Tesla Model 3

Kia e-Niro

Porsche Taycan

Jaguar I-Pace

Audi E-tron Sportback

Audi E-tron

Renault Zoe

Seat Mii Electric

the-best-electric-cars-you-can-buy

Hatchback

POLESTAR

Audi

E-TRON

Hyundai

Kona Electric

Renault

Estate

Jaguar

I-Pace

Saloon

Porsche

TAYCAN

e-Niro

Peugeot

e-208

Tesla

Model 3

Today, the resurgent Seat brand is selling better cars than at any time in its history.

In large part, that’s because it is one of the brands owned by the VW Group. Underneath, all of the cars it sells are strongly related to similar models sold by Volkswagen itself, or the likes of Skoda and even Audi. If you are buying a Leon, for example, the hardware will be similar to that of the Golf, Octavia and A3.

But while Seat makes the most of this tie-up to offer everything from city, small and family cars, including estates, through to a full range of SUVs, it also adds in its own slice of character, both with its distinctive styling approach and because its engineers generally tune the cars to deliver sportier handling.

While all of its cars are decent, it is the SUVs that stand out. The Arona and Ateca are among the class leaders and have enjoyed triumphs at the What Car? Awards.

SEAT

What's more, their&nbsp;rise is only going to accelerate as rules are introduced to limit the kind of vehicles allowed into major cities.

The main thing that has traditionally prevented them from selling in greater numbers&nbsp;is range anxiety – the fear that you won’t have enough juice to get to where you’re going. However, with plenty of models now capable of covering more than 200 miles between charges, this is becoming less of an issue.

So, which electric cars should you consider? Here, we count down What Car?'s top 10 and tell you the one&nbsp;to avoid.

Electric cars are now entering the mainstream, accounting for 6.7% of new car sales in September. 

If you're looking for a small electric car to primarily use in the city,&nbsp;the Mii Electric should definitely be on your shortlist. It might not have the battery capacity –&nbsp;and therefore range&nbsp;– of&nbsp;some alternatives, but that means its price is&nbsp;lower, and the&nbsp;111 miles that it managed in <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-car-real-range-how-we-work-it-out/n18158">our Real Range test</a>&nbsp;is still enough for many people's needs.

10. Seat Mii Electric

<h3>What Car? Target Price from £22,800</h3>

Pros: 
Competitive pricing 
Comfortable ride 
Great in town

Cons: 
Only four seats 
Rivals (albeit more expensive ones)&nbsp;go farther 
Old-school interior

Seat Mii Electric (cont.)

The second model from <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/volvo">Volvo</a> spinoff Polestar (hence the name) is a thrillingly quick electric <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/best-and-worst-executive-cars-2020/n2004">executive car</a> with an exquisite interior and the ability to go a long way between charges. Just bear in mind that the similarly-priced <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/tesla/model-3/saloon/review/n19010">Telsa Model 3 Performance</a> is better to drive, more practical and has&nbsp;access to a better charging network.

9. Polestar 2

<h3>What Car? Target Price from £49,900</h3>

Pros: 
Brilliant performance 
Decent official range 
Classy interior

Cons: 
Road noise 
Weight compromises agility 
Limited rear head room

Polestar 2 (cont.)

The Audi E-tron doesn’t feel as sporty to drive as the&nbsp;rival&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/jaguar/i-pace/estate/review/n122">Jaguar I-Pace</a>, and it has a shorter range. However, it’s the classier of the two inside and the quieter cruiser. In a first for a production car, buyers can improve the aerodynamics by opting to remove the E-tron’s door mirrors and replace them with cameras that feed into small screens inside.

8. Audi E-tron

<h3>What Car? Target Price from £55,509 <s>RRP from £60,600 to £93,500</s>&nbsp;Save up to £7,887</h3>

Pros: 
Cosetting ride 
Very smooth and quiet 
Spacious and luxurious interior

Cons: 
Disappointing range 
Fiddly infotainment system 
Jaguar I-Pace is more fun

Audi E-tron (cont.)

The powerful 64kWh Kona Electric blasts range anxiety out of the water, travelling 259 miles between charges in our hands. It's also reasonably priced and well equipped, although the closely related <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/kia/e-niro/estate/review/n18388">Kia e-Niro</a> offers more rear space and is better to drive.

7. Hyundai Kona Electric

<h3>What Car? Target Price from&nbsp;£38,135&nbsp;<s>RRP&nbsp;£38,900 to £41,500</s>&nbsp;Save at least £765</h3>

Pros: 
250-mile-plus range in real-world driving (64kWh battery) 
Strong acceleration 
Even the base model is well equipped

Cons: 
You’re unlikely to get a big discount 
Rear seat space is limited 
Doesn’t ride as well as the Kia e-Niro or Peugeot e-208

Hyundai Kona Electric

The Zoe’s main strength is that it feels like a conventional, stylish, nippy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/small">small car</a>, and just happens to cost pennies to run. The electric motor has enough shove for the Zoe to lead the charge away from traffic lights, and its interior has room for four to sit in reasonable comfort. Even the boot is larger than you’ll find in many regular small cars; it's easily big enough for a family's weekly shopping.

6. Renault Zoe

<h3>What Car? Target Price from&nbsp;£27,579&nbsp;<s>RRP from £29,995 to £34,495</s>&nbsp;Save up to £2,788</h3>

Pros: 
Longer range than similar-priced alternatives 
Smart interior – particularly on the posher trim levels 
R135 has punchy acceleration

Cons: 
Rear head room could be better 
Driving position is flawed 
Automatic emergency braking unavailable on the entry-level trim

Renault Zoe (cont.)

