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I bought my 2016 Spark EV in April for $6,500 with 36,000 miles on it, I have driven it close to 5,000 miles since. It has been one of the most fun cars I have ever had. I have given people rides in it and they are amazed at the power this thing has. I have not had one issue with range and so far the only things I have replaced are the wiper blades. Do yourself a favor, if you ever get a chance to ride or drive in one, do it, it’s like a amusement park ride. Plus it’s fun playing around ICE vehicles that don’t know what it is. Thanks TFL for highlighting the Spark EV.
Agreed!! I leased a new one in 2015, $750 down, $95 a month, 15,000 miles a year. At the time, my commute was 70 miles round trip, and was my only car. Turned it in 45,000 miles and 36 months later, not a single problem. Loved using it every day. People would give it a 2nd look, and was surprised to know it was electric. It's a great choice for a city car and very easy to park, cheap to insure.
That's an amazing price. People in my state are selling non electric vehicles and non hybrid ones for more than that price with just 100k-200k miles on them. What state are you from where they sell cars with low mileage like that for that price?🤔
@@GoaWay... I’m in Tennessee but I bought it from a dealer in Salem Oregon. Since I got mine prices on these have jumped up just like all used cars, right now it is hard to find any below $10,000.
I bought my 2014 Spark EV with just over 10,000 miles back in early 2018 off of Craigslist in Atlanta for $9,000 largely because it was considered the best of the compliance EVs. I realized how cheap it was to run and took a job doing real estate photography in retirement. Anyway, I'm coming up on 52,000 miles on the clock and, for the record, my particular car was among the first to hit the shores of the US. I know because the carfax tells me its first owner was a 'corporation' based in Michigan and it was registered in February '13; five months before it went on sale that summer. For the record, there were fewer than 1,700 '14 Spark EVs made and just over 7,000 nationally, so they are a relatively rare beast. I've experienced a bit of battery degradation and my current range shows at full charge between 65-67 miles. Part of this is due to my opting for 'cheaper tires' ... i.e. those not specifically designated as low rolling resistance. This is because of the noted ability to get scratch at 45 mph. My use case was roaming around taking real estate photos of houses and typically I would visit between one and 28 locations in a day with trips varying between 2 and over 100 miles. On those 100-mile jaunts, I would have to plot stopping at a level 2 charger - sometimes that meant finding one 'on the road' but more often it included a long lunch at home that included a nap. Most roads were those you'd like to experience in a time-speed-distance road rally. Avoiding where I could state highways (55-75mph speed limits), with a little route planning and hyper-mileing techniques I could get efficiency up to 6.5-6.8 miles/kwh when I was running LRR tires but with regular all weather tires, I do well to get 6.0 m/kwh. The Spark EV actually has an improved suspension over the standard Spark featuring 50-50 weight distribution, four-wheel disc brakes and a beefier set of shocks, springs, etc. to handle the increased weight. Besides tires - I get about 18-20,000 miles on fronts and 40,000 on the rears - the only real maintenance was the replacement of a wheel-bearing. It does need a bushing replacement - there is definite 'rattle' on choppy dirt roads - but otherwise has been in the shop only once for anything to do with the battery . That was at about 25,000 miles when the car refused to charge at level 2. From the dedicated forum for Spark EVs, I determined it needed to have some coolant fluids added which, believe it or not, was covered under the battery warranty. The local chevy dealer did the work but, for whatever reason, some dealer tech set it to charge only at 2 am for 30 minutes ... I guess figuring they could dick w/me. I figured it out and haven't been back since (I went to an independent shop for the wheel bearing replacement). Given this particular Spark EV comes with a VIN ending in 000067 and was registered before these cars were on sale, I figure it may become a collectable and I may well keep it. I have decided my next car will be probably a 2022/23 Aptera with a 400 mile range battery and all-wheel (3-wheel) drive capable of 0-60 in about 3.5 seconds - my Spark EV is in the mid-7s but quick. I can say that the Spark EV has never left me stranded. I have returned home with reduced power invoked and less than 3 miles showing on the GOM. When I was hunting for my EV - this was my first and I haven't bought new since 1984 and I've paid cash for all my cars since 2000 - I was shopping this and Fiat 500e's. I feel I made the right decision at the time because this little car is blast.
Drive your car hard to 25% or less battery, charge, and drive hard again. Take it to the dealer with an unsatisfactory range complaint. Hopefully you will get a battery out of them. If I was careful the guessometer would show 65miles, but not if I drove hard. You need to stress test the car, but you most likely have a battery with enough capacity loss to get a replacement. HURRY. time is of the essence.
Yeah I just got a 2016 a week ago (April 2023) and it was $11.5K just under 41k miles. That was dropped down from $12.5k so maybe they will get cheaper but I needed a car and this was the cheapest low mileage car I could find. Even used gas powered cars were over 100K miles just to get under $15k around here. It's a fun drive, though. I'm really digging it. Wish the range was a bit better but it works for my daily commute.
Make it an EV track car. Weight reduction, good tires, tint the rear windows so they cant see that the car has been stripped out... make it a sleeper and surprise some people. 542 Newton-meter is no joke.
I have had my 2016 Spark EV for a full year and 3K miles now and I love it. It is a perfect city car and for us retired types. Great car for a first EV and I believe it's more functional than a Smart or a 500e. Glad you guys got one and gave a pretty honest review. The point to choose a vehicle that meets your needs is what we should all be doing. It makes no real sense if you live in a sparsely populated area full of mountains and your nearest neighbor is a mile away to be a current EV owner but neither is driving a Raptor, TRX or F250 Dually for city/urban driving or commuting. I'm really interested in seeing how the F150 Lightning 'work' truck works out and possibly replacing our 2016 Outback in the future. Keep up the informative and fun videos.
I've had this car(2015) for about a year and a half. I absolutely love it. I don't live in the city, and my commute is everchanging, but tends to be outside the range of the Spark, kind of. I'm up hill from town and it only takes about 20% to get to town, but about 60% to get home. Lots of the time I charge for a while after work to make sure I can get home. This car would be perfect for me if I had a DCFC in my area, and/or I didn't live way up a ridge. It's inconvenient for me, but I'm a kind of person that likes the challenge of working around it.
