Best Electric Cars to buy in the UK 2024

Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Published: 20 May 2024

Thanks to ever increasing ranges, temptingly priced newcomers and EVs in most categories of car, there’s never been a better time to drive electric. All that choice can be daunting, especially if you’re new to EVs, so we’ve put together this list of the best electric cars in 2024. Split into the different types of electric cars out there, we’ll let you know our editor’s pick and a car worthy of commendation.

EVs have entered mainstream acceptance with the proliferation of public charging stations and increasing pressure on car manufacturers to build cleaner and greener vehicles. Almost every mainstream brand offers at least one family EV now and many new brands are joining the fray. Early EVs were rather expensive and couldn’t go very far but the latest crop offer usefully long range at an affordable price. As good as new electric cars have become, though, the UK charging infrastructure is still of a bit sticking point that puts many people off making the switch.

Still, if you can work around this issue – as many people do – you’ll find that driving and owning an electric car can be a real pleasure. That’s because they’re easy to drive, quiet and quick. So there’s no need to give up the joy of driving when you switch from fossil fuels.

Keep reading to see 24 of the best electric cars on sale in the UK in 2024. They’ve all been extensively tested by Parkers’ experts and offer long range, a great driving experience and good value. 

The best electric cars in every category

Small family

Small SUV

Medium family

Medium SUV

Large family

Large SUV

Luxury cars

Luxury SUV

Company car

Fun car

Seven-seater

First car

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What is an electric car (EV)?

An electric vehicle, also known as an EV, or sometimes BEV (battery electric vehicle), uses at least one electric motor as its only source of propulsion. That motor is powered by electricity contained in a battery pack mounted somewhere in the car, usually below the boot or the floor of the interior. 

The battery pack needs recharging periodically, as indicated by the gauge or read-out in the car’s instrument display. You can use a regular three-pin socket to recharge but that can take a very long time. It’s better to use a dedicated charge point. You can have one installed at home (usually referred to as a wallbox), though the wiring may need upgrading to cope. 

An increasing number of public and workplace charging stations are being rolled out across the country, as well. The network is continually growing, though coverage is still spotty in certain areas. Be aware that the various charging station operators have different payment methods, many of which require opening an app-based account. 

Electric Vehicles Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much money do you save now with your EV?

The cash and PCP prices you’ll pay for a new electric vehicle are generally higher than you’d pay for an equivalent petrol or diesel car. For instance, an entry-level Volkswagen ID.3 costs about £9000 more than an entry-level Golf.  

That is starting to change, however, as more and more bargain-priced EVs enter the market. The MG 4 is a prime example. Its starting price undercuts plenty of other midsize hatchbacks with ICE power. 

Do EVs drive differently to conventional vehicles?

An EV is no different to a petrol or diesel car with an automatic gearbox in how you drive it. You just get in, press the start button, put the gear selector in Drive, then press the pedals and turn the steering wheel. There are two big differences you’ll notice, though. 

First, and most obviously, is that an EV is very quiet – there’s no engine, after all. You will notice plenty of other noises the car makes, but the vast majority of EVs are positively serene to travel in. Be aware that the quietness can cause car sickness in some people – it turns out sound is pretty crucial to our sense of motion. 

The second thing you’ll notice is that the brakes feel a bit odd. That’s because of the regenerative braking, a clever system that harvests energy that would otherwise be wasted when you brake or just lift off the accelerator and feeds it back into the battery. The system amplifies the braking force, which can take a bit of getting used to. Once you’re accustomed to it, though, you might find you rarely need to use the brakes. Some EVs even have a ‘one-pedal’ driving mode. 

Can electric car batteries be recycled? 

Yes. All new EVs sold since the 1990s have been powered by lithium-ion (Li-On) batteries, which are relatively easily recycled. The days when the lead acid batteries that powered ancient EVs like milk floats were just chucked into landfill have long gone. Li-On batteries are also found in phones and laptops and a thriving recycling industry has grown up around them. 

EV batteries are being recycled in a number of different ways. For instance, some EV manufacturers, including Tesla, are taking batteries that have reached the end of their working life in a car to recycle and repackage them into storage batteries that can be hooked up to renewable energy sources like wind and solar and used to power buildings and infrastructure. 

How far can a typical EV travel on a single charge?     

EV range has improved dramatically in recent years – the days when you’d struggle to go more than 100 miles are far behind us. Indeed, every EV currently on sale in the UK has a range well into three figures, as measured on the WLTP cycle. Most can go somewhere between 200 and 300 miles between recharges, some can do a lot more than that, like the Mercedes EQS. 

