Coming soon: the new cars in 2024 worth waiting for

Planning to buy a new car? Think you know what you want? Well, before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you read our round-up of the models coming soon, because there's an awful lot of new metal that could be worth waiting for, whether you're after something small, spacious, sporty or stylish.

Here are the hottest new arrivals coming in 2024. Keep this page bookmarked, because we'll be keeping it up to date with all the most exciting new releases as soon as we know about them.

Late Spring 2024

Aiways U5

Our first drive of the Aiways U5 suggested that this Chinese electric SUV is competent and cable in most respects, and highly impressive when it comes to space and tech. It should cost around £40,000 in fully loaded form, which is the sort of money you'll pay for the entry-level versions of better-known rivals.

Aston Martin Valhalla

The Aston Martin Valhalla will be the firm's first plug-in hybrid model, but the primary reason for electrifying it is to boost performance rather than efficiency. The looks are pure concept car, while learnings from the Aston Martin F1 team are said to have inspired the aerodynamics.

Fisker Ocean

You might not have heard of Fisker before, but the Fisker Ocean SUV's headline statistics are enough to make you stop and take notice. First up is its range: up to 390 miles on a charge. Then there's its performance, with even the entry-level version getting 275bhp from a single electric motor, which is enough to take you to 60mph in 6.6sec. As for the flagship model, this can cover the same sprint in just 3.3sec.

Mini Cooper

The name ‘Cooper’ – previously a mere trim level – will apply to every version of BMW’s new Fiat 500 rival.  The word ‘Mini’ gains new relevance, too; the new small car will be shorter and narrower than the previous model. The new Mini Cooper will offer petrol or electric power choices, while a new circular central touchscreen mirrors the central speedometer that was once a Mini hallmark.

Summer 2024

Alfa Romeo Junior

Alfa Romeo’s first fully electric car is a small SUV based on the same underpinnings as the Jeep Avenger. That means a 154bhp motor and a 51kWh (usable) battery that delivers an official range of 255 miles – beating the Avenger by seven miles. As with the Avenger, the Junior also be offered with mild hybrid petrol power. The Junior was going to be named Milano, but Italian authorities objected to the name being given to anything produced in other countries; the Junior is built in Poland.

Audi Q6 e-tron

A sister car to the electric Porsche Macan, the Audi Q6 e-tron will (as its name suggests) sit between the Audi Q4 e-tron and the Q8 e-tron in the brand's electric SUV line-up. Like the Audi E-tron GT, the Q6 e-tron will feature 800-volt charging functionality, allowing it to take on electricity at speeds of up to 270kW. That’s fast enough to get the battery from 10-80% in around 20 minutes (if you can find a suitably powerful charging point, of course).

BMW X3

The new X3 won't be a radical departure from today's car, but to alter such a proven formula would be reckless on the part of BMW. Expect 2.0-litre mild hybrid petrol and diesel engines, performance-oriented M40i and M40d variants, and an xDrive 30e plug-in hybrid with at least 30 miles of official electric range. A new all-electric BMW iX3 is expected to follow in due course.

Chery Jaecoo 7

Chery is likely to be the biggest car brand you've never heard of. In fact, the brand's Jaecoo 7 is already well established in its native China, and the seven-seat SUV is set to land in the UK early in 2024, rivalling the Hyundai Tucson. Electric power will be offered with a range of plug-in hybrid and petrol engines, with four-wheel drive offered. 

Chery Omoda 5 

The Jaecoo 7 mentioned above will share showroom floorspace with the sleeker, coupé-style five-seat Omoda 5. Pure electric and combustion-powered versions will be offered, the latter arriving first. Specification is yet to be confirmed, but Australian-market Omoda 5 models use 1.5-litre mild hybrid and 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engines. 

Citroën e-C3

If you think electric cars are too expensive, the e-C3 could be the model to change your mind. Indeed, with an expected starting price of around £22,500, this small SUV will undercut most rivals by thousands. Despite this, the e-C3 is equipped with a 44kWh (usable capacity) battery that delivers a respectable official range of up to 199 miles.

