I've got a 2024 Honda Civic and my commute is only about 15 miles round trip. I'm curious whether getting an electric car would actually save me money or if I'd be better off just keeping my gas car for now. Plus I live in an apartment so charging at home isn't really an option.
For your situation, an EV switch probably doesn't make financial sense right now - your short commute means you'd barely use the battery capacity, and without home charging, you're paying premium rates at public chargers which eats into any gas savings. Stick with the Civic unless your apartment situation changes or you find reliable affordable charging nearby!
The previous answer nails it - without home charging, you're basically stuck using public chargers or paying those inflated apartment complex rates, which kills the savings math on a short commute. Here's something worth considering though: if your apartment building has any plans to install EV infrastructure (even just one or two chargers), that changes everything, so it's worth asking your landlord or checking if there's a waiting list! Right now you'd be way better off keeping your Civic since you're already paid off and a 15-mile commute means minimal wear and tear anyway - your gas expenses are probably pretty cheap as it is.
My neighbor got an EV last year with basically your same situation - short commute, apartment living - and he ended up regretting it within months because he was constantly hunting for public chargers and the cost per mile wasn't coming close to what he'd save with his old car. The real math killer for you is that charging infrastructure costs spike when you're not doing it at home, plus your 15-mile round trip means you'd be charging every few days instead of really stretching the battery's advantage. Unless your apartment complex suddenly installs affordable chargers or you move somewhere with reliable home charging, that Civic is doing you a solid right now - keep it running.
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