The price and autonomy of electric cars, as well as the scarce availability in Spain of public points for rechargingare three of the parameters that are most taken into account by potential buyers, and that at the same time delay the introduction of this type of vehicle in our country.
A potential buyer of a new utility vehicle in Spain can find his car from 12,900 euros. This is the case of the Mahindra KUV 100 model, with five doors, four seats, 87 CV of power, and an approved consumption of 7.9 l/100 km.
If we look for a better-known brand, the next step is occupied by the gasoline Dacia Sandero, also with five doors, but already with five seats, 91 HP of power and a much more frugal consumption, of only 5.2 l/100 km. . With either of the two models, despite its modest mechanics, we can venture not only to make urban journeysbut to make long-distance journeys both by motorway and by conventional road, as long as we are aware of what we have in hand and we do not try to be the fastest.
Things go wrong if we try to make the move to a 100% electric model, since the minimum outlay is 19,900 euros. This is the rate of the Invicta Electric, which only offers us two seats, 45 CV and a range of 120 km, so we completely rule out making any kind of trip with it.
install a charger
When making the leap, we must also take into account that the ideal is to have a charger at home, which will increase the rate by about 1,200 euros. And although the legislation allows us to install the charger in a community parking space without further formality than notifying the Community of Owners, other types of administrative procedures can delay installation for an average of 12 months (for a 100 kW low voltage charger ).
In order to reduce the cost of our installation, it is necessary to know that Spain currently has the Programa MOVES III: an aid program managed at the regional level that can give us help to individuals for the installation of a charging point in their home of up to 70% of the total cost.
For this reason, it is highly recommended to ask beforehand if we can access this help and consult the installers and energy companies, who will be able to manage the procedures for us, since they vary depending on the community.
More autonomy, but also more expensive
It is true that practically all brands sell electric vehicles in Spain, with ranges that sometimes reach or exceed 600 km and therefore also allow us to use them for long-distance journeys. And through high speed and power charging points It is possible to recover 80% of the capacity in just 20 minutes, making it more viable to have a 100% electric vehicle as the main car. But as a counterpart, all this has a price, since we are talking about models that, like the Kia EV6, start at a price of about 49,220 euros, or in the case of the Renault Megane E-TECH Electric, they have a starting price of 36,600 euros.
To access MOVES III aid for the purchase of electric cars with an electric range of more than 90 kilometers, a series of requirements must be met. Thus, this plan can be accessed when buying vehicles with a sale price (without VAT) with a price of up to 45,000 or 53,000 euros for passenger cars with 8 seats. The amount of the aid will be 4,500 euros if we do not scrap a vehicle in exchange, and 7,000 if we deliver our car for scrapping. But be careful, because it is the client (and not the dealer or the manufacturer of the vehicle) who has to request aid from the State. The latter will grant it to you, if it really corresponds to you, once you have purchased the vehicle and within a maximum period of six months from the resolution of your request.
And just as it happens with the rest of the subsidies that are received by the State, the aid of the MOVES III Plan also must be taxed in the Income statement.
Regarding the amount of money to return to the Treasury, it will vary depending on factors such as the amount of aid received, the general tax base, the tax rate corresponding to the level of income and the autonomous community of residence. It can be approximately 30% of what is received by the State.
For example, for the purchase of a pure electric vehicle with the scrapping of an old vehicle and receiving a grant of 7,000 euros from the Governmentbetween 1,330 euros must be returned with an income level of up to 12,450 euros (19% to be returned of what was received), and up to 3,290 euros if the income was more than 300,000 euros (47% to be returned of the amount received).
Maintenance
Since the price of electric cars is much higher than those of gasoline or diesel, we might think that their maintenance will also mean a greater financial outlay. But in this case, the electric one wins.
In reality, the points that must be controlled or reviewed are much smaller in an electric car. The frequency of passing through the workshop will depend on many factors, such as the type of driving, if more or fewer accidents are suffered, the manufacturer’s recommendation, or if an unforeseen breakdown occurs. In fact, “an electric car has fewer parts than a gasoline or diesel car and, therefore, its maintenance is less,” he points out. Víctor Pardo, Market Manager and Norauto Workshop Projects.
