Family Electric Vehicle Buying Guide

2022 Perspective on Choosing a Family Electric Vehicle

I purchased my current car, a 2008 Subaru, when I was pregnant with my first child about 12 years ago now. The car has served us well but like all good things, it’s time with us will be ending at some point now. Now we need to find a new vehicle, and I’m looking for a family electric vehicle.

Why an Electric Vehicle?

In preparation for that eventual end, I started researching new vehicles recently. An electric vehicle of some sort is the easy decision for my family for two reasons: first, we want to save the polar bears, as I tell my kids. The sustainability impact of not burning gasoline on a daily commute is the main reason we’re looking at EVs.

And second and more practically, saving money on gas can’t be ignored. The recent spike in gas price in spring 2022 is just one of more to come, and gas prices rarely go back down once they spike up. 

There are many considerations when purchasing an electric vehicle. I’ll focus on the aspects I considered and the decision we are leaning towards now (with a back-up choice included).

Purchasing an EV now in 2022 is challenging because of the long lead time for so many cars. It’s not like you can just go to a dealer and drive off in a new car – now, you need to reserve cars, pay deposits, and WAIT. 

I’ve done the research on timelines, deposit procedures, and pros and cons of the major options for new and used EVs available now. 

Tesla versus Non-Tesla EV?

I mean, if you have the money to spend on a Tesla, you can probably stop reading here and spend your time picking out what color you want. 

For the rest of us who don’t want to have a massive car payment every month, keep reading. 

I ruled out Tesla for both the price, and honestly the desire to not support Elon Musk. That guy doesn’t need my money if he’s going to spend it on sending himself to space and purchasing a whole freaking social media platform. 

I do respect what he’s done to build both demand and infrastructure for electric vehicles, as well as solar panels and batteries. But let’s spread the love and leave Tesla out of the decision.

New EV versus Used EV?

This will really come down to timeframe and budget. If you want a cheaper car quickly, there are options for you. The Nissan Leaf EV was introduced back in 2011, and the car has a good track record. It isn’t the flashiest or most luxurious, but it will get you around town with a respectable battery range. 

When purchasing a used EV, you don’t get any of the tax credit benefits that you might get if you purchase a new (August 2022 note: this is changing! Details to be determined…). 

In my research, I found plenty of used Nissan Leafs on both CarMax and Carvana, around $15,000 – $20,000 with respectable mileage. These will serve you well as good commuter cars. But you probably won’t be loading up the family to take a road trip in a used Nissan Leaf. So it might not be the best choice for a family electric vehicle, but it can serve well as a commuter car.

There are other used options, like the Chevy Bolt and the futuristic looking BMW i3. The Bolt has a battery recall, so I would look into that issue before purchasing one of those. And whether or not the BMW i3’s looks are for you is a personal decision. If you can find one, Volkswagen offered an electric version of their classic Golf model from 2015 – 2019. This is appealing to me because it looks just like a normal VW Golf, and not wacky in ways the Leaf or BMW i3 or even Toyota Prius looks.

Where to Purchase a Used Electric Vehicle

Places to purchase a used EV include dealerships and sites like CarMax and Carvana. Both make it easy to filter for electric fuel types, and you can easily see what is available in your area of the country. You can even get a used EV delivered to you in just a few days.

So for those of you that need a car NOW and like the $20k or lower price point, a used Nissan Leaf will serve you well. 

New Family EV Options

First I focused on compact SUVs with all-wheel drive options available. While all-wheel drive isn’t a necessity in the upper Midwest in the winter, it sure is helpful. I also limited my search based on budget – the prices below are at the very upper limit of what I’d ever considered paying for a car previously, and once I saw prices starting in the 50s, I stopped browsing.

I also ruled out plug-in hybrid electric vehicles early on – I want an all-electric model, and don’t want to deal with a gasoline engine at all. One of the  benefits of an electric vehicle is the reduced maintenance needs (no oil change!) and the plug-in option means you still have to deal with the gasoline engine. If range flexibility is important to you, a plug-in hybrid may be a good choice.

 Data was pulled from the manufacturer’s websites with some support from caranddriver.com. 

I next ruled out a couple cars early in my research due to very limited availability. Subaru has the Solterra, but is not even taking reservations for it anymore. There are some more luxury options available, but the $50k price of the cars listed is already at the top of my budget; I’m not considering Jaguars and others like that. And the Ford Mustang Mach-e doesn’t quite meet my needs.

All Wheel Drive on an Electric Vehicle.

For our family electric vehicle, I narrowed my search to those crossover SUVs that have an AWD option. Some, like the Nissan, you have to choose the highest trim level to get the AWD option. The VW offers the most affordable AWD option, and when I’m about to pay the most I’ve ever paid for a car, I appreciate the savings.

Driving Range of Family Electric Vehicles

This is one of the top features for most EV purchasers. The driving range is fairly similar between all of them. Anything over 200 miles is probably sufficient for most families. Note that the stated range is probably not the real-word value, but it’s a start when comparing the cars.

Charging Time of Family Electric Vehicles

Charging time is important to me. How long will it take to charge my car at home, and can I quickly charge on the go at a DC fast charging station? The values listed are based on the best-case scenario of hadving a level 2 charger with the highest accepted rate of power. If you don’t have a level 2 charger installed at your house, expect closer to 20 hours to completely recharge one of these cars with a level 1 charger (comes with the car and plugs into a regular outlet). 

Some manufacturers are offering charging packages with new car purchases. Volkswagen is currently offering 2 years of free charging at Electrify America stations. Depending on where in the country you are, this could be a good deal. 

I also plan to charge my car at my work, which offers free EV charging. A nice perk! Does your employer offer any EV charging stations? It’s worth asking if management would consider supporting installation of a few if there aren’t any already.

Things I’ve learned about electric vehicles:

All-wheel drive for EVs

All-wheel drive is a little different in an electric vehicle – it basically means that there are two engines, one for each set of wheels (front and rear). So that’s another way to search for a car with more power for any towing needs, or just the safety of having all wheel drive power in bad weather.

0 – 60 Time?

Review sites are big on the 0-60mph time metric. I don’t care. I get that you need to accelerate to merge onto a highway and all, but all of these cars seem like they can merge just fine – there isn’t one that is so slow it will be a safety hazard. If you care, go ahead and compare those numbers too. 

Lead times for SUV EVs

Lead times for these cars are very hard to track. Other than the companies like Subaru who aren’t accepting reservations, the others aren’t listing an average time to get a new car. 

Some tips for searching for a new electric car – the reservations are typically refundable, so it doesn’t hurt to put down reservations for two or more if you are really motivated to get one.

Or start searching early (before your current car bites it) so you can afford to wait 6 months or more. I got very frustrated with a few dealer sites that show they have inventory, but it turns out they are showing cars that have been purchased already. 

My Decision

What did I choose for our family electric vehicle? I have a reservation for the Volkswagen ID4, and am hoping my dear Forester can keep going until the ID4 is ready. 🙂 

Any tips from you? Do you have a new EV? Let us know in the comments!