A used electric Mini Cooper has given 19-year-old Abi her first set of wheels – and she says a full charge at home costs around £3. The chef from near Weston-super-Mare paid for her first car with money saved from her apprenticeship, after finding that buying second-hand put an electric car within her budget.
Abi had struggled with a manual car and wanted an automatic, while her parents already drove an EV and had told her how little it cost to run. But when the family checked the insurance, there was another saving they hadn’t expected.
“I chose to buy a second-hand electric car as I had a budget I wanted to keep to,” Abi said. “We researched the cost of insurance and were surprised it actually worked out cheaper for me to insure the electric version of the Mini I wanted.”
The Mini came from a main dealer in December 2025. Having saved for it from her full-time apprentice wages, Abi wanted reassurance about its reliability as well as a price she could afford. “Being my first car, I wanted a comprehensive warranty, so buying from a main dealer gave me that. They'd be the most knowledgeable about the vehicle, and they provide full dealer service history too.”
Battery cover helped put her mind at rest, too. Abi said, “I have comfort knowing that the battery has an eight-year warranty, and I still had manufacturer warranty left when I purchased it, which I intend to extend for peace of mind.”
She’d been a little nervous about range, but nine months into ownership it hasn’t caused her any problems. Apart from a couple of punctures, there have been no repairs or maintenance costs, and nothing has gone wrong as a result of the car being second-hand.
Most of the Mini’s work is the everyday stuff: getting Abi to her job, meeting friends in the evenings and taking her younger sister shopping. Charging happens at home overnight on the E.ON Next Drive tariff, with the charger set to wait for the cheaper hours rather than starting as soon as she plugs in.
“When my range is getting low, I plug it in when I get home. The charger is set to start at the cheaper tariff time, from midnight until 6am, and it costs around £3 for a full charge. It's so easy!”
She only charges when the battery needs it, and she’s tried local public chargers, too. Although she found them easy to use, she prefers plugging in at home because it’s cheaper.
Regular trips to Bristol are within the Mini’s range, while a longer journey is next on the list. She’s planning a trip to Cornwall with help from charging apps such as Zapmap, looking beyond her usual journeys to work, friends and the shops.
She’s also expecting to spend less when the car needs servicing. The dealership told her it would cost less than for a petrol or diesel car because there are fewer parts that need attention.
Her advice to anyone nervous about buying a used EV is to choose a dealership that offers a warranty, especially with the remainder of an EV’s eight-year battery cover. And asked whether she’d buy another second-hand electric car, she said, “Yes. It's fun, cheap to run, and it's cleaner than a petrol or diesel car. And it doesn't smell of fumes!”
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