Would you recommend a used 250e for a first time EV'er? Pros/Cons of other EV's?

[abeln2672]

Hi all! I'm driving a 2008 Altima, but have long wanted an EV. I started doing research recently after my car began making funny noises, and while I originally thought it'd be easy to settle on a car given the relatively limited choices, it turns out there's WAY more choice than I'd imagined! Here's a bit about my situation:

• Would like to spend under $30k (the cost OTD of my wife's CX-5 last year. It's arbitrary, but feels comfortable.

• My commute is about 20 miles each way, but in the summer, I play baseball and sometimes go up to 60 miles RT to fields around the city.

• I live in Indiana, so gets fairly cold in winter frequently below freezing, although not often below zero), and hot in the summer (frequently over 90).

• I can install a 240-volt charger in my home garage, but probably would have limited charging options at work and other places I visit.

• Reliability and frugality are super important to me. I've only ever bought brand new cars and then kept them well-maintained for 10+ years. Looking at used is a first. Considering I've never owned an EV, it's a little unsettling trying to figure everything out.

I posted on a Tesla forum and got a wide range of opinions from a used S60, to splurging on a new M3, to negotiating on a new Bolt, to looking at used i3, eGolf, Fiat's, Bolts, etc -- so just a TON of options. I stumbled upon the existence of the 250e somewhat by accident through a Google search and had never even heard of it before today! Turns out there's 3 for sale within driving distance of me: '14 for $14k, lower mileage '14 for $16k, and even lower mileage '16 for $20k. Stumbled on this forum, read a bit, and figured I'd ask for opinions before I went to much more trouble of researching. Anything you can add would be appreciated!

 

[Mzteaze]

I just bought a 2016 B250e with 15K mileage just last week. I'd recommend giving first consideration to 2016 or 2017 models as they have some standard features that weren't an option on 2014 and 2015 models.

Like you, my trips to work are roughly 20 miles each way, which works perfectly for this car.

I think the major con is the lack of fast charging options. If you manage to find a 7.7kw charger, you are still looking at 3.5 + hours for a charge (from zero). However, depending on where you work, if you either convince your employer to provide a charger OR find one locally, you can charge enough at work to help you handle those longer trips. I searched apps like Plugshare to plot all of the local chargers along my daily route and found some great options.

BTW, like you we keep our cars for a very long time, 10+ years.

 

[abeln2672]

I just bought a 2016 B250e with 15K mileage just last week. I'd recommend giving first consideration to 2016 or 2017 models as they have some standard features that weren't an option on 2014 and 2015 models.

Like you, my trips to work are roughly 20 miles each way, which works perfectly for this car.

I think the major con is the lack of fast charging options. If you manage to find a 7.7kw charger, you are still looking at 3.5 + hours for a charge (from zero). However, depending on where you work, if you either convince your employer to provide a charger OR find one locally, you can charge enough at work to help you handle those longer trips. I searched apps like Plugshare to plot all of the local chargers along my daily route and found some great options.

BTW, like you we keep our cars for a very long time, 10+ years.

I really appreciate this reply...thanks! If you don't mind sharing a bit more, how are you liking the car? What other models were you considering? How did you decide in the end? Considering I didn't even know this car existed when I woke up this morning, the more info I can gather on people's thinking the better!

 

[Mzteaze]

Honestly, the number of cars I considered were extremely limited as my husband did NOT like Teslas. However, I considered the new Hyundai Kona (he didn't like), a Nissan Leaf and the BMW i3 (we are a BMW family & because my job offers a $10k discount for them). I literally found the B250e as a fluke and did months worth of research in a matter of two weeks.

So far, I'm loving the car - it is plush and responsive on the highway. The cruise control is incredibly easy to use for longer stretches of highway driving. For charging, my DH installed my Level 2 charger at home and I've found all of the options near my job just in case.

Some minor annoyances:
1). MB tends to "nickel & dime" their customers, so expect to spend a little extra after purchase to cover any expenses related to MBrace, updates to navigation system (they use SD cards!!!! for updates) and servicing. Last week, I took the car in for annual A service and wound up purchasing prepaid service to save money for that and 2 future annual services.

2). Unless you can get a 2017, there is limited smartphone integration. My 2016 has carplay integration that doesn't work well at all (and I have an Android ). This is only important IF you choose to use Google maps or Apple maps on your phone for navigation.