Cupra Terramar

This will be Cupra’s final non-electric car, offering a range of mild hybrid petrol and plug-in hybrid options. The latter will be capable of around 60 miles of zero-emissions motoring, a range that’s comparable with the best-performing rivals on sale today. The Terramar is about the same size as the Audi Q3, and indeed will be built in the same factory as that model.

Cupra Tavascan

It already offers the Cupra Born, but Seat’s performance brand is planning a second electric car: the Tavascan coupé SUV. An expected starting price of around £60,000 would see it undercut premium-badged rivals such as the Audi E-tron Sportback and Jaguar I-Pace, while a predicted range of 279 miles between charges is respectable, if not class leading.

Dacia Spring

The idea of a 'people's car' is nothing new, but cheap electric cars have been a long time coming. The Dacia Spring, though, is intended to put zero-emissions motoring within the reach of more people than ever before. To do so, it uses small motors (44bhp or 66bhp), and a compact battery; the less powerful version offers an official range of 149 miles. 

Fiat Topolino

The Fiat Topolino – Italian for "little mouse"  – is much smaller than any Minnie. In fact, it's not technically a car, but a quadricycle, and that means you can drive one if you're 16 or older and hold an AM (50CC moped) license. If its proportions seem familiar, that's because it's closely related to the Citroën Ami and will share that car's 8bhp electric motor and 5.5kWh battery. Top speed is 28mph, and a range of around 46 miles is expected.

Ford Explorer

With Ford having dipped its toe in the electric car water with the Ford Mustang Mach-e, the Ford Explorer is its smaller stablemate. Two versions will be available from launch: a single motor rear-wheel drive version with a 77kWh (usable) battery and an official 374-mile range, and a dual motor four-wheel drive version with a 79kWh (usable) battery that can officially travel 352 miles.

Ford Mustang

Not to be confused with the fully electric Ford Mustang Mach-E, this new, seventh-generation version of the classic Ford Mustang muscle car will be sold with the familiar 5.0-litre V8 engine, albeit tweaked to improve performance and fuel efficiency. 

Ford Puma Electric

Ford is planning an electric version of its sharp handling small SUV to take on the Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric, although it will be interesting to see if this new variant feels as agile as its petrol siblings, given that it will be heavier. A 10-80% top-up of the 55kWh battery should take 35 minutes, or 54 miles of range can be added in around 10 minutes.

Hyundai Santa Fe

Bearing hints of the retro-futuristic styling theme already seen on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric car, the fifth-generatoon Hyundai Santa Fe flagship SUV is all-new. It's bigger than the outgoing car, with the promise of more interior space f0r up to seven occupants. Expect electrified engine, including the same 1.6-litre T-GDi hybrid with 226bhp, as well as the 261bhp plug-in hybrid version. Front and four-wheel-drive versions will be offered. Being bigger than the outgoing Santa Fe, we expect the new model to be pricier, too.

Kia Sorento

With an all-electric SUV flagship, the Kia EV9, on its way, the brand's rival to the Hyundai Santa-Fe and Nissan X-Trail will be facelifted later this year. Externally, the Kia Sorento gains something of a family resemblance to the EV9 and the smaller Kia Sportage, while the interior materials will get a quality boost and tech changes, including new controls for the climate control system. The engine line-up is unlikely to change, with 1.6-litre hybrid and plug-in hybrids, and a 2.2-litre diesel remaining.

MG Cyberster

The fully electric MG Cyberster, the first all-new MG convertible since the 1995 MGF packs almost four times the power in range-topping form.  All versions use a 77kWh battery; in the Trophy, it powers a 335bhp electric motor, giving it a 0-62mph time of 5.0sec and an official range of 316 miles. The GT adds four-wheel drive and ups power to 496bhp, reducing the 0-62mph spring to just 3.2sec and giving a range of 276 miles. An MG that can slay a Porsche? Well, yes;  the fastest Porsche 718 Boxster – the 4.0-litre GTS – makes do with ‘just’ 395bhp. 

