Electric car test - Tesla Roadster

Tesla Roadster
Price £86,950
Range 220 miles

Think of the Tesla Roadster as the Usain Bolt of electric cars – it's that much better than everything else in the field.

It'll crack 60mph quicker than a Ferrari F430, go on to a limited 125mph and do up to 220 miles on a single charge. It also won the Editor's Award in the What Car? Green Awards 2009.

The only thing stopping us dishing out a full five stars is the price. It's pricier than most Porsche 911s, and considering it's based on a Lotus Elise, that's a lot of dosh.

The 2010 model (which you'll get if you order now) is £7000 cheaper than our £94,000 2009 test car. The newer model also has a lighter drivetrain and plusher cabin.

The Tesla doesn't corner as well as the Lotus it's based on, because those batteries add 370kg. Still, straight-line pace is awesome and, amazingly, its CO2 impact per mile is less than that of a G-Wiz. Tesla will also tailor the suspension to improve the handling if you wish.

Buy a Tesla and you'll also want a £2000 charging station, which cuts the charge time to 3.5 hours. It takes 16 hours for a full top-up from a 240v socket.