Advice
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We’re a long way from peak electric car, but we’ve finally left base camp. Big strides in battery capacity mean that picking between the 238-mile 2019 Chevy Bolt EV and the recently boosted 226-mile 2019 Nissan Leaf Plus comes down to a dozen miles of range. After a week behind the wheel of both electric cars, I’m not sure there are a dozen reasons to buy the Chevy over the Nissan. When it went on sale last year, the Leaf impressed us with its refinement, but its subpar 151-mile range made it hard to rationalize over the Bolt EV. The Leaf Plus arrived earlier this year with...
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Best deals on electric, plug-in, and hybrid cars for April 2019
Great deals on 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV, Kia Niro plug-in hybrid, and Ford Fusion hybrid sedans can be found all month.
Eric C. Evarts -
Electric crossover charge: These are the rivals to the Tesla Model Y
As Tesla finds its sea legs as a larger-scale global automaker, the launch of the Model Y small crossover is its most critical test since the California company started in 2003. No other Tesla has faced this much competition. No other Tesla has faced much of any. When Tesla first delivered the...
Green Car Reports -
Tesla Model 3 vs. Polestar 2: How the two electric cars compare
Among electric car rivalries, traditional roles can sometimes be upended. That's the case for the firebrand Tesla Model 3, which plays an unfamiliar role as established rival against Volvo's electric-car upstart, the Polestar 2. The Tesla Model 3 has been on sale in the U.S. since 2017, and the...
Aaron Cole -
Green Car Reports is 10!
Ten years ago this week, in February 2009, Green Car Reports published its first story—one packed with insight regarding the Chevrolet Volt, which was then still nearly two years away. Despite all that could have happened to the Volt in GM’s bankruptcy, it arrived on time and was...
Bengt Halvorson -
Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019: Tesla Model 3
The Tesla Model 3 is Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2019. It’s the second time a Tesla product has won our annual award, which was captured by the Tesla Model S in 2013. Many have called the Model 3 Tesla’s “iPhone moment.” But that was the Model S—the shock to an...
Bengt Halvorson -
As we’re on the eve of naming our Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019 award winner, a quick glance back at our previous winners offers several points of perspective. One of them is that the field, particularly for anything that plugs in, has evolved tremendously since then, in such a relatively short time. Another is that the pace of environmentally-focused automotive technology has been uneven, but in the electric-car realm especially, it appears to be picking up pace. As such, our previous winners are a good mix of the revolutionary and the pragmatic. 2011 Nissan Leaf It seems that...
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Finalist for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019: Tesla Model 3
Just 16 months passed from when Tesla first showed its Model 3—and we got our first ride in a Model 3 prototype with its VP of engineering Doug Field—to when it made the first batch of deliveries. And it was certainly not our intent to wait nearly another 16 months before considering it...
Bengt Halvorson -
Finalist for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019: Jaguar I-Pace
The Jaguar I-Pace is a front-runner—the first fully electric, longer-range vehicle from a long-established luxury brand. But it’s not a “Tesla-fighter” as the I-Pace has often been called. More accurately it exists not to conquest Tesla drivers but to keep...
Bengt Halvorson -
Finalist for Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2019: Hyundai Kona Electric
In our quest to find Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy, the 2019 Hyundai Kona Electric is shaping up to be the “no drama” candidate. By now, we’ve had four distinct experiences with this small, fully electric crossover—or tall hatchback, depending on how you see it...
Bengt Halvorson -
Which car would you pick as Best Car To Buy 2019? Take our Twitter poll
We've announced our final three contenders for Green Car Reports' Best Car to Buy 2019. They include the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Jaguar I-Pace, and the Tesla Model 3. The qualifications for our annual award require that a vehicle be all-new or substantially updated; and that it be widely...
Bengt Halvorson -
One of these 3 cars will be Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2019
Despite a long list of green-car debuts anticipated over the next couple of years, this year hasn't exactly brought a bevy of new electric models. As we wait for the market to blossom with new entries in coming years, we have three strong contenders for this year's top position—our Best Car...
