Electric car test - Introduction

In the race to build viable electric cars, companies have come up with all sorts of solutions. How good are these cars, though, and how green? We test seven to find out.

Electric cars not only have a bright future, but you can buy one right now. Many of the current crop are genuinely credible alternatives to conventional cars, and you really can use some of them every day.

Early adopters will pay a higher price than for an equivalent petrol or diesel car, but electric vehicles (EVs) are much cheaper to run, which offsets some of that cost. They're much greener, too – and because of that, the Government is offering incentives, such as free parking and battery charging, and exemption from road tax.

There are also proposals to offer purchase grants of up to £5000 – although that won't happen until at least 2011.

We've rounded up seven models that you can already (or will very soon be able to) buy, to discover how good and how green they really are. We also take a look at some of the EVs that are just around the corner.