Keeping track of new cars and knowing when they’re due to go on sale can be tough, especially if you’re only interested in EVs.
There are so many due to arrive over the course of the next year, so it’s worth discovering how long you’ll be waiting for the one you want to go on sale.
This year has produced an influx of major new models from mainstream manufacturers, including the Volkswagen ID 3, Honda E and Vauxhall Corsa-e, despite an ongoing global health emergency, as well as the first models from new brands, such as the Polestar 2. The next 12 months look to be even more stacked, as manufacturers work hard to meet increasingly tough emissions rules with the introduction of more all-electric models.
New Cars 2020: what's coming this year and when?
Here's our comprehensive list of what EVs are coming when in the car industry.
December 2020
Mercedes-Benz EQA
The entry-level EQ model is set to borrow its body shape from the GLA compact crossover rather than the A-Class hatchback, leaving more room beneath the seats for batteries without compromising on interior space. Originally slated for a mid-2020 debut, it has been delayed as a result of the pandemic, but it's still expected to make its first official appearance before the end of the year.
Mercedes has yet to reveal much about the car, including which electric powertrain it will use, although the EQA is predicted to deliver 249 miles of range between charges and will likely be priced to compete with the BMW i3. Styling should closely follow that of the EQC.
Mercedes-Benz EQB
Largely expected to make an official appearance alongside the EQA, the EQB will be an electric version of Mercedes' GLB SUV. UK sales aren't due to begin until 2022 and there's very little information about what kind of performance customers can expect. A 60kWh battery is rumoured, with a potential range of around 310 miles.
It's also unclear whether the EQB will retain the seven-seat option seen in the GLB.
January 2021
Citroën e-C4
The latest-generation C4 officially went on sale in November 2020, but UK customer deliveries aren't due to begin until the new year. The latest car to wear the C4 badge will arrive with radically different coupé-crossover styling and will be offered as an electric variant for the first time. The e-C4 sits on the PSA Group's CMP modular EV platform, currently used by the Vauxhall Corsa-e, and will use the same powertrain.
Customers can expect 134bhp and 192lb ft from the motor driving the front wheels and 217 miles of range from the 50kWh battery. Top speed should be 93mph and the e-C4 should manage 0-62mph in 9.7sec.
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Whoo whoo
Barely any maintenance, cheap to run, more electric pumps than petrol stations, not that you really need them if you charge from home.
It take me 3 seconds to charge, I plug in and leave it. The car starts charging at 1am. Super cheap energy.
I can barely remember having to find a petrol station, wait to get to a pump, then need to lean on the car for 10 mins doing a fill up. What a waste of our lives.
It's still funny people think they need a range of 600 miles when they don't get that out of their own cars.
Nice sarcasm....
As an active EV driver, once you're smart enough to switch, you'll never switch back. Barely any maintenance, cheap to run, more electric pumps than petrol stations, not that you really need them if you charge from home. It take me 3 seconds to charge, I plug in and leave it. The car starts charging at 1am. Super cheap energy. I can barely remember having to find a petrol station, wait to get to a pump, then need to lean on the car for 10 mins doing a fill up. What a waste of our lives. It's still funny people think they need a range of 600 miles when they don't get that out of their own cars.
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What's so smart about paying £40,000 for a car when I can buy a similar ICE car for half that?
Barely any maintenance - but you still have to pay a lot for servicing, no matter how straight-forward it is. And all cars need tyres, wiper blades, brake linings, the cost of electricity when charging away from home (like many will have to with quite a few EVs still having such disappointing range) and have to be insured and covered for breakdowns (EVs can't be towed away either). That's not mentioning depreciation or deteriorating batteries that may need replacing either.
3 seconds to charge an EV? What model is that? A made up one?!
My current ICE car does 500 miles on a tank of petrol which means I'd expect an EV to do that too but there are none that can. I'd much rather spend 2 minutes filling an ICE car with fuel than 30 minutes buying an expensive coffee to kill time whilst waiting for my EV to charge after telling the ICE BMW X5 driver to get out of the EV bay.
gavsmit wrote:
No, you can't. Not new, at least. £40k, I assume you mean a Tesla Model 3 Standard+. For a BMW 3-series with similar performance, that'll be £39k for a 330i, or £41k for the diesel.
Admittedly that's a rare example, most EVs are significantly more expensive up front than combustion equivalents (not *double* though), but they're roughly similar in the long term when fuel and maintenance costs are factored in.
Sticking with BMW, the 3-series needs servicing every year, the i3 every two years. Brakes typically last over 60k miles because most braking is done via motor regen. Battery degradation isn't really a problem on liquid-cooled EVs unless you're doing monster mileages; they're warrantied for 100k miles anyway.
Read Simon's post again. I'll second what he said, I've yet to spend *any time at all* waiting for mine to charge.
On long journeys I plug in at a supermarket or cafe, and by the time I'm done, it's ready to go. The car may be short-ranged by combustion standards [not all are - the new electric Hummer has almost the same range as the old H3], but it's long enough to go further than I'm comfortable driving in one sitting. The other 95%+ of charging is at home, or occasionally topping up at a venue offering free charging. YMMV - if you routinely spend all day on the road, or live in a terraced house with no local on-street charging provisions, that won't be your experience.
My EV fills up automatically on my driveway, which means I'd expect an ICE to do that, but there are none that can! I'd much rather avoid standing in the teapot position waiting for my car to fuel *every 500 miles for the lifetime of the car*, queuing up at some greasy kiosk full of overpriced snacks that I'd never visit otherwise, and paying through the nose for that dubious privilege.
Tesla Roadster
... Is due out in 2022, not 2020! It shouldn't be listed in this article, Autocar.
Tesla has been focusing on Model Y and Cybertruck production. The Roadster is scheduled to be released after the Cybertruck, which is due in 2021.
Best to wait and see
I think it's best to let things settle and see how the market develops. Much as I like the idea of an EV with its inherent refinement, simplicity, efficiency and low day-to-day running costs, it doesn't pay to be an early adopter (unless it's a company car with someone else taking the risk). That said. I do regret not buying a Nissan Leaf or Zoe two or three years ago when unwanted nearly new ones were cheap-as-chips. Unfortunately those days are over.