BMW i3 is the BEST BUY used electric car – but the Nissan LEAF is cheaper

CPI HPI – used car price gurus – have declared that the BMW i3 is the best buy used electric car, followed by the Nissan LEAF, in the UK.

Electric car sales haven’t been exactly stellar in the UK, but when you lump in all forms of electrification – so called AFVs (alternatively fuelled vehicles) – the numbers are staring to get more significant.

Last month, June 2017, saw a market share of 4.4 per cent for AFVs in the UK, and so far this year more than 60,000 AFVs have been registered.

But slow new sales has meant used car values are rather depressed compared to ICE cars, but that too is starting to change, a little, as used EV prices firm up a bit.

So CAP HPI – experts in used car values – have been taking a look at the ‘Best Buy’ EVs on the used car market, and have concluded that the BMW i3 electric City Car is the best bet.

Unsurprisingly, it’s the range extender version of the i3 which is considered the best option as it takes the i3 almost twice as far in one go as the pure BEV, although even then its probably only around 150 miles in the real world.

A two-year old BMW i3, which cost £30,925 when new will now cost you £14,650 for a 20k mile example, with the i3 range extender dropping from £34,075 to £18,400.

Next best, according to CAP, is the Nissan LEAF, with the 30kWh version the pick although costing more.

A 15-plate LEAF Tekna 30kWh – which cost £31,345 new – will now set you back £12,200, and the 24kWh – which cost £30,535 new in 2015 – will now cost £9,900. Something of a bargain.

Away from full blood EVs (if the range extender i3 counts as such), prices are rising for used hybrids too, with plug-in Prius used values up by 3.9 per cent and the hybrid Lexus RX by 2 per cent.

So, if you’ve been thinking of jumping in to a used EV or AFV, now might be the time before increasing buyer confidence firms up prices further.