Quote:
Originally Posted by halfmonkey
Wondering if you guys think BMW will offer any lease specials for the i3? For example, honda offers a lease for their Fit EV that's very cheap with unlimited miles and it also includes insurance, maintenance, and repairs.
I don't think BMW will do anything similar to that but do you think maybe they'll offer a lease with unlimited miles? Seeing that EV is new to them minus the active e which was released on a very limited basis, the I series are supposed to more "mainstream."
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Simple: Absolutely not! I was in the MINI-E and ActiveE programs and have enjoyed the unlimited mileage terms immensely as I have driven them over 30,000 miles annually with no penalty. Yes, Honda recently amended their lease program to include unlimited miles also. The big difference is the MINI-E, ActiveE and Honda Fit EV are all experimental cars that were lease-only and will all be taken back and destroyed after the lease is over. The manufacturers don't have any need to concern themselves with residual value with them as they do with "real" production cars like the i3.
I can tell you with 100 certainty there will not be an unlimited mileage lease option, just as that is not offered on any other real production car. If anything, the lease mileage terms on an EV may be more strict. This is because high mileage will probably effect the value of an EV more than it does a conventionally powered car because that means the eventual battery replacement expense is sooner than it would be on a lower mileage used EV.