Man with budget EV that he bought for less than $3.5K shares how much it's cost him after 100 days

This British man with a budget EV that he bought for less than $3.5K has decided to share how much it’s cost him after 100 days of ownership.

EVs have the reputation that they only cost ‘pennies to run’, but when the original car itself costs very little, is that still the case?

This YouTuber had a second-hand 2014 Nissan Leaf, but he soon realized that switching to an EV from a diesel vehicle isn’t a case of plugging in and driving off.

After 100 days of driving his second-hand Nissan Leaf, he decided to break down all of the costs of his budget EV and see if it is as much of a money-saver as he had been told.

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Man with budget EV shares how much it’s cost him after 100 days

Most of us are told that owning an EV costs us ‘pennies to run’, but this British YouTuber wanted to see if that’s the case when he’s driving one of the cheapest electric vehicles on the market.

100 days on from when he purchased a second-hand 2014 Nissan Leaf for around $3,500, he decided he wanted to see if running his little car had actually been the money-saver that he was promised it would be.

Before he even drove it for the first time, he dropped $155 on a charging extension cable, digital tire inflator, Type one to Type two adapter, and a MagSafe phone mount.

Insurance was a big one; he pays $550 a year, which worked out to about $46 a month – and his road tax is only $24 a year.

Breakdown cover would’ve been an extra cost, but he realized his insurance already included battery cover.

He says to avoid public charging points

When it came to public charging, over three sessions, the YouTuber, Alex, spent $47 for just under 300 miles, which works out at around 25 cents per mile.

That’s much closer to the petrol or diesel costs than the ‘pennies’ that EV owners often promise.

His real savings came from home charging, and he managed to make the prices drop further once he switched to the right tariff.

Over 100 days, he covered a whopping 931 miles at home for just $43, averaging about five cents a mile.

So, overall, his monthly costs with his little Nissan Leaf are $77 a month – not too bad, if you shop around for a good tariff and budget EV.

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