The best cheap used electric cars

Best for: cutting-edge design

Price: from £5000

The i3 has trademark BMW traits: the steering weight is heftier than in typical city car and the pedal and lever responses are similarly firm.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

BMW took a clean-sheet approach to the electric revolution and its i3 still feels futuristic this long after its debut.

It was sold in the UK for almost a decade, so there’s a good used supply, and prices have stabilised at only a small premium over a BMW 1 Series of comparable age and condition. 
 
What makes the i3 great? It’s lightweight, it's aerodynamic and it has very little wasted space within its distinctively tall bodywork.

That first point is the important one though: where other manufacturers modified heavy, combustion-engined platforms to accommodate weighty batteries, BMW created a bespoke, light structure that enabled the i3 to maximise its range. 
 
For an early EV, it’s quick, especially in sportier i3s guise, and for long distances the REx range extender option is surprisingly economical when using petrol to charge the battery. 
 
That investment in expensive materials and the i3’s high-profile image means it’s a high-quality product that has aged well.

Repairs can be expensive, but it still feels like a car of the future, despite edging towards modern classic status. 

Best for: long-distance drivers

Price: from £13,000

Once you’ve figured out what all the menus on the infotainment screen do, they work well enough.

Sam Phillips, Staff Writer

This pillarless four-door fastback has consistently delivered impressive range and performance across the board, supported by the fast and vast network of Tesla Superchargers. 
 
Despite being the Ford Model T of the EV era, the Tesla Model 3 has retained its aspirational air, with the facelifted version enjoying continued popularity.

It falls into the best cheap EVs category by being better value and more effective as a daily driver than many brand new supermini-sized EVs. 

When the list price of a Dacia Spring will get you a four-year old, 350-mile, four-wheel-drive EV that offers more benefits than compromises, it’s churlish to overlook it. 

Model 3s can be found with varying levels of technology, including semi-autonomous driver assistance for motorways, while over-the-air updates keep older ones feeling relevant.

We would buy the newest, best cared-for examples over the highest-spec or most powerful ones, paying close attention to panel fit and wheel damage. 

Best for: towns, cities

Price: from £8000

Even the worst-case scenario of a 50-mile range suits the majority of drivers' daily needs.

Sam Phillips, Staff Writer

Looking at most of today’s EVs, you would be forgiven for thinking they had to be SUVs in order to accommodate all of the electrical gubbins. 

Then you’re reminded of that charming little electric city car, the Volkswagen e-Up – and very effective it was for its intended environment.

Forget massive touchscreens, proto-AI and hands-off-driving tech: the e-Up offered the convenience and nimble handling of its ICE-powered siblings, without the tailpipe emissions.

Its conventional handbrake, slim pillars, body-coloured, minimalist interior metalwork and pleasantly space-efficient packaging together achieved lightness almost as a side effect.  

Ideally, you want a later e-Up if you can push your budget close to £9000, as its 39kWh battery makes this little car go a long way – literally.

Enthusiastic drivers will know of another EV side effect that pairs well with lightness: torque. 

The e-Up’s diddy motor-and-battery combo make it a hoot to drive in cities, sprinting silently away from lights. With good damping and body control, there’s a hint of hot-hatch fun to be found at urban speeds. 
 
Once it’s on the open road, it runs out of pep and battery energy when keeping up with motorway traffic. But use it for the intended purpose and it’s one of the best used EVs you will find.  

Best for: carrying long loads

Price: from £10,000

There's an almost undetectable roundedness about it that can't have been easy to engineer in

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

It certainly feels like one of the cheapest used EVs, but look beyond the mundane plastics and the unusual blend of AliExpress infotainment and old-school instrumentation and the MG 5 offers a package that makes sense. 
 
For starters, it’s a roomy, relatively low estate, with plenty of space inside for people and stuff. This is a bodystyle that's slowly returning, but MG was first to deliver an affordable electric estate rather than an SUV or hatchback.  
 
It’s not slow, either, beating a classic Volkswagen Golf GTI from standstill to 60mph without trying. Better yet for Britain’s roads, it rides well, handling potholes and bumps with little fuss, thanks to long-travel suspension. No pretence of sportiness here, despite the octagonal badgework. 
 
You can choose 52kWh or 61kWh battery versions of the MG 5 for an effective range of between 160 and 250 miles. 

It was a bit odd-looking until the 2022 facelift, after which it became differently odd-looking, albeit closer to the rather good MG 4 EV hatchback’s vibe. The bargain prices makes the pre-facelift model’s rather gauche faux grille worth tolerating. 

Best for: easing into EV ownership without drawing attention

Price: from £8000

The e-Golf was every bit the EV we expected from Volkswagen.

Matt Prior, Editor-at-large

As a used buy, the Volkswagen e-Golf has a lot to offer anyone who doesn’t want to make a statement about their choice of powertrain. Its unassuming styling is complemented by an entirely conventional ownership experience, plus it feels reassuringly familiar throughout. 
 
