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Even so, a small platform means there is less room for batteries, so the range of the following cars will never come close to what was promised by bigger options. But a small battery also means a lower price, and if we’re talking about city cars that only occasionally go on longer trips, it’s hard to say how many owners would need more than, say, 180 miles of range.
- Peugeot e 208
- Fiat 500 Electric
- Vauxhall Corsa e
- Mini Electric
- BMW i3
- Honda E
- Mazda MX 30
- Renault Zoe
- Volkswagen e Up
- Smart EQ Fortwo
Peugeot e-208
The all electric version of the 208 hatchback is one of several small EVs from the PSA Group that will hit the market in 2020. it has the best price and looks the best. If you’re looking for your first electric car this year, you should give it a lot of thought because it has a good mix of useful range, performance, price, usability, style, perceived quality, and driver appeal.
Unlike some EVs that feel cheap, the car’s interior is made of high quality materials, which makes it stand out just as much as its good looks. It is just as practical as a Renault Zoe and more so than a Mini Electric. Performance is pretty strong, and Refinement beats all of those big opponents. You do get a good amount of that “zip” that comes from the electric motor.
The car also rides more smoothly than some smaller EVs, which tend to have trouble keeping their weight in check on the road. At higher speeds, it doesn’t feel as heavy as important competitors. The steering is known for being very direct, but body control gets a little worse when you drive faster. Even so, what really stands out about driving the e 208 is how well rounded it is.
Fiat 500 Electric
Fiat’s lineup is now a little confusing because the old car is still called the Fiat 500 Hybrid, even though it is only a mild hybrid (despite only being a mild hybrid). But the new electric 500 is the one you want. The new electric 500 might look like something you’ve seen before, but you won’t know for sure until you see it next to the old one.
Fiat did a great job of keeping the cute throwback look of the current 500 while making it into a car for the modern world. Since it was made to be an all electric car from the start, it has a 42 kilo Watt hour battery, which is pretty big for a small car, and a theoretical WLTP lab test range of 199 miles, which is more like 140 miles in real world use. There is a cheaper version of the “Fiat 500 Action” with a 24kilo Watt hour battery, but the savings aren’t big enough to recommend that version.
The electric 500 drives much better than any other 500. With 117 horsepower, it is surprisingly fast, and even though the steering is very light, it is much more fun to drive than a city car should be. Even though it doesn’t really belong on the highway, it does a great job.
The inside is also a big step up from earlier 500s. It’s still mostly made of plastic, but it looks great, the seats are comfortable, and the entertainment system works quickly and makes sense. It’s also not great for tall drivers, and it goes without saying that you shouldn’t expect to carry many people in the back.
Prices start at just over £20,000, which is a lot for a small city car but a great deal for a stylish and very useful electric vehicle.
Vauxhall Corsa-e
The Peugeot e 208’s sister car from Vauxhall doesn’t have quite the same style or WLTP range, and the inside isn’t as creatively set up. It’s also not quite as cheap.
But that shouldn’t make you think that this Vauxhall isn’t worth a test drive. It might not be as fancy as the Peugeot, but it seems to be fine. The car has a real everyday battery range of 180 miles, good handling, and a comfortable ride. It also comes with 100 kilo Watt DC rapid charging compatibility as standard, which should be a selling point. Vauxhall also offers free installation of a home charger and access to a discounted home energy tariff as sales incentives.
Because Vauxhall has a strong dealer network in the Europe, this car is likely to be one of the best selling EVs in the Europe, ready to convince people who haven’t thought about electric cars before. It’s definitely good enough to make the right impression.
Mini Electric
The Mini Electric brings all the fun you expect from the brand to the compact EV category, but it also has some of the usual limits on how you can use it.
The powertrain for the Mini Electric comes from the BMW i3S, which gives it a very healthy 181bhp and 199lb ft of torque. The Mini Electric is mostly based on the 3 door Mini bodyshell. Performance wise, it’s a lot better than most of the cars on this list, and the way it handles is gripping, quick, and agile, just like the Mini brand has always been. We really like it.
The catch is range. Mini says it can go 144 miles, but you’re more likely to get between 100 and 120 miles depending on how and where you drive it. And that’s in a car with a small trunk and back seats that are hard to get to and don’t really serve anyone but young children.
Even though it has a short range, this is still one of the most fun little EVs. However, it is no longer at the top of this list.
BMW i3
If the i3 can’t be said to have popularized the idea of owning an electric vehicle (that honor goes to the Nissan Leaf, which came out in 2010), it can at least be said to have shown that such cars can be interesting and unique.
Since 2013, BMW’s city car that looks like a motor show has gotten better in terms of range, power, and interior tech. However, the plug in range extender that gave owners a safety net has been removed, so the model is now only pure electric. The official range is 188 miles, which isn’t great in 2022, especially given how much the car costs.
