Many people and companies have been buying electric cars in order to be pro-environment. These cars may be better for the environment but it surprises many people to learn that there are reasons why you shouldn’t buy a fancy new electric car. Here are five reasons you should think twice before buying an electric car and give an internal combustion engine a big consideration.

Electric Cars Cost A Lot Of Money

One of the things you hear from supporters of electric cars is that they will save you money on gas and they will do exactly that. What they don’t factor in though is that the original cost of the electric car will loom over you for years before you even break even on the price of the car. When buying an electric car you do get a federal discount but this still doesn’t make breaking even any easier. Most baseline electric cars start at $25,000 but some of the bigger models or all electric models will run you upwards of $90,000. A Tesla P85D will cost you $87,500 after all incentives and discounts. It will take you a good while to break even on that.

Finite Mileage

When you are driving an all-electric car you have to be very careful with how far you drive and plan where you drive to. Electric charging stations are becoming more popular, but they still aren’t everywhere. That means when you reach the end of your drivable range you either need to be at a charging station or get towed.

Mostly electric cars come with gas generators to charge the electric engine but you need to fill them with premium gas and you need to wait for your engine to charge if you have reached your limit. Either way you look at it you can’t just take a gas tank and walk down the highway, fill your car up enough to get to a gas station, and go. Longer trips need to be planned.

Charging Stations

Cars have to rely on something to keep going and electric cars rely on power. In order to charge your electric vehicle quickly at home you will need a charging dock. These docks will run you around $600 on average. Because these docks are electrical in nature it is highly recommended you have a certified electrician install them adding on even more money to your cost of getting an electric vehicle.

That power isn’t free either. Charging your electric car can run you anywhere from $1.50 a day to $4 a day depending on where you are, what season it is, what kind of car you have, and what kind of charging station you have. It can even depend on what time of day you charge your car. Also remember that these charging stations are slow, you only get about 30 miles for about 30 minutes of charging.

Good Luck Finding Service

Electric vehicles are still fairly new, that means that the number of technicians that are certified to work on them is low. Some states don’t even have dealers who are certified in repairing their own electric vehicles yet because they are so new. Why would you buy a car that you couldn’t easily get repaired when there is an issue?

Bad Weather Problems

Many electric cars function below advertised standards in bad weather. Should there be a snow storm that takes a while to return home from you might have to pull over and end up walking home. Remember, the car is all electric so the heat and headlights run from the same source of power your car is running from. Road tests from electric vehicles show that cold weather, fast driving, and using accessories with the car can cut your drivable distance down by around 50%.

Don’t get range anxiety, get a traditional internal combustion engine on your car. You won’t have to deal with the headache of owning an electric car. If you absolutely must have an electric car, get a hybrid. Hybrid vehicles at least have a partial gas engine to help power the car should your battery run out. It is a lot harder to get stranded.