3) For servicing, pick a MB location that provides a loaner. My car went in on Tuesday and came out on Friday. They hadn't service a B250e in at least 2 years.

4) The car comes with run flat tires. They can add to road noise and are expensive to replace. So you have to consider whether you want to eventually replace or keep them.

For any car you consider, look really closely at Carfax and their servicing records to make sure they kept up with their annual service (and particularly) the battery servicing. Every year, MB requires replacement of their desiccant packaging for the battery or the 8 year warranty is voided.

If you go with a 2016, look at how much time is left in the original warranty. I still have nine months left and the option to purchase the extended warranty from MB.

 

[Mzteaze]

Forgot to add, what "sold" this car, is that my husband was TOTALLY skeptical on electric cars because of his dislike of Teslas. But I took him on a test drive of the new Audi E-Tron which he loved immediately. But at $77k with zero discounts, it was a big mountain to overcome. So when I found the B250e, I proposed it as a temporary test of how well an electric car would work for us. We drove 3 states away to test drive one and he enjoyed it as much as he enjoyed the Audi. We bought the car a week later.

So I'd highly recommend test driving and, if you purchase, simply considering it as your introduction to EVs. It's really a nice car. Here are some nice features to consider:

1) Climate precondition - you can set the car to pre heat or pre cool using either your key OR programming it to do on schedule if you use the car at the same regularly.

2) In NJ, if you purchase it qualifies as a ZEV (zero emissions vehicle), so you pay zero sales taxes new or used. We also don't need to do emissions testing for the sticker on state. Check your state's discounts. For us that was a HUGE savings right at purchasing.

3) After market options, if you really really decide you need supercharging, there is an aftermarket installation that allows use of ChaDeMo DC chargers for 30-40 minute fast charges for longer trips. It costs about $3k.

4) It really is still a luxury car, so the interior will reflect that.

 

[abeln2672]

Forgot to add, what "sold" this car, is that my husband was TOTALLY skeptical on electric cars because of his dislike of Teslas. But I took him on a test drive of the new Audi E-Tron which he loved immediately. But at $77k with zero discounts, it was a big mountain to overcome. So when I found the B250e, I proposed it as a temporary test of how well an electric car would work for us. We drove 3 states away to test drive one and he enjoyed it as much as he enjoyed the Audi. We bought the car a week later.

So I'd highly recommend test driving and, if you purchase, simply considering it as your introduction to EVs. It's really a nice car. Here are some nice features to consider:

1) Climate precondition - you can set the car to pre heat or pre cool using either your key OR programming it to do on schedule if you use the car at the same regularly.

2) In NJ, if you purchase it qualifies as a ZEV (zero emissions vehicle), so you pay zero sales taxes new or used. We also don't need to do emissions testing for the sticker on state. Check your state's discounts. For us that was a HUGE savings right at purchasing.

3) After market options, if you really really decide you need supercharging, there is an aftermarket installation that allows use of ChaDeMo DC chargers for 30-40 minute fast charges for longer trips. It costs about $3k.

4) It really is still a luxury car, so the interior will reflect that.

Wow, I can't thank you enough for the super helpful follow-up replies! Like you, I stumbled on the existence of this model completely by accident as I researched other EV's, so I can't learn enough and quickly enough lol! I've located two 2014 models near my home and plan to test drive one of those just to get a feel for the car. The one I'm actually interested in is a 2016 that's over a 3 hour drive from me. As far as I can tell, the major differences are some interior upgrades/options and the inclusion of the "range extender" as standard in 2016. Other than that I believe the 2014's look and drive similarly, so it should help me make a decision. If I fall in love, I'll do as you did and make the long drive to test the 2016 I'm actually interested in.

I especially appreciated your comments on phone integration. I'm also an Android user and use Google Maps constantly, so this is big. I don't have much integration in my current car so I'd obviously survive, but I'm always jealous of my wife's 2018 CX-5 which seamlessly supports both AA and ACP. It's a nice feature.

Oh, and thanks also for comments on Mercedes ownership in general. I've heard it's costly to own one -- that they charge you for even driving past the dealership I'd definitely need to take that into consideration as I hate being nickled and dimed. I've been changing my own oil for 5 years just so I don't have to walk into a car place and have them tell me how many things need to be replaced.

Again, can't thakn you enough for firsthand experiences -- really helpful!

