Wanting Advice on Purchasing a New Vehicle (Plug-in Hybrid). Will they get Cheaper?

LBrizett on 05/04/2025 - 20:32
Last edited 05/04/2025 - 20:50 by 1 other user

Hi,

Be keen to hear any opinions or views on when to pull the trigger on a new car.

I test drove a bunch of plug in hybrids last week, one was a Mitsubishi Outlander at $75k which was too much $$$.

I got a text message from the sales dude that it's now $10k cheaper at $65k (which is still too expensive for me) but wonder if it's likely other dealers/brands will follow suit given EOFY etc? Particularly those guys ay BYD/GSM/Honda and Toyota…

I've never bought a brand new car before so be keen to know the experience or tips from others!

Dear moderators, feel free to edit or remove if inappropriate

Appreciate you all!

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  • scott on 06/04/2025 - 01:11
    +12

    Firstly on PHEV's, ensure your usage pattern is a good fit. Essentially you want to be doing a decent proportion of your running in electric mode, relative to the distance you travel in hybrid mode. Especially after RUC's were added last year. While PHEV's get half price RUC's vs EV's and Diesels, they cannot claim back petrol tax, meaning if you do more than half your running on petrol, it is a bad deal (especially for the out-lander which is somewhat thirsty in petrol mode).

    On the Car, it's rated for 84km electric range (expect a little less in the real world). In hybrid mode these burn 8 - 9 l/100km. the quoted 1.6L/100km number assumes you are mostly running electric.

    On pricing. First thing I do is plug the make and model into trade-me, and search for New / ex demo.

    https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/plug-in-hybrid/searc…

    Cheapest ex demo: 2023 LS: $52,490, 2023 XLS: $53,490, VRX $60,990 (incl ORC)

    Cheapest New: LS: $54,990, XLS $59,990, VRX 65,990 (+ORC).

    Obviously there are some issues around location, preferred color etc, that mean the best deal may not be attainable, but I would want to be in the similar ballpark to the above prices. Worth calling dealerships etc. A family member got a local Mazda dealership to match the deal (at least $5k better) offered by a Mazda dealership 3 hours drive away.

    On Market trends.

    • Generally EV & PHEV demand plunged in Jan 2024, when the clean car discount was axed, and RUC's had been announced. (PHEV's were hit fairly hard by negitive RUC perception, as people don't like the idea of paying both petrol tax and RUC's, even at half price. In reality if more than half your mileage is electric PHEV's get a better deal then Pure EV's).

    • As such, basically every EV and PHEV seller has been vastly overstocked for 2024 (some like Fiat, Ford & Nissan absolute dropped their pants on pricing and sold out the 500e, mach-e & leaf). Other brands (like polestar) are still desperately trying their 2023 stock. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the Outlander PHEV's currently being sold new have 2023 build dates.

    • Note the Year of a car in NZ is the year of first registration (anywhere in the world), not the model year, or build year.

    • NZ seems yet to get the "2025" out-lander PHEV, Battery 20 kWh -> 22.7 kWh, minor visual tweaks:

    www.tynanmitsubishi.com.au/blog/2025-mitsubishi-outlander-ph…

    • Andrew Simms is advertising "Run out deals".

    • Steep discounts on pure EV's have made PHEV's less attractive by extension. Hard to look pas the ex Demo Mach-e GT's (0-100 in 3.7 sec, fancy branded suspension), asking $67k - and for a while last year these were asking $65k brand new… So I suspect Mitsubishi still has a lot of stock on hand.

    • The launch of the BYD SHARK 6 will be soaking up a lot quite a lot of PHEV buyers. Of course being a 5 seat ute (and a decent chunk larger than a hilux for city parking), it won't suite everybody, But the $69,990 list price lands right in the middle of the (pre discount) Outlander PHEV lineup, and the specs are impressive: 100km NEDC range, 29.58 kWh battery, Vehicle to Load, 0-100 in 5.7 sec, 2500kg towing, 790kg payload etc…

    In terms of future trajectory of the PHEV market, it is a bit hard to read.

    In general for EV's I feel the Best deals were in late 2024, with many key EV deal now over ($30k nissan leaf, $45k Mach-e, $35k fiat 500e, $27k GWM ora), And brands are position for Post rebate and RUC exemption end volume. Nissan leaf & fiat 500e are gone from the NZ market, GWM ora is back up to $35k. And some brands seem to have cleared / be clearing existing stock so they can launch post facelift models at lower volume and regular pricing (Mach-e, Kia EV6).

    But generally I feel Mitsubishi will have stock for a while. They currently have 49 new or ex demo Outlander PHEV on trade me. If they drop prices further will come down to how they are selling, and when their new stock is going to turn up.

    On EOFY, this is passed now anyway.