I have a red 2016 chevy spark, I have had for just over 2 years now. It has been a fun car. I use to drive to work, get grocery, ace hardware, to golf. Pretty much anything within about 15 miles from my home. Keeps me for using my 2020 Ram 3500 DRW for run around stuff.
I absolutely loved, Loved, LOVED my Spark EV. Sold it as part of the down payment for my Model 3 and sometimes regret it ;) Traction control off it would smoke the front tires through 45mph.
I used to have a gas powered spark with a manual. It was a really fun car, extremely reliable, efficient, and surprisingly good room for four people in such a tiny car. Always wanted the electric version but I lived in an apartment and no chargers where I was driving.
So we owned the ice version of that car and when you were talking about the volume turning it up or down you can technically hit one of the volume keys and then move your finger on the touchscreen up and down to your desired volume setting.
Be carefull the integrated charger is dying after 8 years on most Spark EV, it costs me 2650$ to get a new one installed, hope to do another 8 years with it
Thanks for all the great reviews. In addition to two electric motorcycles, and two smart electric drives, we now own a 2016 Spark EV with DCFC and love it. Like yours, averages about 5 miles per kWh and can complete an 85 mile round trip with a little range left over. Chevy did well overall with this car. Glad we bought it.
Loved my 2015 Spark EV. I put about 10k miles on mine over 1.5 years before trading up to a MINI Cooper SE. I also got about 5 mi/kWh average during my time with the car and similar range.
As a small car enthusiast I'm seriously considering getting one of these. I currently drive a 2018 Chevy Cruze, but the Spark Ev has always intrigued me. Forgot they even existed until recently when I was looking at Ford Focus EVs and I got me thinking, "didn't Chevy make a Spark EV or something like that?"
My point of view: Tweety and Blueberry were the most charismatic electric cars in TFL's fleet. Affordable, reliable, very good price/product ratio and many body parts available for the Chevy.
It was between the Spark and the FIAT 500e for us. We went with the 500e and have been thrilled with it. The Spark definitely provides more utility especially if you need to transport more than two people more than once. The FIAT is more refined, holds a surprising amount, and is way cuter!
When you do the Focus make it a 2017+ to get the 33.5 kwh battery. Other then trunk space, it really is still a valuable product. Excellent handling, possibly the best hot hatch looks, aftermarket & junk yard accessories (wings, body kits, suspension, lift kits, wheels, etc.) abound, and it has a proper hand brake! This is the ideal teen boys EV! Lifted with front splitter and rear wing off the RS, and sport seats from an ST, maybe a Martini Livery wrap...
I’ve always thought these are great commuter cars for suburban dwellers. Take the Sienna or Pilot on road trips, and do most of your daily driving on the cheap EV.
Bolt recall you get a new battery and a new 8yr/100k warranty on the battery. Be a good time to buy one. Great cars No worse than Toyotas frame recall or the Takata airbag recall imo.
Unfortunately for anyone looking for a cheap EV commuter in this market about all you would find for under 10k is a first gen leaf, and we all know how bad their battery situation was. However if I had to replace my commuter today these wouldn't be off the list, I always have my old Xterra for longer trips, and even gassing up can feel like a hassle these days.
This, unfortunately is true. Used EV prices have only gone up since that hack against that gas pipeline in late 2020. And they won't ever return to what he paid simply because of the chip shortage and supply line issues in 2021.
So will these qualify in 2022 for the used ev rebate? Would this be worth buying for a first ev? I work for home and most driving is less than 10 miles a day. What I'm waiting for is the Canoo pickup.
They'll clean it up before selling? That's unheard of on FB market place. I have gone to look at some vehicles people are selling and they look gross, trash ,wrappers, cups, dirty in general and want a premium price. I just walk away shaking my head without saying a word.
I've sold many vehicles on FB and every one of them was completely detailed to the max! THAT has always been the key to getting my asking price. Anyone who doesn't properly detail their car likely didn't maintain it properly either!
Have you tried getting service from chevy? I have a 2014 spark ev and I love the car but trying to get chevy to service it has been a disaster. Also, in my are there are no third party EV shops. Specifically I wanted my battery capacity checked, since capacity is a warrantied item. One dealer refused to do it, saying its not possible. The other dealer didn't know how to do it and ended up performing a different test that did not provide the information I requested. I would like to know your thoughts and experiences trying to get service for these earlier EVs.
Check reddit/sparkev for information, or facebook. You can call the GM EV concierge phone number, to find an EV qualified dealer. All 2014s need to be stress tested and delivered to a dealer with a minimum range complaint. If it tests OK, that is fine.
@@johnschreiber1574 Thanks for the advice. The dealer I went to that perfomed the wrong test (and charged me for it) was recommended by GM. I have called the EV concierge a couple times and they transferred me back to the normal line when I said I wasn't calling about bolt battery recall. I have made progress and got a dealer (the one who said it was impossible) to perform the correct test and determine the battery did need replacing. But it took over 4 months and 3 tries. I have been documenting the process and asking questions on the spark EV forums, where other users have experienced similar issues. It seems to me like a lack of knowledge and experience not malice. Like when I call and say "I have an electric car and need the battery capacity tested" I had dealer service people say "batteries are not a warranty item and I could get it tested at autozone." They were trying to be helpful but they thought I was talking about a 12v car battery. Overall my point is the experience has been bad and if I wasn't an "enthusiast" and knew how to verify the dealer statements I would not have gotten the repair covered by warranty.
What could you know about the long term reliability of that car after having it for 3 months and 2,500 miles? Not a car you see much so I understand why you would choose to feature it, but not much time spent with it.
There is a lot of owner experiences documented online about the reliability of these cars. Several RUclips channels and facebook groups devoted to the Spark EV.
It's a city car smartazz. Hard to put 100k when youre driving 30 miles a day. I've had mine 3 years, work and back is 8 miles 4 days a week, some errands, golf course and have gone 14k. Also, charge at home at about $1 to go 90 miles. No battery degradation with 26k on the clock. Quickest car I've ever owned and you can spin the tires at will well past 35 mph. Great car for it's purpose, but, you must understand it's purpose.
