Based on Ramez Naam's analysis, I've been advising friends and family for years to wait to buy an EV until about 2023-2024. The auto market was a bit inflated in 2023 due to the parts and car shortages, so I opted to wait. Now it's 2024 and the case for switching to electric is even better than I imagined it would be.  If you have a budget over $30,000 there are many good options, but I have only four recommendations under $20,000.

Inflation Reduction Act

The process changed in 2024 so that now low and middle income people can take advantage of the up to $7,500 new and $4,000 used EV tax credit. details

Capital Costs

$18,000+ New 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV

EPA Range: 259 miles EV, 247 miles EUV

Since these are no longer being built, what's on the lots is it. There is a limited opportunity to get a new 2023 Bolt EV for under $20,000 after the rebate. Someone in Texas was able to buy the most basic model for $2,000 under MSRP and the $7,500 point of sale rebate.

$14,000 - $20,000 Used Tesla Model 3 Standard Range from Hertz

EPA Range: 244 miles

Hertz is selling used Model 3's and more.  Since they have a faster fast charge, these will be better road trip vehicles than the Bolts. Thye should be eligible for the $4,000 used point of sale credit. Some (most?) of the standard range Model 3's come with LFP batteries. The advantages of LFP batteries is they have no cobalt or nickel, can be charged to 100% all the time, and will last maybe 750,000 miles. The downsides of LFP is they charge slower at a supercharger in cold weather if they aren't preconditioned, and due to added weight they have a larger range loss in mountain driving.

$10,000 - $14,000 Chevrolet Bolt Buybacks

EPA Range: 259 miles

Thousands of former Bolt owners opted for the sweet deal of letting GM buy back their vehicles as part of the battery recall.  GM replaced the battery on all 2017-2019 vehicles and reset the the battery warranty for another 8 years / 100,000 miles. On the 2020-2021 vehicles they installed "enhanced" battery monitoring software. If the battery shows signs of problems they replace it. I'm not sure the battery warranty is reset in this case.  Now these vehicles are being sold by Chevy dealers. Some dealers have 100's on the lot, so you too can get a sweet deal. Chevy also gives a bumper-to-bumper 12 month / 12,000 mile warranty to the buyback vehicles.

I used this cars.com search filter to find ours. It filters for DC Fast Charge. Some of them didn't come with this option, and it's important if you want to drive more than 100 miles from home.  We also wanted heated seats and Lane Keep Assist which is needed to add the OpenPilot driver assistance later.  I also made a python script that pulls battery warranty information from GM, and makes a nice csv file. It seems possible that the GM site doesn't reflect the battery warranty change for many months after the battery has been changed.

< $10,000 Nissan Leaf

EPA Range: 73 miles

If all you need is a commuter car for going less than 30 miles from home a 2011-2013 Leaf can be found for as little as $4,000. Keep in mind the used tax rebate is 30% of the purchase price, so you can't take one home for free.  These batteries don't have as good of thermal management as the Teslas or Bolts, and since they have a much smaller capacity they will get cycled harder. Don't expect these batteries to last 100,000 miles.  That said, Leaf owners have had a lot of time to learn the ins and outs of these cars, so they are great for diy people. You can even upgrade the battery from a wrecked newer car and increase the range about 200 miles.

Operating Costs

I used Edmunds' estimates for the maintenance and repairs.  Their "cost to own" estimate might be more or less useful than what I calculate.

Charging an EV on PV solar panels installed in 2024 could bring the fuel cost per mile down to less than one cent per mile if you charge while the sun in shining.