here in the US, the EX30 starts at $34,950. Volvo might wince every time it sells an EX30 here, however. Tariffs on Chinese-made cars imported into the US were 27.5 percent when Volvo set pricing for the car, but they've now leaped to 102.5 percent as Washington bows to pressure from the US auto industry. Volvo is also planning on building EX30s in Belgium, so it ought not to be a problem for too long.

Well, I get your point, but Volvo may not be wincing for the reason you suggest. I've been on their waiting list to order an EX30 for almost exactly one year now. So far as I can see, Volvo has sold zero (0) EX30s in the US at this point, and is not likely to do so until the 2025 model (produced in Ghent) becomes available here. As of this moment, Volvo USA's website shows the EX30 as an item that you can reserve, but not order; thus, no change from one year ago.

 

[Chemmy]

I….sadly, don't understand this reference.

Every Ars EV article comment section has two weird contingents in it: people who insist all cars must be bare bones point A to point B tools and should cost less than the average car in 1990 (the Yugo joke), along with people who insist EVs don't work because they drive 900 miles a day doing some completely bizarre job that never gets anywhere near civilization (the long running rural trombone repair man joke).

 

[Toastr]

I….sadly, don't understand this reference.

It's a reference to an infamous old Ars comment thread where somebody complained that EV's aren't practical because what if you had to do an all-day road trip to deliver a part for a trombone repair and couldn't stop for charging because your boss wouldn't allow it...truly stupid shit.

EDIT: Took me a sec to dig it back up, here's the link.

 

[RockIslandLine]

Nissan might be open to deals on the Ariya—it's one of the few OEMs not to see significant growth in EV sales between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024.

My Leaf is a fine car for what it is, but the ChaDeMo connector needs to be changed in newer model years.

The Specs page for the Ariya doesn't say, but the photo on Nissan's page clearly shows a CCS connector which is a huge step up. The text on the page also implies that the maximum charge rate is limited, which is a terrible idea.

2024 Nissan ARIYA Features: Range, Horsepower, AWD & More

Explore features of the 2024 Nissan ARIYA including battery and charging options, range capabilities, spacious interior & cargo, towing capacity & more.

www.nissanusa.com

 

[healthcamp]

Has anyone driven a newer (last 5 years) model Nissan Leaf recently? I was wondering if they managed to make the drivers seating area able to accommodate anyone over 5' 9". I have tried a couple of times to sit in a Leaf at a car show, only to feel like I'm sitting in a clown car with my legs jammed up. It wasn't just me that I saw this happen to.

Huh, I’m a few inches taller than you and found the Leaf very comfortable. But I also like small cars, so maybe I’m the odd one.

 

[LlamaDragon]

I just bought a like-new 2022 Bolt with only 5800 miles on it for ~$21k. Deals are out there. However, if buying used, make sure the dealer does the stuff they need to do for you to get any tax credits. I did not do that, and I'm going to claim the money on my taxes but I have a feeling the IRS won't let it fly because I didn't realize the dealer side of the equation is totally optional and I'm fairly certain they did not do it.

 

[Chemmy]

The Fiat 500e is hilariously overpriced for something that is really only suitable for driving to the grocery store with at max one adult passenger.

The Mini is similar I think and we own one. My wife uses it to commute to work (about 10mi each way) and I have an ICE 3 series we use for family stuff. It's a nice second car (n.b. I wouldn't buy a Fiat...) and my wife likes the styling, interior materials etc. The electric Mini is a nice second car if you don't care about the range and are fine with spending a little more on what it offers.

I know that sounds like "buy it if you don't care about money" but I think a lot of people spend a lot more than $30K on a second car for the household.

 

[Mostly Ignorant]

Still way overpriced for what they offer. A Civic starts at 24k.

A Corolla Hybrid is in the same price range, and gets such impressive gas mileage that it negates the financial incentive to move to EV in most cases, and will last for decades with basic maintenance. That said, this list is more targeted at people who would like to move to EV for non-financial reasons.

