Elon Musk is rarely far from a headline, whether it’s covering his inflammatory posts about the far-right riots in the UK or his enthusiastic campaigning for Donald Trump’s second term as US president. But the richest man in the world’s increasingly toxic rhetoric is having a knock-on effect: some Tesla owners are starting to rethink whether they should own his electric cars any more.
It’s a shame because Tesla makes great motors. I’d rate the latest Model 3 as one of the best electric cars around. It drives nicely, is built well (a previous Tesla foible), is efficient and Tesla sells it at a price that makes other EV makers do a cartoon double-take.
But if you’re committed to electric cars, and Musk is turning you off Tesla, there are plenty of other good options. Established carmakers and newcomers have caught up with and, in many cases, overtaken Tesla with their electric offerings. Here are the 10 best non-Tesla EVs; I’ve driven them all except the new Vauxhall Frontera, which is expected to arrive in the UK in early 2025.
The best electric cars in 2024
Best affordable EV
Dacia Spring
From £14,995
Claimed range up to 140 miles
Battery size 26.8kWh
Lease A 48-month lease starts from about £134 a month, with an initial fee of about £1,613; try selectcarleasing.co.uk for a sample lease, or offers.dacia.co.uk. However, it always pays to shop around with leasing as prices do vary. See our FAQ below for more information.
The Dacia Spring may not be the last word on sophistication, but it’s perfect for urban duties, with its range of up to 140 miles, and a comfortable ride.
There’s not much space inside but it will fit two adults and two kids comfortably, and you’ll get a few carry-on bags or a weekly shop in the boot. There’s air con on every model and a 10in touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone connectivity on more expensive models. There’s even an app to control charging and turn on the heater or air con before you get into the car.
Most people will bypass the entry-level car, especially as it doesn’t add too much to the monthly cost on a finance deal, and move up to the more powerful versions with more kit. The range doesn’t go any further than £16,995.
Best small EV
Renault 5
From £22,995 TBC
Claimed range up to 250 miles
Battery size 40-52kWh
Lease The Renault 5 is too new to be available on a lease deal, with prices yet to be confirmed. However, you can reserve the car by buying a Renault 5 R Pass.
Look past the ultra-cool, retro-futuristic design of the reborn Renault 5, which looks even better in the metal than in the pictures, and it’s a great car that’ll be very easy to live with.
There’s a surprising amount of space inside for a car that’s less than four metres in length. There’s plenty of room for four, and a deep boot that will easily take a couple of cabin cases or a week’s worth of shopping.
But it’s the comfortable drive that impresses the most. The ride will do its best to smother potholes, and the car feels nimble enough to dart in and out of traffic – it’ll put a smile on your face, and of people passing by.
The quality and kit on offer is superb, and at a lower price than we expected. It has a range of just under 200 miles for the smaller battery and another 50 miles from the larger one.
Best used EV
Kia Niro EV
From £13,000
Claimed range up to 283 miles
Battery size 39-64kWh
With used EV sales rising faster than those for new EVs, among the most popular models is the Kia Niro.
The popularity of the car when it was new – especially among private hire drivers – means there are plenty around on the used market, but they’re still so in demand that they sell quickly.
The Niro is a spacious and well-made family car with a decent-sized boot that’ll hold a few suitcases, which makes it popular with cabbies. They’re easy to drive, with a good view out for everyone, reliable and well equipped.
The bigger 64kWh battery model will go the best part of 300 miles on a charge and, in my experience, the predicted range on the read-out is accurate enough to rely on.
Buy wisely and you may also get the leftovers of Kia’s excellent seven-year new-car warranty, too.
Best seven-seater EV
Kia EV9
From £65,025
Claimed range up to 349 miles
Battery size 99.8kWh
Lease A 36-month lease starts from about £538 a month, with an initial fee of about £6,457; try leasing.com for a sample lease, or kia.com.
Of the EV9’s many talents, its style and quality – including some of the nicest sustainable fabrics you’ll find inside a bright, spacious and airy cabin – are what have impressed me the most, closely followed by the comfortable drive and the efficiency of the battery and motors. Although it’s the most expensive Kia to go on sale in the UK, it still looks like good value compared with other all-electric SUVs of a similar size.
The battery is nearly 100kWh, but then the EV9 is a big, heavy car so it needs a hefty battery to hit those range targets and give the car a decent turn of pace.
Best electric sports car
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
From £65,000
Claimed range up to 278 miles
Battery size 84kWh
Lease A 48-month lease starts from about £571 a month, with an initial fee of about £6,854; try leasing.com for a sample lease, or hyundai.com.
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is a great handling car with bags of grip, sharp steering and excellent body control enabling quick changes of direction.
It’s got all the sporty accoutrements you’d want, with stripes, a beefed-up body kit, loads of dials and gizmos to play with inside, bucket seats and a great noise.
Hang on. EVs are known for their silence, so how does this one make a noise? Hyundai has added a sound generator that mimics the noises you’d expect from a hot hatchback, with revs rising and pops and bangs from the exhaust. If it sounds like a recipe for fake fun, fear not – it’s really addictive, but comes at a price that will make traditional hot hatch buyers wince.
