► The best electric cars of 2021
► Our guide to the UK's top EVs
► Electric car buying advice and more
UK car buyers are gradually waking up to electric cars – and sales have continued to grow despite the Coronavirus pandemic. This trend will only continue as the costs of EVs fall, ranges increase and the electric charging network expands. With the UK goverment set to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030, electric cars will be your only option in the future, anyway.
Electric cars: further reading
In this guide, we reveal our picks for Britain's best electric cars and explain why you should consider plugging in now more than ever before. And don't forget the UK government will also subsidise your EV by up to £3000 with its Plug In Car Grant, reducing the price premium that battery cars carry.
The best EVs to buy in the UK
Like any fossil-fuel powered car, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) come in all shapes and sizes, and which EV is best for you will depend on a variety of factors – such as your average daily mileage, the type of driving you do and access to private or public charging points. There's no point having an electric car if it can't accommodate your usage, or if the infrastructure isn't there to support it, after all.
Want to know which is the best pure electric car for you to consider? We've handily split them into different categories, so browse through our guide below defined by vehicle type. There'll be an electric car that's right for you somewhere in this lot - we've covered most budgets and requirements, so read on to find out which we recommend the most highly.
Best electric family cars
Not everyone wants an SUV, so here we round up the finest electric family cars. We've got hatchbacks and saloons, ranging in price from 'quite affordable' to top-end electric Porsches. This sector will blossom in the coming months, as more and more EVs are released. We'll be updating it regularly.
VW ID.3
Volkswagen offered an all-electric version of the last Golf - but not so with the new Mk8. That's because it's branching out into its own standalone range of electric cars badged ID. The 3 signifies that this is roughly the same size as a Golf and there will be a choice of battery capacities to offer a range of price and range. We've tested the Volkswagen ID.3 and it's one of the slickest mid-sized, mid-budget EVs out there, with a keen drive, the usual Wolfsburg quality and enough panache to keep the most tech-savvy buyers happy.
Read our VW ID.3 review
View VW ID.3 lease deals
Volvo XC40 Recharge
The most impressive thing about the first all-electric Volvo is not its lively acceleration, although 4.9 seconds to 62mph can be fun. No, the real achievement is just how much like every other XC40 it feels to drive or be passengered in. Considering that the powertrain is completely different, and the weight much greater, it does a very good job of offering the same mix of refinement, comfort and feelgood modernity.
Read our Volvo XC40 Recharge review
View Volvo XC40 lease deals
Tesla Model 3
The more affordable and long-awaited Model 3 has finally arrived in the UK. It might be the least expensive Tesla available but, even in entry-level form, few are likely to be disappointed – as even the base model packs a claimed 254-mile range and the ability to sprint from 0-60mph in just 5.3sec. It even comes with the Autopilot drive assistance system, which takes the edge off long trips and adds to the space-age feel. A dual-motor version with all-wheel drive and increased range is available; it can cover a claimed 329 miles and serves up a supercar-rivalling 0-60mph time of 3.2sec.
Read our full Tesla Model 3 review
View Tesla Model 3 lease deals
Nissan Leaf
The world's first mass-market electric car is back in v2.0 as a better-than-ever family electric car. Priced from around £28k, the latest Nissan Leaf uses carryover mechanicals but sprinkled with a whole lot of better battery tech and a fresh wardrobe to bring it in line with the latest Nissan family look found in models such as the Qashqai. Nissan quotes a real-world range of up to 239 miles if you opt for the E+ version, giving the Leaf true everyday practicality creds. The interior is a bit of a let-down, but this is a very viable electric hatchback for families. We put a Leaf through a 10-month long-term test and, in the first 395 miles, we used electricity costing just £13.70 – revealing the true cost savings available with an EV.
Read our full Nissan Leaf review
View Nissan Leaf lease deals
Tesla Model S
The Model X's more sensible saloon sibling, the Tesla Model S, is the landmark electric car that set the cat among the pigeons. It's well established now and brought a dash of executive style to the EV marketplace years before the Europeans finally caught up. It has a very long range, exceeding 300 miles in many trim levels, and performance is – quite literally – ludicrous; go for the top model, opt for the 'Ludicrous' upgrade and you'll have a car capable of 0-60mph in a blistering 2.4sec. These are practical saloon cars, that said, with plenty of space for five and a fully flat floor for rear-seat passengers. All Teslas benefit from the brand’s Supercharger network for rapid recharging, too, which makes them far easier to recharge than many rivals – as the alternatives often have to rely on independent, and frequently unreliable, charging networks. Just watch out for steep prices, which have ballooned to start at £82,190 for a Long Range Model S in the UK.
