The i3 we test-drove had an MSRP of $62,000. Even if we could have found one with $200/mo lease deal, it wouldn’t be comparable to the Clarity.
I have to think that is the major reason why this is chosen ahead of the i3.
To fully drive the 20k miles per year on a 89 mileage battery is going to be extremely tough. You need DC fast charging (does it come free with this lease?) and even then you need to set aside 30-60 minutes per day just to charge the car. That’s a lot of time.
A $200/mo deal is very achievable for 2017 i3’s priced between $46000 and $52000 (not a lot anymore here in SoCal). A $62000 MSRP i3 must be the 2018 i3 REX.
Here are my thoughts (I got the Clarity):
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Yes, 120 is better but really, unless you have a long commute (above the stated range) the difference to me is negligible. I can charge up every night and have no problems. I mean, in practical terms, the extra 30 miles are not really helping. I would still need another car if I ever wanted to take a road trip (Honda offers like 20 days car rental included - but I have another car anyway). Not comparing the Rex but true BEV to BEV. Also, I actually get about 100 miles (although I am sure the i3 can get more than the stated as well). We will see how it goes in Summer with climate on.
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I am not impressed by monikers. Is the BMW a nice car? A true BMW? I don’t know I have never been in one. The Clarity feels like a really nice Honda - probably close to an Acura (although I wouldn’t know I haven’t been in an Acura for years). That is, it is not a regular Accord or Civic. It has some serious build quality and feel luxurious enough for me, leather seats, all the tech, leather steering, etc… The i3 to me just looks like a tiny micro-hatch. Its probably nice inside and maybe it feels like a solid BMW. But those thin wheels always trip me out. Now, if it had that range and price and also looked like a 3 series or a 4 series, I would be all in. But it doesn’t. The Clarity is great. Not a BMW probably but great luxury/quality feel.
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That is a good one. I wish I had free charging at many locations. Free is hard to beat. I can still get free charging or even super cheap charging if I look, but its kind of a hassle. If I stumble upon it great, if not, I guess I have to pay. TOU rates are still pretty reasonable. But I DO get 20K miles per year, which I probably won’t use but I can sure use about 15K, no problem, no headache, didn’t cost me extra.
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I guess if you “spend a little extra time” you get the same deal but who wants to deal with that (and a little extra time is subjective). I am all about hacking deals but if I can get a great deal without all the work, I think that’s better. Don’t get me wrong, if the i3 was cheaper I would put in the work and likely get one but it wasn’t.
So, in summation:
Clarity is bigger - 5 passenger full on with trunk (still ugly as sin though), has a decent level of quality and luxury (I am being somewhat modest), offers 20K miles per year, has no termination fee at the end of the lease, probably no wear and tear (I think Honda waives the first $500 or $1K) includes 25 days luxury rental car, and other things I am probably not thinking about.
No offense taken, I appreciate the discussion and the alternate point of view.
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I easily put 20,000 miles on my car commuting from home to work. I owned my clarity for a month and I fully charge at work for free then drive home and back without charging. My round-trip is 70 miles. I don’t need to plug-in at home at all unless it’s on the weekends
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I don’t expect to hit 20k a year, I calculated that my 62 mile daily commute would put me around 15k-17k miles a year. No free DC fast charging like i3, but I rarely charge outside home. I think the Clarity works well for certain situations, and the price to feature ratio is hard to beat.
Before my wife had even heard about the Clarity, she was determined to get either an Audi or BMW “electric car” but it had to have some sort of emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, etc.
After giving strong consideration to the aesthetics and comfort of the three cars, for the money, the Clarity Electric was the clear winner. But, even if all three cars had come similarly equipped at the same price, the Clarity is still the “nicest” of the three cars.
And don’t think for a minute that my wife wouldn’t be willing to pay quite a bit more for the Audi or BMW logo - she absolutely would (and has in the past).
Are there any options/packages on the Clarity or is everything standard? Is adaptive cruise control standard? How well does it work? Is it able to operate down to a full stop and resume w/o pressing any buttons/pedals?
Luxury rental is not included for Clarity BEV. It is only for FCV and 21 days.
@hurijo, There are no options on Clarity BEV, everything standard. It is touring trim. ACC works well, it comes to a complete stop but does not resume automatically. Need to press the pedal to resume.
You may be right. Thanks for raining on my parade man.
For me it was the size. Clarity has 5 seat and is just much bigger.
Also, I’ve owned a BMW for 6 years, drives great but too many problems. Have to say that I was very proud that I put 170,000 miles on my 2008 BMW 328 coupe though.
I had i3 before Clarity, I give my i3 to someone 10 month ago. Not that I don’t like i3, is just the places where I live(SF Bay Area) has pretty crappy road. due to the skinny tires of i3, the car feel really bumpy on the road.
2nd, the suicide door is pretty awful. Yes, it looks cool but in order to open the back door you need to open the front door at least 1/2 the way which there’s challenge in a normal parking lot.(Yes the front seat can fold down a bit for the rear passenger to get out but still pretty inconvenient for elderly to get off.
3rd, like a lot of people mention, it’s only 4 passenger car, In the future I would like to expend our family so 5 will be ideal. (We do have another SUV but it’s a bonus to not burn any gas just drive around locally.)
4th, I love to drive! that being said 20k a year for me is lovely! I still have the free DC fast charging card from my old i3 so been using DC fast charging every other day with no problem.
So I decided to give it up 
, don’t get me wrong, I love my i3! I even help couple people code their i3 since I’m nerd like that lol. My SUV lease is coming up the end of Dec. Hopefully there will be some good lease deal on X5 40e. Once you go electric you won’t like the patrol engine anymore. Silent is golden for me. But right now the Clarity is great comfy car when stuck in traffic! the ACC works pretty well and with Android Auto, watching youtube video on the navi screen is great way to kill time!
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Gave up on getting the Clarity. Went to a Kia Soul EV+. Very pleased. Got same $199/ month, $1999 sign and drive (no reg/doc fees). Over 100 miles per charge, leather, NAVI, more storage space and a solid track record since 2015. Still get money back from the State and SCE. GO HAMSTERS!
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Where did you get the Kia Soul EV+ at?
I got mine at Allstar Kia in Pomona, CA, but I believe it’s available wherever Soul EV’s are sold. Mine’s a 2017 EV+. The ‘18 are the same, just a little larger battery, but they go for $229/mo. There are a lot of ‘17s available. I can also purchase the vehicle for about $11,000 at lease end. Check the KIA website for more details.
How many miles per year?
Only 10,000, but that was no problem for me.
Thanks guys for sharing your experience. It’s always good to understand the alternate point of view. To me the worst thing about the i3 is the suicide doors, which can be quite inconvenient sometimes. I live in SoCal though, so all other cons (thin tires, lack of DC fast charging stations, and etc.) of the i3 are no problem to me.
We can all agree that once you drive the electric cars you don’t want to go back. Charging needs to be efficient. So if you all who only have the Clarity but not the i3 need another ride in the future, check out the promotions for i3 at the time. Two years of free fast charging really makes it so much more fun driving the EV.