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Cheap electric cars 2021
A cheap electric car could sound like the perfect car for many people, combining a low purchase price combined with really low running costs. If an EV (electric vehicle) fits into your lifestyle and the journeys that you regularly make, then you'll likely be on to a winner, right?
Well, not quite. Electric cars do cost more than petrol or diesel cars because of the latest technology they contain. This includes everything from the latest battery tech to in-car infotainment such as sat-nav which helps calculate just how much range your EV has.
But just because you want to help save the planet, doesn't mean you can't pick up an electric car that doesn't cost the earth.
In this list we've put together the cheapest electric vehicles on sale in the UK today. The cars below are ordered by the lowest priced model in the car's range and include the average discount you can get through carwow, starting with the cheapest new electric car you can buy.
1. Smart EQ ForTwo
This is an ideal cheap electric car for the city. Its dinky dimensions means it can squeeze into the tightest of parking spaces and it has enough performance to scoot out of junctions and away from traffic lights. It only has a range of 70 miles though and it may not be the cheapest electric car if you plan on paying monthly.
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2. Smart EQ ForFour
You can pretty much say the same about the ForFour as you can about the ForTwo. It’s great at zipping around town but has a limited range. The extra two doors give it some extra practicality over the ForTwo, but still, space in back seats of the ForFour is pretty tight and there are better cheap electric cars on sale that don’t cost much more.
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3. Seat Mii Electric
Increase your budget a little to a SEAT Mii and you get a much more practical cheap electric car than you do with a Smart ForTwo. The Mii’s range, at 162 miles, is more than double that of the Smart car and it’s more spacious too. Its styling isn’t what you’d call exciting and if that’s important to you, you might want to consider something like a Renault Zoe. Also note that you can get pretty much identical cars from Skoda and Volkswagen, called the Citigo-e and Up, respectively.
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4. Renault Zoe
You may have heard of the Renault Twizy, which is the cheapest EV in the Renault electric vehicle range, but technically it’s a quadricycle, so Renault’s cheapest electric car is the Zoe, and it’s a pretty good one, too. It has an impressive range – up to 240 miles – it looks cool and has a smart interior with some great tech. Sure, some of the plastics feel a bit cheap and you have to avoid the basic models to get desirable safety kit.
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5. Peugeot e-208
Happily, not only is the Peugeot e-208 a cheap electric car (relatively speaking) it’s one of the best on the market, too. The smart exterior styling is matched by an equally good-looking interior. It has an official range of 217 miles and comes with a fast 100kw charging capability as standard. Find a 100kw charger and you can charge your Zoe up to around 80% of its capacity in around 30 minutes. The infotainment system is a bit fiddly to use and if space in the back is important to you, there are roomier alternatives.
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6. Nissan Leaf
The Leaf is one of the most popular EVs on sale in the UK and with this latest version you have two main choices to make. You could go for the cheaper standard model with a range of 150 miles, which makes it an alternative to the likes of the Volkswagen e-Golf. Or you could opt for the more expensive Leaf e+ that has a range of 239 miles, which will be easier to live with if you regularly drive longer distances. Either way, the Leaf is easy to drive and comes with good safety kit. The infotainment system isn’t the quickest and some of the trim feels a bit cheap, however.
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7. Mini Electric
Sure, the Mini Electric will cost a bit more than the petrol car, but you still get the funky design of the standard Mini wrapped up in an EV that can manage up to 145 miles between charges. There are more practical and comfier cheap electric cars on this list, but the Mini Electric is a hoot to drive and doesn’t cost as much as other style-led alternatives such as the Honda e.
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8. Vauxhall Corsa-e
The Vauxhall Corsa-e shares much of the same building blocks with the Peugeot e-208, as the Peugeot and Vauxhall brands are owned by the same parent company. The differences are in each car’s styling – which do you prefer? – and in the cost. The Corsa-e starting price is a little higher than the Peugeot’s but comes with a bit more kit. Its range is nearly 210 miles, which is pretty good, but it’s a bit drab inside and there’s not much space in the back.
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9. MG ZS EV
Want a cheap electric car? Want an SUV? These are currently the two hottest car-buying trends at the moment. And you can have both with the MG ZS EV, the cheapest electric SUV you can currently buy in the UK. It’s roomy and comes with a decent amount of kit, too. It hasn’t got a particularly long range – around 160 miles – and it doesn’t have the highest quality interior either. But it does cost less than electric SUVs from Kia and Hyundai, for example.
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10. Peugeot e-2008
If your budget can stretch to it, then buying the Peugeot e-2008 over the MG is probably money well spent. What the ZS EV lacks in style, the e-2008 has in spades. It looks really striking. Its battery pack can handle a 100kw charge, which means you can power it up from 0% to around 80% in less than half an hour. It’s roomy and easy to drive, too.
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11. Hyundai Kona Electric
We’re starting to reach the very edges of what could be described as a cheap electric car. With a list price starting at more than £32,000 you can’t exactly call the Hyundai Kona Electric a bargain, but taking grants and carwow discounts into consideration you can buy a basic model of the Kona Electric SUV for well under £30,000. It’s a pretty decent electric car too. It has a range of more than 270 miles, which all but eliminates any range anxiety you may have, and comes with lots of tech.
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12. Hyundai Ioniq Electric
You can buy three versions of the Ioniq hatchback car – a traditional hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and the model featured here, the pure electric car. It is well equipped, spacious and has a range of around 170 miles. Once you take in the discounts and grants available, the Ioniq Electric is not that much more than the plug-in version, so pick which fits in with your lifestyle best – the pure EV for the truly electric experience or the plug-in if you want peace of mind you won’t get caught out running out of power.
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13. DS 3 Crossback E-Tense
If you’re after a design statement as much as a cheap electric car, then the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense is worth considering. There are lots of interesting curves and angles on the exterior, and the interior has loads of posh fabrics and metal switches to give it a premium feel. It has a range of around 200 miles and has a decent-sized boot, thanks to the battery pack being stored under the floor rather than taking up boot space. It’s a bit cramped in the back seats, though.
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14. Honda e
If you are after a stylish, cheap electric car to scoot around the city then the Honda e is worth considering. On the downsides, it doesn’t have a particularly long range – only 136 miles. But it looks quirky on the outside and yet has a clever, stylish interior that manages to look both modern and retro at the same time.
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15. BMW i3
The BMW i3 has been around for a while now but what you get is a quirky-yet-stylish cheap electric car that can manage around 188 miles on a between charges. It’s the most expensive car on this list but it has a great infotainment system and a premium badge that just about justifies the cost. It’s strictly a four-seater though and the boot isn’t that big.
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Frequently asked questions about cheap electric cars
Can an electric car be cheap? Well, it's cheap to run anyway – as electricity is a lot cheaper than petrol or diesel. Read on for more information.
The Electric Car Grant – What you need to know?
You can get a discount on the price of brand new low-emission vehicles through a grant the government gives to vehicle dealerships and manufacturers.
You do not need to ask your dealer about the grant nor do you have to apply for it – the dealer will include the value of the grant in the vehicle’s price.
The grant means you can get up to a maximum of £3,000 off the price of an electric car. This grant was £3,500 but was cut in March 2020 by £500, with the government saying: “a small reduction to the grant, as well as excluding cars costing £50,000 or more, will allow more drivers to benefit from making the switch for longer.”
You may have heard the phrase ‘Category 1’ or ‘Plug-in grant’ in relation to the cars eligible for the grant, however, these related to the previous scheme that was open to hybrid cars too albeit with a lower grant. But the rules were changed and simplified in October 2018 to cover only vehicles with CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and can travel at least 70 miles without any emissions at all.
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