It's amusing when reviewers find complaints because they feel they have to, but the things they complain about are not important. Window buttons? I'd be happier with roll-down windows. Hard plastic? Who cares. Cars in the city are to get people from point A to point B. This was the ideal urban EV, low cost, useful, small battery. I own a gas powered Spark, we almost finished paying the car loan, so after that we will have years with zero car loan payments. Perfect. For cars it's important to pay as little as possible because cars lose value every year, they are not an investment.
Hope you try out the Fiat 500e, fun car to drive as well. I think it gets alottle more range than your Spark ev. It still suffers from only having J1772 plug and no DC fast charging option but great all around city car.
I have a 2015. Was told by the dealership and provided paperwork stating that there was an update to avoid battery overheating and whereas the car is supposed to get 82miles in range mine really only gets 65ish at most... Thoughts?
Similar to Fiat 500e I get less than that because I drive mostly freeway. I think people that say they get a hundred miles in it mistaken. Freeway miles use up range.
I'm totally in that moment this very moment lol. Thinking about purchasing a 2014/2015 Chevy spark. I don't know anything about these electric cars but I figured it can't be rocket science. Your video really helped me out a lot to understand many things and it seems like a good decision to go on because I only want it for errands and for work which for me are all within 10 mi away from my home so I think it would be a wise purchase for me and I'm going to go ahead and let the idea marinate.
I leased one back in 2015 it was the 2lt 2014 model loved it i off roaded it daily had the 30min fast charging had 82 miles of range solid little car looking to buy one used
Get a 500e. I got a 2017 for 8500 1.5 yrs ago. Fun car to drive, lowered it and added a bunch of aftermarket chasis mods for stiffening. Great first EV intro for anyone thinking about EVs.
I bought a 2015 spark ev for $1000. Front end hit. Fixed it. Into car $2000. 10k miles on car. Has fast dc charge. Cheap second car to buzz around Needs new speakers. Radio is terrible
What a project - all the compliance BEV? PHEV? With the CCS port, these are ok highway drives in CA with chargers all over - charge up quickly. Love to see Honda Fit BEV - loyal following but leased so only a few left (fleets?).
I had a 2014 on reserve but chickened out when I saw the A123 battery replacement cost if you could even source them. The problem is GM will only provide parts for so long on EV models. The battery replacement cost installed is near 25k :-0 . It seems like I would be stuck with a BRICK if the batteries freaked out in the short term if I purchased it, what do you think? Only a few months of battery warranty left too.
Battery replacement cost in 2022 is about $4500, far cheaper than $25k. Not that you would need to replace them. My 2014 Spark ev has 92k mikes with 8% degradation.
I wonder if it could charge simultaneously while driving if you had the charger plugged in. Has anyone tried moving the vehicle while it's connected to the charger?
Pity about the lack of support from GM. Also the price. I just bought a new 21 Gas spark which I like. All the E sparks available locally cost more then the price of my new one. There are none under 13K. Having driven my gas spark for 5K miles now I would seriously consider an E spark if they were still available new and reasonably priced. As long as they didn't have the garbage LG tech in them.
I rented one of these and I thought it was a great little car. Small economy cars are nothing like large sedans they never will be but they are nice for some applications and I liked the Chevy spark and I’m looking for a used one right now got to have an automatic with air-conditioning.
I bought a new 2017 Spark EV when they were getting rid of them for a steal at the time after all the federal credit and chevy discount. The problem was I had some body/interior issues that the dealership just couldn't fix correctly after multiple tries. Mechanically, the car was fine. After 2 months of frustration and bad customer service, I sold it to carmax for a profit and brought a Camry. It is a shame that the dealership experience ruined a good car. I kinda wish I still had it, but the 80 mile range is limiting unless you have a good use case (like letting a teen drive to school). Additionally, maintenance/support is going to be an issue.
Chevy is one of the prime examples of why I don't buy cars from a corporation that makes 4 different car brands producing several models. With that many brands and models, you start cutting corners on quality. Toyota has two Brands, Toyota and Lexus. They tried a 3rd Brand with Scion, but they quickly realized that was a mistake.
For the price of what these are selling for used today, it's very tempting. Would be great to drive around the city, but the next major city from me is is about 50 miles away, so a round trip on one charge would not be possible. And I wouldn't want to spend a few hours charing the battery before I can drive home (if I worked there and spent the day there, and could plug it in, that might work). Otherwise, I need something with more range. Even a Nissan Leaf's range is cutting it close. A Bolt or Tesla would be better, but pricey. I had a well used 2006 Prius which was a good compromise. Might look at another gas/electric hybrid at some point, but I inherited my mother's very fuel efficient Toyota Corolla, so kinda hard to justify replacing it.
bought my daughter one a few years back spent more time at the dealership than her driving it so sold it got her a Ford Escape and have never looked back
Thank you so much for your videos. I was on the fence about getting an EV, but now I know for sure that I am not getting one because there is just way too much wrong with them and the infrastructure is a joke. I'll stick with my wonderful Honda CRV that has never let me down.
DC fast charging ccs plug. Okay what does that look like I'm pretty sure it's not the kind you plug into your standard electrical outlet at home is it?
Everyone's losing their mind over the Bolt catching fire. Looks like it's been 12 vehicles so far. Seems on par with the amount of ICE vehicles that catch fire everyday 🤷
TFLnow: “we plan to sell this extremely Rare oddball one year EV” Next week on Jay Lenos Garage: “I just got this gently used extremely rare oddball one year EV from GM”
That is exactly what I was looking for and I would love to buy that…Except y’all took it away from Marco Island, which would have been less than 50 miles from me, dang it!!!!! Now it’s too far away from me to practically purchase!
DO NOT but any new or used cars in 2021, most likely not even in 2022 if you value your hard earned money. The supply chain disruptions and chip shortage have gotten both markets totally out of whack. Best bet is 2023...patience grasshopper.
