EV general discussion

b0rn2sk8 said:
See above.

Every price I have quoted, I have generated today in the moments before posting them. I already stated that this and where I have got them from, I'm not sure how I can be more 'in touch' with this point.

I have no idea where you are getting your prices.
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I have literally just done it on another house on my postcode...same prices.

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Again, prices you keep saying are not possible.

Flexible variable tariff, not an EV tariff.
 
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Alexrose1uk said:
I have literally just done it on another house on my postcode...same prices.

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Again, prices you keep saying are not possible.

Flexible variable tariff, not an EV tariff.
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If you're seeing a day and night rate, that's not the totally standard Next Flex tariff, it's probably the smart saver add on or something

Edit - or your specific address is registered as having economy 7 metering, something like that
 
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Kenai said:
If you're seeing a day and night rate, that's not the totally standard Next Flex tariff, it's probably the smart saver add on or something
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Maybe, but it was the first variable rate tariff it actually showed me on my postcode. And there'll be a lot of people on suboptimal variable tariffs they've been put on, which was the point I was initially making; as I've seen quite a lot of 30p+ rates from varying suppliers since I started looking when fuse announced the end of thier EV tariff.
The point being that a 30+p rate during the day is quite achievable. That was just a supplier I picked randomly to highlight 'middle of the road'.

Your average person joins a tariff and sits on it, or whatever they get put on, rather than jumping around between tariffs like most of us do, which is why places like MSE go on and on about it, because the vast majority of people don't act like we do and try and optimise.

It's very easy to get caught within the enthusiast bubble, we all do it, be it EV or Tech, but genuinely we're a bunch of enthusiasts acting well outside the norm. Family car of the year shouldn't represent that :)
 
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Alexrose1uk said:
The point being that a 30+p rate during the day is quite achievable.
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Generally only if you're on a tariff that is significantly cheaper at other times though, not as a standard rate.

So to summarise the discussion, the PV5 isn't a good family car because it's efficiency isn't quite as good as some smaller, less practical cars and that means if someone were to charge it at high electricity costs as a result of being on the wrong tariff, it will cost an extra couple of hundred quid per year to run?

The only bit I think I've missed is your suggestions of more deserving cars that tick off all your earlier criteria better than the PV5 does...

size, space, affordability, practical, cheap to run
 
@Kenai - unfortunately saw it a lot on single rates too.
Maybe I live in an expensive postcode, but it was depressingly common when looking at rates this last few weeks after FUSE KO'd thier EV tariff; with fixed and standard variables all being noticeably higher than before :(

There is definately that. @Armageus :D

Thing is I say it half in jest, but it's true. It's more of a mini-van/MPV than a family car, which is still decidedly more large hatchback/mini-SUV.
And to Kenai on the second part, my argument is more along the lines of what has been said already said, the car should be a balance of practicality, economy, cost to buy etc etc.
My issue is that it's a £34-40k mini-MPV with mediocre efficiency being presented as 'Family Car of the Year' when there are much cheaper alternatives that better balance practicality, efficiency and affordability.

There are plenty of cars that fit that bill, hell, if it didn't have the reliability issues, the MG4 available at 22K would be a no brainer by contrast, but there are others, and I've named some of them, like the BYD Dolphin.
Realistically if you asked people to name a family car, they'd likely name something like a Golf, a Focus, an Insignia, a Cupra or a Juke at a push or the likes, or even maybe an Ioniq 5 or a Kia EV3...they're very unlikely to name that Kia PV5 when asked about a family car, and it just feels totally out of touch to suggest it.

Basically:
Good MPV? Probably.
Good practical vehicle? Absolutely.
What most people would recognise as the best Family Car of 2026? NOT A SCOOBY DOO'S CHANCE IN HELL :D
 
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Alexrose1uk said:
My issue is that it's a £34-40k mini-MPV with mediocre efficiency being presented as 'Family Car of the Year' when there are much cheaper alternatives that better balance practicality, efficiency and affordability."

There are plenty of cars that fit that bill, hell, if it didn't have the reliability issues, the MG4 available at 22K would be a no brainer by contrast, but there are others, and I've named some of them, like the BYD Dolphin.
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I guess this just boils down to you viewing a family car as something significantly smaller, as both of those are cars that Auto Express criticised in their reviews for lack of space, so no chance they're making it to the top of the list for their best family car really,where space is always going to be a key concern.
 
Another problem for me is that 183 mile range is still woeful for a main family car.

The double standards are ridiculous. If an Astra or Focus had a 183 mile fuel tank then it'd be laughed away as best family car.
 
