Electric car buying tips: range, budget and charging information

Buying an electric car is a very smart and beneficial decision in the present times. Not only is it cheaper in the long run than petrol-diesel cars, but it is also better for the environment and provides a wonderful and quiet driving experience. To choose the right EV, it is very important to first assess your personal needs correctly.

Like how many kilometers do you drive daily, do you mostly use it on city roads or on highways for long trips and travel with family or do you just need a car for alone or two people? While buying a new EV, it is very important to take care of all these requirements and range, budget along with charging infrastructure. Come, let us know about some things to keep in mind while buying an electric car.

check range

First of all you have to estimate how many kilometers you will walk daily. Choose a better electric car for yourself accordingly. If your daily journey is less than 50 to 80 kilometers and charging facility is available at home or office, then a car with a range of 300 to 400 kilometers will be sufficient for you, whereas for long journeys, a car with a range of 450 kilometers or more will prove to be a better option.

Special attention should be paid to range and battery capacity, because the range specified by ARAI is 20 to 30 percent less in the real world, which is affected by factors like air conditioning, speed and traffic. Budget cars (Rs 10 to 15 lakh) have a range of 250 to 350 km, while mid-range (Rs 15 to 25 lakh) have a range of 400 to 500 km and the premium segment has more than 500 km of range.

Check Battery Warranty

Also check the warranty of the battery, because most companies give a guarantee of up to 8 years or 1.6 lakh kilometers. At the same time, the battery degradation policy of companies like Tata and Mahindra is quite strong. If you are buying a used EV, then definitely take the State of Health report of the battery. Try to ensure that your first electric car is first hand.

View charging infrastructure

Availability of charging infrastructure is also very important, so check if you can get a 7.2 kW charger installed at home, or if charging points are available in offices and societies. Also see how many fast DC chargers there are on your route, as brands like Tata, MG and Hyundai have a good network. Charging stations have increased significantly in cities like Delhi-NCR, but advance planning is necessary for highway trips.

create your budget

While planning the budget, apart from the ex-showroom price, add registration, insurance, home charger installation (30 to 50 thousand rupees) and state government subsidy or FAME incentive. In some states, a discount of Rs 1 to 2 lakh is available. The running cost of an EV is only Rs 1 to 1.5 per kilometer (on domestic electricity), whereas a petrol car costs Rs 8 to 12 per kilometer. However, the starting price of EV is higher than ICE cars.

Focus on features and safety

Also focus on features and safety, like ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) which includes cruise control and lane assist, fast charging support which can charge 80 percent in 30-40 minutes. Also, a car with space, boot space and 5-star safety rating is better. Do take a test drive, because the quick acceleration and quiet driving of the EV is a different pleasure.