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I need a car for occasional short journeys. My yearly millage will probably be less than 2000 miles. Is it worth getting an EV or will a small petrol be more environmental.

I’ll be buying used, probably either a VW Polo or a Renault Zoe.

If I only drive < 2000 miles, is that enough to keep the battery of the Zoe healthy?

Fred
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Will
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  • One thought is, would it be better for the environment to leave the used zoes for people with high milage commutes. – Will Nov 16 '23 at 09:27
  • I have a couple more comments to consider. 1) Some of the older used EVs in the market have a very low range, because of battery degradation and not having a very large capacity to begin with. These vehicles would only ever be suitable for someone that just made short trips, albeit they might be OK for someone that made a short commute every day. 2) Only being used for short occasional trips is also bad for the health of an internal combustion engine, which will likely not get up to operating temperature and experience worse fuel economy and increased sludge, deposits and wear. – andyyy Nov 17 '23 at 12:30
  • yep, it will also be kept in a windy, rainy, salt spray exposed location. its really not a good assignment for any car! – Will Nov 17 '23 at 13:56
  • range isnt a massive concern. as long as its real-world 60-80 miles it can cope with anything id need. – Will Nov 17 '23 at 13:56
  • My point about range is that if it is low, you aren't really preventing the car being owned by someone who could make more use of it, as whoever owns such a vehicle, it is unlikely to be doing significantly more than 2000 miles per year. – andyyy Nov 17 '23 at 14:34
  • Right I see, and actually doing the maths a bit more carefully, ill be way under 2000. but point taken – Will Nov 20 '23 at 10:11

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