The cheapest electric cars on sale
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...
Mass produced electric cars have come a long way over the past ten years or so. The original Nissan Leaf arrived to the UK car market in 2010 and was £10,000 more than a similarly-specced Ford Focus. Now, electric car prices are much more competitive against those of their more traditional combustion engined cousins and with prices starting from less than £20k, the cheapest electric cars are now within the grasp of every new car buyer. The arrival of the Citroen Ami later in 2022 will shake up the market once again, with a price expected to be less than £10k.
Electric cars are more popular than ever and there are vehicles to suit all motoring needs. From the practical Citroen e-Dispatch, luxurious Tesla Model S or the affordable Smart EQ fortwo, there’s an electric vehicle to suit almost any need. And thanks to government incentives and continuing development in EV infrastructure, the world is starting to see electric as a genuine alternative to petrol and diesel. The electric revolution is lighting up, so here are the cheapest electric cars for you to consider...
Cheapest electric cars: the top 10
Below are the top 10 cheapest EVs on sale (including the £2,500 government plug-in car grant). While our top five offers drivers the smallest outlay, the cars further down the list demonstrate that a wide range of manufacturers are now keen to embrace electric power - which can only lead to more choice, improving quality and more of us getting behind the wheel of a capable and cost-effective electric vehicle.
- Smart EQ fortwo: £19,200
- Smart EQ forfour: £19,795
- Fiat 500: £20,995
- VW e-up!: £21,585
- MG 5 EV: £25,095
- Nissan Leaf: £25,995
- MINI Electric: £26,145
- Mazda MX-30: £26,045
- Renault Zoe: £27,595
- MG ZS EV: £28.495
1. Smart EQ fortwo
Price: from £19,200 (inc. gov grant)
The tiny EQ Smart fortwo comes with 80bhp, and a top speed of 81mph. The EQ fortwo also has a surprising turn of pace, 0-62mph is dispatched in 11.6 seconds, while to charge it from 10-80% takes just over 3 hours from a home wallbox. A more sophisticated suspension set up over the previous generation makes the EQ fortwo far more compliant and comfortable for longer journeys, so long as the journey isn’t further than it’s 80-mile range.
The electric fortwo now has to compete with one of its own - the new Smart EQ forfour. The EQ forfour offers users additional seats, space, and therefore practicality for around an extra £600. For around a further £5,000 premium over the EQ fortwo hatchback, there’s even a convertible EQ fortwo for those more interested in hearing the whirr of the electric motor.
2. Smart EQ forfour
Price: £19,795 (inc. gov grant)
The Smart EQ forfour includes two extra doors to access its rear seats and as such feels more substantial inside. It's a great urban runaround, offering a little more practicality than its smaller sibling, but still maintaining low running costs.
Passenger access to the cabin is reasonably easy thanks to doors that open extremely wide, but the 185-litre boot is pretty small - due to the location of the electric motor. Under the skin, the EQ forfour uses the same rear-mounted 80bhp motor driving the back wheels, with 0-62mph in 12.7 seconds.
A 17kWh battery means that, based on the official WLTP testing figures, the forfour will cover around 78 miles between charging, while a 22kW on-board charger allows for topping up the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in a claimed forty minutes.
3. Fiat 500
Price: £20,995 (inc. gov grant)
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 you can buy. Time moves on, however, and Fiat has now delivered the all-electric third-generation 500.
Keenly priced from £20,995 after the plug-in car grant, the new 500 starts with the low-range model that’s capable of driving up to 115 miles on a single charge. There is a longer-range option, capable of up to 199 miles, that uses a 42kWh battery, a more powerful 117bhp motor and faster 85kW recharging, but that inevitably costs a little 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?
4. VW e-up!
Price: from £21,585 (inc. gov grant)
The Volkswagen e-up! is the latest electrified version of the cute little city car that was first released in 2012. Choosing the e-up! gets you a great looking urban runabout, with a smart interior and solid residual values.
The controls are light, and visibility is great thanks to its boxy shape and big windows. Performance is good too, with the instant hit of torque belying the 11.9 second 0-62mph time. Claimed maximum range is 159 miles.
