Cheapest electric cars on sale 2024
Electric cars are often dismissed for being too expensive, so we've put together a list of the ten cheapest electric cars money can buy
Thanks to huge developments in the EV market over the last few years, the cheapest electric cars are now within the reach of more customers than ever before — and prices are continuing to drop. Plenty of appealing models with battery ranges exceeding 200 miles can now be picked up for less than £35,000.
There’s plenty of variety at the budget end of the EV spectrum, too, with sizes ranging from the Citroen e-C3 supermini to the MG ZS EV SUV. Low price doesn’t mean low quality, either, as some of the cars we’ve listed below are even Auto Express New Car Award winners.
With rapid improvements being made to the UK’s charging infrastructure and huge potential savings on running costs, owning an electric car is quickly becoming a much more realistic and cost-effective proposition for many motorists. The purchase price is still the main sticking point for new electric car buyers so it’s always helpful to know which are the cheapest electric cars you can buy.
Cheapest electric cars to buy in the UK
Read on for the cheapest electric cars that you can buy right now, listed in reverse order. Our road testers have spent hours at the wheel of every car on this list so we’ll also give you an indication of whether these cheap EVs are any good.
10. MG ZS EV
- Prices from £30,495
- Cheapest variant: ZS EV SE
- Best for families
The MG ZS EV SUV focuses on function rather than fun, but with such tremendous practicality and low running costs it provides family buyers with a real value-for-money alternative to its fossil-fuelled rivals.
A series of midlife upgrades saw the ZS EV gain a fresh exterior design along with a new lower-priced Standard Range variant with a 51kWh battery. MG claims that this unit can achieve up to 198 miles of range, which should prove more than enough for the daily school run. The ZS EV is practical, too, with 470 litres of boot space on offer with the rear seats in place and 1,100 litres with them folded down.
9. BYD Dolphin
- Prices from £30,195
- Cheapest variant: Dolphin Comfort
BYD is an enormous brand back home in China, but it’s still only just emerging in the UK market. After making an impressive debut with the Atto 3 SUV, ‘Build Your Dreams’ has now introduced the Dolphin to our roads. It may be the brand’s cheapest car, but it still offers a standard of technology, practicality and build quality that should spark real concern among its better-established rivals.
While we are still a bit sceptical about some of the larger Atto 3’s unusual features, such as the guitar-string door pockets, the Dolphin generally takes a more conventional approach. One eccentricity that has been carried over is the rotating infotainment screen, but while we still believe that this is a bit of a gimmick, there’s no denying the system’s sheer speed and processing power.
8. MINI Cooper
- Prices from £30,000
- Cheapest variant: Cooper E Classic
- Best driving experience
The original Mini started out as a low-cost car for the masses, and it would seem that MINI is keen to stick with this ethos with the latest Cooper. The fully-electric variant of this charming retro supermini starts from £30,000, and for your money you’ll get a car that feels pretty upmarket for the class. As with the MINI Coopers of the past, this generation is enjoyable to drive, too.
The lower-cost MINI Cooper E model is powered by a 40.7kWh battery and a single motor, and this powertrain can deliver 190 miles of range on a single charge, according to the official tests. To save the most pennies you’ll want to choose the Classic trim, but the good news is that this still comes with quite a bit of kit including a rear-view camera, cruise control and a selection of ‘Experience’ driving modes.
7. Nissan Leaf
- Prices from £28,495
- Cheapest variant: Leaf Shiro
The original Nissan Leaf was a pioneer for the all-electric hatchback, and today the second-generation model still offers an attractive package for drivers looking to break away from combustion-engined family cars. It's easy to drive, comfortable — especially around town — and boasts an impressive amount of tech along with enough space for all the family.
Under the latest WLTP economy tests, Nissan claims a range of 168 miles for the standard Leaf, although cold weather will limit EV range, so you might be looking at around 100 miles from a full charge when it's really chilly.
6. Fiat 500e
- Prices from £28,195
- Cheapest variant: 500 Electric
Fiat scored a hit when it reinvented the classic 500 back in 2007, and since then it's become one of the best city cars to buy. Time moves on, however, and the tiny Fiat has since evolved into a fully-electric car.
Keenly priced from £28,195, the current 500 lineup starts with a low-range model that’s capable of driving up to 118 miles on a single charge. There is a longer-range option that’s capable of up to 199 miles but this inevitably costs a bit more to buy.
The iconic urban car is 61mm longer and 29mm taller than before, but it's still unmistakably a 500 and of course comes in hatchback and stylish convertible forms. What's not to like?