The Chevrolet spark in the UK is now a rare car, I have a 1.2 2011 in blue. Everyone says what an unusual car it is, sadly only about 4000 are registered in the UK only up to the year of 2013. I would love to get a new spark when I upgrade but I don't think that's possible.
I would buy one only if the battery had more range, I live in Michigan, and when the weather gets cold that battery wouldn't even get me to work and back. 60 miles trip combined I wouldn't want to worry if I was going to make it so it's a pass on that one !!!!
@@BillMcDaniel74 I live in Mesa, have had mine 3 years with no degradation. Ice cold a/c hardly uses much energy. Have charged it over 90 miles many times. Also, going to a doctor's office in Tempe is 13 miles 1 way, I take University past Dobson averaging 38 miles an hour and ADD miles because of regenerative braking!! People who don't own an EV haven't a clue. I've had a BMW I-3 and my wife drives a Volt, another zero problem car, 55 electric miles, to work and back is 10 miles, charge both at night at 6 cents a Kw...cheap to keep. Looking to upgrade next year depending on the rebates being offered.
I drive about 28-30 Miles to work and back, but only 2x a week. Looking to replace my Tucson with something like this. Ideally a Tesla would be the preferred choice but the price point is too high for a second car at the moment. Thoughts?
SO CUTE ! Considering it's 1/2 the cost of many new cars, it is an AFFORDABLE car, such a shame the choices in low cost cars are shrinking - not everyone wants a new $60,000 truck or sports car. But 70 mile range ? Ok, then what ? Without a gas generator to power the electric motor, you're dead on the highway.
You Have Problems, Not Issues Somewhere, at some point over the recent past, someone decided that it was no longer acceptable for a person to say what he or she means; it was no longer acceptable to speak in precise, direct words. And what’s worse, someone, somewhere decided that we should all be offended when someone calls a problem a problem! Everything has to be translated into some sort of euphemism. I don’t really know why it started, but can we please stop referring to every problem as an issue? An employee no longer has a problem keeping up with production; he has an issue. A child no longer has a problem behaving in class; she has an issue. A married couple in therapy no longer has problems in their marriage; they have issues. Even bad weather now causes performance issues on the football field and traffic issues on the road; and a basketball player with a sprained ankle has an ankle issue. I’m not sure what’s so offensive about discussing traffic problems, health problems, or a sloppy football game. Is it just me? The problem-that is, what’s wrong-with substituting issue for problem is that those two words are not synonymous-and no amount of being politically correct, disingenuous, or even condescending-yes, it can be condescending-will make it so. An issue is a topic, such as The candidates will discuss the issues at the debate. That means that the candidates will discuss the different topics, or subject areas, involved in running our country. A problem is something negative. A problem is something that needs to be solved. A problem is something that we try to overcome. A problem is something that we don’t want. There, I’ve said it. And it feels great. An issue is not a problem, but I’ll tell you what is a problem: the grammatically incorrect trend of telling someone that he has an issue when what you really mean is that he has a problem. Call it what it is, and it’ll be easier to solve.
Awesome car, but id give a harder look at the second Gen Volt. Commuting EV range is awesome but also has a great Gas generator. so it works in all cases.
Hey guys, thanks for watching! Check out our other video that just went up on TFLnow if you're looking for more to watch: ruclips.net/video/Nghd157Dgd0/видео.html
This may be a great second car! Where you planning to post it to sell? I'm located in Cali.
Hey, there is a Fiat 500e for sale at the Jeep dealer in Glenwood Springs! Berthod Chrysler. If you pick it up let me know I want a ride in it!
I bought my 2016 Spark EV in April for $6,500 with 36,000 miles on it, I have driven it close to 5,000 miles since. It has been one of the most fun cars I have ever had. I have given people rides in it and they are amazed at the power this thing has. I have not had one issue with range and so far the only things I have replaced are the wiper blades.
Do yourself a favor, if you ever get a chance to ride or drive in one, do it, it’s like a amusement park ride. Plus it’s fun playing around ICE vehicles that don’t know what it is.
Thanks TFL for highlighting the Spark EV.
Agreed!! I leased a new one in 2015, $750 down, $95 a month, 15,000 miles a year. At the time, my commute was 70 miles round trip, and was my only car. Turned it in 45,000 miles and 36 months later, not a single problem. Loved using it every day. People would give it a 2nd look, and was surprised to know it was electric. It's a great choice for a city car and very easy to park, cheap to insure.
That's an amazing price. People in my state are selling non electric vehicles and non hybrid ones for more than that price with just 100k-200k miles on them. What state are you from where they sell cars with low mileage like that for that price?🤔
@@GoaWay... I’m in Tennessee but I bought it from a dealer in Salem Oregon. Since I got mine prices on these have jumped up just like all used cars, right now it is hard to find any below $10,000.
@@Tim-Tiller wow. You got it at. The right time then. 😸
@@euphmom mine had a little over 35,000 miles on it when I got it, it now has over 40,000 miles.
I bought my 2014 Spark EV with just over 10,000 miles back in early 2018 off of Craigslist in Atlanta for $9,000 largely because it was considered the best of the compliance EVs. I realized how cheap it was to run and took a job doing real estate photography in retirement.
Anyway, I'm coming up on 52,000 miles on the clock and, for the record, my particular car was among the first to hit the shores of the US. I know because the carfax tells me its first owner was a 'corporation' based in Michigan and it was registered in February '13; five months before it went on sale that summer. For the record, there were fewer than 1,700 '14 Spark EVs made and just over 7,000 nationally, so they are a relatively rare beast.
I've experienced a bit of battery degradation and my current range shows at full charge between 65-67 miles. Part of this is due to my opting for 'cheaper tires' ... i.e. those not specifically designated as low rolling resistance. This is because of the noted ability to get scratch at 45 mph.
My use case was roaming around taking real estate photos of houses and typically I would visit between one and 28 locations in a day with trips varying between 2 and over 100 miles. On those 100-mile jaunts, I would have to plot stopping at a level 2 charger - sometimes that meant finding one 'on the road' but more often it included a long lunch at home that included a nap.
