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Hi Gerry,

There is some anecdotal evidence of increased insurance premiums when buyers move to an EV, though we've not experienced this ourselves. There are a lot of factors that feed into the cost of insurance, including the increased price of a new car.

However, we don't believe the issue is the extra performance, but the potential increased cost of repair, such as to a battery pack for example.

We'd certainly urge would-be EV buyers to get an insurance quote for the car they're considering buying so that they have the full picture.

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Hi Galin,

Worry not, as the Grande Panda hybrid does not have a traditional starting motor at all. Instead, it uses the mild-hybrid system's electric motor - integrated into the transmission - to start the engine up. This should be quite robust.

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Hi Niall,

I'm assuming you're thinking of snowy winters past where many a rear-drive car is seen struggling for traction. That's mostly down to the vehicle's weight distribution as those cars have their engines up front and very little weight over the rear wheels.

The rear-drive EX40 wouldn't have that issue - within reason - as the heavy electric motor is over the driven axle and the battery pack is mounted low down in the middle of the car.

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Hi Patrick,

We'll do our best to answer your questions, though you may be as well off to pop into your local Toyota dealer to talk it over and take the car for a test drive yourself.

1 – The 18-inch wheels are only available on the GR Sport model and yes, they will be more susceptible to damage than the 17-inch rims fitted to most versions, but not drastically so.

2 – Yes, the tall wheels help give the Aygo X higher ground clearance than most small hatchbacks, that's for sure. It's not an off-road vehicle, though.

3 – There is no official figure for how far the hybrid Aygo X will travel on battery power as it only has a small battery, and it is not a plug-in hybrid. The system shuts the engine off regularly when driving in slow traffic. Though there is an “EV mode” button to force the car to use the battery charge, there's no reliable way to observe how far it travels on purely battery power for a single charge of the battery.

4 – The entry-level touchscreen measures nine inches across the diagonal, while a 10.5-inch screen is available on the higher specification models.

5 – No, Toyota does not use a Google-based operating system in the Aygo X. If you want Google Maps then you'll have to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in conjunction with a smartphone.

6 – We managed to beat the official fuel consumption figure – of 3.7 litres/100km (76.3mpg) – recording 3.2 litres/100km (88.3mpg) on a day of mostly slow enough driving, but including one section of motorway.

7 - The coefficient of drag is 0.31.

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Hi Nuran,

I'm afraid not. The car is not designed to accept a spare wheel. 

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Hi Elaine,

The BMW X3 diesel is what's called a "mild hybrid", so it can't be plugged in. The plug-in hybrid only makes sense if you can plug it in at home to charge up the battery at every available opportunity. If you don't do that then it's essentially the same as fuelling a heavy petrol-only model.

In general, a diesel car is more efficient than a plug-in hybrid when it comes to long journeys and it sounds like that's what may suit your needs better.

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Hi Paddy,

BYD has not announced any models for Ireland using the second-generation Blade battery, and indeed it hasn't really confirmed which cars will definitely get such a thing anywhere in the world that we know of.

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Hi Nuran,

This is a challenge that affects a lot of modern cars, not just the Yaris hybrid and the issue here is not the battery itself, but the entire system that takes energy from it.

The Aygo X's electrical system is very very similar to that of the Yaris so, unless Toyota has made changes to reduce the chances of the 12-volt battery draining while the car is left idle for long periods, we'd have to assume that the Aygo X also needs to be regularly started up to avoid issues.

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Hi William,

There are plenty of good new EVs on the market within budget to consider, though most are crossover or SUV-style vehicles. That's a good thing in terms of ease of access, as their door openings are usually large and the roofs are not too low. It also usually means a relatively high-set seating position, to the benefit of comfort and visibility.

We prefer to drive regular car-shaped vehicles, but there just aren't enough all-electric options, unfortunately. While there's some negativity towards SUVs in general, we reckon a compact electric SUV ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of buyers, while not being completely inefficient.

Before giving you a few potential EVs to book test drives for, I'd urge you not to focus on the range too much. Assuming you can get a home charger installed, then going by your usage as described, you'll do the vast majority of your charging at home.

Prioritising a longer-range car means getting one with a bigger - i.e. heavier - battery, which will cost more up front and result in worse efficiency day to day. Relying on the public network a few times a year is no reason to compromise your car for the rest of the time.

The first car to come to mind is the excellent Renault Scenic E-Tech electric. It's probably bigger than you need, but the long wheelbase helps with comfort, and it sits somewhere between a hatchback and an SUV in terms of design and shape. With your budget, you could probably get the larger (87kWh) battery pack or choose the smaller one and a higher specification.

Sticking with Renault for a moment, another cool option is the new Renault 4 E-Tech, launching in Ireland imminently, though it doesn't have as long a range as the Scenic.

If you can wait a little, then it's also worth considering the new Nissan Leaf. This is a really excellent car that will certainly be in budget. It's quiet and comfortable to drive and efficient, too. The Nissan Ariya is already available, but I suspect it's larger than what you were looking for. It is comfortable, though, so no harm test-driving it for yourself.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is another great option, with a fantastically comfortable interior, good efficiency and a decent range for the money.

I could go on and on, so let us know what you think of these by submitting another question and we'll try to narrow things down for you.

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Hi Jon,

At that mileage, your car is likely suffering from voltage fluctuations and ageing wiring and connectors, all of which can lead to the issues you are describing. 

I'd suggest you go back to basics and have the battery, alternator and each and every earth connection checked and cleaned for starters. Then plug the car into a diagnostic computer (any good mechanic can do that) and clear the faults before driving it and plugging it in again to see what comes up.

Some common 307 HDi issues we know of:

- Boost control solenoid
- EGR valve or position sensor
- BSI (Built-In Systems Interface) can act up with water ingress or voltage surge

In summary, there's unlikely to be a simple fix to this, but it's almost definitely electrical.