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What are the Most Affordable Electric Vehicles?

Car shopping experts at Edmunds show the NBCLA I-Team their most affordable, environmentally friendly cars.

With the new gas tax in full effect, people may be thinking about going electric when it comes to their next car purchase. But the thing with going electric is the misconception that most cars come with a high price tag.

The good news is, not everything is a high priced Tesla.

Car shopping experts at Edmunds showed the NBCLA I-Team three of the most affordable models currently on the market that may have people trading in their gas guzzler.

Alistair Weaver, Edmunds' Editor-in-Chief, told the I-Team that first on the list of affordable electric cars was the 2019 Nissan Leaf, with a base price of under $30,000.

"In many ways, Leaf is the car that started all of this. It goes all the way back to 2010," Weaver said. "This is the latest version and what's new for 2019 is that they've increased the battery range."

A range that they said is dramatically better now. Edmunds said some Leaf models get up to 215 miles on a single charge. 

Another model that people might be interested in would be the brand new Hyundai Kona.

"Hyundai has made real progress in recent years with its interiors, it's stylish, it works," Weaver said.

Of course the Hyundai Kona has a more sleek look and with style and sleekness comes a higher price tag. But still at an affordable range, the EV Kona starts just under $37,000 and Edmunds said this model will travel up to 258 miles on a single charge.

According to Edmunds, this is their top pick and top rated EV at the moment.

"I think it's just great all the way around. It has the biggest range of all the vehicles here. It's a good price point, it's accessible to a lot of people," Weaver said. 

The last of the affordable electric cars was the Chevy Bolt. The base model for this one also costs just under $37,000 with a range Edmunds said of up to 238 miles. Some of the perks that come with the car are that it has a gear shift and looks more like a normal car.

All these electric cars have a push button to turn them on like many gas powered cars out there. And some manufactures have updated another past issue. 

"I like this because it's different to me than some of the other electric cars that I've been around and you have no idea that one's approaching you," Weaver said. 

Add to that the ease of finding charging stations almost everywhere you go, Edmunds said, these cars will only become more popular and will only be made to drive further as the years go by.

"Anything above 200 miles then people psychologically think this is a car that I can live with day to day and fits my needs," Weaver said.

Edmunds did want to point out that as affordable as these cars can be right now, the experts suggest that customers lease an electric car instead of buying.

They said technology is changing so fast, a customer will likely want to update in two to three years.

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