Tom it probably works because it fits your lifestyle, but wouldn't fit mine.
99% of the time it's only me in my car so I don't need 7 seats, don't want a 2+ tonne monster that needs the use of steps to wash the roof and have no coffee addiction, so I can do a pit-stop and refuel in 10 minutes!
Would be quicker in my 330i as I can get well over 400 miles from a tank.
You're right — this is a thread about EVs, and I’m just sharing my real-world experience owning one.
The thing you're missing is that I’m only using Superchargers because it’s free with my car. Normally, you’d just charge at home overnight. Most cars sit parked 90% of the time, and EVs are designed to stay plugged in — they’re ready to go when you are. That 20-minute charge time people love to debate really only matters on long trips, which most people rarely do.
Range anxiety is blown way out of proportion. The average UK car journey is 8 miles. Realistically, how often do you drive 400+ miles in one go? My longest recent trip was Manchester to Brighton — around 200 miles in a single stint. Even if I drove to John O’Groats, that’s 358 miles and a 9-hour journey — and I’d
want to stop at least once. You’re not driving coast-to-coast like in the US. Even at 70mph, 400 miles takes about 6–7 hours — by then, you need food, rest, a toilet break. The car will be done charging before you are.
And Tesla has idle fees — if you leave your car charged on a Supercharger for more than 5 minutes, they charge you £1 a minute — to move you on..
I still love jumping in the Z at the weekend — it's fun, raw, and feels special. But for daily use? I’d 100% go electric again. Petrol/diesel doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Running and buying costs are high, no insentives and new petrol/diesel cars are mostly underwhelming. Emissions regulations have ruined most of them — DPFs on diesels clog with short trips, AdBlue, Euro 5/6 complexity, etc. The whole generation has been plagued with issues.
Petrol cars now are either tiny-engine turbos or mild hybrids. Anything truly interesting is niche and £100k+. I had a JCW Clubman — 230hp, struggled to hit 35mpg on a motorway run, and by 80k miles it was facing expensive repairs (turbos, timing chain, etc.). Could’ve spent £5k keeping it alive — on a car worth £8k. Progress?
Even the fun stuff like an M3 Touring is now £100k+ once specced. And it's not even that big. I wanted something more spacious — even the old 340i Touring was £70k with a few options. Big estates? The new M5 is a hybrid.
Daily driving is mostly traffic, potholes, and school runs. For me, a daily just needs to get me from A to B with all our stuff, comfortably and reliably. That’s why I kept my Z4M for weekends and bought the Model Y for everything else.
Most people would be quietly impressed if they gave one a go. My dad was totally against EVs — until he drove mine. He was genuinely blown away. It’s not even the performance model — just the Long Range — but the instant torque is something else. I’ve owned plenty of fast 6-cylinder cars, and I daily’d my Z4MC for a year when I was 23, but I wouldn’t want to now. I still love the S54.
What makes the Model Y great is that it was designed from the ground up as a pure EV. Big frunk that fits a buggy, no transmission tunnel so loads of legroom, and a massive underboot. Even with all 7 seats up, I can fit two 20kg suitcases vertically and another buggy below. The rear seats also separate the dogs from the kids — no worries about loose animals in a crash. Most EVs built on petrol platforms can’t match that space.
Boot space? 850L with seats up, 2,000L seats down. And you can lease one for around £299/month — same money as something like a Vauxhall Corsa EV.
The BMW iX is another proper EV build, but it’s physically larger and still only has a 500L boot. The packaging of the Model Y just makes more sense.
If I had one complaint, it’s that it’s not the most luxurious — BMW still does interiors better. But in terms of practicality, safety, and ease of use, it’s ideal. Isofix, airbags everywhere, and great crash safety. With the size of modern SUVs — think 3-tonne Range Rovers, Discos, EV9s — I don’t want to be in a 20-year-old car if something goes wrong. That’s a big reason families move to SUVs. Safety matters.
Driving the Z now can actually feel a bit intimidating — it’s tiny compared to what’s on the road today. I can’t even take my son in it until he’s six because there’s no Isofix or airbag deactivation. Sometimes I wonder if I even want to anymore.
Bottom line: The government has made it very difficult and manufacturers aren't making appealing ICE cars. SUVs are the perfect candidate because they are taller more boot floor for battery's and more suitable especially if you’ve got a family. I'd still love to buy something like an E39 540i Touring brand new if I could, but those days are gone. Roads, laws, and priorities have changed.
EVs aren’t perfect, but once you drive one rather than repeating online opinion, its so easy to see they’re actually fantastic cars for everyday life.
At the summit of the picturesque fens
Happily I'm retired. 
North West Surrey
BMW iX3 details
Scotland 🏴
