Why are delivery times for electric cars so long? Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular. According to a survey by Statista, more than half of all Germans can imagine buying an electric vehicle in the next few years.Furthermore, registrations have also risen considerably in the last two years. From just under 36,000 in 2018 to 267,000 in the period from January to October 2021. However, many will have noticed that it is not at all easy to get hold of an electric car quickly. Obviously, the demand cannot be met directly. The fleet manager Stefan Jacob from SachsenEnergie was happy to answer our questions on the subject of delivery times for electric cars and was able to help us with his expertise. We explain how the current electric car delivery times come about and what waiting time you should expect for the various e-car models.
Stefan Jacob, Fleet Manager at SachsenEnergie
CURRENT DELIVERY TIMES FOR ELECTRIC CARS - HOW LONG DO YOU HAVE TO WAIT?
For an overview of e-car delivery times, we have compiled the current delivery times of the various models for you. The range is very wide. From 2 months for the Tesla Model Y to 12-15 months for the Audi Q4 e-tron. As a result, the decision as to which model you end up with is not only dependent on the car itself, but can also be influenced by the delivery time, depending on your own needs.
Overview of current e-car delivery times of various models via Carwow:
| Model | Delivery time | Offers from |
| Tesla Model 3 | 3-4 months | 36.970 € |
| VW ID.3 | 9-12 months | 21.925 € |
| Polestar 2 | 3-4 months | 36.930 € |
| KIA EV6 | 10 months | 31.466 € |
| Renault ZOE | 6 months | 18.210 € |
| Cupra Born | 3 months | 28.127 € |
| pel Corsa-e | 4 months | 18.324 € |
| VW ID.4 | 10-12 months | 27.581 € |
| VW ID.4 GTX | 10-12 months | 42.380 € |
| Dacia Spring | 9 months | 11.569 € |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 6-8 months | 30.706 € |
| Skoda Enyaq iV | 7-9 months | 22.376 € |
| Hyundai Kona Electric |
4-6 months | 22.863 € |
| Renault Twingo Electric |
6 months | 12.985 € |
| Opel Mokka-e | 4 months | 23.333 € |
| Tesla Model S | 7-8 months | 97.970 € |
| Tesla Model X | 12 months | 106.970 € |
| Tesla Model Y/td> | 7-8 months | 52.970 € |
| BMW i3 | 4 months | 24.379 € |
| BMW i4 | 8 months | 44.079 € |
| BMW i4 M50 | 10 months | 53.256 € |
| BMW iX | 8 months | 69.692 € |
| BMW iX3 | 8 months | 50.396 € |
| Mercedes-Benz EQA | 8 months | - |
| Mercedes-Benz EQB | 2 months | - |
| Audi Q4 e-tron | 7 months | 27.329 € |
| Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron |
7 months | 29.049 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E |
7-8 months | 38.020 € |
| smart EQ fortwo | 8-9 months | 11.324 € |
| MINI Cooper SE 3-door |
8 months | 20.989 € |
| KIA e-Niro | 10 months | 22.588 € |
| Peugeot e-208 | 3 months | 20.683 € |
| Citroen e-Berlingo | 4.5 months | 29.702 € |
| Citroen e-C4 | 5 months | 24.689 € |
| Hyundai IONIQ Electric |
4-6 months | 23.200 € |
| Honda e | 5-6 months | 24.423 € |
| Kia e-Soul | 10 months | 21.431 € |
| Peugeot e-2008 | 4 months | 25.452 € |
| Audi e-tron | 5 months | 51.062 € |
| Audi e-tron S | 5 months | 72.234 € |
| Audi e-tron S Sportback |
5 months | 74.042 € |
| Mercedes EQC | 11 months | - |
| Audi e-tron Sportback | 5 months | 52.954 € |
| Audi e-tron GT | 8 months | 88.759 € |
| Audi RS e-tron GT | 8 months | 119.840 € |
| Jaguar I-Pace | 4 months | 59.091 € |
| Porsche Taycan | 3 months | 76.851 € |
| Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo/td> | 3 months | 86.797 € |
| Mazda MX-30 | 4-5 months | 22.831 € |
| Nissan Leaf | 6 months | 19.169 € |
| Fiat 500 Electric | 3 months | 14.173 € |
| Opel Zafira-e Life | 4 months | 34.688 € |
| Opel Combo-e Life | 6 months | 24.497 € |
| Citroen e-SpaceTourer |
5 months | 37.127 € |
| Citroen e-Jumpy estate |
4 months | 35.684 € |
| Toyota ProaceElectric | 5-6 months | 32.218 € |
| Toyota Proace Verso Electric |
5-6 months | 50.564 € |
| Peugeot e-Rifter | 5.5 months | 25.151 € |
| Peugeot e-Traveller | 4.5 months | 37.193 € |
| Peugeot e-Expert Box van |
7 months | 28.572 € |
| Peugeot e-Expert estate |
4 months | 34.242 € |
| DS 3 Crossback Electric |
5 months | 28.878 € |
| smart EQ fortwo Convertible |
8-9 months | 14.356 € |
| smart EQ forfour | Not available for order | 11.938 € |
| Renault Kangoo Z.E. | 6 months | 22.583 € |
| Fiat E-Ducato Box van |
5 months | 50.703 € |
| Fiat E-Ducato Station Wagon | 5 months | 51.836 € |
| Mercedes-Benz EQV | 5 months | - |
| Mercedes-Benz eVito Tourer |
5 months | - |
| Mercedes-Benz EQS | Not specified | - |
|
VW e-Crafter Box van |
5 months | 43.896 € |
| Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric |
