You Should Avoid These Five Common Mistakes When Buying An EV

Most of them will seem obvious, but Andy Slye explains the implications of each one in great detail.

Five Mistakes To Avoid When Buying An Electric Car

Dan Mihalascu

By: Dan Mihalascu

Aug 15, 2021 at 10:41am ET

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It’s easy to overlook essential aspects when purchasing your first EV, seeing as electric vehicles are virgin territory for most car buyers.

Thankfully, many people have been owning EVs for several years now and are willing to offer advice to newbies. Tech vlogger and Tesla Model 3 owner Andy Slye is one of them, and in a recent video, he lists the five biggest mistakes one can make when buying an EV.

The first is a pretty obvious one that applies to buying any type of car, or any expensive item for that matter: missing out on savings. As with ICE vehicles, you have the option of buying new or used, with the latter being a clever thing to do when it comes to EVs, as these cars tend to have lower mileage and less things to go wrong with them or maintain.

Now, if you want to buy new, you’ll qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 as well as state or local rebates—in some cases, even from power companies. The main takeaway here is to do your homework before signing that check.

Gallery: Tesla Service

Tesla Service

The second mistake is specific to EV buying, namely not having a charging plan. This is another obvious one because charging is an essential part of the EV ownership experience. The idea is to make sure you can charge your car at home (even a base outlet will do as long as long as you don’t travel more than 50 miles per day), at the office, and along your most frequented routes. Most people plug in their EVs in the evening using Level 2 charging and wake up to a fully charged battery, and that’s one of the coolest perks about owning an EV.

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The next mistake EV buyers often do is choose models with not enough range. This is pretty self-explanatory, but you should always aim for EVs that offer a long driving range to have peace of mind; Slye recommends models with at least 300 miles (483 km) of range. Don't think you can get the EPA range in real life because it will be affected by factors like outside temperature, speed, terrain, wheel size, and so on.

With that in mind, some people end up spending too much on an EV, which is another common mistake. It’s best to know your needs so you can choose the right electric vehicle with the right range for you. Finally, mistake number 5 is ignoring the associated expenses with owning an EV—stuff like insurance, registration, and maintenance fees. The video talks about each of these aspects in detail, so make sure to check it out if you’re planning to buy an EV.

More EV buying advice

Top Gear EV Buying Guide Calls Tesla Model 3 Best EV On Sale Today

Source: Andy Slye/YouTube

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