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Jaguar's pioneering EV is now a used bargain. Here's how to buy one

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Is the Jaguar I-Pace reliable?

And as always with JLR products, the spectre of unreliability looms large. Despite promises of improved quality, its products consistently finish near the bottom of reliability surveys.

Reliabilty is always hard to judge, but when we tested the car in 2023, it suffered an air suspension fault that made the ride even more unyielding than normal. There was a rattle coming from one of the A-pillars as well.

Battery: Be wary of 2019-model-year cars fitted with LG Energy Solution batteries: these can overheat and potentially catch fire. Around 264 are subject to a recall, and JLR has offered affected owners to either replace the battery or buy the car back. Check if there’s an outstanding recall on the car before you make a purchase.

Charging: Make sure the charging port opens and the cable locks onto the car when you plug it in to charge. The flap can sometimes fail to open, and a sticky port actuator pin means the cable might either fail to lock in or refuse to pull out.

Software: Out-of-date software can cause various issues, such as the charging port not opening, battery management failures, random warning lights and infotainment system glitches.

Interior: Look out for water ingress in the passenger footwell and in the frunk, typically caused by a broken windscreen or door seal. Tepid air-con could mean the compressor pipes are leaking. It’s a known fault but can cost around £1500 to replace.

Body: Check that the electric door handles retract fully when you unlock the car. A new door handle is often the best solution; they can be replaced under warranty.

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An owner's view

Daniel Wood: “I purchased my 71-reg I-Pace HSE back in August last year from a Jaguar main dealer. The reason I went for an I-Pace was the massive depreciation from new and how well it drove compared with rivals in the same price bracket. Mine is fitted with the adaptive air suspension – it’s a worthwhile option because I found the ride a bit bouncy on standard springs. I’ve had no issues so far, and OTA updates come up fairly frequently. Real-world range in my experience is 210-240 miles, but it can be expensive to charge publicly.”

Also worth knowing

Jaguar facelifted the I-Pace in 2023, with the electric SUV gaining various styling tweaks and revisions to the trim line-up. Technically it was unchanged from the original car.

The 90kWh battery pack in the I-Pace is covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty.

You can download JLR’s InControl Remote smartphone app, which gives you control of your I-Pace from your phone so you can pre-heat both the battery and the car’s cabin on cold winter mornings.

Service intervals are set at 21,000 miles or every two years, but with fewer moving parts than an ICE Jaguar, it’s mainly the obvious consumables that will need attention.

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As a road tester, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews and comparison tests, while also managing the magazine’s Drives section. Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s in-depth instrumented road tests.

He loves cars that are fun and usable on the road – whether piston-powered or electric – or just cars that are very fit for purpose. When not in test cars, he drives an R53-generation Mini Cooper S.