The I-Pace SUV is Jaguar’s first electric car, and can drive for more than 250 miles between charges in real-world conditions. It can also be charged to 80% of capacity in just 90 minutes, and its futuristic interior features two 12.0in screens and another 5.5in screen for climate settings. Add in fun handling, and it's a very appealing option.

5. Jaguar I-Pace

<h3>What Car? Target Price from&nbsp;£62,448&nbsp;<s>RRP from £65,195 to £74,395</s>&nbsp;Save up to £3,138</h3>

Pros: 
Big range between charges 
Entertaining handling 
Futuristic looks

Cons: 
Expensive to buy 
Poor rear visibility 
Road noise

 Jaguar I-Pace (cont.)

If you're looking for all the usual electric car benefits but want something that's also absolutely thrilling to drive, the Porsche Taycan is the car for you. It's even reasonably practical and wonderfully classy inside, although all of this does come at a high price.

4. Porsche Taycan

<h3>What Car? Target Price from&nbsp;£83,635</h3>

Pros: 
Staggering performance 
Stunningly capable and fun in corners 
Wonderful interior quality

Cons: 
Very expensive... 
...and you’ll still want to add options 
Range isn’t spectacular

Porsche Taycan (cont.)

The e-Niro is another car that banishes range anxiety, managing 253 miles when we put it to the test. It also offers good&nbsp;practicality, performance, comfort and equipment&nbsp;– and all for a competitive price. In fact, we rate the e-Niro&nbsp;so highly we made it our 2019<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/awards/">&nbsp;Car of the Year.</a>

3. Kia e-Niro

<h3>What Car? Target Price from&nbsp;£32,595</h3>

Pros: 
64kWh model’s 250-mile-plus range in real-world driving 
Quick acceleration in 64kWh 
Well equipped

Cons: 
A fair bit pricier than an MG ZS EV 
Doesn't charge as quickly as a Tesla Model 3 
No Euro NCAP safety rating

Kia e-Niro (cont.)

Small electric cars don't come any better than the&nbsp;Peugeot e-208; it has&nbsp;a higher quality interior than the rival Renault Zoe, along with more rear head room and extra safety kit.&nbsp;There's no compromise on boot space compared with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/208/hatchback/review/n30">petrol&nbsp;versions of the 208</a>, either, and you can expect to do almost 200 miles between charges.

2. Peugeot e-208

<h3>What Car? Target Price from&nbsp;£25,583&nbsp;<s>RRP £26,025 to £30,275</s>&nbsp;Save at least £442</h3>

Pros: 
Eye-catching, classy-feeling interior 
Decent to drive 
Well equipped

Cons: 
The Renault Zoe can cover more miles between charges 
Mushy brake pedal 
Not the cheapest electric option

Peugeot e-208 (cont.)

Few cars received as much hype before their launch as the Model 3, and even fewer can match what it offers in reality. Tesla's most affordable car yet is great to drive, packed full of tech, fast (ridiculously so in Performance guise) and surprisingly&nbsp;practical. Factor in a competitive price, especially given its sheer pace, and it’s not only a great electric car but one of the&nbsp;best executive cars&nbsp;you can buy, too.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter&nbsp;<a href="https://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">here</a>

1. Tesla Model 3

<h3>What Car? Target Price from&nbsp;£43,490&nbsp;<s>RRP from £43,490 to £56,490</s></h3>

Pros: 
Savage acceleration 
Long range between charges 
Surprisingly practical 
Fast charging via Tesla's prolific Supercharger network

Cons: 
Build quality could be better 
Handling not as entertaining as petrol rivals 
Some may find the ride a touch firm

What about the electric car to avoid?

Tesla Model 3 (cont.)

Although the Forfour EQ is relatively cheap to buy, you could get a Renault Zoe for similar money, with the latter offering more space and more than double the range between charges. &nbsp;

And the electric car to avoid...

The best electric cars you can buy

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Sufficient range between charges to fit in with most people’s lifestyles – and in the real world, not on some far-fetched official test </li> <li>Quick charging times and compatibility with the most ubiquitous types of public charging points </li> <li>Priced to be within the grasp of more than just the privileged few </li> <li>As with any car, ride comfort, practicality and ownership costs can’t be ignored</li></ul>

We define an electric car as one that runs purely on battery power and has no tailpipe to puff out nasty chemicals. These cars qualify for the maximum plug-in car grant (PICG) of £3500.

The Renault Zoe is one of the most affordable options and has a surprisingly long range of between 120 and 180 miles (depending on the weather and the road type). However, the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen e-Golf are more practical and more accomplished to drive, even if the latter doesn't have a particularly long range between charges.

At the other end of the scale, Tesla’s ground-up EV philosophy – and the American brand’s own network of super-fast chargers – makes the Model S a tempting choice. It has seating for up to seven, an classy interior and a long enough real-world range to make inter-city travel a real possibility.

Electric

Electric car sales are booming, and no wonder: the best are quiet, cheap to run and smooth to drive. But which are the bright sparks worth considering – and which are the loose connections?

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The best electric cars you can buy

Electric car sales are booming, and no wonder: the best are quiet, cheap to run and smooth to drive. But which are the bright sparks worth considering – and which are the loose connections?...

The best electric cars you can buy today - and one to avoid

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