Bengt Halvorson -
As supplies of some older 100-mile range electric cars wind down, automakers are beginning to offer the best deals on more-capable recent models. Perhaps best of all, the cars with the best deals this month are much more plentiful and easier to find on dealers' lots than a few of the recent bargains we've found. Many of the latest specials are also available nationwide, not just in California. Green Car Reports gets its deals every month from our partners at CarsDirect, which keeps tabs on deals across the market in real time. Visit their site for more details on any of these. Electric cars...
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July 4th green car deals you can still find
June wasn't a great month for green-car sales, and automakers are offering some bargains to keep them moving out the door. Green Car Reports partner site CarsDirect has listed several great green car deals among its July Fourth deals that continue through this weekend. For shoppers looking for a...
Eric C. Evarts -
How to buy or lease an electric car: advice from owner who's done it four times
Most shoppers seem to view visiting a franchised auto dealer to negotiate the purchase or lease of a new car with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. In fact, as electric-car driver Douglas Kerr notes, the process is often compared to having a cavity filled. Kerr has now leased or bought four separate...
John Voelcker -
How to drive Ford C-Max Hybrid for best gas mileage? Owner video explains
Purchasing a hybrid vehicle makes for a slightly different ownership experience than a traditional gasoline-only car. There are always a few tips and tricks for owners to return the best mileage and range from electrified vehicles, and now a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid owner has shared his secrets...
Sean Szymkowski -
How to negotiate for a new Nissan Leaf battery pack: electric-car owner advises
In designing, testing, and producing the Nissan Leaf, the first modern electric car sold in volume, Nissan made a design decision that some other companies didn't. It chose not to build an active thermal-conditioning system (otherwise known as cooling) into its battery pack. Instead, it relies on...
John Voelcker -
How to curb climate change yourself: drive a more efficient car
Given the current political landscape in Washington, it's not unreasonable to worry about the future of U.S. efforts to combat climate change. The Trump Administration has embarked on an explicit mission to undo all Obama Administration efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Climate-science deniers in...
Stephen Edelstein -
The first few Chevrolet Bolt EV electric cars were delivered in California's Silicon Valley more than a month ago, marking the start of what will be a nationwide rollout. Electric-car advocates and buyers outside the Golden State are eager to know exactly when the 238-mile electric hatchback will be available for purchase in their areas as well. The answer to that question has proven a bit more complicated than it might seem. DON'T MISS: When can I buy a Chevy Bolt EV electric car? See state-by-state schedule As we learned earlier this week, Chevrolet is staggering the launch of the Bolt EV...
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How to buy an electric-car charging station: buyer's guide to EVSEs
Electric cars all come with a 120-volt charging cable that can charge the battery from a household socket if there are no other options. But sooner or later, most battery-electric car owners will want a 240-volt Level 2 charging station that can recharge the car as much as four times faster. Owners...
John Briggs -
How much does electric-car range cost per mile?
When it comes to electric cars, range is a commodity. But how much are buyers paying to increase the amount of driving they can do between charges? We looked at every electric car currently on sale, as well as the upcoming 200-mile 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV and Tesla Model 3, and some of the...
Stephen Edelstein -
How To Wire A New Garage For Electric-Car Charging: What You Need To Know
One of the more daunting perceived obstacles to driving a plug-in electric car seems to be the need for a home charging station. While plug-in hybrids can be recharged overnight using their 120-Volt charging cords, battery-electric drivers should really have access to a 240-Volt Level 2 charging...
John Voelcker -
Highest Gas Mileage For The Least Money: We Rate 10 Top Cars
Here's how to get the cheapest gas mileage.
Stephen Edelstein -
2015 Volkswagen e-Golf Vs. Golf TDI: Back-To-Back Test Drive
With the introduction of the 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf late this year, VW will be the only automaker to offer (in the U.S.) both diesel and all-electric versions of the same model in the U.S. While we expected to plan a back-to-back drive of these two models at some point, we didn’t expect it to...
Bengt Halvorson