Best small electric cars in the UK

Best for: retro-futuristic looks

Renault’s most popular hatchback in recent years may have been the Clio, but it’s dug deep into the archives for its electric revolution to create the Renault 5 E-Tech - and doesn’t it just look fantastic?

It’s got a proper 70’s charm about it, with square corners and a sloping tailgate much like its forebears of the same name. It’s covered in cool details, such as the battery level indicator on the bonnet and the square light features on the front end.

The interior is full of retro design cues too, such as the air vent trims which mirror the daytime running lights and the set-back dashboard, reminiscent of the very first Renault 5, as are the seats which are trimmed in bright fabric colour choices.

While space in the front is okay, rear passengers will struggle for legroom and headroom, though the boot is well-sized at 326 litres.

It’s not quite as dinky as its predecessors, but the Renault 5 is certainly small enough to squeeze into most parking spaces thanks to its square corners and tight turning circle. The small Renault feels peppy around town, and it’s well sized to dart around tight streets; the suspension does bounce you around on a broken road though.

Motorways aren’t the Renault 5’s forte. There’s a fair amount of wind and road noise at speed, but at least the suspension does seem to settle down at a cruise. You’ll get between 190 miles to 250 miles of range depending on which model you go for, so road trips do need to be well planned.

The benefit of the Renault 5’s stiff suspension is that it’s rather good fun on a twisty road. There’s plenty of grip from its tyres which inspires confidence, but it’s the brakes which impress the most, with none of that spongy nonsense which afflicts so many EVs these days.

Best for: sportiness in a spacious package

The Cupra Raval is a proper little head-turner of an electric hatchback, with space-age styling to go with its sporty nature. Not only that, but the Raval manages to be very roomy inside with a huge boot - and it’s a lovely thing to drive, too.

Still, you don’t need to get behind the wheel to notice just how much attitude the Raval has. Cupras have always been aggressively styled, but the dinky little Raval turns things up a notch with its deep creases, angular features and outrageously sculpted bumpers. The triangular motif running through the design is a classic Cupra cue.

The Raval’s cabin is just as wild, with a tiered dashboard that’s angled heavily toward the driver. Stop this sits a 12.9-inch infotainment display that you’ll find in other Cupra models, but it’s a bit of a pain to navigate and the touch-sensitive climate controls are unintuitive to use on the move.

Nonetheless, the seats in upper-trim level Ravals are fantastic - especially the body-hugging buckets in the VZ - and there’s a mixture of varying surfaces and textures to break up the cabin design. Most importantly, the little Cupra is seriously spacious with easily room for four six-foot adults to sit comfortably, while the 441-litre boot is far larger than most hatchbacks of this size.

Range varies from just 186 miles in the entry-level Raval Origin with a 37kWh battery to 275 miles in the mid-level V1 and V1 models when fitted with the larger 52kWh battery. The VZ and Extreme hot hatches split the difference.

It’s a brilliant car to drive in town, not only thanks to its compact dimensions. A high seating position helps peer through traffic while a tight turning circle, peppy electric motor and well-judged brakes make it easy to maintain smooth progress.

The Raval is a touch susceptible to wind noise on the motorway, but it’s otherwise stable and reassuring at a high-speed cruise, while also being a riot to drive on a good twisty road.

Best for: stylish practicality

A small car can be just as eye-catching as a huge dramatic SUV or sports car, and the Fiat Grande Panda proves that with aplomb. This is a seriously cool-looking hatchback, with its blocky, square dimensions mirrored in its pixel-style headlights. You can’t forget it’s a Fiat Panda either, thanks to both names being stamped into the sheet metal down the sides and on the boot.

It’s even cool on the inside, where you get colourful upholstery, clear plastic and on some models a dashboard covering made from bamboo. It’s none too serious-feeling and all the better for it.

Though you can get the Grande Panda with a hybrid engine as well as a plain petrol, the fully-electric model is well worth considering. An official range of 199 miles (about 140 in the real world) means you won’t be straying too far out of city limits, but it’s brilliant to drive in town - you sit high enough for a good view out, the boxy body means it’s easy to judge the corners when parking and the controls are all super-light.

It’s also really roomy with space for adults in the rear seats and a highly useful boot. Add in the price tag of just over £21,000 and the Grande Panda is a value package that’s hard to beat. No wonder we awarded it a ‘Highly Commended’ gong in the Urban Living category of the 2026 Carwow Car of the Year awards.

