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There was a time when attempting a top ten list for used electric vehicles was impossible; there simply weren’t enough of them.
However, with the improvements in battery technology, the growing concern of localised pollution levels and the fact that EVs no longer perform like overloaded milk floats, demand for them is growing.
EVs are certainly not new technology and have in fact been around since the invention of the car. They were often preferable in major cities because they didn’t smell and, unlike the horse, didn’t produce any waste. But it’s only been in the past 10 years that manufacturers have made a concerted effort with electric cars, producing a wide range of EVs in different shapes and sizes.
Our top ten has everything from small city cars to top-of-the-range luxury SUVs to whet your appetite; some of them are cheaper than others, but all of them represent the best of their type. Read on to find out what are the best used electric cars you can buy:
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10. Volkswagen e-Up
Basing your electric car on the cute little Up is not a bad place to start since it’s one of the best city cars on sale. And, in some ways, the e-Up is even better. For starters, if you need an automatic car, the smooth electric motor and instant torque make the e-Up a swift urban runabout. Second, the additional weight of the batteries helps to settle the ride over the standard car. Plus, the batteries are neatly hidden beneath the seats, so there’s no loss of interior space. Trouble is, because the battery pack is so small, the range is only really 66 miles, which limits it to those who mostly do urban driving and have easy access to a charge point.
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10. Volkswagen e-Up
It is also quite expensive compared with a conventionally powered Up. However, if you regularly commute into central London, not needing to pay the congestion charge is useful. A 7kWh charger will refill your e-Up in about six hours, while the rapid-charging facility means you can be back in action in 30 minutes.
We found: 2015 e-Up, 11,238 miles, £13,000
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9. Kia Soul EV
The Kia Soul EV is proof that electric cars need not look boring. And it’s still a highly practical five-seat family car that’s much cheaper to run than the standard car. Equipment levels are pretty decent with climate control, heated front seats, cruise control, sat-nav and a reversing camera.
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9. Kia Soul EV
A home charger should recharge a fully depleted Soul in six hours, while a fast charger will get the battery to 80% in about 30 minutes. Reckon on a real-world range of around 90 miles between charging.
We found: 2016 Soul EV, 2400 miles, £15,999
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8. Vauxhall Ampera
Some of you who are really switched on will know that the Ampera does, in fact, have a petrol engine and is, therefore, an outlier in our list. However, this Vauxhall (and the Chevrolet Volt it is closely related to) operates as an electric car most of the time, only using the petrol engine if you need to travel further than its electric range can manage and there’s no access to a charging point.
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8. Vauxhall Ampera
If you do regularly charge it up, then 40 miles of electric range should see you to work without issue, and if you have access to a dedicated wall charger, then it’ll only take four hours to replenish your electric range. While they only sold the Ampera for three years, there are a few higher-mileage examples out there under £10,000, making the Ampera a cut-price EV for those wanting to be green.
We found: 2012 Positiv, 37,500 miles, £11,500
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7. Tesla Model X
The first Tesla on our list is the biggest and brashest electric car on sale today, and certainly turns heads wherever it goes. 150-200 miles on a charge should be easily achievable from a 75D model thanks to a huge battery. This does mean charge times can be quite long unless you’re using one of Tesla’s own superchargers (it can take 25 hours from a standard three-pin plug and 11 hours from a 7kWh wall charger) that take 40 minutes to get an 80% recharge.
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7. Tesla Model X
If you can afford the steep £70,000 entry fee, don’t be surprised when you have to fend off crowds of people wanting you to demonstrate ‘ModelXmas’!
We found: 2017 75D, 5400 miles, £70,000
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6. Nissan Leaf
The first-generation Nissan Leaf should always be remembered for having been the one to kick-start mass production of electric cars. What’s more, it was even produced in the UK and proved you could electrify a more practical family-sized car rather than put up with the tiny little ones that went before it. Early Leafs can be picked up for a pittance, but the range was never great on them and battery degradation means it’ll be even worse today.