Best EV for sustainability
Polestar 4
From £59,900
Claimed range up to 385 miles
Battery size 100kWh
Lease A 48-month lease starts from about £490 a month, with an initial fee of about £5,886; try leaseloco.com for a sample lease, or polestar.com.
The Polestar 4 – a premium coupe SUV – is one of the carmaker’s greenest motors, with seats and carpets made from recycled PET plastics and fishing nets, steel from post-consumer and post-industrial waste, and the precious metals used in the EV system traced to make sure the suppliers conform with the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process.
Delve into the Polestar website and you can get more information than any other car company will give on recycled and natural materials, tracing everything from the leather used in the car to the rare-earth metals used in the battery, and giving minute detail on the carbon footprint of the vehicle across different areas of production.
One gripe: it doesn’t have a back window, making do with cameras and screens to see behind instead.
As for the rest of the car, it’s delightful to look at and be in, with strong performance, decent space and comfort, and Google onboard to make the tech as easy to use as possible.
Best EV for range
Volkswagen ID 7
From £50,550
Claimed range up to 436 miles
Battery size 77-86kWh
Lease A 24-month lease starts from about £262 a month, with an initial fee of about £2,365; try carparisonleasing.co.uk for a sample lease, or volkswagen.co.uk.
This is the first time Volkswagen has really gone toe to toe with Tesla, although the American company has a price advantage with its Model 3. But what the ID 7 does give you is space – plenty of it – and range, which will put many people’s minds at ease.
The ID 7 Pro Match with its 77kWh battery gets close to the Tesla Model 3’s 390-mile claimed range at 381 miles; move up to the Pro S Match and you get an 86kWh battery that claims a range of 436 miles.
What marks the ID 7 out is its easy-going nature. The ride quality is superb – it feels more like a Mercedes-Benz than a Volkswagen – and it’s a quiet thing on the move.
Best luxury EV
BMW i7
From £101,765
Claimed range up to 387 miles
Battery size 105.7kWh
Lease A 24-month lease starts from about £563 a month, with an initial fee of about £6,766; try leasing.com for a sample lease, or offers.bmw.co.uk.
Tesla’s range-topping Model S isn’t currently available in the UK, but for all-round luxury, the BMW i7 knocks spots off it anyway.
The luxury car market has been dominated for years by Mercedes, but while it’s dropped the ball with its latest luxury S-Class and EQS electric models, BMW has stepped up with its 7 Series – if you can get past the ugly, upright front end with its oversized grille.
The electric i7 is all about silent luxury. Most EVs are quiet, but this takes it to a whole new level – BMW has commissioned composer Hans Zimmer to create a sound so you know you’re on the move. Sound plays a bigger part in the back – with a 31in 8k screen that drops down from the ceiling, and a 36-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system.
Best family-friendly EV
Renault Scenic E-Tech
From £37,495
Claimed range up to 379 miles
Battery size 60-87kWh
Lease A 24-month lease starts from about £257 a month, with an initial fee of about £3,084; try leasing.com for a sample lease, or offers.renault.co.uk.
For decades, Scenic has been Renault-speak for family car. The old model kicked off the trend for affordable, small multipurpose vehicles, but now it has been reinvented as an all-electric SUV. It’s still squarely aimed at families, though, just with a bit of off-road style.
Sizeable rear doors open wide to reveal a spacious back seat with room for three. And if your kids have smartphones, they’ll love the ingenious armrest with its swivel out phone holders and USB charging.
Upfront there’s a big Google-powered touchscreen, another digital screen in front of the driver and loads more cubbies to store family paraphernalia.
The Scenic isn’t the fastest EV you’ll drive – nor should it be – but it’s comfortable for the most part. Our car came on odd-looking 20in wheels, which made the ride a bit bumpy at times.
Best EV coming soon
Vauxhall Frontera
Price from £23,495
Claimed range up to 248 miles
Battery size 44-51kWh
Forget the tractor-like Frontera of the 1990s, the new one may still be an SUV, but it’s a great deal more sophisticated.
It’s also excellent value, with one standout feature: you’ll pay the same reasonable £23,495 for the entry-level electric model as you will for a petrol hybrid car.
It’s a good-looking motor that will be available in six colours, all with a contrasting colour on the roof. And there’s decent space inside, with a 460-litre boot and seats that fold down to give you 1,600 litres – enough to get a bike in the back.
This is no basic EV to keep the price down, either. There are two 10in digital displays for driver information and infotainment, while the front seats have been designed specifically to reduce pressure on the lower back on longer journeys – and they’re covered in sustainable recycled materials.
Steve Fowler has been reviewing cars and writing about the car industry for more than 30 years. He’s edited three of the UK’s biggest car titles: Auto Express, What Car? and Autocar; presented documentaries on cars for Radio 4; is a regular contributor on TV and radio; and is a World Car of the Year award juror
• This article was originally published on 10 September 2024. Reviews published in the Filter may be periodically updated to reflect new products and at the editor’s discretion. The date of an article’s most recent update can be found in the timestamp at the top of the page. This article was amended on 6 November 2024; three cars were replaced and all the leasing information was updated.