Best for: a ridiculous amount of space

The MG4 Urban shares a name with the MG4 but in reality it's a completely different car. It’s sort of a half-way house between a hatchback and a small MPV with an outrageously spacious cabin and plenty of standard kit, though it’s a bit cheap inside once you poke and prod a little.

It looks a little goofy, too. There are some sleek touches, such as the MG Cyberster-esque lights and bumper, but its tiny wheels look too small for the body.

The interior is a mixed bag, with some padded surfaces and solid-feeling controls, but swathes of hard plastics in easy-to-reach places. At least it features physical controls for the climate settings, and a fairly easy-to-use infotainment system.

Cabin space is massive, easily accommodating four six-footers with a whopping 577 litres of cargo capacity - which is more than you’ll find in a lot of big family SUVs.

The MG4 Urban’s range varies from 201 to 258 miles depending on which battery you choose. Entry-level models feature a 43kWh item, while upper-trim models have a larger 54kWh battery.

With light steering, excellent visibility, and comfortable suspension, the MG4 Urban feels right at home in town. It could do with a bit more pep in its step for the motorway, however, and it’s not the most composed car on a twisty country lane.

Best for: budget EV motoring

EVs tend to be pricey things, with only a few that really stand out as exceptional value for money. The Citroen e-C3 is one of those few, and it really is a cracking little EV SUV with a distinct character.

It’s even cheaper than some of its smaller alternatives, but don’t think there are some major issues or cost-savings to attribute a cheap price to.

It’s a cute little thing, no matter how much cladding there is or how cross Citroen has made the C-shaped headlights look. With soft corners and a bubbly shape, the e-C3 is one of the few cars these days to buck the aggressive styling trend.

Inside is a funky affair, with clever design hiding the e-C3’s occasionally questionable material choices. There has to be some give to make a car this affordable after all, but Citroen has been clever with its use of fabric to disguise the hardest plastics.

Almost 200 miles on a single charge is more than enough for any inter-city commute, but it can make long-distance journeys stressful with multiple stops to recharge.

The e-C3 is a hugely comfortable car, with soft, supple suspension smoothing out the worst a city road can throw at it. It’s not very fun to drive, but it’s much more comfortable on a fast bend than you might expect. It’s also refined on the motorway, though it is a little wobbly at high speed due to the soft suspension.

Best for: maximising space

The Inster is a bit of an oddity on this list, because it’s by far-and-away the most utilitarian in its design. It’s very cute and quirky, and there’s no denying that the Inster resembles a life-sized toy car.

But the quirky design is part of the Inster’s appeal, and it’s part of the reason why it was highly commended in the Urban Living category of Carwow’s 2025 Car of the Year awards. Big, friendly, round headlights and cool ‘pixelated’ running lights and taillights give the micro-SUV some real character.

Inside is less interesting, but the twin high-quality 10.3-inch screens from Hyundai’s more expensive models sit atop its fairly simple dashboard. Light colour options help to lift the cabin ambience, and more part-sharing with the rest of the Hyundai range means there are some rather nice materials dotted around. Just don’t look around too much, because the harder, scratchier plastics aren’t hard to find.

The biggest benefit of the Inster’s design is a funky, foldable interior that can become a space for an airbed, a pair of reclined rear lounge seats with footrests or a tight four-seater with a 351-litre boot.

A pair of battery options mean the Inter can travel either 203 or 229 miles on a charge, which isn’t great, but with its huge visibility and light steering the Inster is very much at home in an urban environment.

Best for: a grown-up interior

The Kia EV2 may be an SUV, but its dinky dimensions mean you’ll cross-shop it against small hatchbacks, rather than big off-roaders. It feels like a far bigger car inside thanks to a plush, grown-up cabin and it offers decent range, but it could do with a bigger boot.

It may be small, but it looks big in photos thanks to its blocky, futuristic design, but it’s softer edged than the huge EV5 and EV9 SUVs. The low-set rear lights are odd, though, as if someone’s parked the car near an open flame.

The cabin isn’t particularly ground breaking, but the fabric dashboard upholstery, comfortable seats, and playful easter eggs like the "Have a Nice Day" writing behind the door handles mean it feels far posher than most other cars on this list.

