I finally made the decision, and just couldn’t do an EV. If I look at the biggest pros in my mind
- Ridiculously low lease price of $298 a month with nothing down for 36 months/30,000 miles
- Bose stereo system, and it is freaking loud
- The vehicle is pretty loaded
- Can get $750 worth of free charging
- Plenty of room, not too long
to the biggest cons
- It is really wide, 5 inches wider than anything I’ve driven on a consistent basis (not a big negative, though. I could get used to it)
- There are zero fast chargers near me. Closest could take 15 minutes. I’d have to really plan.
- Power company said it would cost around $2k to install a level 2 charger out front, since I do not have a garage, based on what they’ve done many times. You only really save money if you charge at home. Charging is my biggest issue, it is just too inconvenient.
- Range comes into play only a few times a year, like going to Wrightsville Beach or driving to see the parents in NJ. It’s a pain.
Honda put some serious loyalty money on Accords, and I still had some positive equity in my Civic (as things get back to normal, I would have had zero equity in March, since my lease on the Civic ends on April 4th, where a year ago I would probably have had $4k positive in the same situation). There was a white Sport L in the clearance zone, so, really, not much more than a Sport Accord, and I get leather, memory seats, and seat heaters (not that I care, I rarely use them).
And, yes, it is a hybrid. Loving it so far. I’ve obviously driven them, but, never owned one. It is unbelievably quiet, and sneakily fast. Have wireless Android Auto, remote start, and way more. Only thing missing, weirdly, is defrost mirrors. Never noticed that before. I get a lot of ice and fog living with the river behind me. Oh, well, have to keep a bottle of ice away in the trunk again.
It is white, haven’t been a fan of white in a long time (my first car I bought on my own was a white Ford Probe, so, soured me), but, it looks great with the black rims and trim (generic photo from a dealership, too lazy to get up and take a photo)
I would have been ok with red, silver, and Urban Grey. Bright blue and black, no way. The range is good enough I might be able to go between Raleigh and NJ without stopping to fill up.
Maybe by the time this lease is up EVs will be in a position that there is no charging and range anxiety.
Read: Forget The EV, Picked Up An Accord Hybrid »