Though mostly a bluffer, sometimes people ask me about cars and which one they “should” buy. It’s a question that is probably unanswerable, but I always like to try and help. After a few cursory queries about their circumstances, and ruling out the Bugatti Veyron, it’d usually come down to a few options. People who wanted a small car, and/or had mobility issues, were told to buy a Honda Jazz. For those who wanted something a bit larger, and liked a value buy, I advised them to look at a Skoda Octavia (I bought one myself, and still have it).
If they wanted to be a relatively new adopter of a battery electric vehicle, ie pure electric car, the default answer was Kia e-Niro. A convincingly electrified version of their mid-sized “crossover” model, part-hatchback, part-compact SUV, the e-Niro had the best real-world range this side of a Tesla, and would probably beat the Tesla for reliability, practicality, reliability and, of course, affordability.