5. Mazda MX-30
- Prices from £27,995
- Cheapest variant: MX-30 EV Prime-Line
The Mazda MX-30 is a quirky small SUV with unusual rear-hinged doors that you may remember from the RX-8 coupe. This approach helps to create a pillarless cabin which, with the car's sloping roofline, serves up quite a funky design. It's the same inside the cabin, with Mazda utilising unusual eco-friendly materials to generate a stylish, sporty feel.
Power is relatively modest at 143bhp, but a healthy torque figure of 271Nm helps shift this rather heavy 1,750kg crossover from 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds. The standard MX-30 uses a small 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery, which offers a range of just 124 miles. If you want more miles from your Mazda, the brand offers a somewhat unusual rotary-powered plug-in hybrid version, and this ups the range to over 400 miles. The price remains the same, but opting for the MX-30 R-EV means paying out for petrol as well as emitting CO2.
4. MG4
- Prices from £26,995
- Cheapest variant: MG4 EV SE
- Largest battery range
Apart from a few questionable areas of fit-and-finish, it’s difficult to see how MG has kept the MG4’s price so low as this family hatchback offers a fantastic blend of practicality, driving dynamics and tech.
There are two batteries available, but even the smaller 51kWh unit should meet the requirements of most drivers. Battery range is respectable at 218 miles, while the single rear-mounted motor provides 168bhp, meaning a 0-60mph sprint of 7.5 seconds. When you do need to top up, 150kW rapid charging will keep waiting times to a minimum.
Standard kit is where the MG4 really excels at this price point, though, with a 10.25-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control and automatic LED headlights all available at no extra cost.
3. Vauxhall Corsa Electric
- Prices from £26,895
- Cheapest variant: Corsa Electric Yes
If you find the idea of an ultra high-tech EV a bit unnerving, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric brings a pleasant sense of familiarity to the market. Sharing much of its DNA with the standard Corsa means there’s very few noticeable differences between the zero-emission version of this popular supermini and the combustion model.
The key difference, naturally, is the powertrain. The cheapest ‘Yes’ variant of the Corsa Electric is fitted with a 50kWh battery pack, and this returns up to 221 miles of range on the WLTP combined cycle. It’s certainly not the quickest electric car you can buy, but the little Vauxhall is still more than capable at handling itself in motorway traffic with 134bhp on tap.
2. Citroen e-C3
- Prices from £21,998
- Cheapest variant: e-C3 Plus
With up to 199 miles of range, enough space for four passengers, a generous helping of standard kit and distinctive styling, the Citroen e-C3 already has plenty of appeal. The clincher, though, is that it can be bought brand-new for under £22,000.
Although it looks like a beefy little SUV at first appearance, the e-C3 is actually more similar in size to the Vauxhall Corsa Electric. To keep costs down, Citroen has taken a back-to-basics approach with this electric supermini, with cheaper materials and a lack of any particularly groundbreaking tech. The brand has still included plenty of modern essentials, though, including LED headlights, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, and a suite of safety and driver assistance systems.
1. Dacia Spring
- Prices from £14,995
- Cheapest variant: Spring Expression
The Dacia Sandero sat at the top of the UK’s cheapest new car list for a very long time and now, in the age of the EV, it’s the turn of the Dacia Spring. For a mere £14,995, you can have a brand-new fully-fledged electric car.
In order to keep the price small, pretty much everything else about the Dacia Spring is on the small side, too. This is a compact city car with a 26.8kWh battery and 44bhp on tap if you opt for the cheapest version. The claimed 137-mile range isn’t exactly massive, either, but it should still prove more than enough for most day-to-day needs. One thing that isn’t small, though, is the equipment list, with a seven-inch touchscreen display, parking sensors and air conditioning all thrown in.
Cheapest electric cars
- Dacia Spring - £14,995
- Citroen e-C3 - £21,990
- Vauxhall Corsa Electric - £26,895
- MG4 - £26,995
- Mazda MX-30 - £27,995
- Fiat 500e - £28,195
- Nissan Leaf - £28,495
- MINI Cooper - £30,000
- BYD Dolphin - £30,195
- MG ZS EV - £30,495
Should I buy a quadricycle instead?
They aren’t technically classed as cars but quadricycles are an even cheaper way into fully-electric four-wheeled motoring. The difference between electric cars and quadricycles is the amount of power on offer, a legally-required limited top speed of 28mph and their extremely compact size and low weight.
A well-known example of a quadricycle that can currently be bought in the UK is the Citroen Ami. While its starting price of less than £9,000 is certainly eye-catching, the official 46-mile battery range is much less likely to suit driver requirements.
Quadricycles are primarily designed with short-distance urban journeys in mind, and in order to keep costs to a minimum, there’s very little in the way of comfort, technology or safety equipment to be found. Because of this, most buyers will be far better suited to a fully-sized electric car.
Want to reduce your family’s carbon footprint? These are the best electric SUVs to buy...
