Mitsubishi's electric car costs 38,699

Mitsubishi's all-electric i-MiEV will cost 38,699, with the first deliveries from January 2011.

That price doesn't include a 5000 grant available from the Government in 2011. The i-MiEV is considerably more expensive to buy than conventional superminis, with an effective pricetag of 33,699.

Running costs
At less than 1 for a full charge, Mitsubishi estimates it will cost just 115 to power the car over 12,000 miles.

Motorists driving into London's congestion zone will be exempt from the 8-a-day charge potentially saving owners up to 2000 over a year. The car is exempt from road tax, too.

As a company car it has zero benefit-in-kind tax and it also enjoys write-down tax allowance in the first year.

Mitsubishi says servicing costs will be low because the car has fewer moving parts, although no figures have yet been given. The manufacturer also hopes resale values will be high because demand will outstrip supply.

However
The i-MiEV costs between two and three times as much as a conventional supermini, which means it is likely to end up being more costly over three years, even if some day-to-day running costs are lower.

What's it like?
The i-MiEV proved to be the most practical of all of the electric cars we tested in a recent round-up.

It has space for four adults and luggage, can cruise at 81mph and has an estimated range of 80 miles.

Standard equipment includes anti-lock brakes, stability control, front-, side- and curtain airbags, electric windows, keyless central locking and air-conditioning.

A full recharge of the battery takes six hours through a household plug socket, while a rapid charge gets it back to 80% capacity in just half an hour.