Find the Best Value Electric Cars in 2026
We compare the cost of an EV to its range in miles to work out the best value electric cars available in 2026 in the UK.
The ‘best value’ calculation shines a very bright spotlight on car manufacturers. It’s easy to create an EV that can go hundreds of miles on a single charge – just stuff it with batteries. But then it would be very expensive.
At the other extreme, you could make an electric vehicle very cheap by hardly putting any batteries in at all. But then it wouldn’t go very far. Not much use.
The holy grail for best value electric cars is to secure a very good range, but to do so at a relatively low purchase price. The relevant calculation is therefore: Purchase price ÷ Real-world, average range in miles
Below we list all the electric cars available in the UK – plus every trim variation – with the best value cars at the top and the worst value ones at the bottom. Basically, the car list is ordered by the results of the formula above.
Car Statistics
 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| THE BASICS | |||
| Brand | Volvo | ||
| Model | ES90 | ||
| Trim | Performance Ultra Twin Motor | ||
| Type of car | Hatchback | ||
| Seats | 5 | ||
| Isofix seats | 2 | ||
| Doors | 5 | ||
| Drive | All-wheel-drive | ||
| Overall rating | out of 5 stars | ||
| PRICE | |||
| Gross price | £87,950 | ||
| Grant | £0 | ||
| Net price to pay | £87,950 | ||
| BATTERY, RANGE & EFFICIENCY | |||
| Battery capacity (useable) | 102 kWh | ||
| Range (WLTP) | 435 miles | ||
| Range (NEDC) | n/a | ||
| Range (EPA) | n/a | ||
| Average range | 357 miles | ||
| Average efficiency | 3.50 miles/kWh | ||
| MPG equivalent | 140 MPGe | ||
| PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS | |||
| Top speed | 112 mph | ||
| Acceleration 0-62 mph | 4 seconds | ||
| Power kW | 380 kW | ||
| Power bhp | 517 bhp | ||
| BOOT SIZE, DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT | |||
| Boot size | 424 litres | ||
| Cargo volume (seats down) | 904 litres | ||
| Length | 5000 mm | ||
| Width | 2054 mm | ||
| Height | 1554 mm | ||
| Weight | 2535 kg | ||
| HOME CHARGING BASICS | |||
| Car socket | Type 2 | ||
| Socket electricity type | AC | ||
| Car on-board maximum charging rate | 11.0 kW | ||
| Home charging point maximum charging rate | 7.4 kW | ||
| Charge time from 0% to 100% | 13 hours 47 minutes | ||
| HOME CHARGING OFF-PEAK COST | |||
| Off-peak electricity tariff | 10.0p | ||
| Charging cost 0% to 100% | £10.20 | ||
| Cost per mile | 2.9p | ||
| HOME CHARGING PEAK COST | |||
| Peak electricity tariff | 34.0p | ||
| Charging cost 0% to 100% | £34.68 | ||
| Cost per mile | 9.7p | ||
| WORK CHARGING BASICS (assuming a 3-phase, 32A electricity supply) | |||
| Car socket | Type 2 | ||
| Socket electricity type | AC | ||
| Car on-board maximum charging rate | 11.0 kW | ||
| Work charging point maximum charging rate | 22.0 kW | ||
| Charge time from 0% to 100% | 9 hours 16 minutes | ||
| PUBLIC / RAPID CHARGING BASICS | |||
| Car socket | CCS | ||
| Socket electricity type | DC | ||
| Car maximum charging rate | 350 kW | ||
| 50 KW RAPID CHARGER | |||
| Charge time from 10% to 80% | 1 hour 26 minutes | ||
| Electricity tariff | 50p | ||
| Charging cost 10% to 80% | £35.70 | ||
| Cost per mile | 14.3p | ||
| 150 KW RAPID CHARGER | |||
| Charge time from 10% to 80% | 29 minutes | ||
| Electricity tariff | 60p | ||
| Charging cost 10% to 80% | £42.84 | ||
| Cost per mile | 17.2p | ||
| 350 KW RAPID CHARGER | |||
| Charge time from 10% to 80% | 12 minutes | ||
| Electricity tariff | 70p | ||
| Charging cost 10% to 80% | £49.98 | ||
| Cost per mile | 20.0p | ||