Renault Rafale

Named after a French fighter jet, the Renault Rafale is more upmarket than the brand’s Arkana coupé SUV, making it a direct rival for the Cupra Formentor and Peugeot 408. The hybrid Rafale shares underpinnings with the Renault Austral family SUV, including its 1.2-litre petrol engine and two electric motors. Official fuel economy is 60.1mpg.

Skoda Kodiaq

A new Skoda Kodiaq is about to arrive on the scene. It features a bolder look than before, with bright LED headlights and more aggressive front and rear bumpers, plus a slight increase in length. Engine options include two petrols, two diesels and a plug-in hybrid version (that can manage 62 miles officially between charges).

Tesla Cybertruck

At 5.87 metres long, Tesla's first foray into the pick-up truck market is around the same length as conventional rivals in the US, but slightly longer than the models we currently get in the UK. It features a radical wedge-shaped design that's a major departure from the styling of other Teslas – and indeed pretty much everything else on the road. Plus, buyers will be able to spec it with one, two or three electric motors.

Late 2024

Alpine A290

Previewing the electric Renault 5 that replaces today's Renault Zoe, the Alpine A290 will be an electric hot hatch with more than 200hp, using an electric motor related to that of the Renault Megane E-Tech. A battery similar in capacity to the Zoe's 52kWh unit is expected, as is a similar range of around 240 miles.

Audi A6 Avant e-tron

Set to become Audi's first fully electric estate car, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron is capable of travelling for up to 435 miles between charges, and can replenish its batteries in less than 25 minutes – if you can find a charging point capable of providing enough juice. In concept form, the car's headlights double as projectors, allowing drivers to display games and movies against walls or flat surfaces when the car is parked up, but these aren't expected to make it onto the production version.

BYD Seal U

Just as the Tesla Model Y is essentially a jacked up, SUV version of the Model 3 saloon, the BYD Seal U is the SUV sister to the lower-slung BYD Seal executive car. Due to its less aerodynamic shape, the Seal U is unlikely to match the 354-mile maximum range of the regular Seal, but more than 300 miles seems realistic. Expect a starting price of around £60,000.

Fiat Panda

While the current Fiat Panda has too many compromises for us to recommend it, its electric successor should be right on the pace. Details are scarce, but the new car is expected to echo the same boxy style, and it’ll share tech with the forthcoming Jeep Avenger. That means an official range of around 250 miles is likely, as is a choice of front or four-wheel drive.

Fisker Ronin

This rival to the Mercedes-Benz EQE and Porsche Taycan actually puts a different slant on sporty electric cars; it has a folding metal roof, so four can enjoy wind-in-the-hair electric motoring. And, with Fisker aiming for an official range of 660 miles, those roof-down trips could be long ones. A sub two-second 0-60mph time is on the cards, too.

Hyundai Ioniq 7

Following the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and – you guessed it – the Ioniq 6, comes this flagship SUV. Similar in size and proportions to the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe, the Ioniq 7 has yet to be revealed as a production car (the image above depicts the concept). 

Kia EV3

Understudy to the EV6 and EV9 SUVs in Kia’s electric line-up is the new EV3. Replacing today's Kia Soul EV, it could come in below the £30,000 barrier when it goes on sale. Expected to look very similar to the concept model depicted in our photo above, the EV3 blends the looks of the seven-seat EV9 and Soul EV. Single and twin-motor versions will be offered, with front and rear-wheel drive.

Lotus Emeya

Complementing the Lotus Electre SUV as the second prong of Lotus's assault on the luxury electric car market, this the Emeya is a four-door Porsche Taycan rival. In its most powerful form it packs 905bhp and four-wheel drive, with tech from Lotus's sister company, Polestar. Further details are scarce, but rumours suggest that an estate version could also be on the cars. 

Mercedes-Benz EQX

Designed to show just what’s possible with today’s technology, the EQX is likely to have the longest range of any electric car on sale. Indeed, the EQXX concept on which it’s based was capable of up to 620 miles between charges – enough to get from London to Mercedes’ headquarters in Stuttgart without you suffering any range anxiety.