Topping the battery up at 40kW from a CCS plug remains the quickest way, and a 0-80 per cent recharge will take around an hour. A 7.2kW AC wallbox for home charging is offered as an option, enabling a four hour recharge, while from a standard three-pin plug expect a full charge to take around 16 hours.
5. MG5 EV
Price: from £25,095 (inc. gov grant)
The MG5 offers great value for buyers looking for a practical, all-electric family car. The MG5 only went on sale in the UK in 2020, but MG has already introduced a new, longer-range version. The latest model offers a WLTP-certified 250-mile range (up from 217 miles), 100kW charging capability and will replenish to 80 per cent charge from flat in as little as 40 minutes.
Entry-level Excite models come with alloy wheels, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto operated through a eight-inch screen, keyless entry, push-button start and rear parking sensors. For around a further £2,500, Exclusive models add leather-effect trim, heated front seats, six-way electric adjustment for the driver’s seat, auto wipers and sat-nav.
6. Nissan Leaf
Price: from £25,995 (inc. gov grant)
The Nissan LEAF launched in 2010 as a relatively affordable, all-electric hatchback for drivers looking to break away from combustion-engined family cars. It's an impressive package; easy to drive and comfortable, especially around town, with an impressive amount of tech and enough space for all the family.
Under the latest WLTP 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. The Nissan Leaf e+, offers increased range, with a bigger battery delivering up to 239 miles. It also has more power, with 214bhp compared to the standard car's 148bhp.
7. MINI Electric
Price: from £26,000 (inc. gov grant)
There’s only one power option for the MINI Electric - a 32.6kWh battery powers a single electric motor, producing a total of 181bhp and a 0-62mph time of 7.3 seconds. The all-electric three-door model offers the usual smart and sophisticated MINI image, although overall range is around 145 miles.
It retains most of the famed ‘go-kart’ handling and we think, despite its extra weight, the heavier Electric model is still as much fun behind the wheel as any other fast MINI.
8. Mazda MX-30
Price: from £26,145 (inc. gov grant)
The MX-30 small SUV has unusual rear-hinged doors that you may remember from Mazda's 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 the rather heavy (1,645kg) crossover from 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds. The MX-30 uses a small 35.5kWh lithium-ion battery which offers a range of just 124 miles, so you'll have to weigh up if the MX-30 will suit your everyday motoring needs; don't forget that colder weather or journeys that incorporate lots of motorway miles will eat into overall range.
Safety kit is excellent, however, and reliability should be equally impressive - Mazda finished fourth out of 30 manufacturers in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey.
9. Renault Zoe
Price: from £27,595 (inc. gov grant)
The second-generation Renault Zoe is a popular electric supermini, with an excellent range, attractive design and affordable price tag. For a long time it was one of our favourite EV models, but a zero-star Euro NCAP rating in late 2021 made it more difficult to recommend.
If you can look past this, its 55kWh battery and efficient powertrain results in an impressive range of up to 245 miles between top-ups. Rapid 50kW charging is available as a £1,000 optional extra, but most will find its home wallbox charging time of just over nine hours adequate. Two versions are available – the R110 with 107bhp or the R135 with 133bhp, which is only really necessary if you plan on lots of fast A-road or motorway driving.
10. MG ZS EV
Price: from £26,095 (inc. gov grant)
Like its MG5 EV sibling, the ZS EV offers tremendous practicality and low running costs, providing family buyers with a real value-for-money alternative to a fossil-fuelled SUV that was given a further boost by a facelift in late 2021.
That battery powers a single electric motor, producing 154bhp in the Long Range version – enough to propel the ZS from 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, with a top speed of 87mph. An increase in battery size from 44kWh to 72.6kWh means a much more competitive range of 273 miles – up from 163 miles.
It's practical, too, with 470 litres of boot space on offer with the rear seats in place, and 1,100 litres with them folded down.
If you're looking to buy a great value all-electric car, why not visit our sister site buyacar.co.uk for the latest deals...