 

[AusPeter]

I'd say that the issue is not that you can buy an EV for less than $40,000, but whether the EVs stack up against ICE cars less than $40,000.

EG the Soltera has about a $14k premium over a 2024 Forester (and is roughly the same size). Without the EV tax rebate, that pays for about 150k miles of driving at $3/gallon gas. With the $7.5k rebate (no idea if it's applicable) that drops to 70k miles of driving - but that's still a lot of driving. And that gap worsens because the electricity isn't free.

----

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for electric vehicles, but I'm just playing devil's advocado here.

 

[alansh42]

I'm loving my EV6, and I was unfortunate enough to buy at the worst time for car prices in 2022. I did get the $7500 tax credit though.

 

[jwbaker]

The clearing price of used Tesla Model 3 has plunged 50% in the last year, probably for reasons, but if you are not concerned about their reliability reputation you can pick one up with a clean title and low miles in the $20k-$30k range. At this point there is almost no price differentiation based on features and the standard and long range models are separated by only hundreds of dollars. I don't know if this is Bay Area-specific but there are dozens of such vehicles languishing on Craigslist right now.

Of course, I maintain that the e-bike is the best choice.

 

[Aurich]

Not that it's really all that important, but a Civic doesn't actually start at 24k, it's 25k, and it goes up from there pretty easily. From Edmunds:



People just need to adjust to the reality of car prices. What you bought your car for years ago isn't relevant to the world now.

 

[OrvGull]

I gotta say I love the styling on the Ioniq 5. It pushes all the right nostalgia buttons for me. I smile every time I see one.

 

[flerchin]

It's a decent little roundup. I think Gitlin would not recommend the Leaf due to air cooled battery thermal management. Any others?

 

[Demosthenes642]

I applaud the sentiment behind the list but I think it would be more valuable if it'd been divided into categories. The Fiat, Mini, Toyota, Nissans, and Subaru might better fit under a city car or short range EV category. Also, some on this list are cars that honestly no one should buy. Given that this list gives at least an idea of the good alternatives it'd be worth noting in less diplomatic terms which aren't worth someone's money. I hate the top X listicle crap too but all these options are not remotely equally good.

 

[OrvGull]

Not that it's really all that important, but a Civic doesn't actually start at 24k, it's 25k, and it goes up from there pretty easily. From Edmunds:

View attachment 82244

People just need to adjust to the reality of car prices. What you bought your car for years ago isn't relevant to the world now.

I'm not sure that really changes the point, though, since the most expensive version of the Civic is still less expensive than most of the cars on this list.

 

[Got Nate?]

I gotta say I love the styling on the Ioniq 5. It pushes all the right nostalgia buttons for me. I smile every time I see one.

Ioniq 5 is starting to lose the novelty for me. I see them on the roads enough that they're just another SUV styled hatchback which is bigger than it looks. Ioniq 6 otoh, now i'm lusting over that one. It's a shame that Hyundai has forgotten how to amber turn signal.

 

[OrvGull]

Ioniq 5 is starting to lose the novelty for me. I see them on the roads enough that they're just another SUV styled hatchback which is bigger than it looks. Ioniq 6 otoh, now i'm lusting over that one.

The Ioniq 6 is a nice looking car, but it's very obviously trying to be a Porsche, and Porsches just never did anything for me.

 

[Aurich]

I'm not sure that really changes the point, though, since the most expensive version of the Civic is still less expensive than most of the cars on this list.

What's the point actually?

"There are cheaper ICE cars than EV ones"? I mean ... okay? I'm pretty sure we all knew that.

When we run a review of a new EV and it's $70k+ people moan about how there are no options people can afford. Here's a whole list of cars that aren't the cheapest vehicles available, but are right in line with general car prices.

If that's not what you personally can afford it's not what you can afford. But this is the market now.