Most roads were those you'd like to experience in a time-speed-distance road rally. Avoiding where I could state highways (55-75mph speed limits), with a little route planning and hyper-mileing techniques I could get efficiency up to 6.5-6.8 miles/kwh when I was running LRR tires but with regular all weather tires, I do well to get 6.0 m/kwh.
The Spark EV actually has an improved suspension over the standard Spark featuring 50-50 weight distribution, four-wheel disc brakes and a beefier set of shocks, springs, etc. to handle the increased weight.
Besides tires - I get about 18-20,000 miles on fronts and 40,000 on the rears - the only real maintenance was the replacement of a wheel-bearing. It does need a bushing replacement - there is definite 'rattle' on choppy dirt roads - but otherwise has been in the shop only once for anything to do with the battery .
That was at about 25,000 miles when the car refused to charge at level 2. From the dedicated forum for Spark EVs, I determined it needed to have some coolant fluids added which, believe it or not, was covered under the battery warranty.
The local chevy dealer did the work but, for whatever reason, some dealer tech set it to charge only at 2 am for 30 minutes ... I guess figuring they could dick w/me. I figured it out and haven't been back since (I went to an independent shop for the wheel bearing replacement).
Given this particular Spark EV comes with a VIN ending in 000067 and was registered before these cars were on sale, I figure it may become a collectable and I may well keep it.
I have decided my next car will be probably a 2022/23 Aptera with a 400 mile range battery and all-wheel (3-wheel) drive capable of 0-60 in about 3.5 seconds - my Spark EV is in the mid-7s but quick.
I can say that the Spark EV has never left me stranded. I have returned home with reduced power invoked and less than 3 miles showing on the GOM.
When I was hunting for my EV - this was my first and I haven't bought new since 1984 and I've paid cash for all my cars since 2000 - I was shopping this and Fiat 500e's. I feel I made the right decision at the time because this little car is blast.
Man, you dodged a bullet passing on the Fiat 500. Very problematic vehicle.
Drive your car hard to 25% or less battery, charge, and drive hard again. Take it to the dealer with an unsatisfactory range complaint. Hopefully you will get a battery out of them. If I was careful the guessometer would show 65miles, but not if I drove hard. You need to stress test the car, but you most likely have a battery with enough capacity loss to get a replacement. HURRY. time is of the essence.
@@unclebob7937yes that was 1st an only ev car . Sigh
$7500 for these in June and now in November they are starting at $12,500.....Guess I missed the chance for a cheap daily EV that is somewhat fun.
You can get them for 7500 now and they qualify for a 4k credit
So 3500 lol
Yeah I just got a 2016 a week ago (April 2023) and it was $11.5K just under 41k miles. That was dropped down from $12.5k so maybe they will get cheaper but I needed a car and this was the cheapest low mileage car I could find. Even used gas powered cars were over 100K miles just to get under $15k around here. It's a fun drive, though. I'm really digging it. Wish the range was a bit better but it works for my daily commute.
Not somewhat fun..... REALLY FUN!
Especially blowing the doors off Camarros and even some Vetts!
Make it an EV track car. Weight reduction, good tires, tint the rear windows so they cant see that the car has been stripped out... make it a sleeper and surprise some people. 542 Newton-meter is no joke.
I have had my 2016 Spark EV for a full year and 3K miles now and I love it. It is a perfect city car and for us retired types. Great car for a first EV and I believe it's more functional than a Smart or a 500e. Glad you guys got one and gave a pretty honest review. The point to choose a vehicle that meets your needs is what we should all be doing. It makes no real sense if you live in a sparsely populated area full of mountains and your nearest neighbor is a mile away to be a current EV owner but neither is driving a Raptor, TRX or F250 Dually for city/urban driving or commuting. I'm really interested in seeing how the F150 Lightning 'work' truck works out and possibly replacing our 2016 Outback in the future. Keep up the informative and fun videos.
I've had this car(2015) for about a year and a half. I absolutely love it. I don't live in the city, and my commute is everchanging, but tends to be outside the range of the Spark, kind of. I'm up hill from town and it only takes about 20% to get to town, but about 60% to get home. Lots of the time I charge for a while after work to make sure I can get home. This car would be perfect for me if I had a DCFC in my area, and/or I didn't live way up a ridge. It's inconvenient for me, but I'm a kind of person that likes the challenge of working around it.
I have a red 2016 chevy spark, I have had for just over 2 years now. It has been a fun car. I use to drive to work, get grocery, ace hardware, to golf. Pretty much anything within about 15 miles from my home. Keeps me for using my 2020 Ram 3500 DRW for run around stuff.
I absolutely loved, Loved, LOVED my Spark EV. Sold it as part of the down payment for my Model 3 and sometimes regret it ;) Traction control off it would smoke the front tires through 45mph.
u should have made a video of that
Its not cost-cutting Tommie, it's called weight savings
I used to have a gas powered spark with a manual. It was a really fun car, extremely reliable, efficient, and surprisingly good room for four people in such a tiny car. Always wanted the electric version but I lived in an apartment and no chargers where I was driving.
I had one for a couple of years and loved it. People were always surprised by the room once they got in.
So we owned the ice version of that car and when you were talking about the volume turning it up or down you can technically hit one of the volume keys and then move your finger on the touchscreen up and down to your desired volume setting.
Be carefull the integrated charger is dying after 8 years on most Spark EV, it costs me 2650$ to get a new one installed, hope to do another 8 years with it
Thanks for all the great reviews.
In addition to two electric motorcycles, and two smart electric drives, we now own a 2016 Spark EV with DCFC and love it.
Like yours, averages about 5 miles per kWh and can complete an 85 mile round trip with a little range left over. Chevy did well overall with this car. Glad we bought it.
Loved my 2015 Spark EV. I put about 10k miles on mine over 1.5 years before trading up to a MINI Cooper SE. I also got about 5 mi/kWh average during my time with the car and similar range.
As a small car enthusiast I'm seriously considering getting one of these. I currently drive a 2018 Chevy Cruze, but the Spark Ev has always intrigued me. Forgot they even existed until recently when I was looking at Ford Focus EVs and I got me thinking, "didn't Chevy make a Spark EV or something like that?"
