Electric cars aren’t just the future, they’re the present as well. With huge numbers of new electric models getting released all the time and an approaching ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, the market is now swamped with EVs of all shapes and sizes to suit many different lifestyles and budgets. But with so much choice around which models stand out, in this article we’ve looked at every fully electric car in every class to name an overall top 10, and we’re also naming the EVs to avoid.
But first, which new electric cars arriving this year are worth looking out for? Well, the new Renault 5 has recently been revealed and it’s set to be an eye-catching, cheap, small electric car with a decent range and an optional baguette holder, and 2024 could well be the year of the cheap electric car, because a few more small, affordable options should be on the way, too. In particular, the Dacia Spring and the Citroen EC3.
For a long time, electric car pricing has been a big barrier to many people deciding to go electric, but hopefully the next 12 months will broaden the options for those looking at the bottom end of the EV market. At the other end of the scale though, another hotly anticipated model for 2024 is the new fully electric Range Rover, which should arrive later this year. It definitely won’t be cheap, but considering how impressive the fuel-powered Range Rover is, the prospect of an electric take on this luxury icon could get footballers and other VIPs very excited.
But while there are lots of EVs to get excited about, there are some available already, which are actually best avoided. And taking into account all of the EVs around now, there are a couple which stand out for the wrong reasons. The Ford Mustang Mach-E was launched a few years ago, and while it comes with a lot of equipment and is a relatively large electric SUV, quality-wise it has so-so build quality inside and a very abrupt ride, which makes most journeys in it pretty tiring. Even some hurried updates to the car haven’t fixed things to a noticeable extent. In the competitive electric SUV market, there are a lot of options which are better. The Lexus UX offers great build quality inside. Oh, that is it for the positives. Unfortunately for the Japanese manufacturer, this is one of the least recommendable electric cars around, because it has cramped rear seats and a tiny boot, even though it’s not a particularly small car, and on top of that it has a terrible electric range. You’ll be lucky to get 170 miles in cold conditions. And it can only rapid charge using an old fashioned chadomo connector, excepting a maximum charging rate of just 50 kilowatts. So the very fastest it can get a 10-80% charge is 1 hour and 30 minutes, much slower than most new EVs. But the very worst thing about it is the price. You can spend up to £57,000 on the UX300e, and for that money, basically any other electric choice makes more sense.
Anyway, moving on now to the electric cars that are worth shouting about for good reasons. And kicking off our top ten is the BMW i7. It’s an electric luxury limo which has an astonishing range of tech, including an optional 31-inch 8K cinema screen. It truly does treat its passengers like royalty. It’s not just incredible to sit in, it’s brilliant to drive as well. Offering a massive range, impressive handling for such a huge car, punchy performance and sublime levels of refinement. But really this is still an EV catering for VIPs sat in the back, and if you’re looking for the ultimate in electric luxury, there’s nothing better to be driven in. While it is fantastic, it is rather expensive though, costing more than any other car in this list.
From ultra-luxury to ultra-value with the bargain-priced MG4. As we’ve already said, 2024 could be the year of the cheap electric car with models like the Citroen EC3 and Dacia Springs set to hit the market. But they’ve got a big job on their hands to overthrow the current king of the low-end electric car market. The MG4 is available in a few different forms including range-topping versions offering a massive range and supercar slaying straight-line performance. But even though the most expensive versions of the MG4 are still good value, relative to their rivals, it’s the cheapest versions which are the most recommendable. The MG4 SE is the cheapest car in this list by some way and still offers a respectable range, decent ride comfort and impressive practicality. It’s not the best electric car around, but when it comes to value, right now, it can’t be beaten.
The BMW iX3 is a great buy if you’re looking for a big electric SUV. It’s good to drive, practical, it offers a better electric range than other Porsche electric SUVs that it’s up against, which also costs more money. And in an era of irritatingly glitchy touch screens and no physical controls to control the air conditioning, the iX3, refreshingly, comes with high-quality buttons and dials and an infotainment system which is easy to use, packed with features and overall tough to beat.