 

[ranthog]

I applaud the sentiment behind the list but I think it would be more valuable if it'd been divided into categories. The Fiat, Mini, Toyota, Nissans, and Subaru might better fit under a city car or short range EV category. Also, some on this list are cars that honestly no one should buy. Given that this list gives at least an idea of the good alternatives it'd be worth noting in less diplomatic terms which aren't worth someone's money. I hate the top X listicle crap too but all these options are not remotely equally good.

That isn't the purpose of this article. Not every article serves the same purpose.

In this case, they did link to more in depth reviews that Ars had done on these vehicles. So if you're interested in one you can go to Ars other articles on the vehicles.

 

[Dzov]

It's a reference to an infamous old Ars comment thread where somebody complained that EV's aren't practical because what if you had to do an all-day road trip to deliver a part for a trombone repair and couldn't stop for charging because your boss wouldn't allow it...truly stupid shit.

EDIT: Took me a sec to dig it back up, here's the link.

What's sillier is even if you have these requirements, just move on. You don't have to comment on every vehicle that's not for you.

 

[evan_s]

Huh, I’m a few inches taller than you and found the Leaf very comfortable. But I also like small cars, so maybe I’m the odd one.

Yeah. We've got a 2013 Leaf and I'm 6 foot tall and fit in it pretty comfortably. I've actually got a fair bit of space between my head and the roof and the seat isn't all the way back either. It's seems plenty spacious.

 

[Cafox]

That said, this list is more targeted at people who would like to move to EV for non-financial reasons.

It’s true that I was highly motivated by “if we don’t electrify transportation we’re screwed” and the a feeling of responsibility to be the change I wanted to see in the world, but the EV6 we bought is easily the best car I’ve owned (Acuras, Hondas, Toyotas, etc.) and is almost as much fun to drive as the CRX Si I bought with my first well-paying job.

 

[artvandelayIIII]

I'd say that the issue is not that you can buy an EV for less than $40,000, but whether the EVs stack up against ICE cars less than $40,000.

EG the Soltera has about a $14k premium over a 2024 Forester (and is roughly the same size). Without the EV tax rebate, that pays for about 150k miles of driving at $3/gallon gas. With the $7.5k rebate (no idea if it's applicable) that drops to 70k miles of driving - but that's still a lot of driving. And that gap worsens because the electricity isn't free.

----

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for electric vehicles, but I'm just playing devil's advocado here.

What I'm curious about is whether at some point an EV saves you enough money to compensate for the higher up-front price.

This assumes that 1. it's cheaper/mile to buy electricity; and 2) that EVs accrue fewer costly repairs as they age. Is the second assumption even true?

 

[AusPeter]

I am not sure you are properly accounting for the hassle of owning an ICE Subaru, that are gutless, get bad mileage, and are guaranteed to need one or another extremely costly repair or replacement way before 150k.

Subaru seems to me like the 1 company that should be going all-in on EVs as fast as possible. As the 17th-largest Japanese car maker their engine development has languished badly for 25 years. They can leave all that behind them with EVs, where the necessary engineering just isn't that complex. Leveraging their brand to sell EVs at a slight premium to their customer base of west coast lesbians should be exceedingly simple.

The milage numbers I estimated are based on my real world lead-foot usage of my 2020 Forester. And I drove my 2001 Accord into the ground at around 165k miles with no extremely costly repairs over its lifetime. I expect my Forester (and any cars manufactured nowadays) to deliver a similar amount of lifetime.

But have you seen the reports of battery replacement on Ioniq? There have been two verified reports of Hyundai quoting around $60k for a replacement when the owners drove over something and damaged the underneath of the battery.


Edit. Also I'm not a west coast lesbian, (or a lesbian of any sort), but your derogatory language is even more offensive because it's pride month.

 

[Dr Gitlin]

This is only for the 2023 model year, correct? The 2024s all start around $42K+ MSRP (but you can probably get one cheaper with discounts).

According to Ford's website that's the price for the 2024 Mach-E.