 

[Mzteaze]

No worries, I'm glad I could offer helpful notes as a new owner myself. I'm moving from a 2009 Mini Clubman to this car so there is a HUGE difference between the cars.

Here is a range extender "primer" that might help explain how it works on the B250e : https://transportevolved.com/2014/06/24/mercedes-benz-b-class-electric-drive-explain-temporary-range-extender/

I'd also recommend playing with an app like Plugshare to see how many J1772 chargers are available along your favorite routes.

For your Android, you can use Bluetooth to connect the voice of Google Maps just not the picture so you can fix your phone in view to see your map. If that's really annoying you can just add the cost of the MB navi upgrade to your annual maintenance. I think the official copy costs about $99.

Also, there are a number of YouTube videos on the car, so you can do lots of virtual tours to speed up research.

Good luck and feel free to ask away.

 

[TravisB]

As a new b250e owner I'll chime in also. Our B is not our first EV, we bought it as our 2nd car to supplement our Bolt, and as an escape from our last two ICEVs that we unloaded on that used car lot.

So the 24th of July will be 1 month owning our B and it very quickly went from our 2nd car to our 1st car and our Bolt is now the 2nd car. We've put 1500 miles on it in less than a month just running errands and some days I'll take my wife to school 30 miles round trip, run all my errands, goof off, throw it on the 40A charger at home (it will almost pull 10kWh, and I'm tempted to buy it a 65 or 70A so it not maxing out my Bolts 40A charger constantly) so it's full again in less than 2hrs, long before she's done on campus, and I'll drive back over and pick her up. Then we do whatever running around we do when she gets home. Throw it back in the charger and forget about it. Rinse and repeat tomorrow.

I love both my EVs, they are both fantastic vehicles. The Bolts drive train is more refined than the B, and it crushes the B on efficiency and one pedal driving. But the B is a luxury car and for just motoring around town or running errands, I pick it over my Bolt.

I would say ignore the mbrace stuff. Mercedes officially discontinued the app support for it in May I believe. It took 3 very lengthy calls to Mercedes, 2 days in the shop while they tried to figure out why they couldn't get the code to link my VIN to the app support, and $480, for the subscription. (they ended up refunding it once I said I didn't want it if the linking to the car isn't supported anymore)

Like someone else said, the battery warranty is contingent on someone being super anal and getting that car in for service every 12 months exactly. If it every missed one, the warranty is void. They will want between$400-600 to change that moisture filter outside of the warranty. I'll probably going to buy it online and change it myself. Maybe I'll eat those words.. guess we'll see. Lol.

I have told multiple people over the last month, my biggest regret is not buying this car years ago and moving to EVs sooner. Because owning a long range EV, you very quickly realize you rarely use the depth of the battery, because every morning you have a full tank. So a short range EV like the B is what I should have been driving all this time.

Oh, and also, I've gotten 122 miles on the range extender.

And last thought is spend the extra few$$ and get the battery checked at a Mercedes dealer before buying one. You don't know if somebody left it dead for months, damaged the battery and traded it in (that goes for any EV). You don't want to buy something some one hurt the battery in.

 

[abeln2672]

As a new b250e owner I'll chime in also. Our B...

Awesome post! Thanks to both of you for being so helpful! I'm testing a 2014 tomorrow because the 2016 I'm eyeing is over 3 hours away. I'll definitely report back on my experiences. Funny that you mention owning a Bolt. I tested a 2019 Premier today and while it had so many strong points (acceleration, screen size, Android Auto, efficiency, wireless phone charing and rear USB ports, etc), it just felt very underwhelming for such an expensive car. I know most of that cost goes into the excellent battery and drivetrain, but my wife's CX-5 blows the BOlt away in almost every area of refinement. I mean the Bolt doesn't even offer power seats for goodness sake! I've located a great deal on a used Bolt that I'm considering, but I just don't know. I'd likely not use it often (or ever) for road tripping, so the longer range isn't super important to me. Shorter range vehicles like the 250 would serve me fine so long as the battery doesn't degrade too quickly or the range drop too much in winter. Anyway, thanks again you two!

 

[JeffRay]

Abeln,

Yes, do test the 2014 so you can get a good feel for MB luxury, ride, and handling. Be here is a checklist before buying a used electric:

1. Ask for maintenance records. I keep all of my paper invoices.

2. Bring to MB dealer to run battery test and to check out motor. If the car has relatively low mileage, then battery should be fine.

