14 hours ago
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Let’s be honest, there are a lot of great reasons to buy an electric vehicle. The big one, especially now that fuel prices have had a rather astounding mental breakdown, is the whole not relying on petrol or diesel thing, which may come with a side-effect of pure smugness and sense of superiority over your fellow motorists.
Then there’s the actual driving experience. One hundred per cent of torque is available as soon as you hit the accelerator. It’s brilliant.
Then there’s the fact that the battery pack and motors are generally positioned low in the vehicle’s chassis, so handling is often better than decent, not to mention that not having an engine to deal with opens up a bunch of storage options.
And yes, we’ve heard the negatives about EVs too. The range is limited. Towing the caravan or boat presents a significant challenge. Charging takes a chunk of time. They’re relatively expensive (but getting cheaper by the day, seemingly). They’re heavy.
Nevertheless, for an urban commute and occasional weekend road-trip vehicle, you’d be mad not to at least be considering an EV. With that in mind, we thought it was high time we put out a bit of a rundown on how to properly test-drive an electric car.
While a lot of it is the same as taking an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle for a spin, there are a few traps for young players if you don’t have a bunch of EV experience.
Test-driving an electric vehicle and an ICE-equipped car are very similar in many ways. You’re still checking for weird noises, for abnormal wear and tear on the interior, tyres, rub marks from car parks and that sort of thing.
Moreover, you’re really seeing if the car 'fits' you. Things such as seating positions, visibility, NVH levels (there’s no engine noise to drown out, so you can hear a lot more), and the general feel of the vehicle can be the deciding factors in whether it's a car you love or something you’re going to end up resenting. We’ve already covered this, though, so let’s move on.
With an EV, the acceleration and handling are slightly different. Many models have regenerative braking, which is when the brakes are applied once your foot is off the go-pedal, allowing a recharging process for the battery pack.
This can often be dialled in by the driver, the maximum being one-pedal driving, where you let off the accelerator and the brakes forcefully kick in, bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.
It’s both a good and a bad thing, and the system should absolutely be played with during your test drive to ensure everything works as it should.
See how each setting affects both city and highway driving, and determine which one works best for each and suits your driving style.
EVs tend to weigh 20–30 per cent more than an ICE equivalent. This means that, due to the extra mass, regenerative braking and the amazing acceleration, they tend to wear through tyres at an alarming rate.
Some EV owners have had sets of quality tyres needing replacement after less than 20,000km of driving, so make sure you check them closely.
Most electric vehicles will have a lot of the available bells and whistles controlled by a touchscreen interface. Make sure you take the time to have a fiddle with it and see how intuitive it feels for everyday use.
You want information, including the range, state of charge and efficiency, to be at hand quickly and easily. Also, the functions you’ll use regularly, such as climate control and navigation, should be able to be brought up efficiently without the need to scroll through endless menus.
Overall, you want it to flow from one thing to another smoothly, and preferably with a degree of customisation so you can set it up to suit your individual tastes.
More than the test drive, take your EV for a test charge as well. Most models will allow you to control the rate and depth of charge, so ask the seller how to set the charging schedule (great for off-peak electricity hours) and to explain the options for adjusting charging speeds.
Compare how easy it is to put 100km worth of amperage in versus a full charge from nearly a full depth of discharge. It may also be applicable to explore the preconditioning settings that warm or cool your car before use, and how much battery they will require.
On the same note, check the car’s in-built charger network integration. Basically, ask the navigation system to direct you to the closest charging station, and check whether it displays real-time availability, pricing and charging speeds.
It’s also worthwhile to ensure your car works with all charging networks. You can check a second-hand EV’s battery health by comparing the estimated remaining distance on the display with the actual distance travelled.
The closer these two are to matching, the healthier the system. It’s not a bad idea to actually go to a charging station to get an idea of how it all works and how much time different levels of charge may take. Especially if this is your first rodeo.
Different types of driving will affect an electric vehicle's range, so keep a close eye on the amp-hunger during city driving and compare it to a run up the highway. This way, you can develop a real-world range based on your driving style and destination.
Factor in heating and cooling (which will affect range more than you may think), as well as driving up hills and the ambient weather conditions (batteries generally don’t like the cold).
Also have a flick between Eco, Normal and Sport modes. Not only is Sport mode likely the most fun, but it’ll also probably consume the most current content too.
You may notice that there are a lot of variables to range, and while the onboard computer will do its best to work it out accurately, real-world factors (which include the nut behind the wheel) will have a significant impact.
Plotting a long-distance drive (about 10 hours or so) can reveal how well the navigation and computer will integrate these factors into its algorithm. Does it automatically add charging stops and account for charge times into the total trip duration?
Finally, check the location of the charging port. Having it at the furthest possible distance from your home’s power outlet can seriously impact livability.
Likewise, being familiar with it will allow you to optimally manoeuvre your car when pulling up to a charging station. It also pays to check how easy it is to access the port – especially if parking is tight – and whether the charging cables can reach it.
Of course, EVs are different to fuel-powered cars, but there are plenty of similarities too.
Think about it this way: if you’ve only ever owned a petrol-powered Toyota Yaris, jumping into a Ford F-250 diesel and hitching up a 20ft caravan would be quite the learning curve.
You’d look for different things before buying either vehicle, and transitioning from an ICE car to an electric vehicle is simply a continuation of that.
Priorities may need a little shift, and finding a seller (dealer or private) who is willing to work with you to ensure you’re making an informed purchase is priceless. Ask the right questions, give a few things a little test-run and enjoy that acceleration.
In the past 15 years as an automotive journo and 35-plus years of inveterate car-guy antics, Dex has worked across numerous titles and has even occupied the occasional editor’s chair when nobody was watching. He spends his downtime doing engine swaps (plural) on the nature strip out front and also once ripped a handbrake spin into a perfect car park. His parents remain indifferent.
