The best electric cars – driven, rated and ranked

Best for: Sports car thrills

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N takes the Korean brand's electric crossover and sends it into electric sports car territory.

The electric driver's car has landed, and it will slot into most of our lives with ease.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

Utilising a dual-motor powertrain, the Ioniq 5 N produces 641bhp and 549lb ft, hitting 0-62mph in a staggeringly fast 3.4sec. 

Hyundai claims it will do 278 miles on a charge too, thanks to an 89kWh battery. 

While it may feel heavier and much bigger than a traditional sports car, you can make it sound and feel like one.

It has an inbuilt sound generator that lets you select several different 'engine' notes, working in tandem with synthetic gearshifts.

A bit silly? Maybe, but it's more convincing than any other high-performance EV we've tested in terms of bridging the gap between piston power and electric. 

A landmark car? We think so, and a genuine driver's car at that. 

Best for: Overall completeness

For a couple of years now, Autocar has conducted an annual test of the best-handling, most fun, 'affordable' (it's relative) electric cars on sale, and the Cupra Born is the reigning champion, beating rivals such as the MG 4 XPower and Abarth 500e. 

It over-delivers on practicality and its rear-wheel-drive handling and ride are miles ahead of rivals' efforts.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

The Born sits at a compelling nexus of size and usability, weight and power, real-world range and price.

It has enough power to keep you interested but doesn't seem excessive for the road or to compromise its efficiency in quicker motoring. It has an engaging, balanced, rear-driven chassis and some precision and purpose to its body control, but it also includes four usable seats and a decent boot.

The Born will also cover 220 real-world miles on a charge, which should be enough to get you to and from your favourite road, and it has the personality and poise to make the trip worthwhile.

There’s a completeness to the Born as a package that makes it the ideal affordable EV for interested drivers to take their first steps into zero-emissions motoring. Perhaps not by chance, it feels more like a Volkswagen Golf GTI for the electric age than anything that Volkswagen itself is making right now.

Plus, Cupra has also just introduced the Cupra Born VZ, a hot hatch version with 322bhp and 402lb ft. It will hit 0-62mph in 5.7sec, which is faster than the standard Born by more than a second. 

Best for: Fun

What we have here is the standout electric supermini. The Renault 5 effortlessly blends retro design with modern technology and does it all at an affordable price.

The 5’s vertical body control is miles more settled than a Mini Cooper's.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

Inside, Renault has deployed colours and materials usually found in more expensive models, and it has all the latest tech, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It’s available with two different powertrains. The cheapest has a 120bhp motor and a 40kWh battery, while the more expensive has a 150bhp motor and a 50kWh battery. So more money equals more power and more range.

Efficiency is the name of the game with small EVs, and the 5 paints a curious picture. During our time with a long-range model, it returned 5.0mpkWh in our everyday test, giving a range equating to 260 miles, actually besting the WLTP range of 253 miles; but our motorway driving test sent its efficiency plummeting to 3.1mpkWh.

Best for: Family appeal

There's a lot to like about the Volkswagen ID 7, the German firm's first electric saloon (and indeed the ID 7 Tourer, its first electric estate).

It rides very nicely indeed, handles with an intuitive ease that befits this style of saloon and is competitive in terms of the prosaic elements of EV ownership.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

A good choice for drivers looking to drive longer distances, the ID 7 comes as standard with a single-motor set-up, producing 282bhp and 402lb ft.

Longer-range cars are equipped with an 86kWh battery that offers a range surpassing 400 miles, with maximum charging speeds of 200kW. 

The ID 7 drives brilliantly for such a large, heavy car. It's not quite as sporty as a Tesla Model 3 or a BMW i4 but is very well rounded. It feels agile, offers more than enough poke and grips well in the corners.  

As for everyday practicality, the ID 7 possesses 532 litres of boot space and limo-like rear space. It really is the best in class in this respect, and the whole family will be comfortable. 

Many of Volkswagen's EVs have previously come under fire for poor material quality, but the ID 7 comes close to addressing most of these concerns, although the infotainment system is still frustrating to use and there's still a distinct lack of the material richness possessed by other premium options. 

Best for: Handling

The Taycan, despite being an EV, still feels every bit a Porsche product.

More than its outright performance, I'm impressed by how nice the Taycan is to drive gently.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

It deftly delivers close body control along with the perfect balance of communication in cornering forces, building up and abating in such neat, linear fashion.

It’s also devastatingly fast in a straight line. In full-fat Turbo S form, it will officially do the standard 0-62mph sprint in 2.4sec.

Range depends largely on which model you choose, but the biggest-battery option gives the Taycan an outstanding 422 miles on the WLTP combined test.

Our own testing of this model resulted in 3.7mpkWh, making for a real-world range of around 360 miles, which is very impressive for such a car with so much performance on offer.

Access remains quite tight for a luxury GT. Rear passenger space isn’t too generous considering the size, but the driving ergonomics are nothing short of superb. 

Best for: Luxury

Charles Rolls noted the potential of electric motors for adoption in luxury cars right at the beginning of the 20th century, but it took the car company he co-founded 120 years to catch up with his embryonic vision.

Drive selection is simple and genteel: you do it with a column shifter. There are no regen paddles or Sport programmes.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

Now that it has, though, and the super-luxury EV class has its first-ranking member, there can be no debate about which electric car comes first for luxury appeal.

The Rolls-Royce Spectre coupé has wowed us during test drives in the UK, South Africa and North America.

We've particularly praised its ride isolation and cushioned body control, even on its huge (23in) alloy wheels, the uncommon smoothness of its ‘one-pedal’ driving, its supreme, cocooning quietness and its unexpectedly rewarding steering and handling.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS limousine set a pretty high bar for low noise levels and lavish on-board feel, but for the best of the best where luxury is concerned and the ultimate sense of occasion, Goodwood’s experts still set themselves apart.

Best for: Long range

The Tesla Model 3 is still as hugely significant for the American EV brand as it has ever been, helping to spearhead its continued charge in Europe. 

Even in its cheapest, lowliest form, this Tesla blends competitive saloon car practicality, striking performance and reasonable handling dynamism in a manner that makes it a fine all-rounder.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

A great all-rounder, the compact saloon received a mid-life facelift in 2024, bringing with it a sharp design refresh, plus interior and technology updates.

Sensitive, direct steering is a huge draw for the Model 3, and it's fun and engaging in most driving situations. A 0-60mph sprint of 4.4sec is rapid, and few EVs will match it for the same price. 

Refinement and ride were weak points in the old Model 3, but this one improves things slightly. It's still not as comfortable as it should be, but it's far quieter than before. 

Range has increased too. While the old Model 3 offered 254 miles in its entry-level specification, the latest car manages 344 miles. And the Long Range version does 391 miles, which is far ahead of several rivals. 

Prices start from around £40,000, which remains competitive in a market that is increasing in size year-on-year.

Best for: Comfort

A traditional long-legged limousine with one major change: an EV powertrain. The i7 is a BMW first and an EV second, in that despite its size and weight, it can still carve a line around a tight corner with absolute poise.

Just 63dBA of ambient noise at a 70mph cruise is very impressive indeed.

Murray Scullion, Digital editor

For drivers, the ambience is calming. There are clever designations of different leather and veneers, with secondary controls made out of cut glass.

In the back, meanwhile, passengers can sit in airline-style twin seats. Complete with ‘sleeping seat’ positions and individual screens. Then there’s BMW’s roof-mounted 31.3in 8K Theatre Screen too.

It’s more technologically advanced and more spacious than any BMW 7 Series before it.