Living with… The small but sufficient Seat Mii Electric
Alex Lambert discusses his Seat Mii Electric and explains why it is the perfect first step into the world of electric vehicles.
Tell us about your EV?
I have a Seat Mii Electric. It’s a small, quite basic town car. This is my first EV; 95% of my journeys are short commutes to work but beyond that, only a small percentage ever going beyond 50 miles. I had been considering an electric vehicle for a while but they are still quite expensive to buy. I saw a good leasing deal on the Mii whilst looking for my next car so I decided to go for it!
What do you like about the exterior of your car?
It just looks like a normal car; it would perhaps be nice if it was a little bolder but being conservative makes it easier to change from ICE to EV.
What about the inside?
The radio heating controls etc. are physical buttons and not a fiddly touch screen. Some might dislike the lack of an ‘infotainment system, however, it comes with a mount for your phone, so it’s easy enough to use Android Auto and Google Maps on there anyway.
What do other people think of your car?
People are surprised about how quiet it is and how nippy it is from a standing start. They also like the environmental credentials.
What do you like most about it?
It’s a simple car, easy to use, cheap to run and I have to spend less time at the petrol station. I can plug is in and do more interesting things whilst it is charging. I also don’t wake the family or the neighbours up when working anti-social shifts!
Is there anything you don’t like?
The range is not the greatest but perfectly adequate for my intended purpose. The interior plastics do feel a little cheap, but the car is at the budget end of the EV market. I am also finding that the car will only charge at the advertised 7.2kW if on 3 phase electricity. This is something I have taken up with Seat UK but do not have an official response yet.
If you could go back to the time you bought it, would you go for something different?
No – I am very happy with the deal I got, it’s a great car for the money and an easy first step into the world of EV’s.
