10 Of The Best Electric Cars On Sale Now

Yes, we know, there's nothing quite like a good old combustion engine, but electric cars are very much here to stay.

The good news is that, because of an influx of demand and looming pressure on car manufacturers to cut fleet emissions, they’re getting better all the time, and now there are some we’d even recommend. Here are 10 of our favourite electric cars currently on sale.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Let's be honest, we truly never believed an electric car could provide genuine engagement and driving thrills in the way internal combustion does. After all, it's the inherent flaws of an engine that bring character - something an electric motor just can't recreate.

Well, so we thought, but then Hyundai came along with the Ioniq 5 N. Forget the headline 641bhp and 3.4-second 0-62mph sprint - the Ioniq 5 N's party trick is e-Shift. This artificially recreates the feeling of an engine and gearbox, and the effect in reality is profound. We even went as far as to proclaim it as the first truly great performance EV.

Porsche Taycan

We’ll stop short of saying the Porsche Taycan has stood the test of time, but considering it’s been on sale in its current form for five years now, we’re still pretty impressed with how compelling the package still is today.

Of course, there is a new version coming this year which you can order now, but pick up one of the remaining existing cars and there’s still a pretty tantalising package. We even proclaimed the GTS Sport Turismo as the best car Porsche makes right now when we tested it in August - high praise indeed.

Ford Mustang Mach-E GT

It’s been four years now since Ford slapped the Mustang badge on an electric SUV and, if you’re not over it already, you should be. The sports car still lives on, and the Mustang II once existed, so it could be worse still.

Forgetting all that for a second, the Mach-E is an excellent car in its own right, especially so in its surprisingly wild GT flavour. We spent some time with it recently and were impressed with just how far along the entertaining end of the spectrum it is.

MG4

Who could’ve seen humble MG, now many years into its Chinese stewardship, making one of the best electric cars of this generation? Not us, certainly. But that’s exactly what the MG4 is.

Other outlets can tell you about how it compares favourably in value to a Volkswagen ID3, or how its range is quite good - we’ll just tell you it’s surprisingly great fun to drive. So surprising, in fact, that when MG tried to make it a proper hot hatch with the XPower it managed to miss the mark. Stick with the Long Range, and you won’t be disappointed.

BMW i4

Not all great EVs need to be purpose-built as such - just take a look at the BMW i4. Based on the 4-series Gran Coupe, its move to electric presents a familiar and welcome switch to plug-in power.

When we drove the M50 - the closest thing to an electric M3 we’ll get any time soon - we were impressed with how fast it feels, and how well it managed to deal with its 2.2-tonne kerb weight through the corners. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper than an M3, too.

Jeep Avenger EV

When we saw the Jeep Avenger had been awarded European Car of The Year, we were a little surprised. Could an electric Jeep crossover really be so good to be proclaimed the best car out there by a respected board of journalists?

We’re not quite in total agreement having spent time with the car, but the Avenger is very, very good at what it does. In a world of EVs chasing ridiculous tech and huge performance figures, it’s refreshing to drive one that just does the basic things so right.

Tesla Model 3

Don’t get us wrong, Tesla bashing is easy to do when the company does things like unexpectedly trying to flog a left-hand-drive Model S in the UK or releasing a hideous truck that looks like a reject from Robot Wars.

Cultism aside, though, it does occasionally do some very good things and the Model 3 is one of those. It’s seriously quick, the onboard tech is very good if not quite to everyone’s tastes, and the Supercharger network is still comfortably the best out there. It’s hard to argue with the prices, either.

BMW i7

If any car is going to work as an electric car, a huge executive saloon that’s designed to be comfortable above all else should be that. Happily, the BMW i7 is an absolutely fantastic example of just that.

Yes, it’s insanely expensive, but we suspect that won’t matter so much to the CEOs looking to cut down their chauffeur-driven carbon footprint. More importantly, it's incredibly comfortable and impressively built. Go for it in M70, and it’s bonkers fast when you do go for a drive of your own.

Lotus Eletre

The Lotus Eletre may have Colin Chapman rolling in his grave, but times have changed and this could well be its Porsche Cayenne moment - the car it sells tonnes of to keep making the good stuff.

Handily, it’s also very good in its own right. Despite weighing about as much as a brick shithouse, it makes a seriously good effort of masking that weight and handles better than we could’ve expected. It certainly lays a good marker for the upcoming Emeya saloon.

Polestar 2

With a recent update, Polestar did something rather unusual with the 2 - changing its single-motor versions from being front-driven to rear-driven in a bid to improve weight distribution and improve driveability.

Really, that doesn’t matter - it’s still not exactly a thrilling thing to drive, However, with a massive battery and remarkable real-world range, we had a very pleasant time with the updated hatch late last year. Sometimes, simply having a lot of range and nailing the basics is all an EV needs to do.