It must be taken into account that peculiarities of electric vehicles mean that specific control points have to be established for this type of car. For example, you have to check the state of the charging cable, as well as the cables and sheaths of the high-voltage cables. You should also check the battery pack (if accessible), the condition of the charging connector and an electronic diagnosis of the battery pack. Finally, technical controls to find out the state of health of the high voltage battery. The price of this maintenance is not higher than the usual revision that a combustion car must do.
One last aspect to assess is the real contamination of electric cars during their circulation if we compare them with combustion ones.
And in this sense, Green NCAPthe body dedicated to measuring the level of efficiency, emissions and environmental impact of vehicles launched on the European market, has recently published the list of the most environmentally friendly cars.
The first place is occupied by the Dacia Spring, which achieved a general rating of five stars, with the highest score – the only model to achieve it – in two of the three sections analysed: the clean air index and the greenhouse gas index.
Its overall score was 9.9, followed by the Tesla Model 3 (9.8 overall score). The NIO eT7, the Renault Mégane E-TECH and the Cupra Born achieved an overall score of 9.6. The Audi Q4 e-Tron and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 also had a five-star result.
Green NCAP has published its latest results ranking which includes three gasoline cars: the Kia Picanto (3-star rating), the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer (2½-star rating), and the VW Touran (2-star rating). A car with diesel mechanics also slips into this classification, the Opel/Vauxhall Mokka, with 3 Green NCAP stars.
Invicta Electric D2S 19.994 €
This Chinese model is the cheapest electric for sale in Spain. With only two seats and 49 CV of power. The access version achieves 120 km of autonomy, although there is also a more powerful (and more expensive) version with up to 220 total km. The maximum speed is 105 km/h. With these characteristics it is not the most recommended car for traveling, but in return it moves very well in urban traffic.
Dacia Spring 20.555 €
It is one of the best-selling electric cars both in Spain and in Europe. In addition to four seats, it has a 270-liter trunk. With five doors and four seats, thanks to its autonomy of 230 km it allows both urban and extra-urban routes. The maximum approved speed is 125 km/h. Its level of equipment and finishes is correct, but lacking in great luxuries.
Renault Twingo €24,591
The Twingo has recently returned to fame thanks to Shakira’s controversial song. It does not lack attributes to succeed as a city car. Among them its daring design and its great maneuverability thanks to its turning radius. The rear-wheel drive also makes it a lot of fun to drive. The trunk has a capacity of 188 liters.
Smart EQ ForTwo 25.090 €
It shares many elements with the Twingo, although in this case it is the short version, with only two seats available. There is also a convertible version. It offers up to 183 km of autonomy with a charging time of 40 minutes. Enough to tour the city and its surroundings. It has an intelligent energy recovery system.
MG4 Electric 28.280 €
The iconic British brand, now in the hands of Chinese owners, wants to dismantle the low-quality image of vehicles made in the Asian country. This electric model stands out for its good quality/price ratio. Due to power, autonomy and size, it is also one of the most affordable cars for use as a family car, both urban and for road trips.
Fiat 500 E €30,100
Fiat’s smallest model is a car in which design has been and is one of its great attractions. Its small size makes this car a “big one” in the city. We can equip it with a canvas roof to make it convertible. With two doors and four seats, it reserves a 185-liter trunk for us, with capacity for a couple of small suitcases, backpacks or even a shopping cart.
Best sellers in Europe
According to Jato data, which includes data from 28 European countries, 1.56 million pure electric vehicles were sold in 2022. This means that 14 out of every 100 vehicles sold on the continent are electric.
By brands, Volkswagen is the brand that sells the most electrified vehicles in Europe in 2022 with 349,147 units of pure electric vehicles and 183,065 units of plug-in hybrids. Tesla ranks second in pure electric sales with 232,108 units sold, being one of the fastest growing brands.
By models Tesla occupies the first two positions in the list of best-selling pure electric vehicles in 2022, with the Model Y with 137,052 units, and 91,475 for the Model 3. It is followed by the Volkswagen ID.4 (67,490), Fiat 500 (66,198) , and Volkswagen ID.3 (53.015).