It’s even better if you choose an e-Golf from 2017 onwards, when the original 24kWh battery was replaced by a far handier 35kWh edition, together with more power, improved refinement and faster charging capability. 

As with most used EVs, its range and performance lag behind current models, but the 24kWh versions simply aren’t cheap enough to make their 90-mile real-world range tolerable for many. 

No conventional combustion-engined Golf requires such frequent filling station visits, and while it might be a compromise you could accept for super-cheap early EV, that VW roundel commands a premium, with dealers asking over £6,000 for those 24kWh e-Golfs.

When the price difference can be just £1000 between a smaller-batteried 2016 model and a bigger-batteried 2017 one, aiming for the least costly one is a false economy.

Best for: urban drivers

Price: from £2000

For the sort of limited-mileage, semi-urban running that most Zoe buyers are likely to undertake, it remains an ideal choice.

James Attwood, Associate editor

The Renault Zoe could be considered as two different cars, because as a used buy, you’re really looking at a couple of very different propositions. 

The best value can be found in later models without a separate leasing fee for the battery. Those newer Zoes also benefit from the longest-range (52kWh) battery, the most powerful motor and the availability of DC fast charging, rather than the anxiety of questionable plug-in connections. 
  
Early models can be had from as little as £2000 — but just be prepared to only undertake short journeys, as the earliest 22kWh batteries won’t get you far. There's also likely to be an additional monthly battery-lease fee to factor in. 

For the sweetest spot with this electric supermini, go for the newest you can afford. 

Best for: side-hustle taxi drivers

Price: from £7500

The range-topping Premium SE models get all-round parking sensors, leather upholstery and heated rear seats thrown into the package.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

New buyers hear ‘Ioniq’ and picture a range of cyberpunk-sleek and clever new EVs with cutting-edge features and a premium-nearing image. 

But before the Hyundai Ioniq 5, there was simply the Hyundai Ioniq, a mid-sized hatchback that offered a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains.

An average car with an average driving experience: it’s a subtle yet effective way of joining the electric era. 
 
In London, where five-door practicality and zero-emission incentives rule, the affordable Ioniq Electric quickly gained a reputation for being hyper-reliable and delivering excellent driving range between charges. It didn’t take long for those Uber logos plastered on the doors to become so normal a sight that you would be forgiven for wondering if they were standard-fit. 
 
Outside of London, the earliest Ioniq Electric’s 28kWh battery pack can be a nuisance, but in 2019 the car was upgraded to a 38kWh pack, giving it a useful real-world range exceeding 100 miles even when including some motorway driving.

There’s not much between 2018 and 2019 models’ used prices, so go for the newest your budget allows. 

Best for: families (who don't need to go too far)

Price: from £8000

In terms of all-round refinement and pace, the electric B-Class is far better than its combustion-engined sister cars.

Hilton Holloway

This car incorporates two concepts we don’t see much of in current car designs: the MPV and the sandwich floor, as pioneered by Mercedes’ original A-Class.

That forward-looking design was aimed at packaging alternative fuels and energy stores without altering the passenger or luggage space, and when the larger Mercedes-Benz B-Class became electrified, we finally saw the potential utilised. 
 
As such, the Mercedes B-Class Electric Drive, or B250e, depending on the model year, offers all the benefits of an EV, with some reassuringly old-school family-car practicality.

A 500-litre boot, spacious rear seats and a high driving position with good visibility are complemented by impressive refinement and ride quality.

Range is variable, since you have the option of limiting the 178bhp Tesla-sourced motor to roughly half that output, while some models will allow you to access more of the 31kWh battery for extra range in an emergency.  

Despite the modest battery capacity and relatively large body, as well as the sub-8.0sec 0-62mph potential, this B-Class can typically manage over 100 miles between charges.

These cars are relatively rare but worth seeking out if you need to carry a lot of stuff over short distances regularly. 

Best for: going electric on a budget

Price: from £4000

The used Leafs I've driven have worn remarkably well.

Murray Scullion, Digital editor

Nissan’s original Leaf is an odd-looking five-door hatchback that set a template for the way most manufacturers approached early electrification, owing much ICE car production and construction. Consequently, the battery packaging’s impact hurt boot space and rear head room, which limited their appeal beyond early adopters. 
 
You can get really cheap first-generation Leafs now: £2000 gets you a tired but working example. Upping the budget to £3000 nets one that you will be washing, rather than fixing, at weekends. 
 
Earlier Leafs have only a 24kWh battery, so you’re likely to get a real-world range of around 60 miles unless the pack has been rebuilt or upgraded.

Yes, people hack and modify the original Leaf, plus there’s a great community around them if you want to ‘beat the system’ of apparently closed, inaccessible tech.  

The 30kWh Leaf of 2015 claimed a 155-mile range and enjoyed more power. For many drivers, a real-world range of 110 miles can be easier to live with, because the Leaf is one of the earliest EVs to offer high-voltage rapid charging at around 60kW —but it uses Chademo connectors rather than CCS ones, so make sure your longer journeys pass appropriate chargers, otherwise you will be limited to 22kW.