    • Brizett on 11/04/2025 - 18:45

      Thanks again Scott, I'm now pivoting on an EV (for a family of 4) with a bit of boot space. I'm not too fond of Tesla in light of recent events,I wonder if you have any thoughts (and deals!) that might be out there?
      I'll be installing an at home charger as this seems essential - Your thoughts are welcomed!

  • Brizett on 06/04/2025 - 08:59
    +2

    I've owned a diesel before and even a late model Santa Fe had that diesel rattle, unsure if they're still like this but also keen to reduce the carbon footprint also.

  • echa106 on 06/04/2025 - 14:08
    +2

    No probs, you have quite a few options depending on your budget, but can’t go wrong with teslas, but others like Kia EV6 and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 are pretty good as well (a lot of location to service your car, where as Tesla service infrastructure is quite limited).

    I personally have the ioniq 5 and I am loving it!!

    I tried an older model Polestar in my previous work (can’t remember the model) and I don’t find it spacious and from my experience I felt there was a lot of blind spots.

    I say take your time to find your ideal car and try test driving just to see what suits your comfort. I have not tried BYD yet but they have quite a diverse range and I hope someone in this forum can provide you more deets.

    I watch Carwow on YouTube and they have pretty good reviews (one of the reasons why I have settled on the ioniq 5 but back then the choices were very limited in NZ)

    • Brizett on 06/04/2025 - 16:03

      Terrific advice, I'm like a kid in the sweetshop looking at all the options, budget is ( as always) the tricky bit to navigate, but I wouldn't be on this site if I didn't think the community were going to offer sound suggestions, cheers

      • ace310 on 06/04/2025 - 17:02
        +1

        The new kia ev3 and 5 also looks good and within your budget. Go shopping around and get some test drives. Everything is subjective and everyone likes different things. So no matter how much recommendations you get, at the end it's you who needs to decide what suits your style. So without trying you won't get to know.

        In saying that out of all EVs tesla has still the best software and regular upgrades. Also one of the many with almost lowest maintenance. Source : own one and few in family. All are very happy aside from the musk issue. Look at the existing inventory which has got quite a good discounts.

        • Brizett on 06/04/2025 - 19:04

          Nice one, I've driven a whole range of cars and I do love the Tesla but recent events sadly have influenced the family decision. I know other manufacturers don't necessarily have more scruples but Elon is such a knob. I know this is irrational but we are where we are!

  • ace310 on 06/04/2025 - 09:56
    +1

    Any reason for not considering EV as for me outlander is not the cheapest and the running cost is way higher. BYD seems to be good. Look out for last years models.

    As Scott suggested that Mach-e is a great deal.

  • echa106 on 06/04/2025 - 10:39
    +1

    Personally I would not recommend PHEV cars (Completely agree with Scott). Why?
    - The ongoing cost is quite high, you have to pay for RUC (Road User Charges) ontop of that you are paying for fuel excise duty. Not a great feeling personally.

    • Charging PHEVs can be time-consuming, especially when relying on standard home charging equipment. While fast-charging stations operated by providers like ChargeNet, BP, and Z Energy offer quicker charging solutions, they often come with higher costs. Additionally, certain charging stations outside of Auckland may impose parking fees on top of charging costs, further increasing the overall expense of operating a PHEV. I have an EV myself and this was a big hit when I charged my car in one of the EV chargers at Hamilton.

    I personally would recommend go either all on petrol/ diesel car or go full electric. But if you want a balance of both worlds then I would recommend a standard hybrid.

  • tombanks on 06/04/2025 - 11:37
    +1

    The Mitsu Eclipse Cross PHEV last remaining 2024 @ 40k is probably as cheap as it gets for awhile.

    • Brizett on 06/04/2025 - 12:08

      Yeah, thats a good shout but that interior reminds me of when I was a kid :)

  • Bill on 07/04/2025 - 01:46
    +1

    I think there is some important context missing.

    The first question I would ask is, can you charge at home, and if so, do you plan on installing a dedicated home charger.

    If you cannot install a dedicated home charger, I would completely rule out getting an EV. And if you can't charge at home, I would rule out considering anything with a plug completely.

    I would not be considering using DC fast chargers for a PHEV at all. It doesn't make any sense, slower charging speeds and less range. At that point you might as well go full EV if you're going to take that compromise.

    One of the best quality of life improvements from owning an EV is being able to charge at home and not needing to go to the gas station anymore. The use of public fast chargers should only be for exceptional circumstances, such as road trips, not for normal use.

    The way I see it is that currently PHEVs enjoy an artificial cost advantage in that you can drive them almost exactly like a full EV with half the RUCs of an EV.
    The current road tax system is very makeshift and rudimentary, creating artificial distortion in true running costs.
    Once RUCs are applied to all vehicles that would be fixed but it will be quite a long time before that happens.