Driving in the real world, the range you get from an EV is affected by many factors. Things like cold weather, using lots of the car’s electrical features – particularly the aircon – what type of road you’re on and your own driving style can vary the car’s range from the advertised figure. 

How do I know an electric car is right for me?

It depends on how you use your car and where you live. Let’s look at a few scenarios. If you rarely journey more than 100 miles from home and have a driveway, then an electric car could suit you pretty much perfectly. Just make sure you plan those occasional long-distance trips around charging stops. Don’t have access to off-street parking? That makes charging while you’re at home tricker, but there are solutions available. Many places now have roadside chargers in residential areas, you can even get portable EV chargers. 

If you regularly go on long-distance trips, driving an EV is trickier. They tend to chew through their charge pretty quickly on motorways so you find yourself at the mercy of the UK’s less-than-perfect charging network more often. You may not have the time it takes to charge to spare, either. But the proliferation of long-range EVs means there are now options that work perfectly well for doing big mileages. 

How about if you need a big, chunky SUV that can tow a huge caravan around the country? Well, there are some that can pull the weight, but they need recharging so often that they become impractical for the job. 

How do I charge my EV? 

There are several ways of getting juice into your EV. If you’re at home, you can use a regular three-pin wall socket, at least if you’re not going anywhere for a day or so because it usually takes ages. Alternatively, you can get a home chargepoint (also known as a wallbox) installed. You ideally need off-street parking, your home’s electrics may need upgrading to suit and you’ll need to make sure you get a charger that’s recommended for your car. Change car and you may need a new box. Some manufacturers include a wallbox with the purchase of their EVs. 

When you’re out and about, you’ll find charge points in all sorts of locations, most often in car parks. There are some well-documented issues with the UK’s charging network and you need to carefully plan longer journeys around charging stop. If everything comes together, recharging an EV can be almost hassle-free. And as the charging infrastructure grows, it will only get easier. 

What happens if I run out of power?  

The best advice is not to let an EV run out of charge if it can at all be helped. If it does happen, the car essentially locks up, becoming a brick that can be very difficult to move. When the charge in the car’s battery drops below a certain level, the motor’s power will be cut back and non-essential electrical features will turn off.  

You’ll be going some to reach that point, though, given the number of warnings that pop up in the instrument display. If you know that you’ll reach a charging station before the situation becomes critical, there’s no reason to worry. If not, the car’s satnav should be able to point you in the right direction, or you can use a charger locator app like Zap Map. 

Do EVs cost more than petrol and diesel cars?

Generally speaking yes, they do, and often by quite a large margin, regardless of whether you buy outright or use financing via PCP or lease. However, the price gap is starting to come down and there are a number of brands bringing new EVs to market targeting buyers on a lower budget. 

What are resale values like for EVs?

The residual values for electric vehicles haven’t been great for many years, due to a lack of demand and concerns about the long-term durability of EVs. However, the long-running issues many manufacturers are having in delivering new EVs means demand for used ones is increasing which means prices for them are steadily rising. 

Are EVs really better for the environment?

This is a very thorny issue. There are strong opinions on both sides of the question, but the simple fact of the matter is that electric cars haven’t been around long enough in sufficient numbers for us to really know the long-term environmental impact they will have, for good or bad. 

But here are a few irrefutable facts. Because they don’t produce any exhaust emissions, they do help to improve air quality where they are used, particularly in towns. They help reduce CO2 emissions, as well. There is the question of how the electricity that powers an EV is generated but, in the UK at least, zero-CO2 renewable energy makes up an ever-bigger proportion of electricity generation. 

How much CO2 is generated over the course of an EV’s entire lifecycle is harder to pin down. The most comprehensive study so far was carried out by EV manufacturer Polestar. It found that building an EV produces vastly more CO2 than building a petrol or diesel car and that deficit takes around 70,000 miles of driving to pay back. However, over the rest of an EVs life, its CO2 footprint is much, much smaller than the petrol or diesel car’s. 

That’s just one study, though, and more work needs to be done to come up with a definitive verdict. Other potential issues with electric cars are also being investigated – the increased particulate emissions they generate from tyres and brakes, for instance. 

Overall, though, it has to be concluded that using electricity to power cars is better for the environment than petrol or diesel.    

Alan Taylor-Jones is the New Cars Editor for the Bauer Digital Automotive Hub, working on both Parkers and sister title CAR. When not driving the latest cars you can find him busy with a young son or playing with RC cars.

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