10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Affordable EVs Like Nissan Leaf, Mazda MX-30 Charge to the Top
Gas prices in the U.S. started to edge back down in the past week after reaching record highs earlier this month. Could high interest among Cars.com readers in electric vehicles also level off as car shoppers’ confidence that “normal” gas prices will return is restored? It’s possible, but would-be buyers would be wise to keep an eye on EV prices in case they want to take the plug-in plunge. And one of Cars.com’s top articles of the past week can help you do just that.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Cadillac Escalade De-Escalated by Jeep Grand Cherokee
In the fourth-place finisher on this week’s countdown of most popular news stories, shoppers concerned with both EVs and economics will find a handy rundown of the 11 most inexpensive electric cars you can buy right now. And because we know you’re wondering: The name Tesla is nowhere to be found on the list. It also bears noting that all but one model on our roster of the least expensive EVs remain eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit — a discount Tesla buyers haven’t enjoyed for years.
The cheapest model-year 2022 EVs you can buy range in price from around $28,000 up to nearly $45,000 and range from 100 miles of all-electric driving on a full charge up to 310 miles.
For the specifics on each model on our list of affordable EVs, follow the link below to the No. 4 news story of the week.
Once you’ve committed to an EV purchase, you’re going to want to figure out how you’re going to keep it charged — and the best, if not absolutely necessary, way to go about that is to install a 240-volt Level 2 charger where you live. This is a significant expense that will impact your cost-benefit analysis for buying and owning an EV, and it can be a huge pain in the neck — but you won’t know until you start looking into the specifics for your living situation. To get a real-world idea of how this plays out across a variety of geography, housing types, configurations and circumstances — city and suburban, house and townhouse, attached garage and outside, as well as any accompanying bureaucratic red tape — Cars.com set up six of its editors’ homes with Level 2 chargers.
The average cost of all six — including the price of professional installation, a charger and permitting — was $3,817 and varied from $1,738 to $6,920. Installation time, meanwhile, ranged from just three hours up to three days, while individual obstacles included everything from necessary power and Wi-Fi upgrades to concrete sidewalks and homeowners associations.
To learn all the particulars of our editors’ EV charger installations and to gauge where your unique circumstances may slot in among them in terms of cost and complications, follow the link below to the No. 1 news story on this week’s countdown.
Beyond that, we’ve got coverage on the Tesla Model Y, Kia Telluride, Ford Maverick and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. What It Cost to Outfit 6 Homes With EV Chargers
2. How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car?
3. Best Electric Vehicle of 2022
4. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy
6. What Are the Most Fuel-Efficient 2017 Model-Year Vehicles?
7. What Are the Most Fuel-Efficient Cars for 2022?
8. Top 10 Most Efficient Electric Cars
10. How We Bought a 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid Without an Order
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