For me small electric cars make a lot of sense for Ireland. Manage the ownership in a sensible way and there is simply no cheaper way of motoring, especially as most journeys, possibly 90%, are very local. At a time when most rural families have two cars at least and with the progress in electric car performance, that second smaller car should be an all-electric version.
And now there are plenty of cars to choose from. For this week, I’ve looked at four options to drive, all fully electric and all more affordable than in the past. I’ve driven all of these cars in recent weeks and months, so it’s useful to compare them and examine the options.
The cars that I’ve included in this comparison are the new Renault 5, the Dacia Spring introduced last year, the tidy Hyundai Inster and Peugeot’s e-208, that’s a very attractive power option for the entry level Peugeot.
The table with this article compares all the necessary practical features, but buying and owning a car is not always decided based on practical issues. There are several similar features that need to be confirmed for a start. They all have equal eight-year battery warranty, most have five-year car warranty, with the exception of the Dacia Spring.
Renault 5
The new Renault 5 is a very attractive car to drive and comes with an impressive range of over 400km, that I found is achievable with reasonable driving.
The car’s battery power is impressive enough to give good acceleration, with the consumption level a little higher than the average of all four.
It comes with good fast-charging ability if there is a high-speed charger on your route or in your local town. The boot space is smaller than the Dacia Spring and Peugeot e-2008, but not by much and the overall car length is compact.
Out on the road the Renault 5 is very attractive to drive. There is a good seat position, the controls are clear and easy to use and overall, it’s a car that you’ll feel good driving about in it.
The new Renault 5 is only available as a battery electric car and its an attractive package in terms of range and performance.
The dash layout on the new Renault 5 makes for easy driving.
Dacia Spring
The initial selling point of the Dacia Spring is its price. It’s by far the cheapest electric car on the market if you opt for the basic specifications, which are very modest in terms of range of performance.
The car’s battery performance is poorer than the competition for the entry level model, that I’ve compared here. That converts to a range of 300km on a fully charged battery and it takes longer to charge than the others.
There is a cheaper feel to the car on the inside, it has all the necessary stuff, but just with a cheaper and lighter feeling. There will be doubts about its residual value, but the old adage, the day you buy is the day you sell, still applies here.
Dacia’s new electric Spring model is the cheapest entry level electric car and it has no pretensions, does what it says, so don’t expect more.
The dash layout on the Dacia Spring is clear and functional.
Hyundai Inster
This is the neatest and tidiest small electric car on the market. And by small, I mean small to the eye, because its longer than the Dacia Spring, but you would have to have a measuring tape in your hand to believe it. The Inster is a most compact car that’s really well put together, so that it doesn’t feel that small on the inside. What it gains in terms of interior space it loses in the boot capacity. The entry prices are higher than the Dacia Spring, but the offer is different and more practical.
The Inster has up to 305km range on a full battery, but it takes the longest fast charge if you are out on the roads for a longer drive. It comes with good acceleration.
The Inster is what I would call a desirable small electric car to drive. Hyundai has a good electric car reputation based on the larger models, and a lot of the technology has filtered down to this neat Inster runabout.
The layout of the Hyundai Inster is clear, making the car easy to drive.
Peugeot e-208
You don’t have to look different in a Peugeot e-208 as the car has a similar profile whether it is petrol, hybrid or electric powered. Peugeot styling is modern and attractive coupled with a good range of over 400km on a full battery. It also has the best fast charging time among the group.
The Peugeot e-208 is the more expensive of the four car options here, topping the €30,000 mark for what is a small car. It is also the longest and heaviest car in the group with the largest boot area, while having reasonable rear leg room.
The e-208 is a very good car to drive, solid on the road and the Peugeot e-cockpit design worked better for me in this small car than in some of the other larger cars in the Peugeot range.
Peugeot retains its classic styling in the new e-208 model, the biggest of the four cars in the comparison.
Overall verdict
It is great to have a group of small electric cars to compare. The Renault 5 comes out with the highest rating for me, while the Dacia Spring is bottom of the class. All four are very acceptable cars and can be value for money when you follow a good charging regime to keep costs low, such as using solar panels for charging or low-cost night-rate electricity. Every house today should have one electric car outside the door, but don’t commit yourself to electric cars in total, not just yet. Prices are falling and will fall further, but we are unsure of what depreciation costs will be as their lifecycle is still too early to make those predictions. But if you have a low-level use need for local driving, a small electric car could be for you.