Kenai said:
I guess this just boils down to you viewing a family car as something significantly smaller, as both of those are cars that Auto Express criticised in their reviews for lack of space, so no chance they're making it to the top of the list for their best family car really,where space is always going to be a key concern.
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I don't know how many times this has been pointed out but it's a MPV, not a family car, thus it shouldn't be in the family car category at all,. But hey if people want to drive around in a van with windows with a miniscule range and pretend it's a car then keep those blindfolds on.
 
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@Kenai Not really. I'd happily include things like the EV3, Ioniq 5, Kona, Qashqai etc in the family car category, so it's not that I think family cars have to be small.

My issue is that the PV5 feels like a niche MPV/mini-van being judged primarily on space and practicality, while affordability and efficiency are being given much less weight, when those are arguably more important to most families! And the range in that 34K model is pathetic in the modern era.

If the award was "Most Practical Family Vehicle" I'd have no issue at all. It's the "Family Car of the Year" title that feels odd to me, because most families simply aren't buying £35-40k electric MPVs, and even if they were buying 40K EVs, an MPV is very much a niche choice, especially one with that range. It doesn't have the balance!
 
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Kenai said:
An MPVs primary purpose is to be a family car IMO, who else is buying them if not families that need seats and space? :p
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Arguably usually not families!

Most of the times I see MPVs they're not private, they're business:
Small businesses wanting a dual-purpose vehicle
Taxi/private hire operators
Airport transfer companies
Hotels and shuttle services
Families doing mixed business/private use
Multi-generational households
Mobility transport users

NOT 'ol Barbara doing the school run' :D

A Golf is bought almost exclusively as a family/personal vehicle, same with a Qashqai or a Kona, they're bought almost exclusively as a family/personal vehicle.

A PV5? Not so much, and I'd expect to see a lot more of them running around as taxi's than personal vehicles.

That's why Auto Express's choice feels very odd, throw on top the lack of balance in other areas, and it's just NOT a family car of the year lol
 
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Alexrose1uk said:
NOT 'ol Barbara doing the school run' :D
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No, I guess the 180 mile range is too inconvenient to do the 5 mile round trip to the school with a stop at Tesco on the way home :p

I suppose my view on it is coloured by my parents having stuff like the Mitsubishi Spacewagon when I was growing up, I see MPVs as the absolute peak stereotypical family car, whether they've been built off a small van platform or otherwise. You don't have to go far back for everywhere you looked to be CMaxs, or Galaxies, Espace, Grand Scenic etc.

They've obviously fallen from popularity now everyone wants an SUV but I still think MPVs make the strongest case for the actual best balance of important features in family cars.
 
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Armageus said:
Family Car of the year is actually a Van... :D

Edit:
And even worse for a family car only has either 183 or 256 mile range...
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That could potentially be my next car :cry:

Missus keeps banging on about a 7 seater. Our current car is a 285 mile range and that has been plenty, so 256 is fine.

What is interesting is it says V2X. So might be able to use it as a house battery. That said i am not sure i like the idea of faffing about plugging the car in every time I use it. Rather just get one of those 16 or 32kw batteries and be done with it. We'll see how it goes. Not doing nothing for another 2-3 years.
 
Kenai said:
No, I guess the 180 mile range is too inconvenient to do the 5 mile round trip to the school with a stop at Tesco on the way home :p

I suppose my view on it is coloured by my parents having stuff like the Mitsubishi Spacewagon when I was growing up, I see MPVs as the absolute peak stereotypical family car, whether they've been built off a small van platform or otherwise. You don't have to go far back for everywhere you looked to be CMaxs, or Galaxies, Espace, Grand Scenic etc.

They've obviously fallen from popularity now everyone wants an SUV but I still think MPVs make the strongest case for the actual best balance of important features in family cars.
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Honestly I do remember those days, my family had one of the OG Galaxy (but even they used it as a transport/van more than all seats in actual use), but at the same time in those days the average non-People Carrier was MUCH smaller, like the Ford Ka and Fiestas, Vauxhall Corsas and other similar sized cars.
Now there are a lot of cars which fit a very comfortable middle ground, from large hatchbacks, SUVs and saloons that fit the spec better except for very large families.

Thats why I say I dont expect a family car to be small (although it can be) but more I think it has to balance qualities, and I feel like the PV5 is a strange choice there. It'll certainly suit some, but its a niche choice, and I don't know we should be celebrating vehicles with unimpressive ranges and relatively poor efficiency, especially not at £35-40k.

It's not the most important factor, but a balance of the factors that matter to an average family should. It feels like Auto Express just weighted size above all else.
 
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Kenai said:
An MPVs primary purpose is to be a family car IMO, who else is buying them if not families that need seats and space? :p
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Whatever, it is still a van with windows, commonly also known as a minibus, and because of that I doubt if it will be that popular. It's real range will be not great at all, useless on the holiday run fully loaded.
 
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