The 10 best electric cars to buy in 2021
Ahead of a ban on fossil-fuelled cars by 2030, here’s the pick of the EVs you can buy now in terms of range, efficiency and desirability
The Government has announced that, by 2030, no purely petrol or diesel cars will be allowed to be sold brand new in the UK and that, by 2035, hybrids will be banned too.
In other words, in 14 years’ time, the UK’s new car sales market will be almost entirely electric. That means manufacturers have until then to get a range of electric models on sale and available to us to replace the vast array of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars currently on offer.
No small feat, frankly. And of course, an electric car won’t suit everyone; finding a solution that works for those whose annual mileage is too great, or who simply don’t have access to an electric car charger at home or nearby, will be imperative in the intervening years.
But if you can make the switch, electric cars offer plenty of benefits, even now. Not only are modern electric cars fast and quiet, but they’re also cheap to run and maintain and mechanically very simple.
And such is the pace of development that, with a couple of exceptions, this top 10 bears little relation to our pick of EVs on a couple of months ago.
Besides, switching to electric before we’re forced to could help you to get your head around the ins and outs of charging, as well as to work out whether range anxiety really will affect you. Fancy it? If so, we reckon these are the best EVs on sale today.
10. Renault Zoe
Price: from £26,995
Range: up to 245 miles
Energy consumption: up to 3.6 miles per Kilowatt-hour (mpkWh)
A process of constant evolution has meant that, despite the age of its basic design, the Zoe is still right up to date. Rapid charging is still only an optional extra, which feels churlish, and the car’s electrical efficiency isn’t marvellous. However, a bigger battery and a new interior came along a couple of years ago to keep it fresh, giving the Zoe a deeply impressive range for the price, and on the road it remains one of the most composed and comfortable EVs.
9. Vauxhall Mokka-e
Price: from £28,840
Range: 201 miles
Energy consumption: 3.6mpkWh
With its striking styling, you could forgive the second-generation Mokka many sins. Fortunately, you don’t have to, especially in electric form, given this is the way in which the Mokka is best served. Even on larger wheels it rides adeptly, glossing over most imperfections fluidly while still retaining enough control of the body to prevent wallowiness, and it handles neatly. The interior is rather lovely, too.
8. Kia Soul EV
Price: from £34,545
Range: 280 miles
Energy consumption: 6.4mpkWh
One of the more distinctive electric cars on the road, the Soul EV’s styling makes it stand out from the crowd, even if it isn’t to everyone’s taste. Whatever you might think of its looks, though, beneath the skin this is an electric car of real talent; it’s practical, spacious, well equipped, and great to drive, and thanks to impressive energy efficiency, it gets a sizable range from a battery that isn’t too large or weighty. And of course, it comes with Kia’s whopping seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
7. Fiat 500
Price: from £19,995
Range: up to 199 miles
Energy consumption: up to 4.4 mpkWh
Fiat has stolen the Honda e’s thunder somewhat, serving up in its new 500 a chic, electric city car that offers a greater range for less cash, and just as much self-confident style. OK, the steering is oddly elastic and the ride could be better, but the interior finish and attention to detail are something else. This is an efficient EV, too, and with its pretty looks and peppy performance it’s bound to find many a home among style-conscious urbanites.
6. Jaguar i-Pace
Price: from £65,195
Range: up to 292 miles
Energy consumption: up to 1.8mpkWh
A cavalcade of awards met the arrival of the i-Pace – including the 2019 Car of Year award – and that comes as no great surprise, for not only is it far more exciting than most electric cars to drive, but it’s beautifully appointed, handsome, fast, and boasts a very usable range. Only its poor energy efficiency knocks it back, but if you can live with that it remains one of the classiest EVs.
5. Ford Mustang Mach-E
Price: from £37,350
Range: up to 379 miles
Energy consumption: up to 3.8 mpkWh
Should it be called a Mustang, after Ford’s famed V8-engined muscle car of the Sixties? Frankly, it doesn’t really matter, because with the Mach-E, Ford has managed to concoct a rakish SUV that offers one of the longest ranges of any electric car – and at a very compelling price. It’s also admirably efficient for its size, so it shouldn’t cost the earth to run, and the best part is it’s as engaging to drive as you’d hope from a company that has also given us a long line of beguiling ST-badged hot hatches – not to mention the, ahem, “real” Mustang.
4. Porsche Taycan
Price: from £67,745
Range: up to 287 miles
Energy consumption: up to 2.9mpkWh
It’s arguably the best-driving electric car on sale today, but until recently the Taycan’s high price made it hard to justify. Now, though, with the addition of the RWD entry-level version, it suddenly seems a bit more reasonable. It’s beautifully finished inside, with four doors and a proper boot, and build quality the Tesla Model S can only dream of; yes, it’s costly to buy and reasonably so to run, too, but if you can stretch to it, the Taycan is a pretty special bit of kit.
3. Tesla Model 3
Price: from £40,490
Range: up to 348 miles
Energy consumption: up to 4.2mpkWh
It should come as no surprise that the Model 3 has won over thousands of buyers across the world. With a better level of finish than its Model S stablemate, it’s even banishing some of the reasons not to buy a Tesla. Throw in the smart, minimalist interior, access to Tesla’s Supercharger network, and a price that actually seems rather reasonable, given the whopping range and super-saloon performance, and the Model 3 is very tempting.
2. Volkswagen ID.3
Price: from £28,670
Range: up to 336 miles
Energy consumption: up to 4.0mpkWh
By the time you read this, the above info might not be accurate. That’s because Volkswagen is adding more and more variants to the ID.3 range, seemingly by the day, with different combinations of battery and motor bringing a huge variety of range and performance permutations. That means there’s an ID.3 to suit almost everyone, and the underlying car drives classily and feels airy and spacious – much as you’d expect from the company that brought us the Golf, a car we wouldn’t be surprised to see the ID.3 one day usurp.
1. Kia e-Niro
Price: from £29,595
Range: up to 282 miles
Energy consumption: up to 6.5mpkWh
With the arrival of more affordable variants, the Kia E-Niro is once again our favourite electric car. Not only does it offer an impressive range-to-price ratio, whether you choose the 39kWh or 64kWh battery, but it’s light years ahead of its rivals on efficiency, and therefore relatively inexpensive to run. Throw in a comfortable, quiet ride, a smart interior and enough space to serve as ideal family transport, and you have a winning combination.
All prices are ‘On The Road’ and take into account the £3,000 Government plug-in car grant (PiCG). Where quoted, range and energy consumption figures were obtained using the official WLTP Combined test cycle.
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