As the owner of a 68,000-mile 2015 Fiat 500e, I’ll be the first person to tell you that most people’s range anxiety is way overblown. I get around just fine in my little clown car even if I have to charge it pretty frequently. Still, I fully understand looking at the Kia EV6 GT’s specs and deciding to get something different. It costs $63,000 with destination, and while it does make 576 horsepower, it only has 218 miles of range. That will cover your daily driving needs, but for that kind of money, you can do better.
Normally, doing better would mean looking at competitors, including the better-handling Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, but I say just look at the used market because the resale value on these things is absolutely terrible. If you don’t buy new, though, that’s just a big benefit for you, and if you’re willing to shop around, you can find some in the low $30,000 range. Heck, if you’re willing to risk it on a salvaged title, you can even find at least one for less than $30,000.
For example, here’s a 2023 Kia EV6 GT near me in Morrow, Georgia with less than 10,000 miles on it that’s currently priced at $32,977. It still comes with the downside of owning a car that barely has more than 200 miles of range in a country that isn’t exactly swimming in chargers that work, but it’s going to be a lot easier to put up with those shortcomings with an extra $30,000 in you pocket. That’s less than the cost of a long-range Nissan Leaf.
Now, it’s not really fair to compare a new Leaf to a used EV6 GT, and it isn’t exactly news that used cars depreciate over time, but on the other hand, which one would you rather own? Yeah, probably the car with 576 hp. Plus, the Leaf is only EPA-rated at 212 miles, so it’s not like you’re giving up any range by going with the Kia. I also know $30,000 is a lot of money, and there are plenty of other used options at that price point, especially if you don’t restrict yourself to EVs. On the other hand, how many of those options make 576 hp?