Make the switch

Is now the time to do it?

The range of new electric vehicles available in New Zealand is rapidly expanding, with distributors scrambling to get allocation from the factory, particularly since the introduction of the Clean Car Discount that offers a rebate of $8625 for any new EV under $80,000.

So here’s an overview of every brand-new passenger EV under the $80k cutoff available in New Zealand right now.

We have rounded up all the vital specs (where available), including not just the claimed range, but also the battery capacity and energy consumption of the vehicles, which is equivalent to the fuel consumption figure of an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.

The consumption numbers are bigger though, but don’t be alarmed, because 10kWh/100km is roughly equivalent to 1.1L/100km of fuel consumption in an ICE vehicle.

We needed to have a degree of flexibility when applying the cutoff – the Clean Car Discount kicks in for vehicles with a total transaction price of less than $80,000, which means all on-road costs need to be included too.

This means a car that lists for $79,990 won’t technically make it when you include anywhere between $800 and $1300 (according to the AA) that on-road costs generally add.

Because ICE ORCs include petrol, an EV will incur less, but we have included cars within $1300 of the $80k cutoff in our rebate-suitable list anyway, because, let’s face it, no car dealer will want to lose a sale over such a small amount. So negotiate away – as long as the total invoiced amount is under $80k, it will qualify for the rebate. Cars close to the cutoff are marked with an asterisk and don’t have a post-rebate price calculated, just for clarity.

BMW

BMW’s sole sub-$80k electric offering is the i3, a long-serving member of the electric family and, while arguably getting a bit long in the tooth (and a bit behind the current EV tech), it still represents the BMW ‘‘Ultimate Driving Machine’’ ethos in a compact, high-quality, RWD (fun!) package.

The i3 family also includes the i3s that comes in above the Clean Car cutoff, but is even more fun.

BMW i3

Price: $78,700 ($70,075 after rebate) WLTP range: 335km

Energy consumption: 14.2kWh/100km Battery capacity: 42kWh

Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km Power/torque: 125kW/250Nm Drive: front wheels

Weight: 1345kg

HYUNDAI

Hyundai has recently expanded the Ioniq name into a family of EVs with the new Ioniq 5. If you strike a strong bargain with your local Hyundai dealer, you might just get the entry 2WD version with a shiny $8625 rebate under the Clean Car scheme, but at the lower end of the price spectrum though, the original Ioniq still offers a compelling and well-built package.

Hyundai’s second-ever all-electric offering – the Kona – was, of course, a small SUV, what with that being the fastest-growing sales segment.

It upped the technology and battery game over the original Ioniq and brought a more dynamic approach to handling. The Kona comes with a choice of two battery sizes and, as a result, not all models make the grade for a Clean Car rebate, with top-spec models sitting above the $80k cutoff.

Hyundai Ioniq

Price: Entry $65,990 ($57,365 after rebate), Elite $71,990 ($63,365 after rebate) WLTP range: 311km

Energy consumption: 11.5kWh/100km Battery capacity: 38.3kWh

Battery warranty: 10 years/160,000km Power/torque: 100kW/295Nm Drive: front wheels

Weight: 1575kg