Best Electric Cars

Which are the best electric cars in 2021?

Answering this question obviously depends on what you mean by ‘best’. There are many lists of the best electric cars, but they are all different.

We might claim the Mona Lisa is the best painting in the world. You might say it’s over-rated and definitely not the best. Whether something is the best for you depends on what you feel is most important. It’s the same in the world of EVs.

We have come up with our own, subjective, Top 10 electric cars list below. The main criteria we have taken into account are price, range, value for money, features, and build quality.

These are 100% Battery Electric Cars (BEVs), not hybrid cars – always zero emissions when driving.

Some electric cars also have an X factor – you can’t quite pin down why you like them so much, but you can feel it when you drive them.

If you buy or lease any of these cars, you won’t be disappointed. The best electric cars impress as soon as you start driving them. Once you clock up a few miles and realise how cheap they are to run, you’re hooked forever.

At the bottom of the page, we list all the electric cars currently available in the UK in price and range bands. If you want to know which EVs are best value for money, try our Best Value Electric Cars page.

All the cars were either released or refreshed in 2018 to 2021.

1^st Tesla Model 3, Standard Range Plus

Hi-tech, rear-wheel-drive saloon with very good range

Rivals: Kia e-Niro | Hyundai Kona Electric

2^nd Kia e-Niro

A family-sized SUV with incredible range for the price

Rivals: Hyundai Kona Electric | Nissan Leaf

3^rd Peugeot e-208

A stylish, compact, modern car – excellent value for money

Rivals: Renault Zoe | Nissan Leaf | Volkswagen e-Golf

4^th Jaguar I-Pace

Stunning, off-road capable, 4×4 SUV with excellent range

Rivals: Tesla Model X | Audi e-tron 55 quattro | Tesla Model S

5^th Tesla Model X, Long Range

Versatile, sumptuous, hi-tech, long range SUV with up to 7 seats

Rivals: Audi e-tron 55 quattro | Jaguar I-Pace | Tesla Model S

6^th Hyundai Kona Electric

Dynamic SUV, fantastic range for the price, great acceleration

Rivals: Kia e-Niro | Renault Zoe | Nissan Leaf

7^th BMW i3

Futuristic-looking, agile, compact, reliable 4-seat hatchback

Rivals: Renault Zoe | Smart EQ forfour

8^th Renault Zoe

Excellent value, compact but 5-seat, EV with great range

Rivals: Nissan Leaf | Hyundai Ioniq | Kia Soul EV

9^th Nissan Leaf

Very good value, family-sized hatchback with decent range

Rivals: Hyundai Ioniq | Renault Zoe | Kia e-Niro

10^th MG ZS EV

Low-cost, 5-seat SUV with lots of features

Rivals: Kia e-Niro | Renault Zoe | Nissan Leaf

Best electric cars – Price

New electric cars in 2021 vary in price from £17,000 to over £100,000 with all the extras.

What a range in prices! The best electric cars are often neither the cheapest, nor the most expensive. You can see this from the Top 10 list above.

There are a lot of new electric cars coming out in 2020 – at all price points – but we expect there to be plenty of competition in the £20,000 to £30,000 range.

Price is clearly a key driver for EV sales. Everyone has a budget. Here are four useful pricing bands, with cars listed in ascending price order, i.e. cheapest first. Price bands include the government grant:

Best electric cars – Range

The number of miles you can travel on a single charge also varies enormously, from 70 to 338 miles.

At the cheap end of the EV market, range is pretty limited and this type of car is best suited to town and city driving. If you only ever drive a few miles around town each day, and want to eliminate emissions and pollution, a 70-mile range is fine.

If you need to travel long distances every day, then the best electric car for you will be in the 200+ miles band. It needn’t cost you an arm and a leg, either.

Here are some range bands for 100% electric vehicles, again in ascending order, i.e. lowest range first:

Up to 100 miles

Smart EQ fortwo cabrio, Smart EQ forfour, Peugeot iOn, Citroen C-Zero, Smart EQ fortwo coupe, Volkswagen e-up!

100 to 200 miles

Kia Soul EV, Volkswagen e-Golf, Mini Electric, Hyundai Ioniq Electric, MG ZS EV, Nissan Leaf, BMW i3s, Vauxhall Corsa-e, Renault Zoe, BMW i3, Peugeot e-208

200 to 300 miles

Nissan Leaf e+, Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, Mercedes EQC, Audi e-tron 55 quattro, Hyundai Kona Electric, Kia e-Niro, Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model X Performance, Tesla Model X Long Range, Tesla Model 3 Performance

Above 300 miles

Tesla Model 3 Long Range, Tesla Model S Performance, Tesla Model S Long Range

Not sure which electric car to choose?

Try our Electric Car Selector tool