3. Consider buying an extended warranty, if available. See Hallcp's helpful topic on this.

4. Negotiate the price down, these cars are not big sellers in the used market, particularly within a region other than California.

As to your last question, when temperatures drop below 40 degrees F, all car batteries suffer. My experience is that range drops up to 40% but know that I park outside. If you have an indoor garage, the car battery will not get as cold. You can also plug in overnight and program the car to warm up 30 minutes before you normally leave. See separate posts on this topic.

The range extender is helpful but is not intended to be used at every charge as it charges the battery to 112.5% and fully charging batteries does degrade the battery faster. You can google Tesla battery management and read how they recommend against charging their batteries (which we have) to 100% on regular basis.

 

[abeln2672]

Hi again, all! I test drove the 2014 yesterday, and while it was a nice car I didn't fall in love the way I hoped I might. I think part of it is that the interior wasn't super well-maintained, so that soured me a bit. Besides that, the motor made a weird noise at low speeds (like a jet powering up) and I found the handling just a bit less sharp than the i3 I tested later that day. I also wasn't thrilled with the infotainment screen and setup...seemed a bit dated compared to cars with Android Auto I've been testing. Still though, very nice car and I can see why people love it! The 2016 I've seen about 3 hours from me is fully loaded and I think MB certified, so it's probably in better shape and would come with a warranty. I likely won't make a special drive over to see it, but if there's another car or two in the area I want to test, then perhaps I would.

I loved the i3, by the way. Super peppy, nice infotainment (especially with the navigation/tech upgrade), sharp handling. That said, I'm currently leaning towards a Bolt. I didn't fall in love with that during my drive either, but despite not really needing the range (95% of my roundtrips are under 50 miles), I started sort of digging the idea of having it. I still lament the lack of adaptive cruise and even freaking power seats on that car though. But a fully loaded 2017 can be had for under $20k, and even a brand new 2019 is likely $32 or so with a further $3750 tax credit.

Not an easy decision...and in the end, I may even decide to wait and see what else comes out in the next year or two. My Altima continues trudging along at 175k miles. The weird noise persists, but I have a feeling it can go forever, lol! Thanks again, all. Feel free to chime in more if the spirit moves you!

 

[JeffRay]

Abeln,

Move on from the 2014 with jet engine windup. Something is off and it is out of warranty to boot. The later models have range extending charging and find one that has a remaining warranty and consider buying an extended warranty to cover the motors and the coolant system.

As to other electrics, that is a matter of preference as with ICE cars. The i3 was too small for me but perfect for my sister. The Bolt had some features I liked (longer range, rear heated seats!) but felt low and cramped compared to my B250e. My lease runs out end 2020 and I plan to examine all available electrics including purchasing my B250e from MBFS.

Thanks for posting. Let us know what you ultimately get.

 

[PatricioEV]

I test drove a base model B just to make sure I liked it well enough to buy one sight-unseen from another state. If the base model was all that was available, I would not have bought one. Eventually, I found one with all the available options (leather, upholstered dash, Harmon/Kardon, parking sensors, etc). With Mercedes, the options make all the difference. That's why their base price is always such BS (lol)!

I agree the i3 is much sportier, but it is substantially less stable at high speeds and (to me) does not feel like it is built nearly as well. If you're interested in a B, look for one decked out with options. While this hurts the wallet when buying new, it's quite a bargain when buying pre-owned. FYI, mine only had 9,400 miles when I bought it at less than 1/2 the new price. I still love this car. What I wish it had, you could never get (panoramic roof, ventilated seats, HUD). In the '16s at least, you can add Carplay and Android Auto.

 

[JeffRay]

PatricioEV,

Spoken like a true MB aficionado, like me. You made excellent points which is why we love our B250e. An efficient eco friendly getabout with the high end features we appreciate.

P.S. I traded down from a loaded 2014 to a base model 2017 to save a few bucks. Still love it. My wish list for the next electric I buy is heated rear seats, HUD, fast charging and a touch more range.

 

[Mzteaze]

Jeff,

Did they ever offer a moon roof on the B250e?

 

[PatricioEV]

The pano roof is an option on non-electric B class vehicles in other markets. I am not aware of any B250e versions having been built with that option.

 

[jmg3637]

hi new here

I hope that the answer is yes, most membe5s would recommend a used b250e.

we went solar earlier in the year so needed to compliment that with an electric car first for my wife who normally does not drive more than 25 miles a day

after much research I settled on a low mileage 2016 and have had it for a week.

