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Why are EVs so big and expensive? Where's the practicality? episode artwork

Aug 17, 2026 41 min

Why are EVs so big and expensive? Where's the practicality?

from Auto Uncovered Hosted by John Cadogan and Adam Morris

Got any questions? Ask away! [email protected] Check out John's channel - https://www.youtube.com/@AutoExpertJCCheck out Adam's channel - https://www.youtube.com/@ReDriven There's a common transmission mistake costing drivers thousands. This week Adam and John go deep on it, as well as exploring why small EVs struggle to gain traction despite making more practical sense. Why are EVs all so big, expensive and heavy? Plus, why a full dealer service history isn't always the gold standard it's made out to be. There's discussion about warranty myths, dealership upselling, servicing horror stories, and how consumer law protects motorists regardless of where they have their vehicle serviced. You don't need to get your car serviced at the dealer - a local mechanic will save you thousands. Join auto industry insiders John Cadogan (Auto Expert) and Adam Morris (ReDriven) as they cut through the BS on new cars, used cars, dealer tactics, EV trends, and everything the motoring industry doesn't want you to know. New episodes weekly — subscribe now. In this episode: 00:00 Intro 01:06 The transmission mistake costing drivers thousands 02:27 Why sitting on the clutch wears out your engine 03:31 The world's worst gearbox? 05:13 The dual-clutch transmission epidemic 07:29 Why drivers are unknowingly destroying DCTs 08:35 "Filled for life" transmission myths 10:52 Have dual-clutch gearboxes become pointless? 12:42 Manual mode vs automatic mode 14:45 Why are EVs so big and heavy? 16:19 The obsession with EV range 17:39 Why carmakers prefer big EVs 19:04 What's the smallest EV you can buy? 21:32 Dealer servicing vs independent mechanics 22:10 The Mitsubishi Alice Springs warranty problem 24:24 Servicing horror stories from dealerships 27:09 The oil-change scam 28:09 The spark plug shortcut 29:15 Dealership upselling tactics 31:20 John's battery warranty battle 34:08 The "Cirque du Soleil" of ripping offcustomers 35:39 Genuine parts markups exposed 38:19 Why independent mechanics can save you money 40:19 Do you need dealer servicing to keep your warranty?

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Auto Off Topic Radon Radio Auto Off Topic is a weekly podcast where we talk cars, adventures with cars or anything that might be related to cars. We’ll even have the occasional guest.We'll share the highs and lows of old car/project car ownership. We’ll tell cautionary tales about rusty bolts, blown head gaskets, snapped timing belts, spun bearings, janky wiring and how we fixed them. When not wrenching, we enjoy back road driving and our local Cars and Coffee. The hosts Brad DeSantis and Andrew Pascarella are two car enthusiasts who have been best friends for over 30 years. Auto Off Topic is based in Peabody Ma and Phoenix Az.Our theme song "Z/28" is graciously provided by the band Z/28. Follow and support them here:https://www.facebook.com/nobodyridesforfree/https://nobodyridesforfree.bandcamp.com/album/z28 Explicit Gareth Jones On Speed Gareth Jones/WhizzBang THE podcast for petrol-heads, by Gareth Jones (of ITV1's Speed Sunday & How2, and A1GP pit lane reporter), his car-mad uber-geek mate Zog, Alex Goy (Creative Director at DriveTribe). On Speed covers everything on 4 wheels, from Alfa Romeo to Zonda; Ferrari to Williams; Alpine to McLaren; Ford to Porsche; Alfa to Mercedes; VW to Jaguar; classic cars; concept cars; road cars; race cars. There's every kind of motorsport Formula One, WRC, Le Mans, F2, IndyCar, and drivers, from Damon Hill and Ayrton Senna to Schumacher, Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Max Verstappen. Where else can you find auto racing, motors, F1, rally, motor sport, road cars, comedy, news comment, Formula 1, songs and games all in the same place, served up with a wry grin? Explicit The Marshall Pruett Podcast Marshall Pruett Auto racing reporter Marshall Pruett interviews today’s stars and yesterday’s heroes in his podcast series. Explicit The Chase ThaTricksta A fan-made project by a solo producer, sound engineer, and composer, ThaTricksta.Dive in and join Officer TRK in ThaTricksta’s all-new fictional audio series, The Chase, where he and his team tackle various crimes within the city of Los Santos and the state of San Andreas (from Rockstar Game’s Grand Theft Auto V). Featuring professional-level production such as original sound design, soundtracks/music, voice acting, and surround sound, this action-packed series will ensure you have the best immersive experience with The Chase. Explicit

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This episode is 41 minutes long.

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This episode was published on August 17, 2026.

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