5 months (front-wheel drive) 7 months (all-wheel drive) |
- |
| Volvo C40 Recharge | 5 months | - |
| VW e-up! | Not available for order | - |
| SEAT Mii electric | Not available for order | - |
| Skoda CITIGOe iV | Not available for order | - |
| VW e-Golf | Not available for order | - |
| Citroen C-Zero | Not available for order | - |
| Peugeot iOn | Not available for order | - |
Source: Carwow (as of 16.12.2021)
Consequently, a good six months is currently the rule rather than the exception when it comes to delivery times for e-cars. Why is that?
Causes for the long delivery times
There are three main reasons for the long delivery time: the Corona pandemic, global chip shortages and insufficient production resources. Due to the pandemic, capacities have been reduced in almost all areas, which has affected supply chains. For example, the supply of parts and battery components is more difficult than usual. Another reason is the global chip shortage. Here, too, capacities have been reduced rather than increased by the pandemic situation. Meanwhile, demand for devices that require microchips is higher than ever. The increased demand for electric cars plays a big role here, but not the only one. Consumer electronics, medical technology and communication technology, such as to convert companies to home offices, are also driving forces. The automotive industry also has its problems with the high demand. The stimulus packages are working excellently, but unfortunately a quick ramp-up of production lines has not been possible to the extent needed. So the long delivery times are not due to a single problem. Rather, they are the result of several different causes from different areas. But are there ways you can still get your hands on a new e-car in the short term?
"A common misconception is that not enough production lines have been converted to e-mobility. However, the production of e-vehicles partly runs on the same assembly lines as that of combustion engines. In other words, there is a general lack of production resources. Even we as a major customer don't get any specific information about the delivery delays from our vehicle dealers."
This is how you can still get a new e-car at short notice
There are a few ways you can still get your hands on a new e-car. Not every model suffers from long e-car delivery times. The following models are available in less than 3 months:
Cupra Born: 3 months
Opel Mokka-e: 3 months
Peugeot e-208: 3 months
Peugeot e-2008: 3 months
Porsche Taycan: 3 months
Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo: 3 months
Tesla Model Y: 2 months
Still a long wait when you finally want to drive your new electric car, but definitely bearable. If you consider a waiting time of 6 months acceptable, you even have a choice of over half of all models. If you have another model in mind or want to shorten the waiting time further, it's worth doing some research. Many suppliers have stocks of pre-configured vehicles in store or special leasing quotas where you could find what you are looking for. As long as your ideas for the equipment are not too specific, you may be lucky. So you could also become the owner of an electric car within a few days/weeks. There is also the e-car subscription, an alternative that not everyone knows about. Similar to leasing, you are not the actual owner of the electric car, but you can use it for a fee. However, there is no down payment or residual value compensation. In addition, it is much more flexible than leasing; many subscriptions can be taken out spontaneously and cancelled monthly. If an e-car subscription is not a long-term alternative for you, it can still help you to bridge the waiting time for your desired model.
"Currently, there is no improvement in sight regarding delivery times for electric cars. The switch to other models is not so easy for our company, on the one hand because of medium-term supply agreements and on the other hand because of the (non-)suitability of certain models for the corresponding purpose.
CONCLUSION E-car delivery times: no return to normality in sight
The current delivery times for electric cars are long. Six months and more are the rule rather than the exception. While these long waiting times are due to understandable problems, you can still get around them with a few tricks from us. Even if one of the three main reasons improves, experts estimate that the chip shortage will last at least until 2022, maybe longer. So it's impossible to predict exactly when delivery times for the electric car will return to normal. You should not let this slow down your enthusiasm for electric mobility.
If you are interested, please make use of the possibility of a personal consultation on site.