My point of view: Tweety and Blueberry were the most charismatic electric cars in TFL's fleet. Affordable, reliable, very good price/product ratio and many body parts available for the Chevy.
It was between the Spark and the FIAT 500e for us. We went with the 500e and have been thrilled with it. The Spark definitely provides more utility especially if you need to transport more than two people more than once. The FIAT is more refined, holds a surprising amount, and is way cuter!
And Fiat 500e level 2 charging is much faster. Quicker off the line but slower 0 to 60. They were $2,000 less.
I like seeing your reviews on regular cars that people can afford.
When you do the Focus make it a 2017+ to get the 33.5 kwh battery. Other then trunk space, it really is still a valuable product. Excellent handling, possibly the best hot hatch looks, aftermarket & junk yard accessories (wings, body kits, suspension, lift kits, wheels, etc.) abound, and it has a proper hand brake! This is the ideal teen boys EV! Lifted with front splitter and rear wing off the RS, and sport seats from an ST, maybe a Martini Livery wrap...
I have a 2012 ffe, it's my get around town car. Absolutely a great car! Less than 31,000 miles on it!😊
I’ve always thought these are great commuter cars for suburban dwellers. Take the Sienna or Pilot on road trips, and do most of your daily driving on the cheap EV.
I like these reviews of weird cars. Keep up the good work!
Bolt recall you get a new battery and a new 8yr/100k warranty on the battery. Be a good time to buy one. Great cars No worse than Toyotas frame recall or the Takata airbag recall imo.
Don't forget Toyota's massive fuel pump recall going on now. Very dangerous to have your engine quit randomly while your driving.
@@IKnewMickey Did you happen to hear what cars are effected?
Unfortunately for anyone looking for a cheap EV commuter in this market about all you would find for under 10k is a first gen leaf, and we all know how bad their battery situation was. However if I had to replace my commuter today these wouldn't be off the list, I always have my old Xterra for longer trips, and even gassing up can feel like a hassle these days.
This, unfortunately is true. Used EV prices have only gone up since that hack against that gas pipeline in late 2020. And they won't ever return to what he paid simply because of the chip shortage and supply line issues in 2021.
*people should be modifying these with bigger aftermarket battery packs to get longer range*
Thanks for the great info.. We are looking for our next car/truck..but most likely going for a full electric truck
You would love the e-Golf - make sure you get a 2017+ with a larger battery. SEL trim level is super nice
181, this is the quickest ever I have been to a video. Who doesn't like an electric Spark with 400 ft/lbs of torque. One last drive up the Ike.
Even bettter I am 180, technology is so tricky.
So will these qualify in 2022 for the used ev rebate? Would this be worth buying for a first ev? I work for home and most driving is less than 10 miles a day. What I'm waiting for is the Canoo pickup.
Can’t wait to see the “goodbye” video for the Defender. When will it be out?
Do they still have it? 🤔
@@dommm111 Or is it in permanent mothballs in a dealer service bay?
How does it compare to the Smart EV you guys used to have ?
They'll clean it up before selling?
That's unheard of on FB market place. I have gone to look at some vehicles people are selling and they look gross, trash ,wrappers, cups, dirty in general and want a premium price. I just walk away shaking my head without saying a word.
I've sold many vehicles on FB and every one of them was completely detailed to the max! THAT has always been the key to getting my asking price. Anyone who doesn't properly detail their car likely didn't maintain it properly either!
Have you tried getting service from chevy? I have a 2014 spark ev and I love the car but trying to get chevy to service it has been a disaster. Also, in my are there are no third party EV shops.
Specifically I wanted my battery capacity checked, since capacity is a warrantied item. One dealer refused to do it, saying its not possible. The other dealer didn't know how to do it and ended up performing a different test that did not provide the information I requested.
I would like to know your thoughts and experiences trying to get service for these earlier EVs.
Check reddit/sparkev for information, or facebook. You can call the GM EV concierge phone number, to find an EV qualified dealer. All 2014s need to be stress tested and delivered to a dealer with a minimum range complaint. If it tests OK, that is fine.
@@johnschreiber1574
Thanks for the advice.
The dealer I went to that perfomed the wrong test (and charged me for it) was recommended by GM. I have called the EV concierge a couple times and they transferred me back to the normal line when I said I wasn't calling about bolt battery recall.
I have made progress and got a dealer (the one who said it was impossible) to perform the correct test and determine the battery did need replacing. But it took over 4 months and 3 tries.
I have been documenting the process and asking questions on the spark EV forums, where other users have experienced similar issues.
It seems to me like a lack of knowledge and experience not malice. Like when I call and say "I have an electric car and need the battery capacity tested" I had dealer service people say "batteries are not a warranty item and I could get it tested at autozone." They were trying to be helpful but they thought I was talking about a 12v car battery.
Overall my point is the experience has been bad and if I wasn't an "enthusiast" and knew how to verify the dealer statements I would not have gotten the repair covered by warranty.
I considered one but my commute is too far so I bought a used Bolt instead. Free charging at work..
What could you know about the long term reliability of that car after having it for 3 months and 2,500 miles? Not a car you see much so I understand why you would choose to feature it, but not much time spent with it.
There is a lot of owner experiences documented online about the reliability of these cars. Several RUclips channels and facebook groups devoted to the Spark EV.
It's a city car smartazz. Hard to put 100k when youre driving 30 miles a day. I've had mine 3 years, work and back is 8 miles 4 days a week, some errands, golf course and have gone 14k. Also, charge at home at about $1 to go 90 miles. No battery degradation with 26k on the clock.
Quickest car I've ever owned and you can spin the tires at will well past 35 mph. Great car for it's purpose, but, you must understand it's purpose.
I'd love to find a Spark EV, but I'd have to "import" one from California to Michigan. They literally don't exist on this side of the country.
If you buy in carvana they will deliver to you
It's amusing when reviewers find complaints because they feel they have to, but the things they complain about are not important. Window buttons? I'd be happier with roll-down windows. Hard plastic? Who cares. Cars in the city are to get people from point A to point B. This was the ideal urban EV, low cost, useful, small battery. I own a gas powered Spark, we almost finished paying the car loan, so after that we will have years with zero car loan payments. Perfect. For cars it's important to pay as little as possible because cars lose value every year, they are not an investment.