Very much enjoy passing the pump and having my house paying for driving

 

[JeffRay]

Mzteaze,

Nope never did offer a moon or sun roof in our favorite EV getabout. I suppose that one could have one installed as an aftermarket mod if one owed vs. lease.

 

[JeffRay]

JMG,

Welcome sir. Hope you and your wife are both enjoying the ride.

Yeah, having solar panels to power your B250e is a perfect combo. I am not complaining as I usually charge for free at either the dealer or the Whole Foods near my office. Do dream about owning a home someday with a garage where I could plug in overnight.

 

[FordAnglia]

Here's a bit about my situation:

• Would like to spend under $30k (the cost OTD of my wife's CX-5 last year. It's arbitrary, but feels comfortable.

• My commute is about 20 miles each way, but in the summer, I play baseball and sometimes go up to 60 miles RT to fields around the city.

• I live in Indiana, so gets fairly cold in winter frequently below freezing, although not often below zero), and hot in the summer (frequently over 90).

• I can install a 240-volt charger in my home garage, but probably would have limited charging options at work and other places I visit.

• Reliability and frugality are super important to me. I've only ever bought brand new cars and then kept them well-maintained for 10+ years. Looking at used is a first. Considering I've never owned an EV, it's a little unsettling trying to figure everything out.

Greetings,

Did you make a purchase? What brand and model?

I'm an EV newbie. I purchased a used 2016 M-B B250e about the same time as you posted above (and now I'm slowly reading the back-logged posts here)

With roughly 1k Miles of EV experience (read:fun!) I'm really enjoying the B250e. My starting point for the project might be a little politically incorrect! As it turns out I might be the ideal customer for the B250e, and that may also be why is wasn't a strong seller in the USA.
My previous vehicle was a 2015 Nissan Murano, which had 182,600 miles on it at trade for the B250e.

My buying points:

• Red sticker (to access California's HOV lanes on daily commute)

• Budget of less than $30k (automatically excludes Tesla Model 3 - more comments about that below)

• EV (not hybrid) - taking the full plunge into EV and away from ICE

• Have fun! (Fear of "range anxiety", Concern about charging options)

Things that went well:

• My wife took on the project, and quickly found two B250e vehicles within 30 minutes drive

• She saw a Blue one (not at an M-B Dealer, but low miles - about 5k) Then she saw the Red one at an M-B dealer, higher miles - about 9.8k and test drove it. Five Stars!!

• Got me to see it that night, and test drive the next day when the M-B dealer was open. Five Star from me, too!!

• The B250e was turned in from lease early, had been well maintained at that M-B dealership. No haggle sale at $23k

• My employer has six level two and two level one chargers - Free to use

• My wife's employer has more than twenty-five L2 chargers - Free to use

Things that could have gone better:

• We initially had range anxiety - the nearest public charger to home is over four miles away

• The B250e is L1/L2 AC charging only - we didn't have a clue about "EV charging" when we started

• I purchased mBrace coverage before I discovered it was already in 'sunset' and no Smartphone data link

• There are fifty-five EV and Hybrid vehicles at our office and only eight chargers - Ouch!

• My favorite public charger has four ChargePoint stations (plus an adjacent eleven station Tesla Supercharger) but three are No Op

• I'm frustrated by both ChargePoint and Target who have not made repairs for many months (long before I started complaining!)

Bottom line?
I'm absolutely enjoying the EV experience, and while I never saw myself driving a Mercedes Benz in the USA, I'm hooked!
I loaned Elon Musk $1k deposit to join the Model 3 wait list. A marriage and a honeymoon got in the way, and I rescinded my deposit. By then the Model 3 was seen on the road, and after sitting in one at the Tesla showroom I realized it wasn't for me. Seriously considered a used Model S (for about the same cost) and settled on the B250e instead.

My daily commute is ten miles each way, plus running errands, and visiting our key customer's site (a further eight miles each way out of the office)
Range anxiety has been slayed!! (Plus my customer has abundant free L2 charging on site)
The big pay back is that nearly all of that commute is on clogged California freeways where I can legally access the HOV lanes. I routinely cut my ICE commute times in HALF!! My wife says I'm much calmer when I come home from otherwise stressful non-HOV lane driving.

Peter,