StuttySteve

@socratesnewton Here you are.

@StuttySteve Not good enough. For a tiny little tin car with a battery it should be £7k brand new and free to charge. 🤡

Four years into my 2022 BMW i3s ownership (and because I am really boring), I thought I would look at the running costs, from new. It is a private car and everything is based on my own experience. Miles driven: 42,000 Energy kWh used: 13,083 Average economy: 3.2 miles per kWh of electricity. Total charging cost: £2,160 (Mix of home, work, public) ‘Fuel’ cost average of mixed charging is 5.1p per mile. General costs; Servicing x 2: £661 Car Tax x1 year: £195 MOT x2 years: £108 Insurance x 4 years: £1,800 Rear tyres x 2; £430 Wiper blades (f/r): £88 Total General costs: £3,282 So, charging & general costs are £5,442. This equals to 13p per mile. Non-essential items I have purchased: One set of winter alloy wheels and tyres: £1,560 Wheel swops (six monthly (winter/summer): £285 Rear bumper rubber protector: £105 Non-essential total costs: £1,950 All costs over 4 years: £7,392 All costs per mile: 17.6p There is also the home charger to add into the equation, and from memory, that was around £650 at the time. No idea on costs, now. Issues: Faulty dash-cam (replaced FOC) Faulty drivers door mirror (replaced FOC) This is my personal experience.

@IanGriff If that’s what you read, then you must be right. I haven’t made any comment about saving anything - I just report running costs for those that may be interested.

@StuttySteve You saved less than a fiver? Wow.

@IanGriff I haven’t made any of those claims.

@StuttySteve This is EV ownership all over, saving a fiver by spending fifty grand then claiming its better

@garniesaint Buy one!

@StuttySteve And your final verdict.

Agreed that EV’s generally depreciate faster, but my last secondhand petrol Porsche dropped like a stone over two years. I was always led to believe they were almost depreciation proof! On social mobility, there is a real gap between people that can charge at home, and those that rely on public charging. It doesn’t seem fair in my eyes, and it needs a solution. Unfortunately, I don’t know what that solution is, but I know it has to change. On the pence per mile. I would personally prefer to see a higher yearly tax paid (like VED). We all know there has to be a replacement for the petrol/diesel taxes, but it should not be complicated and my worry is that it’s going to be very complicated to administer.

@StuttySteve Fair point, though ev depreciate at a greater rate No such things as cheap motoring Government needs tax from motorists one way Pay per mile wont be long as gov change the goalposts I reckon social mobility will decline & poor get costed out of the market

@arcadeuk I only do that at time of sale.

@StuttySteve What was your depreciation cost per mile over that period?

@adwallt Depreciation is only applicable, if selling, and it really isn’t just EV’s with this issue. It’s why I almost always purchases and vehicle, secondhand.

@StuttySteve Interesting exercise Now add the vehicle depreciation cost based on 42000 miles over four years. Then add that depriciation cost which work out at 50p a mile.

@JohnLamont That’s priceless!

@StuttySteve You haven’t priced-in the fun you get with these i3s.

@MikeBre14267200 In a nutshell - BMW service cost. On the plus side, I don’t have to wait and normally have a free spare vehicle.

@StuttySteve That servicing is expensive, my MG was never more than £110 and that included a wash and a years breakdown cover. What is it about an i3 that triples the servicing cost, apart from being a BMW?

@_marc_clark_ I think it’s important not to be worried what other people think. Everyone should make choice based on what makes them happy.

@StuttySteve What was the cost to your self-esteem?

@Gudge62 I think everyone has a different scenario, and needs to find what works for them. I never say ‘just EV’ as it really isn’t that simple.

@StuttySteve I get 55mpg out of my Grandland Hybrid. My fuel today is £6.60 a gallon so around 12p per mile. I lease my vehicle and based on milage including all running costs works out at 17p per mile for a total of 29p per mile.

@m00nigan I don’t have a warranty on it. I looked, and got the same BMW quote as you. Hopefully, nothing major goes wrong!

@StuttySteve Do you warranty it or self warranty? We are two years into a 2022 i3s and the warranty renewal from BMW was insane £1200ish for the year. My iX3 cost £400. Just replaced the rear tyres with 215/45/20 for 1/2 the price of the standard fit ones.

@Hookademus Agreed. If selling now, it’s a factor.

@StuttySteve Sure , but we were referring to Edina last 4 years. So if selling today. So 35-15 =20 20k to include in total costs for those 4 years. Not being picky, the initial cost or monthly rental should be included.

@KielyNeil I’ve only ever had one as a rental car in Spain. It wasn’t a good representation of the model!!

@KielyNeil The thing is, I’ve owned maybe 40+ cars in my life, so far. Fiestas/Clios/Escorts, and also V6 / V8 / V10 …. and the little i3s just puts a smile on my face, each time I drive it. It’s backwards on software, and front and centre on character.

@KielyNeil They are lovely. So different, and you hardly see any.

@StuttySteve And this puts a smile on my face every day as well…!!

@Ageneralcomment But depreciation isn’t just an EV thing, and it’s only a cost when you actually sell it.

@StuttySteve Conveniently excluding depreciation. Which I'm sure will be horrendous. You'll surely know what you paid for it and approximately what it's worth now.

@ClappDescendant I agree with that. That’s why I used to run an old Clio until it was written off. It got left in airport car parks during the week and I never noticed a new scratch or dent! One thing about the i3 is that all the panels are plastic, and hopefully easily repaired!

@StuttySteve But compare this with a £2k jalopy costing you £3k a year to run for 10k miles a year ... Let's say it lasts a year. That's just 50p a mile and really you don't care if someone bumps it.

Agreed, but it isn’t just EV’s. I purchased an X5M50d at two years old and 11,000 miles, and that had seen £35k depreciation in that short time, and that was back in 2019. My secondhand 911 purchase also had large depreciation on sale. The good point for me is that the i3s has been fairly consistent on sales price for the last 12 months.

@StuttySteve Thanks Steve, as per other replies depreciation needs including and particularly with electric cars. Biggest cost of running a car and particularly electric. Obviously if you keep it slightly different but then maintenance costs will increase but you still have to finance it.

That would be so, if I was selling today having purchased new in 2022. On all my cars, I have always had depreciation, except for my V10 R8 which had a Covid bounce on the sale price. The car I replaced it with was also higher priced because of Covid (a 911) and then tanked hugely in just two years. The cost is only a cost, when you sell.

@StuttySteve So assuming average depreciation the actual cost is approximately £30k?

@ravens_return I live the life!

@StuttySteve Wait!......You pay someone to change over your wheels?