Read our Tesla Model S long-term test review
View Tesla Model S lease deals
Porsche Taycan
The new Porsche Taycan is an incredible technical achievement. It does the things we all enjoy about driving – accelerating, braking, going around corners - with supreme alacrity, and features a massive well of capability largely untapped by normal driving. Porsche is deploying cheaper, rear-wheel drive variants to sit alongside the toppy Turbo, Turbo S and 4S models. Today, Taycan prices start at £83,367.
Read our Porsche Taycan review
View Porsche Taycan lease deals
Polestar 2
The Polestar 2 is a cracking addition to the shopping list for mid-sized EV buyers. It sneaks in just under £50k, but rather more pertinently lease deals start at around £500 per month. Hailing from Sweden's Volvo, Polestar is a new start-up that carries across the Scandi chic design values and quality from its sister brand, but wrapped up in a more progressive, modern vibe. This car ushers in Google's first Android OS so there are very few buttons (sound familiar, Tesla?) and everything is operated from a touchscreen or by the Hey Google voice assistant. It's great to drive, too, looks slick and is very well built.
Polestar 2 review
View Polestar 2 lease deals
Skoda Enyaq
The Enyaq's sub-£35,000 starting price seems fair for the iV 60 model and bodes well for the upcoming lower-powered models. It's comfortable, well-sorted, and does a great job of appealing to as many drivers as possible. Friendlier and more luxurious than a Kia e-Niro and looks better inside and out than a Volkswagen ID.4 – which is very, very good for the Skoda Enyaq iV, and worrying for Volkswagen.
Read our full review here
Electric cars: more buying advice
If you intend to use an electric car for longer journeys, make sure your local trunk roads and motorways have the infrastructure to support charging en route or consider an alternative, such as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). These mix battery tech and petrol or diesel power to provide a get-out-of-jail-free card for when pure electric range simply isn’t enough.
If you want to know more about the best hybrids on the market, check out our separate explainer here.
The reality is that most electric car owners will rarely have to charge up in public; if you have off-street parking and the ability to charge at home, the latest EVs will manage most of your day-to-day driving needs just by charging your battery pack domestically overnight.
One EV brand in China – Nio – is even pioneering battery-swap stations, where a robot will replace your car's depleted battery for a fully charged one while in just five minutes.
Pure electric cars will also save you money every single year because they're exempt from road tax – for now, at least. Don't miss our handy guide to how VED car tax favours EVs here - and there's lots of advice on company car tax in our explainer here.
Electric car prices
EVs might cost more to buy in cash than their petrol or diesel counterparts today, but the gap is narrowing. Vauxhall, Peugeot, and Mini all have models that can run on petrol or electric and comparative prices are pretty similar.
For instance, a Peugeot e-208 GT Premium costs £34,670 in cash, while a petrol powered GT Premium Auto costs £25,525. Using Peugeot's own finance, they both cost just over £300 per month, admittedly with the electric 208 requiring a heftier deposit. Over the cost of the agreement it'd be reasonable to suggest that the extra cash upfront would be offset by using electricity rather than petrol.
Leasing prices are even more eye-opening. Costs vary wildly depending on the car, but broadly speaking cheap electric cars are the same amount to lease as cheap petrol cars. Renault Zoes and Renault Clios are both in the market for around £200 per month with the same terms.
The latest research by analysts at Deloitte suggests that cash price parity with internal combustion cars is likely to happen soon too. 'In the UK, the cost of petrol and diesel vehicle ownership will converge with electric over the next five years,' predicts Michael Woodward, UK automotive partner at Deloitte.
'Supported by existing government subsidies and technology advances, this tipping point could be reached as early as 2021. From this point, cost will no longer be a barrier to purchase, and owning an EV will become a realistic, viable option for new buyers.'
Some predictions say that 2021 is too early, but the trend is unequivocal: EVs are becoming cheaper and as prices lower, their appeal rises. Here's our list of the cheapest electric cars you can buy.
Further electric reading
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