Electric cars were extremely rare a few years ago. However, now we have started seeing more of these on the road. Several automobile makers are now shifting focus towards electric cars, making them readily available in various cities. Electric cars are more economical than before and have endless environmental benefits. These are low on maintenance, provide great overall performance, and have improved efficiency. However, it cannot be denied that they’re new to the market, and one certainly needs some research before choosing the right electric car.

Here are some tips for you to consider before buying an electric car.

Check the range
Understand the purpose of buying an electric vehicle and make sure that you are getting enough range on every charge to avoid being stranded. If you’re looking for an electric car for multiple purposes, you can consider buying a Tesla as that is the only brand that is offering a range of more than 300 miles. The Model S has the maximum range of 402 miles among all-electric cars currently available. The daily commute will not be worrisome if your car gives you a range of 200 miles. However, there are multiple factors like speed, weather, driving habits, and climate control of the car that can make a difference to the range. If your daily usage is more than 200 miles, you might want to skip the idea of an electric car altogether at the moment.

Time to full charge
Depending on the battery size, the time required to completely charge the car can vary. Other factors that impact charging time include the circuit’s amperage and how fast the car can absorb the charge. Charging overnight at home is the most popular way of charging as it is cheap and convenient. You will not have to charge from the very bottom frequently unless the usage is too high. For usual electric cars that can go approximately 200 miles on a single charge, the charging time required is between 9 hours and 13 hours. Some cars can charge in way lesser time due to smaller batteries. Make sure that you go with a car that can charge in a relatively lesser time if you are going to be using the car for emergencies as well. However, if this will act as an additional car, you can base your decision on other factors like cost.

Take a test drive
Driving an electric car can be a very different experience from driving a normal car. Firstly, there will be minimum noise, and that might seem strange at first. The pick-up of an electric vehicle is usually better than normal cars. Likewise, they also come to a standstill faster when brakes are applied, and so the handling needs some getting used to. Thus, you must spend a good amount of time in your EV, ensuring that you like the way it drives. Once you buy your first EV, ensure that you spend as much time behind its wheels to get used to the experience of driving it.

Charging stations
It is convenient for most car owners to charge their electric cars at home. A Level 110-volt charger will charge most hybrid cars overnight. However, for other cars, you might need a Level 2 charger, which is an additional expense. Thus, you should consider this while zeroing in on an electric car. This is especially applicable for people who have heavy usage of more than 50 miles daily. Thus, depending on your usage, consider the charging station requirement.

While driving an electric car can be an environmentally conscious choice, owning and maintaining one can be slightly heavier on your pocket early on. Therefore, carefully research the car of your choice and buy one only after a lot of deliberation.