Fiat 500e! We just bought one in August, fun car!
If you do a Focus Electric do a 2017+.
Leased a 2015 for 3 years. LOVED IT except low range of 82 miles. Zero problems with it
the 2014 was. Fast!
i'd love to see a focus electric next. very rare car at least around here.
Is the battery for these no longer available ? No aftermarket or refurbs?
I really need this, I have 8 miles to work every day. Everything I go to is very near
I was thinking the same thing. It’s perfect for my commute and I can use my gas car for weekends and traveling.
My commute is right at 8 miles and I have had a 2016 for a couple years works great for that and the run around driving.
Had a 2017 Bolt & it was a good experience.
Hope you try out the Fiat 500e, fun car to drive as well. I think it gets alottle more range than your Spark ev. It still suffers from only having J1772 plug and no DC fast charging option but great all around city car.
I have a 2015. Was told by the dealership and provided paperwork stating that there was an update to avoid battery overheating and whereas the car is supposed to get 82miles in range mine really only gets 65ish at most... Thoughts?
Similar to Fiat 500e I get less than that because I drive mostly freeway. I think people that say they get a hundred miles in it mistaken. Freeway miles use up range.
I'm totally in that moment this very moment lol. Thinking about purchasing a 2014/2015 Chevy spark. I don't know anything about these electric cars but I figured it can't be rocket science. Your video really helped me out a lot to understand many things and it seems like a good decision to go on because I only want it for errands and for work which for me are all within 10 mi away from my home so I think it would be a wise purchase for me and I'm going to go ahead and let the idea marinate.
I leased one back in 2015 it was the 2lt 2014 model loved it i off roaded it daily had the 30min fast charging had 82 miles of range solid little car looking to buy one used
Awesome is this thing still for sale?
Get a 500e. I got a 2017 for 8500 1.5 yrs ago. Fun car to drive, lowered it and added a bunch of aftermarket chasis mods for stiffening. Great first EV intro for anyone thinking about EVs.
I bought a 2015 spark ev for $1000. Front end hit. Fixed it. Into car $2000. 10k miles on car. Has fast dc charge.
Cheap second car to buzz around
Needs new speakers. Radio is terrible
So if the battery maker no longer exists, what do you do if the battery dies?
So glad you're going through these. Hope you will get the FIAT 500e next!
I know people hate the Fiat 500. I liked the convertible the best so I would like and hope TFL Studios can get Fiat 500E.
City folks should love’em
These are 12,990 - 14,990 right now on Carvana. Holy hell.
$16000 on caravan in June 2022. It’s insane. Don’t buy a car now.
@@jo9732 dude I was looking at these like a year and a half ago and they were 7 - 12 thousand. Crazy.
there's only thirty for sale nationwide so good luck finding one
that's about 30 more than people want
How much does it cost to charge at home. No solar?
$3
What a project - all the compliance BEV? PHEV? With the CCS port, these are ok highway drives in CA with chargers all over - charge up quickly. Love to see Honda Fit BEV - loyal following but leased so only a few left (fleets?).
I had a 2014 on reserve but chickened out when I saw the A123 battery replacement cost if you could even source them. The problem is GM will only provide parts for so long on EV models. The battery replacement cost installed is near 25k :-0 . It seems like I would be stuck with a BRICK if the batteries freaked out in the short term if I purchased it, what do you think? Only a few months of battery warranty left too.
25k for new battery? Get lost. Tesla cars are dangerous. The batteries could suddenly go on fire.
Battery replacement cost in 2022 is about $4500, far cheaper than $25k. Not that you would need to replace them. My 2014 Spark ev has 92k mikes with 8% degradation.
I wish this was the case. Call Chevrolet and see the price, it’s ridiculous because of the batteries being proprietary for that year :-(
Why the smaller the car the bigger the headlight assemblies?
the spark can charge up on 50kw in about 12 to 20 mins. its wicked fast, makes it super useable.
I wonder if it could charge simultaneously while driving if you had the charger plugged in. Has anyone tried moving the vehicle while it's connected to the charger?
Pity about the lack of support from GM. Also the price. I just bought a new 21 Gas spark which I like. All the E sparks available locally cost more then the price of my new one. There are none under 13K. Having driven my gas spark for 5K miles now I would seriously consider an E spark if they were still available new and reasonably priced. As long as they didn't have the garbage LG tech in them.
I wanna buy it!!
Where are you selling it?
I rented one of these and I thought it was a great little car. Small economy cars are nothing like large sedans they never will be but they are nice for some applications and I liked the Chevy spark and I’m looking for a used one right now got to have an automatic with air-conditioning.
I bought a new 2017 Spark EV when they were getting rid of them for a steal at the time after all the federal credit and chevy discount. The problem was I had some body/interior issues that the dealership just couldn't fix correctly after multiple tries. Mechanically, the car was fine. After 2 months of frustration and bad customer service, I sold it to carmax for a profit and brought a Camry. It is a shame that the dealership experience ruined a good car. I kinda wish I still had it, but the 80 mile range is limiting unless you have a good use case (like letting a teen drive to school). Additionally, maintenance/support is going to be an issue.
Chevy is one of the prime examples of why I don't buy cars from a corporation that makes 4 different car brands producing several models. With that many brands and models, you start cutting corners on quality. Toyota has two Brands, Toyota and Lexus. They tried a 3rd Brand with Scion, but they quickly realized that was a mistake.
For the price of what these are selling for used today, it's very tempting. Would be great to drive around the city, but the next major city from me is is about 50 miles away, so a round trip on one charge would not be possible. And I wouldn't want to spend a few hours charing the battery before I can drive home (if I worked there and spent the day there, and could plug it in, that might work). Otherwise, I need something with more range. Even a Nissan Leaf's range is cutting it close. A Bolt or Tesla would be better, but pricey. I had a well used 2006 Prius which was a good compromise. Might look at another gas/electric hybrid at some point, but I inherited my mother's very fuel efficient Toyota Corolla, so kinda hard to justify replacing it.