For me small electric cars make a lot of sense for Ireland. Manage the ownership in a sensible way and there is simply no cheaper way of motoring, especially as most journeys, possibly 90%, are very local. At a time when most rural families have two cars at least and with the progress in electric car performance, that second smaller car should be an all-electric version.
And now there are plenty of cars to choose from. For this week, I’ve looked at four options to drive, all fully electric and all more affordable than in the past. I’ve driven all of these cars in recent weeks and months, so it’s useful to compare them and examine the options.
The cars that I’ve included in this comparison are the new Renault 5, the Dacia Spring introduced last year, the tidy Hyundai Inster and Peugeot’s e-208, that’s a very attractive power option for the entry level Peugeot.
The table with this article compares all the necessary practical features, but buying and owning a car is not always decided based on practical issues. There are several similar features that need to be confirmed for a start. They all have equal eight-year battery warranty, most have five-year car warranty, with the exception of the Dacia Spring.
Renault 5
The new Renault 5 is a very attractive car to drive and comes with an impressive range of over 400km, that I found is achievable with reasonable driving.
The car’s battery power is impressive enough to give good acceleration, with the consumption level a little higher than the average of all four.
It comes with good fast-charging ability if there is a high-speed charger on your route or in your local town. The boot space is smaller than the Dacia Spring and Peugeot e-2008, but not by much and the overall car length is compact.
Out on the road the Renault 5 is very attractive to drive. There is a good seat position, the controls are clear and easy to use and overall, it’s a car that you’ll feel good driving about in it.
The new Renault 5 is only available as a battery electric car and its an attractive package in terms of range and performance.
The dash layout on the new Renault 5 makes for easy driving.
Dacia Spring
The initial selling point of the Dacia Spring is its price. It’s by far the cheapest electric car on the market if you opt for the basic specifications, which are very modest in terms of range of performance.
The car’s battery performance is poorer than the competition for the entry level model, that I’ve compared here. That converts to a range of 300km on a fully charged battery and it takes longer to charge than the others.
There is a cheaper feel to the car on the inside, it has all the necessary stuff, but just with a cheaper and lighter feeling. There will be doubts about its residual value, but the old adage, the day you buy is the day you sell, still applies here.
Dacia’s new electric Spring model is the cheapest entry level electric car and it has no pretensions, does what it says, so don’t expect more.
The dash layout on the Dacia Spring is clear and functional.
Hyundai Inster
This is the neatest and tidiest small electric car on the market. And by small, I mean small to the eye, because its longer than the Dacia Spring, but you would have to have a measuring tape in your hand to believe it. The Inster is a most compact car that’s really well put together, so that it doesn’t feel that small on the inside. What it gains in terms of interior space it loses in the boot capacity. The entry prices are higher than the Dacia Spring, but the offer is different and more practical.
The Inster has up to 305km range on a full battery, but it takes the longest fast charge if you are out on the roads for a longer drive. It comes with good acceleration.
The Inster is what I would call a desirable small electric car to drive. Hyundai has a good electric car reputation based on the larger models, and a lot of the technology has filtered down to this neat Inster runabout.
The layout of the Hyundai Inster is clear, making the car easy to drive.
Peugeot e-208
You don’t have to look different in a Peugeot e-208 as the car has a similar profile whether it is petrol, hybrid or electric powered. Peugeot styling is modern and attractive coupled with a good range of over 400km on a full battery. It also has the best fast charging time among the group.
The Peugeot e-208 is the more expensive of the four car options here, topping the €30,000 mark for what is a small car. It is also the longest and heaviest car in the group with the largest boot area, while having reasonable rear leg room.
The e-208 is a very good car to drive, solid on the road and the Peugeot e-cockpit design worked better for me in this small car than in some of the other larger cars in the Peugeot range.
Peugeot retains its classic styling in the new e-208 model, the biggest of the four cars in the comparison.
Overall verdict
It is great to have a group of small electric cars to compare. The Renault 5 comes out with the highest rating for me, while the Dacia Spring is bottom of the class. All four are very acceptable cars and can be value for money when you follow a good charging regime to keep costs low, such as using solar panels for charging or low-cost night-rate electricity. Every house today should have one electric car outside the door, but don’t commit yourself to electric cars in total, not just yet. Prices are falling and will fall further, but we are unsure of what depreciation costs will be as their lifecycle is still too early to make those predictions. But if you have a low-level use need for local driving, a small electric car could be for you.
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