Aside from its springy body control, what we like about the i3 is its sense of elegance, its easy going driving, its finely weighted controls, and the way it feels inside. Even though it is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and has a striking design, it still manages to feel new and exciting.
Honda E
Honda’s first all electric car, the Honda E supermini, is unusual in a lot of ways. It is very small for an electric car and has a lot of creative ideas.
A rear mounted powertrain promises efficient packaging, but the car doesn’t do a great job of delivering on that promise. An all independent suspension promises the ride and handling sophistication of a bigger car, but the car does a much better job of delivering on that promise (which the car does a deal better to actually supply).
The E comes in 134bhp and 152bhp versions, but neither has as much battery power as its competitors: All you get here is 35.5 kilo Watt hour “gross,” which gives you a claimed WLTP range of up to 137 miles (with 16 inch wheels) (with the car rolling on 16in wheels). During testing, our 17in tired test car had trouble going much faster than 100 mph.
When you’re driving the E, it feels smooth, controlled, and easy to handle. The steering is moderately quick, but the turning circle is small, and the performance is moderate but quick. It doesn’t thrill and doesn’t have the best body control in the background, but it would make a nice 0 emissions city car, and its unique look is especially charming.
Mazda MX-30
Even when the rest of the industry seems to be doing something else, Mazda has never been afraid to do things its own way.
So, the MX 30 isn’t quite what you’d expect, but it’s still an interesting idea. The car looks like a toy, and the battery pack is very small, with only 35.5 kilo Watt hour and an official range of 124 miles. Mazda thinks customers won’t need more than that, and expanding the size of the battery would cost more.
The inside of the car is pretty roomy, and it has an SUV lite look that is very on trend. It is also decorated with interesting materials that make the cabin a very comfortable and appealing place to be.
The MX 30 is also great in terms of its dynamics, but only when you’re going fast on a fun road. The electric motor’s 143bhp and 199lb ft of torque won’t blow your socks off in a straight line, but the MX 30’s steering weight and the way the suspension moves weight around corners are similar to the MX 5 sports car. In town, on the other hand, it can feel a bit boring.
It is possible to charge at up to 50 kilo Watt, and if the short range doesn’t bother you, there is a lot to like about the unique Mazda MX 30. It could work well as a second car.
Renault Zoe
The Renault Zoe has never been the most exciting EV, but the new model is a huge improvement over the old one. With its 52 kilo Watt hour battery, it has a lab tested range of up to 239 miles, which puts some of the more expensive options on this list to shame. Even if in the real world it’s more like 190 miles, that’s still a lot of work. It can be charged at 50 kilo Watt, which isn’t anything to write home about, but it’s better than earlier models that could only be charged with AC power.
Prices start at well under £30,000, but if you want more power and features, you should get an R135 in Iconic trim. Still, compared to its competitors, that’s a great deal, especially now that you don’t have to rent the battery from Renault.
It’s mostly fun to drive because it’s quick, quiet, and easy to maneuver around town. At higher speeds, it can feel a little bit unstable, and the controls feel a little bit heavy. The interior and entertainment features are much better than in the last model.
But the safety agency Euro NCAP gave the current version of the Zoe a 0 star rating based on crash tests that were released at the end of 2021. They were especially critical of how it handled offset frontal and side impacts. At one point, the Zoe was the best electric vehicle (EV) in Europe. However, Renault’s replacement for it, the much anticipated new 5, can’t come soon enough right now.
Volkswagen e-Up
The Volkswagen e Up is the only one left from the three electric cars it made with the Skoda Citigo e iV and the Seat Mii. We’ve always liked the Volkswagen because it seems a little more fun and because, well, it was here first.
Volkswagen’s smallest electric car came out before the new ID range. In 2020, it got a bigger battery, so it can now go 159 WLTP miles. The price has also gone down, and it’s now just a little over £21,000 (with the £2500 government subsidy). This makes the e Up look like a good deal compared to the recent trend of small EVs that cost more than £30,000. The current model has a lane keeping system that uses a camera, and the light, airy cabin is still there.
As is often the case with small electric cars, this Volkswagen is best used as a second car or for shorter trips. It can carry four people pretty comfortably, and the 155 lb ft of torque make it pretty fast. As is typical for Volkswagen, the controls are also easy to understand and use.
Smart EQ Fortwo
Mercedes’s old brand Smart is now an electric mobility brand instead of a regular car seller, and it has a much smaller selection of models than it used to. You can still buy a small Fortwo EV, though. You’ll need to be sure that all of your electric driving will be done in the city, though, because the car only has an 80 mile WLTP range and can only fit two people. If you go outside of the city, the range drops to about 65 miles.
Even with the discount from the UK government, a useful range like that is a bit of a laugh for a car that costs more than £20,000. The car’s exterior and interior at least have a unique look and feel, and its engine is quick enough to get away from most traffic up to about 50 mph. However, the ride can be bumpy and unsettling, and the car’s slow steering makes it hard to control.
