Renault5

The Renault 5 could be the car we’ve all been waiting for, an electric vehicle with a retro and dynamic style, perfect for the city but which also has the autonomy to cope with good road trips. It looks like a cracker. Its chunky build, sealed grille, offset hood vent and steady rear slope are copied from the old model while inside, stitched cloth trim meets large infotainment screens, and its five doors make it useful and practical.

You get two battery sizes, with the larger 52 kWh option offering a range of just under 250 miles. The Renault has a tight turning circle and acceleration that a hot hatchback would have been proud of not so long ago. However, comfort is what the 5 does best; it rides smoothly and is quiet on the highway. But the best part is the sub-£23,000 price tag, which is impressive for such a cool electric vehicle.

VolvoEX30

The Volvo EX30 is a bit of a marmite car – some people will love its infotainment-centric layout, but others will hate having to scroll through submenus just to adjust things like the exterior mirrors. Why is it like that? Because Volvo centralized the car’s electronics to reduce production costs. So there’s some method behind this madness, and it explains why interior doors are devoid of window and mirror controls.

While it may not be the most usable, the EX30’s interior is intensely cool, with minimalist design and ultra-modern materials. There’s room for a family, even if the trunk is tiny. You can have your EX30 in a variety of flavors, with the long-range model capable of going nearly 300 miles on a charge and the dual motor offering a supercar speed of 0 to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds. Perhaps more relevant is the car’s excellent safety and autonomous driving technology.

Renault Mégane E-Tech

The Renault Mégane has been around since the 1990s, but it is Renault’s first attempt at an electric model, based on the same foundations as the Nissan Ariya. Renault took care to “right-size” its electric vehicle’s 60 kWh battery to provide a decent range of up to 280 miles without the stiff ride and laborious handling that cars with larger, more battery packs suffer from. heavy. That being said, the Megane struggles to go more than 200 miles on a charge in the real world, and the lack of a heat pump means base models are even worse in cold weather. Charging speeds of at least 130 kWh mean recharging the battery will take less than 30 minutes.

However, you won’t have much to complain about in terms of performance, as the Mégane goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.5 seconds and has light controls that make city driving easier, even if driving may be firm at lower speeds. . When cruising quickly on the motorway, the Renault’s refinement is comparable to that of a conventionally powered luxury model.

Volkswagen ID.3

It’s easy to understand why Volkswagen translates to “people’s car.” The rear-wheel-drive, air-cooled Beetle brought mobility to the masses, and the front-wheel-drive, front-engined Golf modernized the genre. It is now the Golf’s turn to be replaced by the ID.3 EV.

The ID.3 was designed to be an electric vehicle from the ground up, and it shows. Inside, thanks to the careful packaging of its EV powertrain, the VW has a completely flat floor and a deep windshield that makes it feel airy. Interior quality has continued to improve since the car first went on sale in 2019. The same goes for the infotainment, now easier to use and less buggy.

In terms of driving, the ID.3 has everything you want from an electric vehicle. Its quiet, instant power makes it easy to drive, and without a motor interfering with the rotation of the front wheels, it’s very maneuverable.

Porsche Taycan

The Porsche Taycan is arguably the world’s first real attempt at an electric performance sedan (if by “performance” we mean more than just laser-like acceleration). That means it should be the first port of call for well-heeled enthusiasts looking to go green, especially since it’s just been updated with power and range increases across the entire range.

Like any electric vehicle, the Taycan is not a lightweight machine, which makes its rock-solid body control and enormous cornering grip all the more impressive – it accelerates like a bullet and even slides its tail on a measured accelerator. Inside, it’s very chic and practical enough for most families. As fun as a petrol Porsche? Not quite, but it’s close.

Tesla Model 3

Tesla began our transition to EV power, offering huge performance, decent range, and an innovative interior with virtually no physical buttons – it’s an established model that manufacturers have been working to copy ever since.

While the Model S started the revolution, in the UK it’s the Model 3 that’s selling like hot cakes and has recently been updated to deal with the tsunami of new German entrants. Performance and range have increased slightly, while inside you get better interior quality and new infotainment, but also steering wheel-mounted flashing buttons that are difficult to use.

Abarth500e

The Abarth 500e is a Fiat 500e only with charisma turned up to 11. In EV terms, you get an exterior speaker (or sound generator) that does a surprisingly good job of reproducing the guttural spit of the Abarth exhausts cool old decals and shiny paint jobs.

As fun as a gas hot hatch? Yes, in a different way. Although the Abarth can’t match the 0-100km/h performance of a petrol hot hatch, the instant torque means it gets going quicker and with no gearbox (or shifting) to worry about, it is ideal for getting around town. Even on country roads the Abarth can be fun; its rear wiggles when you lift your foot off the accelerator. Its sound generator can buzz on the highway, but with a range of less than 150 miles, that’s not a problem.

BMW i5 Touring

For decades, the BMW 5 Series has shown us what a great mid-size sedan looks like, and that’s unlikely to change as the model shifts to electric power, adding EVs sold alongside gasoline and plug-in hybrids.

Better yet, you can have the i5 EV with the practicality of a Touring body. With space for five people and a trunk that will swallow all their stuff, the i5 Touring feels very posh, with a curved infotainment screen that complements the pricey interior trim. Even the base models offer plenty of performance, and their rear-wheel drive chassis provides a purer experience than the AWD M60 model. And, while you’ll miss the creamy purr of a straight-six (already muffled by particulate filters on petrol models anyway) the i5’s outrageous refinement makes up for it.

MG4

The transition to electric changed everything for MG. The company builds some of the best electric cars available and the MG4 is the best of the bunch.

It ticks all the boxes you want from an electric vehicle – lots of performance, excellent refinement and ease of use – and some you wouldn’t. For starters, it’s fun to drive, fast but also engaging; its character makes an ID.3 seem a bit one-dimensional. With a decent range, plenty of equipment and a practical interior, pound for pound, it’s arguably the best EV family car on sale today.

Kia EV9

The massive Kia EV9 electric SUV, with its vast dimensions and assertive creases, feels more like a statement of intent than a car, coming from a company that not long ago was building boring economy machines . The EV9 looks good enough to meet the best German offerings.

South Korean EV technology is some of the smartest available, meaning all EV9s have good performance and a decent range (over 300 miles in the rear-wheel drive version), although a significant tilt from bodywork and rough driving are clear signs that the Kia weighs more than 2.5 tonnes. The advantage is that the interior is huge. It will easily swallow seven passengers with room for luggage. Equipment levels are also generous enough to make you (briefly) forget about the plethora of safety booms blaring inside the cabin. Still, Kia’s most expensive model to date might just be its best.