Used Jaguar I-Pace Review

We like the Jaguar iPace here at electrifying.com and it’s not really much of a surprise as to why: it’s a good-looking, practical, fast, pure electric SUV that ticks a LOT of boxes. 

It’s also been around since 2018, which means that there’s a decent selection now cropping up on the used car market. So does a pre-loved iPace make any sense? 

Firstly, the iPace hasn’t changed very much in the three years it’s been on sale, so there’s no chance of buying a very out of date model with 1970s ruched leather on the seats or some avoid-at-all-costs version that will feel much different to a spanking new one. Which makes it easier when looking for second-hand. 

So the basics, even for a pre-used car like this one, will be largely the same as one straight off the forecourt: they all come with a large 90kwh battery pack, and they all have two motors front-and-back to give just under 400bhp and all-wheel drive. It’s one of the best-handling and most fun electric cars out there - and it has been from the start. 

Another feather in its cap is that its also a startlingly fast car - hitting 62mph from rest in under five seconds, and that’s the same for all of the versions. Of which there are three. In basic terms, they’re all spacious five-seaters with a decent boot and a handy frunk, and all iPaces are called EV400 with either S, SE or HSE after the name. Those few little letters let you know how much kit was thrown at the car as it left the factory. S being the basic spec, HSE being the fully-loaded-with-cheese.

​S, SE or HSE?

It’s a luxury car, so even the base S variant had plenty of nice things, including LED headlights, a 12.3in InControl infotainment system with DAB radio and a rear view camera, plus automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and traffic sign recognition. The mid-range SE  - the one that you might see most of on the second-hand market - got add-ons like bigger and better-looking 19 and optional 20in wheels, adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and an electric tailgate, while big-daddy HSEs have heated and cooled front seats plus heated rear seats, matrix LED headlights and a few other nice trinkets. 

After that, it was all down to the options list, including things like giant 22-inch rims and flashy paint, but essentially it’s just an options game. The cars with the optional air-suspension DO feel a bit more comfortable though, and can lift themselves up a bit if you need to drive over some rough stuff - so they’re worth looking out for.

All of the models look excellent, although that cheaper S does look a bit daft with relatively small wheels but if you don’t love the look but find the right car, don’t forget that a new set of rims is a very easy fix.

​As ever, if the car has an option, you should test it and make sure it works - poke and prod every button to make sure it does what it says - the iPace hasn’t got any hugely worrying reliability issues, but it’s always worth making sure. And do the usual stuff and look for scrapes and dings to the bodywork and alloys - none of that is particularly cheap to fix.

Model year changes

There were some changes to the 2021 model, but they were limited to some tech upgrades - with some different paint choices, together with 19-inch wheels to replace the older 18s on the S version, and you can now have a new ‘Atlas Grey’ grille tips and there’s a new Bright pack that smartens up some bits of trim on the bodywork.  But other than that iPaces all look pretty much the same. From 2021 we got 11kw on-board home charging, which might be useful in the future when public chargers get upgraded, or now if you can plug in to an industrial supply at work.  DC rapid charging remains the same at 100kw, which is a bit behind some of the German rivals. 

The newer cars also get a camera-toting rear view mirror called ‘Clearsight’ which can replace the reflected view that you would normally see in the mirror with one from a camera lens. It also has a totally overhauled infotainment system called Pivi Pro, which does all sorts of funky stuff - though it’s wise to point out that none of the Jaguar’s infotainment gear has been without criticism. If you check out internet forums about the iPace, you’ll find plenty of people talking about laggy and frozen screens, and although it might look like one, none of Jag’s systems are as slick as your mobile phone. This infotainment system is one of our few gripes about this car, as is the climate control - which is unnecessarily complicated to use.

They did improve over time and the iPace is capable of receiving over-the-air updates, so it’s a matter of checking that everything’s updated to the latest version. In fact there were even some software tweaks to make the older cars more efficient - increasing the car’s range by up to 12 miles - so it’s worth checking that any used iPace has received all the best software.

Recalls and problems

There was a minor recall on iPaces built from 23 August 2017 until 11th April 2019, and that’s to do with a slight change to the software that takes care of the brakes - not actual ones which rub together to stop the car rather than the energy-capturing re-generation. That update needed to be done at a Jaguar dealer, so do check that it’s had the necessary. 

It’s also sensible to know what warranties are still valid. The iPace came with a 3 year unlimited mileage warranty and the battery is covered for eight years from new, with a 100,000-mile limit. Servicing is required every two years or 21,000 miles, and generally costs about £200, so again, check that the car has had the right stuff done to it at the right time. There’s a big service after six years that’s a bit more involved, so add it to your budget if you're getting an early car.

Verdict

We’re convinced that the iPace is a good thing, which means that it comes down to what sort of deal you can get on a used one, and whether they’re worth the money. 

The cheapest cars we could find were hovering around the £22,000 mark, but some had questionable histories and some strange personalisations. We’d say you need about £30,000 to get a really nice one. But the real bargains are the ex Jaguar management cars and dealer demonstrators. We found a few of these with really minimal miles on the clock with around ten thousand pounds off the list price. 

We think that’s a bit of a bargain and it means you could have an I-Pace which is very nearly new for the same price as a top specification VW ID3. And that is very tempting.