Electric car test - Reva G-Wiz

Reva G-Wiz
Price £8995
Range 48 miles

If you've seen an electric car about town, chances are it was one of these. The Reva has outsold its battery-powered rivals since its launch in 2001, and there are now more than 1000 on Britain's roads.

If you simply want to enjoy the financial and environmental benefits of owning an EV and never need to use it outside the city centre, the G-Wiz is worth a look.

It's the cheapest option by at least £1000, its eight-hour charge time is about average and, if you want something better, you'll have to pay almost double for a C1 Ev'ie. So it's a pity the G-Wiz is poorly made, drives poorly and is far from pretty.

Our test car hit 30mph in 11.3sec, so it'll struggle to keep pace with city traffic, but the G-Wiz is nippier than the pricier MyCar or Mega City.

Forget the claimed top speed of 51mph unless you're going down a very steep hill, and you don't really want to be hitting speeds like that in a car with no airbags or anti-lock brakes, anyway.