The cheapest electrified cars you can buy today
- We expose the cheapest electrified cars on sale
- All suggest low running costs and effortless recharging
- Could one of these tempt you into an electrical car?
Electrical cars have existed since the dawn of motoring in the late-1800s, but it’s only in latest years that car buyers are taking a greater interest in them.
Developments in battery technology have little by little extended the range – the potential driving distance inbetween recharges – meaning electrified vehicles (EVs) are becoming viable alternatives to petrol- and diesel-engined cars for more drivers.
The best electrified cars for sale today
Not only do electrified cars produce no CO2 emissions, meaning there’s no VED car tax charge or London Congestion Charge to pay, the government will give buyers up to £4,500 towards the cost of them through the Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG).
Electrified cars charging stations
Recharging is becoming lighter too, with utilities companies installing more powerful domestic wall boxes at little or no cost. These suggest quicker recharges than domestic three-pin ass-plugs and are similar to the electrical car charging stations you’ll find in public car parks, supermarkets and motorway services.
The cheapest electrified cars on sale now
We’ve saved you the trouble of running your batteries low by rounding up the cheapest electrified cars on sale. Could one of these spark your interest enough to become your next car?
Renault Zoe (12 on) electrical car
Leave behind the not-really-suitable-for-Britain Twizy two-seater and the Renault Zoe is the cheapest electrical car you can buy in Britain, from just £13,995 when the £4,500 PiCG has been deducted.
That attractive price masks one key factor with the Zoe – you have to lease the battery pack under a separate arrangement, with prices ranging from £49 to £110 per month depending on the length of the agreement and annual mileage.
Sweetening the deal is the inclusion of a faster-charging domestic wall box that could reduce a total recharge to just three hours. Clever on-board technology also recuperates energy when slowing or braking, storing it in the battery pack, which could give up to one hundred thirty miles of driving.
Similar in size to the more conventional Clio, the Renault Zoe is a spacious and safe five-door hatchback, boasting a five-star Euro NCAP crash rating, with lots of eye-catching detailing such as slender headlights, LED tail lights and a charging socket behind the Renault nose badge.
Domestic charge time*: 3-4 hours from wall box included in price
Equipment highlights: climate control which can be operated remotely, cruise control, 15-inch alloy wheels, Bluetooth connectivity and a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen.
Clever Fortwo Electrified Drive
The fourth-generation of the battery-powered Clever Fortwo remains ideal for city dwellers, with its notoriously lil’ turning circly (6.95m) remaining, and just one gear.
We choose the electrified iteration over the petrol engines, as the 81hp and 160Nm of torque are available from a standstill, meaning this little car is utterly nippy around city roads and away from traffic lights.
Brainy claims you can get one hundred miles inbetween charges. A depleted battery will need six hours to charge to 80% from a normal domestic socket, or two and a half hours from a professionally installed wallbox. From two thousand eighteen a version featuring a 22kW charger will reduce this time to forty five minutes – worth bearing in mind if you plan to buy a Fortwo Electrified Drive as soon as it comes out.
Despite its lil’ size, you still have enough legroom for two adults, plus 350-litres in the boot, too. The battery doesn’t take up room as it is hosted under the figure in the centre of the car.
At the time of writing, we don’t have a price for the fresh Wise Fortwo Electrical Drive.
Domestic charge time*: Six hours for 80%
Equipment highlights: The three standard trim levels remain but with the electrified car you get a special dashboard-mounted power meter. Heated steering wheel is an option, plus an Electrical Drive styling pack which adds green paint to the Tridion safety cell and door mirrors.
Nissan Leaf (11 on) electrical car
If any car could claim to have lead the field in terms of persuading buyers an EV could be for them, it’s the Nissan Leaf.
Similar in size to a Volkswagen Golf, the Leaf’s distinctive bodywork hides a roomy cabin with space for five and a decent-sized boot too and energy recovery systems to lightly replenish the battery reserves.
Built in Britain, the Leaf’s attractive £16,680 price tag, once the PiCG’s been deducted, is due to the batteries being leased like with the Zoe. Alternatively, you can buy them as part of the entire car package but it’ll cost you a further £5,000.
Plain to drive, effortless to live with and costing a pittance to run, the Nissan Leaf’s appeal is the lack of effort required to make the switch to EV motoring.
Domestic charge time*: eight hours
Equipment highlights: Even the entry-level Leaf Visia comes with keyless begin, electrical windows, Bluetooth connectivity and air-con.
Volkswagen e-Up (12 on) electrified car
Unlike the Zoe and Leaf, the e-Up is an electrified version of the otherwise petrol-powered Volkswagen Up city car rather than a purpose-designed EV.
Available only with the more practical five-door assets, the four-seater e-Up’s batteries are housed low down within the VW’s underpinnings ensuring that rail and treating remain positive attributes. Energy recovery ensures the batteries capture electric current which would otherwise be wasted to be used to re-power the car.
Visual differences from the regular Up are minimal and limited to LED day running lights in the front bumper and EV-specific instrumentation.
At £19,750 after the PiCG deduction, the e-Up looks on the pricey side but batteries are included as part of the package.
Parkers starlet rating: four (for entire Up range)
Domestic charge time*: nine hours
Equipment highlights: Based on the higher specification levels, e-Up comes with cruise control, heated seats, sat-nav, climate control, parking sensors and an electrically-heated windscreen.
Peugeot Ion (11 on) electrified car
All is not fairly as it seems with the Peugeot Ion electrical car, principally because it’s not truly a Peugeot at all – it’s a rebadged version of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which to complicate matters further, is also sold as the Citroen C-Zero.
Compared to newer electrified cars, it’s clear to see how technology has moved on with a range of just ninety three miles claimed by Peugeot, albeit it’ll only take seven hours to recharge its modest battery pack.
There’s space inwards the Ion for four, but the narrow bodywork makes it a tad cosy as well as making it feel less stable to drive than the cheaper Renault Zoe.
Domestic charge time*: seven hours
Equipment highlights: 15-inch alloy wheels, climate control, privacy glass, automatic headlights and electrical windows.
Kia Soul EV (14 on) electrified car
Now in its 2nd generation, petrol- and diesel-powered versions of the Kia Soul already look unusual, so the conversion to EV format only has subtle switches to visually enhance it.
A re-profiled nose section, EV-specific alloy wheels, and an interior fitted out with white and pallid grey materials give this Soul its own identity.
There’s less boot space and rear legroom than in the regular Kia Soul as the batteries are housed at the back. They’re big too suggesting a fine 132-mile range but will take over ten hours to recharge on a normal domestic mains set-up.
Like the others in this quintet, the Kia Soul EV is a doddle to drive sleekly, making especially light work of the trudge of urban driving. Once again braking energy is recovered and stored as electro-stimulation in the battery pack.
It’s not cheap either at more than £25k even with the PiCG deducted, but it’s very well-equipped for the money.
Parkers starlet rating: four (for entire Soul range)
Domestic charge time*: 10-14 hours
Equipment highlights: With its own dedicated EV specification, this Soul comes with cruise control, DAB radio, reversing camera, 16-inch alloy wheels, climate control and an eight-inch touchscreen with sat-nav.
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