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by SketchySeaBeast 1315 days ago
> I always assume Tesla was a more luxury brand of EVs.

Aren't EVs in generally really still luxury (or at least high middle tier) brands? Are there EV equivalents of a Civic?

4 comments

I can't speak to what's currently available in the US market, but my 2014 Mitsubisht iMiev is blissfully basic. Unfortunately it was so much so that it didn't sell well here and got taken off the market. No central display screen other than a few monochrome characters for the radio. Buttons everywhere. Manual seats. No backup camera. The ~50mi range from a 16 KWh battery pack is suboptimal for long-range driving, but it's perfect for the city. It is smaller than a Civic though.

I get the impression that, for first-world markets, "EV" is synonomous with "Tesla" and that irks me. It's just a different drivetrain, but somehow the focus groups have decided that all EVs have to have the same de-featured tablet-on-wheels look. I'm generalizing here, but I agree with the sentiment behind your question. I wish there were more traditionally designed cars with EV drivetrains becuase when I drive this one into the ground I sure hope there's something similar to replace it with.

Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf are both cars I would consider to be Civic-class cars. Especially the Bolt. They also happen to be two of the cheapest EVs on the road, so it lines up.
Class possibly, but not price. Here in Canada the Leaf is $40k and the Bolt is $38k while the Civic is $26k.
I can't speak to other regions, but the base model Chevy Bolt is $26.6k in the USA. The Nissan Leaf is $28k.

Honda Civic base in USA is $24.6k.

That's a bizarre price discrepancy. I wonder if there's some credits in there that I'm not getting in Canada, or that aren't included in the initial price tag.
Those prices are without any incentives, actually. If they actually manage to get the 'made in America' requirement for the batteries, then I believe they'd be eligible for an additional $7500 off that price. Depending on where you live, there may be still state incentives available right now too.
a Chevy bolt is competitive on price with tax incentives factored in. it's actually not bad, but imo the civic is a much better value unless you really want an EV.
The Bolt is the closest in the US. It has very limited DCFC capability compared to the Model 3, though.