MG 3

Trademark filings for the exterior design of the second-generation MG 3 small car show that it has been heavily influenced by the larger, fully electric MG 4. However, the MG 3 will remain petrol powered in order to ensure that it remains one of the cheapest new cars on sale in the UK. Expect it to adopt emissions-reducing mild hybrid technology.

Nio EL6

A name you may not be familiar with, premium Chinese brand Nio, is set to make its UK debut with a rival to the Tesla Model 3. The Nio EL6 is a rival to the Audi Q4 e-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC. Expect twin electric motors, four-wheel drive and a total of 482bhp, and one interesting feature that those two had never thought of: swappable batterie. You simply visit a battery swap station when your battery is out of charge and swap it for a fully-topped up one. There's no word yet on how many such stations there will be in the UK, though.

Polestar 4

Filling the gap between the Polestar 2 hatchback and upcoming 3 SUV, the Polestar 4 is a coupé SUV to rival the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. Sharing underpinnings with the 2, the 4 is likely to offer a choice of rear or four-wheel drive, with as much as 536bhp in its most potent form. A 373-mile range is rumoured, too.

Renault 5 

Of all the new cars due to go on sale during 2024, What Car? readers voted the Renault 5 as the one they were the most excited by, during our 2023 Electric Car awards. Seen only in concept form thus far, the new 5 takes visual clues from the petrol-engined car of the same name, which was sold in the UK from 1972 until 1996. Expect a 134bhp electric motor and a 40kWh battery on entry-level models, and an official range of around 200 miles. Renault is aiming for an official range of 249 miles with the optional, larger 52kWh battery. Possibly the most exciting thing about the 5 is its price; the entry-level model could cost as little as £22,000. 

Renault Symbioz

With a name that means Symbiosis; (in other words, living together), the Renault Symbioz  is a new small SUV that will co-exist with the smaller Renault Captur and the Renault Austral family SUV in Renault’s line-up. It shares underpinnings with the Captur and offers the same hybrid E-Tech engine, with 143bhp. A plug-in hybrid version is likely, too, and a fully electric model could follow later. Price from £30,000 (est)

Suzuki Swift

Although the finished design of Suzuki’s next small hatchback is still to be revealed, it’s likely to stick closely to that of the Swift concept (pictured) revealed at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show. We expect prices to remain close to those of today’s car, which costs from £17,199, and for power to come from an updated version of the current mild hybrid petrol engine

Toyota bZ3X

The bZ range of electric cars will expand with a smaller sister to the Toyota bZ4X, and under its more streamlined bodywork it’s expected to share that model’s 71.4kWh battery. That means it’s likely to match or beat its sibling’s official range of 317 miles, putting it slightly ahead of its Volvo C40 rival. Among innovations are a yoke-style steering wheel shared with the Lexus RZ.

Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is legendary in off-roading circles; it's the car you choose if you want to not only conquer unforgiving outback landscapes, but also to get home safely afterwards. This latest version promises to be just as unstoppable off the beaten track, maintaining a decades-old rivalry with the Land Rover Defender. Like that model, the Land Cruiser will stick with diesel power.

Vauxhall Insignia

The next Vauxhall Insignia is in line for some big changes, gaining chunkier styling and a beefier look as it transitions to become a halfway house between an executive car and an SUV. It's essentially a Vauxhall version of the Citroën C5 X and Peugeot 408, with at least one plug-in hybrid variant set to be available from launch. Expect a dramatically overhauled interior, too.

Volvo EX90

The Volvo EX90 is an upcoming fully electric seven-seater. From launch, two versions will be available: a 402bhp Twin Motor and a 510bhp Twin Motor Performance. Both will be powered by the same 107kWh (usable) battery that's used in the closely-related Polestar 3. Unsurprisingly, both cars will have similar official ranges: 364 miles for the Twin Motor and 360 miles for the Twin Motor Performance.

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