Geely E2 Apex, pull the trigger or am I going mad?

[Zuluzebra]

Current situation:

My wife drives a 15-year-old Hyundai i10 automatic, 90k km on the clock. She only drives from Randburg to Sandton and back, and petrol costs around R2k/month.

I drive a Fortuner. I work from home 3 days a week, but we use the Fortuner over weekends for braais, kids' parties, etc. Diesel for weekend driving alone is probably R1,000 to R1,500/month.

We also have small boys, and the i10 can barely fit one cricket bat in the back, never mind safety features.

The plan:

Yesterday I took the boys to test drive the Geely EV2 at Geely on Beyers Naudé, and I'm sold. My wife would use it for the Sandton commute 3 days a week, and we'd also use it over weekends instead of the Fortuner, saving on diesel, wear and tear, and giving us better safety for the kids.

I have a decent solar setup at home, so I reckon I can cover about 75% of charging costs from that.

The savings angle:

My wife will pay me the R2k/month she'd have spent on petrol into a managed savings account, and I'll add another R1k/month, so R3k/month total. Over 8 years (matching the battery warranty) at 7% interest, that account should grow to roughly R384,000, and that's without even factoring in rising fuel prices.

I'll be buying the car cash, no financing.

Am I mad, or does this actually make sense? Keen to hear thoughts from anyone who's made a similar switch.

I am looking at the geely e2 apex - 389900.

 

[airborne]

Post a link to the model you are wanting to buy?
What is the all in price?

 

[HAL 9000]

Geely E2 Apex (2026) Review - Expert Geely E2 Car Reviews

We review one of SA's most appeal small electric cars, the Geely E2.

www.autotrader.co.za

 

[repitah]

I also keep looking at them, and if my Volvo unfortunately passes away (only do 5-7000k a year), that's on my shopping list. The higher spec I don't think is the one I'd go for (not a fan of the interior lighted cityscape and extra ADAS nannies). The price point and the fact that it is highway capable, with relatively comfy seating for 4 makes it a solid option

 

[ozziej]

I'm pretty close to pulling the trigger on one of these as well, drove the lower spec model and was really impressed. It's basically a small Volvo (Same parent company) and honestly for the difference in price between this and a Suzuki Fronx, it's a no brainer to go for it. (Pricing is very similar)
The Chery Q also looks good, but they're not available for test driving yet and the specs say the Geely is the better car.

You end up spending around 1/5th the amount of money on electricity as you would in petrol.

 

[Foxhound5366]

I also keep looking at them, and if my Volvo unfortunately passes away (only do 5-7000k a year), that's on my shopping list. The higher spec I don't think is the one I'd go for (not a fan of the interior lighted cityscape and extra ADAS nannies). The price point and the fact that it is highway capable, with relatively comfy seating for 4 makes it a solid option

The ADAS nannies are exceptionally worthwhile. Adaptive cruise control which is always paying attention in peak traffic and keeps your feet off both the brake and accelerator is worth its weight in gold, and if it saves even a single collision where you or your wife got distracted in traffic and didn't notice the car braking in front of you ... I'd call that worthwhile. It's mandatory in the EU for a reason, just like ESP was before it.

@Zuluzebra, I say go for it. The car looks great and feels more grown up than the BYD Dolphin Surf. I'll be keen to hear your review of it, so please do post an owners review here after a week or two. I'm not sure about your financial plan though. Half the joy of getting an electric is saving the money you would have spent on petrol. By getting your wife paying you what she was going to spend on petrol, you're removing the benefit of the savings and the joy of those savings from her. I'm also not convinced why you'd want to put money into an account and just let it build up, but each to their own I guess on that score. My recommendation is that you find a way to save your wife some money, even if you only charge her R1500 as her contribution. At least she wins then.

 

[airborne]

If someone like the op where you WFH for most of the time and you managed to drive that 200k km warranty near fully from being solar charged the savings would nearly cover the cost of the vehicle, even more so considering the lower cost of maintenance of an electric versus an ICE vehicle?

Are there also free public charging points that can be used?

"At R389 900, the Geely E2 Apex represents a watershed moment for affordable electric motoring in South Africa. Combining rich interior tech, low charging running costs, standard ADAS features, and an 8-year / 200 000 km battery warranty, it stands out as one of the most practical and well-equipped daily commuters in its price class."

 

[Zuluzebra]

Post a link to the model you are wanting to buy?
What is the all in price?

Updated first post.

I won't go for the white interior. Most likely white car colour, black roof with grey leather interior. This is the one I test drove

 

[repitah]

The ADAS nannies are exceptionally worthwhile. Adaptive cruise control which is always paying attention in peak traffic and keeps your feet off both the brake and accelerator is worth its weight in gold, and if it saves even a single collision where you or your wife got distracted in traffic and didn't notice the car braking in front of you ... I'd call that worthwhile. It's mandatory in the EU for a reason, just like ESP was before it.

@Zuluzebra, I say go for it. The car looks great and feels more grown up than the BYD Dolphin Surf. I'll be keen to hear your review of it, so please do post an owners review here after a week or two. I'm not sure about your financial plan though. Half the joy of getting an electric is saving the money you would have spent on petrol. By getting your wife paying you what she was going to spend on petrol, you're removing the benefit of the savings and the joy of those savings from her. I'm also not convinced why you'd want to put money into an account and just let it build up, but each to their own I guess on that score. My recommendation is that you find a way to save your wife some money, even if you only charge her R1500 as her contribution. At least she wins then.

Good points. I played with the car at festive of motoring and figured out the interior cityscape lights can be disabled, so if ADAS and extras are worth the money, absolutely go for it.

Coming from an older Volvo, with early gen pedestrian safety, it has slammed the brakes on me when I floor it to ram a muppet pushing in, so guess my insurance is happier for it.

 

[Pho3nix]

Someone on Carb got one. If I was in the market, this would be definite buy for during the week. Only issue I've heard off is that the indicator sound is a bit kak and you need the Apex version to get the mobile app.

A few other things I found odd, is the wired carplay/android auto also but in general seems like a great car. Lots of them in Randburg/Sandton as off late.

 

[Zuluzebra]

I find the Chinese argument so silly these days. Like do you think the quality would be better if it was made in the vaal... The only small concern is parts, but again this shouldn't be a issue because in our insurance we have a hire car included, so if something happens my wife gets a similar rental.

The other "Chinese car" feedback is aslo dealer network. This will be a city car, JHB, Pretoria, potch for family over weekends. So it's not like we will be stuck in Beaufort wes for extended periods.

The only thing I need to decide on is finance the car, buy back option they give or cash.