Should you buy one?

There’s not a wealth of choice in this particular corner of the SUV market (yet), but the main players of the Mercedes-Benz EQC, Audi E-Tron and Jaguar I-Pace all appeal in different ways. One isn’t demonstrably better than the other as a package, hence the appeal is different for each.

On that basis, we recommend the EQC for those who don’t want to shout too loudly about their green motoring status and where there’s a preference for physical buttons rather than wall-to-wall touchscreens in the dashboard.

It’s efficient, has a good real-world range, is well assembled and has an appealingly trimmed interior.

On the downside, it’s less spacious than its rivals owing to it not being purposed-designed as an EV from the outside.

We’d recommend the AMG Line Premium trim if your budget will stretch to it, including the Driving Assistance Plus package and the Burmester stereo upgrade options.

This is not a cheap car to buy outright, but leasing packages are competitive, resale values are strong and it won’t cost very much to run at all.