For £17k you can buy a 480hp electric SUV…

To say it’s not a good time to be selling expensive, luxurious, powerful electric cars would be putting it mildly. Ailing demand has undermined confidence, both for the consumer and the manufacturer. Plans are being delayed. Engines are being plotted for EV platforms. Retirements have been postponed. It’s carnage. Still, most big carmakers will not find themselves suffering the fate of Fisker. Not so long ago it seemed to have launched the ideal product – the Ocean being a handsome family SUV with good range – and yet the customer did not concur. By the time that bankruptcy was filed for last year, more than 10,000 had been built, but fewer than half had been delivered.

Fisker had fallen victim to dwindling demand and supplier issues, and obviously lacked a broader line-up to fall back on. This, ultimately, seems like a shame, because the Ocean had shown a good amount of promise. Those who were able to review the car over here praised the Fisker for its design, fun features, space and decent driving dynamics; it was close to being really good, a couple of updates away from being a true contender in its class. Only they never came, of course, because the company was already holed beneath the waterline.

But some cars had been delivered already. And boy, are they cheap now. Unsurprisingly, with the writing on the wall, Fisker slashed prices pretty drastically, so the range started at £30k and stopped by £45,000, where previously it had extended to almost £60,000. It was reasonable value for an Mercedes EQC-sized car beforehand; right at the end, it was an absolute bargain. 

And now, with the brand up in smoke and just the thought of Fisker Ocean ownership requiring a certain amount of courage, the prices are borderline unbelievable. This is a 2024 car with 437 miles on it, so essentially brand new. It’s the front-wheel drive Touring Sport with a 73kWh battery and a claimed 288-mile range. It will have launched at £36,900 before options, which was dropped to £30,900 when things looked really bad. It’s now for sale at a car supermarket for £16,980. The only other EVs comparable in price and mileage are Corsas and the like. It’s crazy. 

The caveats are fairly significant, mind you. Even the advert makes it abundantly clear: ‘Please be advised that FISKER (GB) Ltd are in liquidation, this vehicle is sold without a warranty and there is no manufacturer support’ is the opening line. And while there is a Fisker Owners Association that is working on access to parts and services, that’s a US-based organisation; it obviously won’t be as effective as having proper manufacturer backing. For a car so dependent on its software, that’s probably the biggest risk. Online guides from the US basically demand that any used buyer ensure their prospective Ocean has the latest possible software, a fresh 12-volt battery (the scourge of so many new cars), a spare key and a new water pump. And they’re just the known issues. 

So it’s a leap in the deep end, for sure. From a brief bit of searching it seems companies in the UK will insure an Ocean for acceptable money, so that’s handy, but just thinking about the wait for spare parts is scary. Maybe an EV specialist will establish themselves as an Ocean expert over here in time. Even then, ownership is surely going to be a story of ups and downs, to put it mildly. But what a story it might be to tell…