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Car Loan 4U finance first Mia electric car in the UK

16th June 2013 Print
James Quirke

Car Loan 4U, the online car finance specialist, have financed their first electric car, with customer James Quirke becoming the first person in the UK to take ownership of a Mia.

James Quirke, aged 50 from Essex, already owned a Nissan Qashqai which he and his family use, but added a Mia to his collection on May 16th, having been attracted to buying an electric car to save money on fuel prices.

On top of this, James also has an added benefit at his home to using an electric car, as he had solar panels fitted on to the roof of his garage to make his own electric and be able to charge his Mia for free.

The MIA is a three seat small electric car. It has a unique look with a single seat driving position, double sliding doors, a rear-mounted electric motor and a steel spaceframe body hung with lightweight dent-resistant plastic panels.

James, a train driver, comments: “I wanted to buy a Mia simply because it’s different. I needed a small car in addition to my Nissan Qashqai to get me to work. The Mia is about the same size as a Smart car, but I do think it’s a car which will divide opinion; you will either love it or hate it. Naturally, I really like it and I get plenty of other motorists looking at it all the time.

“Being honest, I do think electric cars are overpriced and I paid more for the Mia than other vehicles, but I can just plug it in twice a week and that’s all it needs. I don’t like paying the price of fuel and I don’t like getting ripped off for gas and electricity. I have solar panels on my garage, so I wanted to get an electric car to make use of them to charge it.

“The car does struggle on the motorway. Its top speed is 67mph on a flat road and it’s less on a gradient as everyone wants to overtake you. It’s a very light car and when a lorry goes past, you have to hold on to the steering wheel, that’s for sure.”

He added: “I also decided to buy the battery rather than lease it with the Mia, as the cost of leasing it would be £70 per month. I wouldn’t lease an electric car battery as it would be cheaper to put petrol in than pay for the lease.

“The brochure says that the Mia can get 75 to 80 miles per charge, but I get around 55 miles per five hour charge however, I only have to charge the car every four or five days.”

James showed his commitment to buying an electric car and becoming the first owner of a Mia in the UK after having the vehicle imported from France.

James comments: “I got a really good deal for the electric car from Car Loan 4U and it was a straightforward process to get the payment complete.

“The only delay came from the fact that because I was the first person to buy a Mia in the UK, I had to have it imported from France. That caused quite a delay taking ownership, so I would say that you really have to want a Mia to have it imported.

“I mainly use the Mia to get me to work, as well as for local journeys, shopping and taking the kids to school, and we just use the Nissan Qashqai for family days out. I work in London, but don’t drive there, as I only need to drive to my local train station in Essex to get to work.”

Car Loan 4U Director Ryan Dignan comments: “With fuel prices consistently on the rise and changes set to be made to the congestion charge to make only electric cars free to drive through central London, it’s easy to see the appeal of owning an electric vehicle.

“In Mr Quirke’s case, he already took the money-saving initiative to install solar panels on to his garage roof, which means along with a great deal on his car finance, he can also save money on motoring all-year round through owning an electric car.”

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James Quirke