Kevin is moving to a new home in Baltimore and is finally getting some space where he can upgrade his Accord to an EV and charge it at home. However, parking is tight and he wants something no bigger than the Honda but reasonably spacious on the inside. What car should he buy?
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Here is the scenario.
I’m about to move into a Baltimore rowhouse—my first owned building where I’ll have a parking space and could put in a charger. I want an electric car! Knowing how quickly I’m killing the planet is sapping the joy from driving. Plus, getting gas regularly is a pain and just seems…primitive. And I’m hoping that an EV’s packaging advantages might provide some Tardis-like solutions to my particular situation.
This is for me, my wife and our small child, no more planned. I have a 2006 Honda Accord sedan with 110,000 miles that’s the family’s main getaround vehicle, for kid drop-offs and etc. Mostly we commute to work by foot or bike if at all, so on weekdays it averages maybe 5 or 10 miles if that, mostly around town. On weekends we’ll use it to go hiking or go to Philadelphia, DC, etc. My wife has a 1980s Porsche 911 that’s the fun/backup vehicle and wrenching project.
We want it to be smaller outside than the Accord, or at least no bigger! Our parking pad is 17 feet wide, and we’ll be adding a cover. So with the 2 cars, that’s tight. But….we want it to be bigger inside, if possible. The Accord is terrific in terms of passenger space, but is a little tight in terms of cargo room—we’d like just a little more room. Hatches/wagons are great, we don’t love CUVs/SUVs but…sigh…you know. Smaller could be ok if we’re getting a really great car otherwise though. Ideally the car is fun, but doesn’t need to be super fast.
The EV landscape and car-buying in general is so confusing these days. We’ve always been used car people partly out of frugality (I don’t think we’ve ever paid more than 5000$ for a car) but more because we feel like it’s allowed us to get great values that we didn’t have to be precious about. I’m not sure that’s the right strategy here though! I’d be willing to put down much more money that I regularly would to get a great EV that we’ll like and will last, we have a budget up to $50k, b but spending less would be great.
Quick Facts:
Budget: up to $50,000 but lower is better
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Daily Driver: Yes
Wants: EV, Accord size, reasonably fun
Doesn’t want: Something too big
Expert 1: Tom McParland – Save Your Cash
Now is an excellent time to enter the EV space, and there is generally two best pathways. You either want to lease a new one and hedge against the massive depreciation drop while scoring super low payments, or buy a used one and take advantage of the used car values. If you are the type of owners who tend to keep cars for a while, it would seem that the buy-used approach is likely the best move. And if getting something “high end” is not a priority there are a lot options in the sub $35,000 range and even some great choices under $25,000 that may qualify you for the used car tax credit up to $4,500.
So if you are looking to downsize from the overall footprint of the Accord but want to maintain or increase your interior space, the Chevy Bolt EUV might be your answer. Google tells me the dimensions of your Accord are (191 inches long by 72 inches wide, by 57 inches high), and the Chevy Bolt EUV measures (170 inches long by 70 inches wide by 64 inches high.) I know you were not aiming for a “crossover” but the Bolt EUV is more like a tall hatchback. With a range of up to 247 miles and access to Tesla’s NACS charging network using an adapter, the Bolt is an excellent car for city commuting or long-distance driving. It’s not going to have the acceleration like some of the dual-motor AWD options, but it is plenty zippy. A search for Bolt EUVs under $25,000 shows a solid selection of quality leads. This Chevrolet certified 2022, well-equipped Premier trim with only 15,000 miles would be a good place to start.
Expert 2: Owen Bellwood – Fun First
Tom’s right here, now is the perfect time to pick up a bargain EV second hand that could save you thousands of dollars compared with opting for a new car. However, just because it’s the sensible option doesn’t mean it’s the correct option, and I think you should get a new EV instead. Thankfully, while used models haven’t hit the market for this particular car just yet, 2025 models come in under-budget and over-qualified for you, so it’s perfect.
The next car for you, and the logical replacement for your ageing Accord, is obviously the Mini Countryman EV. When you think “fun car,” I bet you think “Mini,” am I right? The all-new electric Countryman is a great choice for you, as it packs oodles of Mini charm and charisma into its (relatively) small proportions. In fact, this new electric Mini is about a foot shorter than an Accord and a little bit narrower.
Despite being smaller than your old car, the Countryman still boasts more than 16 cubic-feet of storage, a range of just over 200 miles per charge and some lovely color options to choose from. Or, if you really want to save some cash, get an electric Mini Cooper SE and embrace the small car way of life.
Expert 3: Bradley Brownell – Don’t Mess With The Original
Nissan has been building the Leaf since 2010. This is the first, the original, the undisputed mass market EV. The Leaf has seen a lot of upgrades since 2010, and the modern car is actually quite good. It’s compact, but with tons of room inside. It provides a perfectly acceptable 205 miles of range with the larger 60 kWh battery. And it weighs less than 4000 pounds, so you aren’t beating the shit out of the roads every time you drive it. And they’re cheap, cheap, cheap!
This top-of-the-line 2023 Leaf SV Plus comes with a CPO warranty at just $19,799. It’s a good car at a good price. Be a lot more frugal and get the pre-facelift Leaf, a CPO’d 2015 SL model, for just $6,999. Nissan’s EV CPO warranty covers seven years and 100,000 miles, so you don’t have to worry about replacing the batteries or whatever. A true bargain.
Expert 4: Amber DaSilva – Live A Little
Kevin, who says you can only have one fun car? Sure, the Porsche is probably a blast, but your Accord isn’t exactly needed for hauling feed and mulch on the daily — there’s room in that garage for something interesting. Not a ton of room, obviously, but we can bring a little spark into your life with the Polestar 2.
The 2 is just over an inch and a half wider than your Accord, at 73.2 inches to the Honda’s 71.6, and Polestar claims its car has just a touch more cargo room than you’re used to. But the number, 14.4 cubic feet to the Accord’s 14, is misleading — the Polestar’s liftback will let you stack things higher in back, and its frunk adds some utility from the other end. On the real requirements, exterior size and interior volume, the Polestar fits your needs.
On the fun side, though, what a car you’d have. 402 horsepower and 487 pound feet of torque, and if that’s delivered like the other electric Volvos I’ve driven then it’ll be a true treat of an experience. This example is $27,390, which leaves plenty of room in your budget without forcing you into dated electronics or cheap interior materials. Why compromise?
