Best used electric vehicle for 2024

The Hyundai IONIQ Electric Premium is the inaugural winner in the electric vehicle category of carsales’ Best Used Cars for 2024, proudly presented by Bingle.

Back in 2018, there were few options for an EV priced below $50,000. The second-generation Nissan LEAF was delayed until 2019 and Mitsubishi had ceased selling its diminutive i-MiEV, leaving the choice confined to the tiny Renault Zoe or the Hyundai IONIQ, which was about the right size and offered range that was acceptable for urban dwellers.

The Hyundai IONIQ scored highly with two judges who gave it top marks. But it was in the RedBook numbers where the Hyundai really gazumped the others. The IONIQ’s RedBook score was five whole points ahead of its closest rival, the BMW i3. Affordability was key to the IONIQ’s win; it was the lowest priced car in the category.

What also helped the IONIQ win over the judges was its mass-market appeal, not normally a strong factor in the favour of any car, but a refreshing change in the EV sector. The IONIQ was easy to operate too, with switchgear in all the right locations.

One other point that cannot go unmentioned: the Hyundai IONIQ is a nice car to drive. It’s as refined as any EV, but it steers, it points and it corners. As a bonus, it also rides comfortably.

From the RedBook data, the IONIQ picked up 44.5 points, and 43.0 more points from the judges. That’s how closely the IONIQ appealed to both sides of the brain. Only the winner of the luxury car category came closer to agreement between the judges and the RedBook data.

In 2018, the Hyundai IONIQ Electric Premium was priced at $48,990. As a used car in 2024, the IONIQ is valued at $30,250.

In his review of the Hyundai IONIQ, Bruce Newton said: “With its everyman origins it qualifies as the first EV available in Australia that someone other than an over-funded early-adopter or science geek would consider buying.”

And Bruce was enamoured of the IONIQ’s dynamic abilities too: “This is a Hyundai and it’s electric and it’s fun. Sport mode emphasises that by releasing the full 295Nm and sharpening up the throttle (among other things). You really notice that from a standing start.

“The Hyundai IONIQ manages to sit stable and flat without being thumpingly hard on your posterior. It makes for a nice compromise at home in town or on a winding road. The local dynamic tuning team has done a great job.”

So how does the IONIQ from 2018 shape up in 2024?

Here’s what one of our judges said:

In 2018, Hyundai sold fewer than 200 examples of the IONIQ. The updated model, with more performance and a longer battery range, averaged about 500 sales per year between 2019 and 2021. But for buyers who travel no further than 200km a week, the earlier IONIQ is acceptable too.

And its combination of practicality, equipment, driving dynamics and renowned Hyundai reliability make it a deserving winner in the inaugural electric vehicle category of carsales Best Used Car Awards for 2024, proudly presented by Bingle.

The sleek and prestigious Jaguar I-PACE EV400 scored 32.9 points from RedBook and 43 points from the judges for a total of 75.9.
RedBook value: $82,900

The quirky but practical BMW i3 I01 s 120Ah scored 39.1 points from RedBook and 36.0 points from the judges for a total of 75.1.
RedBook value: $44,900

What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars awards?
• Less than six years old
• Standard side-curtain airbags
• Standard Bluetooth
• Standard electronic stability control (mandated for Nov 2013)
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs

How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership
• Five per cent for service intervals
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell