How to bag great deals on a new Electric Car in 2024

New Electric Cars have a reputation for being expensive… but they don’t have to be. There are some phenomenal deals to be had from dealer stock on brand new cars that have been pre-registered. Here we are going to introduce you to 2 ways you can use the Autotrader website (usually better known for finding used vehicles) to find discounts on new and nearly new electric cars.

In part 1 we’ve mapped out the deals on a particular date (shown under our logo). In part 2 and 3 we show how you can find these deals or search for your own. Finally in part 4 we show what happened with our purchase of a pre registered Peugeot e208.

1 The Map of deals

What is it? It’s a map of all the best prices we’ve seen for new EV’s at at the survey date, in bands from under £20k up to £40k. The deals we list are generally

• EV’s with a mileage of 50 or under (mostly under 20 miles). Occasionally dealers will make an error on something like mileage that will place a car wrongly in a search so always read any advert thoroughly and check again when you buy.
• Some cars are unregistered and new. Most cars have been preregistered by a dealer or carmaker so the advert will describe having one previous owner. Sometimes they may include showroom cars.
• Pre-registered cars should have minimal mileage but may have been sitting around for many months. We include cars pre-registered in 2023 for now.
• The registration date should be stated in the “description” text. It is worth checking the effect on warranty as these typically start from the date of first registration.
• Many of the cars are on last years model, not 2024.

What can you do with the map?

If you are interested in a particular deal, use our guide in section 2 for finding an electric car deal. Even if a price we list is no longer on Autotrader, there are often more deals at slightly more or slightly less.

• Working clockwise from the red “under 20k” band all the way up to £40k the deals are shown by brand and model
• Trim is usually not usually listed so it could be base but is often mid or top spec.
• Battery size is shown where different versions are available (either in kWh or where there is a specific model name for for this)
• Cars and deals we recommend have a green tick. Deals on vehicles we would not recommend you take up have a red cross

Stand out deals!

The deals available have improved again since our last MyUrbanCar.com survey

• Under £15k
  We would ignore awful old Smart four2 but you can you can find a Fiat 500e brand new.. but only the small 24kWh battery version with a WLTP range of 118 miles likely to be around 80 miles in the real world. If that suits then it’s a bargain.
• Under £20k
  Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e and DS3 Crossback (outgoing models)are the best all rounders with quick charging and likely real world range around 180 miles EVDB
  We put a cross next to the Fiat 500 with a small battery but just under £20k gets you much better the long range 42kWh model
  Need space? Well remarkably the MG5 estate is available for under £19k! It’s the less elegant pre-face lift version but it’s a much loved car, especially by the minicab drivers at your local station
  Under £25k
  You’re really spoilt for choice here. Under £23k gets you a Peugeot e-2008, Vauxhall Mokka or Citroen e-C4 with a hatch or a boot. It also gets you a 51kWH MG4 or the outgoing VW ID.3! Under £25k adds Fiat 500 convertibles, MG4 64kWh, the updated MG5 estate or even a Cupra Born!
• Under £30k
  In this band you get old 64kWh Hyundai Kona‘s with excellent range or a Renault Megane or a 58kWh VW ID4 or Skoda Enyaq.
• Under £35k
  This gets you some bigger updated models including the new ID.3, and the new Hyundai Kona. Even better if you need space and range the long range 77kWh VW ID.4 and excellent Skoda Enyaq are both available ( 2023 model yr)
• Under £40k
  Even the under £40k category gets some amazing new entries like the new RWD Tesla Model 3, an 87kWh Nissan Ariya or even a 77kWh Kia EV6 in GT line spec and big 77 kWh battery Audi Q4 or Ioniq 6. Want to keep under £37k? That still lets you bag a 77kWh Ioniq 5 or Skoda Enyaq coupe
  
  
  

2 Getting Discounts on a specific new EV

On the Start page

Go to autotrader electric cars

1. choose a brand and model you are interested in
2. pick national search for widest results (most dealers can deliver within UK for a supplement)
3. Press search

Sorting results (top right)

Results display defaults according to relevance. Change this to Price (Lowest). Sometimes when you change your search filters you will need to repeat this if it switches back to relevance.

Filtering your results (left hand side)

1. This defaults to Select a year. Select brand new if you want offers on only new cars from dealer stock
2. If you want to broaden this search to preregistered cars choose select a year eg from 2023 and change mileage from any to MAX 100 miles.
3. usually ignore the first and last results on a page which are paid adverts and continue to the next page
4. see what discounts are available with lowest first. If there are no discounts on the first page try step 2 above.
5. you can use the same menu to switch to a search for a different make and model, specify a colour, trim level or even specify only cars with a sunroof.

Benefits and pitfalls

1. remember many cars come standard in a colour and a trim or battery size. So if a stock car is in the colour you want, it is likely to be the same as you would get in a custom order, but for a lot less money and quicker delivery.
2. Some cars listed include metallic paint or option packs in the discounted price that you would have to pay extra for normally.
3. It is also worth remembering that while some dealer stock cars are the same as you would order from the manufacturer website others are different models like the smaller battery Fiat 500 with a smaller battery 24kWh battery and shorter range
4. if you don’t see any discounted models you want, then check this years used models with a larger mileage
5. If the photo and image but not a photo of a specific car the car on offer may look different. always ensure you get a proper set of photos or video inside and out.
6. Many cars listed are outgoing models and were built at the start of 2023 and have been sitting around
7. Finally there is no rhyme or reason behind individual prices. Cars with higher spec can be cheaper than with lower spec and the identical cars can be offered at wildly different prices. Eg the completely unrecommendable Mazda MX30 with 100 miles range is available for £22k or.. 39k!
8. Finally some discounts are on great EV’s and some are on lemons that no discount can fix. Check our buyers guide to learn more

3 Lucky Dip

Go to autotrader electric cars

On the Start page

1. pick national search for widest results (most dealers can deliver within UK for a supplement)
2. Press search without selecting a vehicle.

Repeat the steps in Sorting your results and Filtering your results. This should give you the cheapest new electric cars from all brands. For example you could do best cars for £35,000 or with a sunroof.

4 What we chose

We were first tempted by some Vauxhall Corsa-e GS’s for under £20k but in the end we decided on a Peugeot e-208 in mid spec Allure premium+ would be more fun. After a frustrating set of issues with the first car we looked at we have found another for £21,969. Thats 34.8% or £11,726 below the Peugeot offer below… Worth noting the Peugeot website offers the petrol 208 in the same Allure premium spec for £23,810. That makes this EV deal £1,841 cheaper than the petrol version. That said best like for like deal on a petrol in white is £20,140

We’ll be using this #ElectricMustard to find out how long distance EVDayTrips compare in lower cost electric cars. With ok range and 100kW charging from 10-80% we think it should be good for the role. See how we get on here..