With the recent announcement in the US regarding the latest electric vehicle the Chevrolet Volt and the UK Government confirming it would stand by the grant for electric vehicle buyers, what is the best Electric Vehicle (EV) for your money?
The Volt which still hasn’t been confirmed for a UK launch is at a premium compared to the Nissan Leaf (£23,000) but is comparable with Mitsubishis offering the iMiEV. Although no pricing has been confirmed for the iMiEV as of yet it is more expensive than the Leaf in Europe and Japan.
The big factor that owners will take into account when deciding what EV to buy is the range, the best by far is the Volt which includes a small gas engine allowing the battery to be charged whilst going, giving it a range of 547km which is more akin to a standard car. This blows away the nearest competition the Leaf which only has a range of 160km and makes the iMiEV’s offering 129km comparable to those electric jeeps you see in Toys R Us.
Another issue maybe speed but this is unlikely to deter any EV purchasers except for maybe Tesla fans. In this category the Volt again comes out on top with speeds of 161km/h (100mph) but this time it is a lot closer with the Leaf and iMiEV coming in at 145km/h (90mph) and 130km/h (81mph) respectively. This is still above any legal speed limit on British roads.
Thirdly something people don’t really seem to think about is charging time again the Volt is top of this one but not in a good way, to fully charge Chevy’s offering will take around 10 hours compared to Nissan and Mitsubishis eight and six hour charging time.
So overall if you want something to try and take the place of your petrol car, if it gets released in Britain the Chevrolet Volt is your best choice or you could pay the $41,000 and try and get hold of a really big plug convertor. Otherwise if you want a city/town run around then the Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi iMiEV could be for you. They are perfect as city cars which is what the first batch of electric vehicles have been designed for.
When searching on the internet for anything Mitsubishi related all you seem to find is information on the new iMiEV electric car, It’s almost as if they have given up on petrol vehicles in a bid to corner the electric car market.
A closer look on the official website though finds that all is well and they are alive and kicking in the traditional combustion engine trade, even offering second hand models of their vehicles from the front page of the website something that you need to really look for with other brands.
The website is set out fairly well, getting onto the finance page is a bit tricky as it seems you have to click on an advert for finance which is on a loop. So you need to catch it quickly or you may end up booking a test drive for the new Colt.
The options available on finance are pretty limited. You have a choice of a big deposit of half followed by paying the rest in 2 years time on 0% APR or a £1000 deposit and monthly payments of around £140 at an interest rate of 4.9%. Total price comes to £8,554 and £9,350 respectively for a top spec 2010 Colt.
Mitsubishi do also offer a leasing deal on contract with prices ranging from £200-500 per month depending on model chosen but you will be better of checking a lease finder such as Leasbam who will search local dealers o find the best price for you, without you having to leave you computer screen.
Overall the Mitsubishi site does feel very dated, with its block lay out and text it is crying out for an upgrade which after looking at the MiEV website is true across the board.
If you are interested in driving a Mitsubishi then have a look over at Leasbam who will search all the best deals for you.
The ‘I MEIV’ is an electric version of the I city car. It has a 40kw engine which produces 60hp. It has a lot of toque for a small car. With 190nm and with it being electric, it is straight away available from go.
It has a range of 80 miles before you need to recharge. Recharging is simple as it comes with an electric cable which plugs straight into a domestic supply. Where you would normally find the fuel cap you find the plug. Mitsubishi state it should take approximately 7 hours to recharge. They are also bring out a new special cable which will be able to give 80% charge in 20 minutes.
Designed for the town, it should be able to get you around without much hassle. On the motorways though it struggles; anything above 50 miles an results in a fast draining of the batteries. It has quick acceleration up to 30mph and should keep you comfortable in those frustrating traffic jams.
The problem with the environmental credentials of any electric cars is that any power they need still comes from the national grid. Currently the majority of power still comes from fossil fuels.
It has generous room in the boot for a small car and it should fit 2 adults comfortably with room for some luggage. Don’t expect to be capable of transporting the whole family though. This car is much more suited a young single city goer
With the huge success of the first the peugeot 206cc, many other manufacturers have jumped on the band wagon to make minin sized hard top convertibles and the Mitsubishi Colt CZC hard top cabriolet is another one to compare. To be honest the price prompt is aimed more at the Micra CC than the Peugeot with prices starting at around £11k rather than the £13k of the peugeot.
Of course the benefits if these models is that you can have the roof down in summer, but be protected in the winter months with a hard top and not just a piece of cloth. the video of the Mitsubishi Colt CZC cabriolet below is not really a review but someone enjoying driving the car around some country area, with a bit a music thrown in.
It start off by saying that the best selling car in the world is a pick up, as we know this is a ford and not the Mitsubishi L200 reviewed here, but it proves the point that pick up trucks do have their value and maybe other countries such as America are better at figuring this out.
We still see several Mitsubishi L200’s around every town and city in UK, compared with the average car, the driver sits in the clouds looking down on the rest of the world and as well as the warm interios to drive, its practibility is there for all to see with plenty of carrying space and off road capabilities.
We are seeing moer and moe of these vehicles being leased to busines owners who live in the country of have wekend pursuits as well as the farmer, who needs modern transport.
The Mitsubishi L200 has been around for some time now, although in different guises, for some these vehicles are the ideal solution.
Watch the Mitsubishi L200 review, from Motors dot com talking about the States, of course this is where the big market is and where this car needs to impress.