    My perception is that Mitsubishi PHEV technology is old.

    Based on Australian reviewers, for the car category and price range, I would be looking at the BYD Sealion 6 and 7, and Xpeng G6. I've seen the Sealion 6 a few times here in Spain and the most striking thing I thought was it is an enormously large sized car.

    In terms of future pricing, I think the newer the launch of the car, the more likely it is to be priced correctly. Legacy automakers with dug in model lines have more room to lower prices whereas I think new contenders are already priced at the lowest they can go from launch.
    For example I don't see the BYD shark dropping in price much, but I can see the Ranger and Hilux having to drop prices to compete if they start losing market share.

    • Brizett on 08/04/2025 - 05:48

      Thanks, I take your point on fast chargers so very inefficient use of our time if we are using them for routine fill ups
      Our home can have a charger and i'd do it if I went full EV,that's the bit I'm juggling with.
      I really liked the BYD Sealion 6 as you suggest.
      I'll keep test driving and watching the market, the sales rep at BYD suggested there's one more shipment coming before the new facelift range comes to NZ so there may be a deal to be had. Appreciate your advice

      • Bill on 08/04/2025 - 08:42

        Out of curiosity, will you be buying the car on finance or in cash?

        • Brizett on 10/04/2025 - 21:40

          Hi Bill, I'll be paying cash, though there are great deals out there on finance. It' seeems the idea of paying cash doesn't attract a deal like it used to!

          • ace310 on 11/04/2025 - 07:13

            @Brizett: If you have mortgage and planning on getting EV, many banks offer 1-2% finance. Better to put cash in td and getting the loan.

            • Everettpsycho on 13/04/2025 - 07:38

              @ace310: If you have a morgage youd be better moving the cars value to offset and putting the money there to avoid your interest payments on that amount. When we looked at a $20k car the interest savjngs were decent chunk of savings.

  • Wakrak on 05/04/2025 - 20:50

    @scott

  • Brizett on 06/04/2025 - 06:45

    Thanks Scott, that is incredibly helpful.
    I really enjoyed the GWM Haval H6 GT and the BYD Sealion so much more than the Outlander but the outlander seems a good deal.

    Surely the BYD model names must make them difficult to shift!, it's hilarious to me :)

    I'm with you on the Outlander, they had plenty in the yard but there are plenty on the road so people seem to like them, I just don't think I'm one of them

    I'm not in any rush to buy so will keep an eye on the market. Really appreciate your measured and detailed response.

    Thanks again

  • limepanda on 06/04/2025 - 07:28

    Any reason for buying a brand new hybrid?

    A slightly used diesel would cost under 1/3rd the price to buy and likely put up lower running costs.

  • Brizett on 06/04/2025 - 10:56

    Really appreciate the suggestions, I see Polestar have significant savings on old stock, i'll continue my research on full EV.

    Thanks to you all, any suggestions for make/year/model of full EV deals i'm all ears

    • ace310 on 06/04/2025 - 11:01
      +1

      Suggestion: Reply to people so that others know what to reply and to who.

      Again Scott is your best friend to find great deal on EV. Lots of discussion around here. Look at his history to find other posts.

      • Brizett on 06/04/2025 - 11:06
        +1

        Thanks for the suggestion ( I just found the reply @ button :))

  • echa106 on 06/04/2025 - 14:10

    Also for extra tips, when you do get an EV. My recommendation is to download all the apps including ChargeNet, BP, Z and PlugShare ;)

    • AleBeerenhoff on 08/04/2025 - 08:31

      Yeah Plugshare is useful, and ChargeNet have such good coverage with their network now, but tbh I have "all the apps" and never use them (except those 2 when doing roadies and going somewhere)…otherwise we just charge at home when necessary (I don't think I would do an EV without home charging)….under normal use, its not like you are hoping from one charging location to another - you just use the car as normal.

  • Surreal on 08/04/2025 - 08:46

    The dealers sometimes say that fast chargers reduce the life of the battery. True? It definitely seems weird to me that some people live entirely on fast chargers.

    Anyway I'm enjoying our Haval H6 hybrid, 15 months in. The quietness of non-petrol mode is a real pleasure to me which means I should probably have gone full EV! (I wasn't expecting that, it certainly helps me feel relaxed when driving, and I know I can accelerate hard too and still have it feel quiet). H6 had the interior space that we really wanted, and other big cars were scary expensive.

    • Brizett on 08/04/2025 - 09:17

      Great to hear, my initial thoughts around plug in hybrid was to have the quiet cabin as with EV. I drove a few Hybrids and I find the EV to ICE changeover unpleasant but if I drove more conservative it probably wouldn't be an issue.
      A few colleagues have the H6 and they love them, I took thought the H6 GT was incredible to drive, ridiculously fast ( which isn't what I'm after but was such fun!)

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