A tall roofline means you’ll easily fit four six-foot adults inside, and a fair amount of storage for odds and ends. The 362-litre boot is small compared to most alternatives, though.

Range varies from 197 to 281 miles, depending on which version of the EV2 you choose. Entry-level cars feature a 42.2kWh battery, while posher trim levels come with a larger 61kWh battery - which is worth the extra spend in most cases.

With light steering and excellent visibility, the little Kia is perfectly easy to pilot around town. It’s also quiet, comfortable, and stable at motorway speeds, but don’t expect any fun on a country lane.

Best for: French flair

Even though it’s almost identical to its combustion-engine sibling, the Peugeot E-208 is one of the quirkiest and most stylish small electric cars on sale in the UK. It may be a cliché, but there’s a definite French chic-ness to the E-208’s styling - both inside and out.

Peugeot has managed to work big, pointy headlights - and an even bigger grille - into the small hatchback’s design without looking ungainly at all. Its latest refresh includes striking ‘triple claw’ motifs in the LED running lights straddling the grille, whilst the same theme can be seen in the cute taillights.

The interior is the E-208’s piece-de-resistance though, having one of the best designs of any small car on sale. Sharply designed, with an interesting dashboard and cleverly designed buttons underneath the infotainment screen go some way to excusing the E-208’s tight cockpit.

As do the soft, premium materials all over the cabin and the now-typical small steering wheel. That being said, you might struggle to find a driving position that allows you to see the driver’s display clearly.

The bigger battery version of the E-208 is definitely the one to go for, with 245 miles of range and a smidge more power - but don’t expect the small Peugeot to keep up with something like the Cupra Born or MG4. Keep it around town and the E-208 shines as a posh city car.

Best for: small car, big space

MG pulled a blinder when it brought the MG4 to the UK, because it immediately shot up towards the top of our list of favourite small electric cars, and has stayed there ever since. It’s a classic case of not judging a book by its cover.

As one of the most affordable cars on this list, the MG4 might lead you to believe that it’s not got much to offer in the way of performance or quality - but that’s far from the truth. The MG4 stands out at first glance with a sporty design; sharp angles and swoopy lines aplenty.

It looks like nothing else on the road, especially in bright orange paint, and whilst the interior isn’t quite as outrageous as the exterior it’s still rather fetching. Silver trim spans the width of the minimalist dashboard, where a 10.3-inch infotainment screen takes centre-space.

The driver gets a 7.0-inch display, but both screens aren’t the easiest to get accustomed to. Interior quality is rather high though, and there’s plenty of space for both front and rear passengers. Boot space is typical for a car of its size.

It’s not just the MG4’s interior that impresses, it has genuinely usable electric range too. Base models offer a fairly unimpressive 218 miles on a charge, but the Extended Range trim has a much more impressive 323 miles.

If you don’t venture out of the city then the base model should still have plenty of range, and it’s where the MG4 shines the brightest. Well-judged steering feel, good visibility and compliant suspension make the MG4 a doddle to drive around town - and it’s rather comfy on a motorway run too.

You’ll have a little road noise to put up with, but you can forgive the transgression because the MG4 manages to be a proper laugh on a twisty road.

Best for: being brilliant fun

The Super-N is far and away the best electric Honda yet. It’s tiny, sensibly priced and looks fantastic, while also having a roomy cabin and offering genuine driving thrills from behind the wheel. Its super short range does limit appeal somewhat, that being said.

The wee little Honda is actually based on a Japanese kei car, hence its tall silhouette, but the round headlights and chunky wheel arches mean it’s shockingly head-turning for what’s essentially a storage box on wheels.

The front seats feature upholstery made from recycled factory uniforms - which are funky - while the simple hard plastics are not funky at all. The infotainment system is unimpressive but easy enough to navigate.

Space is generous, comfortably fitting four six-foot adults, but the boot is tiny at 162 litres. At least the Super-N has clever ‘Magic Seats’ in the back, which flip up and fold away to help load in extra cargo.

A 29.6kWh battery gives the Super-N an 128-mile official range, which you’ll easily achieve with sensible driving in mostly-urban scenarios.

On the road the Super-N is great fun with a simulated gearbox and sound generator that give it pseudo-hot hatch vibes. It’s brilliant around town with great visibility and nippy steering, though noticeably wind noise and that short range make motorways less ideal.