The best electric SUVs – driven and ranked

Best for: All-round ability

The Skoda Enyaq is not a superstar in any one area like some of the other cars here, but it is a fantastic all-rounder. 

Truly excellent levels of refinement and noise isolation

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

It really is a Skoda through and through. But it just happens to be an EV too. Its interior is sensibly laid out, with physical controls and soft-touch materials. Standard adaptive cruise control and paddles for the regenerative braking make it intuitive to drive, as does the chassis, which is balanced and mature, if not especially entertaining.

Our pick of the Enyaq range is the 85 Edition, which has a big battery for a 348-mile range, as well as all the equipment you need as standard

Best for: Boot space

Whatever you think of Tesla’s figurehead, the Model Y is undoubtedly an objectively good car. 

As a practical, rangy family EV, it's hard to argue against.

Illya Verpraet, Road Tester

It tops many a best-sellers list, is keenly priced (usually with good leasing deals being offered independently) and it’s extremely spacious. The boot is frankly enormous, plus you get underfloor storage and there’s a frunk.

Tesla’s extremely button-light interior and bold, simple exterior styling isn’t for everyone, but it all meshes together when looked at through the prism of minimalism.

The ride is a bit harsh and the steering a touch too sharp. But real-world range is superb – according to our testing, the long-range all-wheel-drive model will easily crack 300 miles – and even the cheapest, least powerful model will dispatch 0-62mph (admittedly with not quite a standing start) in 5.6sec.

Best for: Seven seats

If you’re looking for an electric SUV rather than a cheaper and more efficient saloon or hatchback, it’s probably because you’re after a lot of space.

The first desirable electric SUV

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

Few do space better than the vast Kia EV9. The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV beats it for absolute interior volume, but the Benz is even more expensive, and the space it offers isn’t quite as versatile.

The EV9 makes better use of its generous square footage thanks to a larger glass area, seats that tumble and fold more easily, and a front luggage compartment to store the charging cables. The EV9 isn’t just a void on wheels either.

It’s pretty well sorted to drive too. Dual-motor versions offer strong performance, though the single-motor model is the pick of the range for most people's needs, as it offers more range for less money.

The EV9 is very stylish for a seven-seat SUV and offers creditable luxury, efficiency and range.

Best for: Compact size

Another quality EV offering from Skoda here. The Elroq is to all intents and purposes a smaller Enyaq. It retains a great deal of the interior space, quality and clever thinking, but just wraps it in a smaller and cheaper car.

It’s intuitive, pleasant and with a cabin whose ambience has been lifted above the workaday

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

It’s very easy to drive too. The ride is settled, compliant and isolates the driver nicely from the road. The steering – while not the last word in feel – is uncorruptedly fluid, making the car very easy to place on the road.

The 85 model uses a 282bhp motor. This feels very fast – assertive, almost. The 50, with 168bhp, is slower and feels it on the road. But it is cheaper, more efficient and is our choice. If you’re coming from a petrol-powered family hatchback, the slowest version of Skoda’s Elroq still won’t feel slow.

Best for: Performance

Cars that truly change the game have always been vanishingly rare, and that remains true in the topsy-turvy era the automotive industry is currently weathering. Yet the Ioniq 5 N is just that: a game-changer

With the arrival of the 5 N, the electric driver's car has landed, and it’s fully deserving of its perfect five-star Autocar road test.

Mark Tisshaw, Editor

Hyundai made car enthusiasts take notice when its first petrol-powered hot hatchbacks, the Hyundai i20 N and Hyundai i30 N, turned out to be excellent right out of the gate. It seems intent on carrying that driver’s car cred into the electric era with the hot version of the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

The Ioniq 5 N goes further than just stiff suspension and bucketloads of power. You do get the latter, but thanks to a stiffened shell, a proper limited-slip differential on the rear axle, adaptive dampers and Hyundai’s engineers having a sense of humour, it’s genuinely entertaining. It loves to rotate on and off the power, and if you so wish, it can emulate a six-speed gearbox and a petrol engine.

Best for: Dynamism

The Kia EV6 is an excellent electric SUV and one that should suit the whole family. It’s comfortable, long-legged and relentlessly quick in its most powerful specification.

It's honestly priced and easy to drive and use, and it enriches the EV class by its presence.

Felix Page, Deputy editor

In its most efficient guise, the EV6 delivers a hefty 361 miles of range, and charging speed is also nearly class-leading at 258kW. Power starts at 226bhp – more than enough for most drivers – while the range-topping Kia EV6 GT pumps out a whopping 577bhp.

The Kia EV6 is mechanically similar to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 but it's slightly better to drive overall, with sweet steering, commendable precision and a comfortable ride. 

If you’re after an electric SUV with coupé driving dynamics, enough space for the kids and a well-appointed interior, but don’t want to shell out on the full-sized, seven-seat EV9, the Kia EV6 might be the perfect car for you.

Best for: Standing out

Polestar’s flagship is a large, spacious electric SUV with a roomy interior full of next-gen technology. It’s the car to pick from this list if you want to drive something that looks like nothing else on the road. 

We expect this car to spread Polestar’s gospel quite a bit wider, higher and farther.

Matt Saunders, Road test editor

It’s powerful too, offering between 483bhp and 510bhp. Energy is supplied by a 107kWh battery that is capable of returning up to 390 miles and it can charge at speeds of up to 250kW.

Inside, the Polestar 3 is airy and plush, with chrome-effect materials and recycled, soft-touch textiles. A huge touchscreen is positioned on the centre of the dashboard, complete with integrated Google Maps, plus wireless smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

Despite its size and 2.5-tonne kerb weight, the Polestar 3 is great to drive at higher speeds. It possesses tactile, precise handling, which puts it far above many of its rivals in the segment.

Best for: Value

For the money, this MG outstrips all reasonable expectations. The interior is perhaps the most surprising thing. Even just a couple of years ago, Chinese car manufacturers’ interiors were largely inferior when compared with European, Japanese and Korean ones.

The accomplished drive and practical, sophisticated interior still make you marvel at how much this brand can now offer.

Richard Lane, Deputy road test editor

The MG’s is a real step-change. The attention to detail with the switches, which are chunky, easy to use and feel solid, suggest MG is taking an active interest in perceived quality.

Standard-range models offer 168bhp and 211 miles of range, whereas long-range versions up things to 228bhp and 298 miles. Neither of which is game-changing. But when the price is factored in, it’s still excellent value.

The money is just so hard to look past. It is broadly as good as everything else in its class (perhaps not quite so in range), but at a price point of a smaller model. Or, in reference to this list, Enyaq practicality for Elroq money.