You should get a i miev
bought my daughter one a few years back spent more time at the dealership than her driving it so sold it got her a Ford Escape and have never looked back
Thank you so much for your videos. I was on the fence about getting an EV, but now I know for sure that I am not getting one because there is just way too much wrong with them and the infrastructure is a joke.
I'll stick with my wonderful Honda CRV that has never let me down.
DC fast charging ccs plug. Okay what does that look like I'm pretty sure it's not the kind you plug into your standard electrical outlet at home is it?
No, it's a really fat plug
The engineers still had pride
Everyone's losing their mind over the Bolt catching fire. Looks like it's been 12 vehicles so far. Seems on par with the amount of ICE vehicles that catch fire everyday 🤷
would like to see the ford focus electric 2017 , this is the one me and my wife are looking at buying. any help would be great thanks
TFLnow: “we plan to sell this extremely
Rare oddball one year EV”
Next week on Jay Lenos Garage: “I just got this gently used extremely rare oddball one year EV from GM”
That is exactly what I was looking for and I would love to buy that…Except y’all took it away from Marco Island, which would have been less than 50 miles from me, dang it!!!!! Now it’s too far away from me to practically purchase!
If you are in the states, carvana will deliver it to you
Carmax has one locally with low miles for $14K. Hard pass.
DO NOT but any new or used cars in 2021, most likely not even in 2022 if you value your hard earned money. The supply chain disruptions and chip shortage have gotten both markets totally out of whack. Best bet is 2023...patience grasshopper.
Darn. That may be true but with hyperinflation around the corner are people just stuck with their existing vehicles?
You need the VW E-golf
The Chevrolet spark in the UK is now a rare car, I have a 1.2 2011 in blue. Everyone says what an unusual car it is, sadly only about 4000 are registered in the UK only up to the year of 2013. I would love to get a new spark when I upgrade but I don't think that's possible.
FYI these are worth 10k through Carvana and Carmax right now.
The design on the seats plus the blue has some halo vibes
I would buy one only if the battery had more range, I live in Michigan, and when the weather gets cold that battery wouldn't even get me to work and back. 60 miles trip combined I wouldn't want to worry if I was going to make it so it's a pass on that one !!!!
yup, its not for you.
I am in AZ so heater not as needed but it really kills range if running all the time you get about 1/3 the range.
@@BillMcDaniel74 I have not seen the figures, but use of the A/C does not cost as much kwh from Your battery-capacity, as use of the Heater does.
@@BillMcDaniel74 I live in Mesa, have had mine 3 years with no degradation. Ice cold a/c hardly uses much energy. Have charged it over 90 miles many times. Also, going to a doctor's office in Tempe is 13 miles 1 way, I take University past Dobson averaging 38 miles an hour and ADD miles because of regenerative braking!! People who don't own an EV haven't a clue. I've had a BMW I-3 and my wife drives a Volt, another zero problem car, 55 electric miles, to work and back is 10 miles, charge both at night at 6 cents a Kw...cheap to keep. Looking to upgrade next year depending on the rebates being offered.
This video showcases exactly why piano black is the worst material to cover a dashboard. I was sneezing watching all that dust.
Hey Tommy, you said you read the internet. Can you tell us how it ends?
I live in Europe, and I would be in the market for such a car with a bigger battery and fast charging capacity.
I drive about 28-30 Miles to work and back, but only 2x a week. Looking to replace my Tucson with something like this. Ideally a Tesla would be the preferred choice but the price point is too high for a second car at the moment. Thoughts?
Was so happy the day I traded in my Spark for an Impala
SO CUTE ! Considering it's 1/2 the cost of many new cars, it is an AFFORDABLE car, such a shame the choices in low cost cars are shrinking - not everyone wants a new $60,000 truck or sports car. But 70 mile range ? Ok, then what ? Without a gas generator to power the electric motor, you're dead on the highway.
You Have Problems, Not Issues
Somewhere, at some point over the recent past, someone decided that it was no longer acceptable for a person to say what he or she means; it was no longer acceptable to speak in precise, direct words. And what’s worse, someone, somewhere decided that we should all be offended when someone calls a problem a problem! Everything has to be translated into some sort of euphemism. I don’t really know why it started, but can we please stop referring to every problem as an issue?
An employee no longer has a problem keeping up with production; he has an issue. A child no longer has a problem behaving in class; she has an issue. A married couple in therapy no longer has problems in their marriage; they have issues.
Even bad weather now causes performance issues on the football field and traffic issues on the road; and a basketball player with a sprained ankle has an ankle issue. I’m not sure what’s so offensive about discussing traffic problems, health problems, or a sloppy football game. Is it just me?
The problem-that is, what’s wrong-with substituting issue for problem is that those two words are not synonymous-and no amount of being politically correct, disingenuous, or even condescending-yes, it can be condescending-will make it so.
An issue is a topic, such as The candidates will discuss the issues at the debate. That means that the candidates will discuss the different topics, or subject areas, involved in running our country.
A problem is something negative. A problem is something that needs to be solved. A problem is something that we try to overcome. A problem is something that we don’t want. There, I’ve said it. And it feels great.
An issue is not a problem, but I’ll tell you what is a problem: the grammatically incorrect trend of telling someone that he has an issue when what you really mean is that he has a problem. Call it what it is, and it’ll be easier to solve.
Great choice if you don’t actually need or want a car.
What a weak reply...
A only slow charged battery will most likely have a longer life span than a frenqutly fast charged one
i like this guys reviews
So what you have here is basically an expensive enclosed golf cart.
With heating air conditioning closed cabin, airbags and safety features, does 0 to 60 in 7.2 seconds and is freeway legal
there is now a clip of tommy saying "get these balls"
Awesome car, but id give a harder look at the second Gen Volt. Commuting EV range is awesome but also has a great Gas generator. so it works in all cases.
LOL at "long term test" for four months and 2500 miles.
I can't even find a spark. No Chevy dealerships have any Sparks in my area.