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6. Nissan Leaf
We’d recommend going for a facelifted example from 2016 onwards with the 30kWh battery, which means that 105-120 miles on a charge is achievable. A dedicated 7kWh home charger should fill a flat Leaf in four-and-a-half hours while a rapid charger should get you to 80% in 30 minutes.
We found: Acenta 30kWh, 22,621 miles, £14,890
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5. Tesla Model S
Another Tesla makes it onto our list, but this time it’s a little more affordable than an X. Being an American car means that it’s massive and there’s therefore lots of leg, head and shoulder room for five adults. The hatchback boot allows you to easily load odd-shaped items into the back so, in many ways, the S is a very practical car. Like the X, charge times can be quite drawn-out affairs: a 75D can take 11 hours from a 7kWh home charger, but find a Tesla supercharger and it do an 80% fill in 40 minutes.
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5. Tesla Model S
150-200 miles is achievable too, which unlocks its potential for long-distance electric motoring. Unfortunately, it cannot go any higher in this list because it came bottom in our most recent What Car? Reliability Survey.
We found: 2016 P85D, 35,858 miles, £58,000
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4. Hyundai Ioniq
While the Ioniq is available in three different flavours – hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric – we’re focusing on the all-electric version here. The 117-mile real range according to our tests is similar to the Volkswagen e-Golf, but the Ioniq comes with more equipment and is a little more practical.
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4. Hyundai Ioniq
It doesn’t drive quite as nicely as the e-Golf – or the regular hybrid version, for that matter – but it’s comfortable to go long distances in and, of course, quiet. A home charger should have it recharged in four hours, or an 80% charge in 30 minutes.
We found: 2018 Premium, 1009 miles. £22,995
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3. Volkswagen e-Golf
The biggest compliment you can pay the e-Golf is that it feels just like a regular Golf. Only the electric car is much quieter and quicker off the line than a regular petrol or diesel model. Claimed range is 125 miles, which is on par for this type of car, and so are the charge times. It should take four hours from a 7kWh home charger or 45 minutes using a fast charger.
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3. Volkswagen e-Golf
Then once you’ve got your head around that, you’ll be able to enjoy the normal qualities that make the regular Golf so popular: the light steering, a pleasant ride and refined motorway manners. Add to that a decent-sized boot (it’s slightly down on the regular car, but still big enough for a buggy or set of Golf clubs) and plenty of room for people front and rear, and you’ve got a highly practical electric car.
We found: 2015 e-Golf, 13,807 miles, £19,000
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2. BMW i3
Here’s proof that you can even have a premium-badged electric car for a fraction of what it cost new. There are plenty of BMW i3s out there in either range extender or pure electric form, like the example here. The EV actually has the longer electric power range, and because we’ve gone for a car registered after the model revisions in July 2016, you should be able to go for 120 miles between charges.
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2. BMW i3
A recharge from empty using a 7kWh home charger takes four hours, and the i3 can be fast-charged so you can get it up to 80% within 40 minutes. Once topped up, the i3 is quite pleasant to drive and grips the road well, even with those skinny tyres. The ride can be a little firm, but it means the i3 resists roll despite being fairly tall.
We found: 2016 i3 E, 17,268 miles, £18,850
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1. Renault Zoe
Despite the potential battery leasing costs, the Renault Zoe is still one of the more affordable electric cars on the market, and thanks to an improved battery from 2015 onwards, the range is decent too. Being similar in size to a Clio, the Zoe can be more than just a second car. The boot is a decent size and can accommodate a pushchair without issue, plus there’s enough rear seat room for children.
While the Zoe certainly isn’t as polished to drive as the e-Golf, the longer range makes up for this. We managed 131 miles on a full charge in temperatures of 3-5deg C, a figure that makes the Zoe one of the more useful electric cars available.
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1. Renault Zoe
Charging times from flat vary between eight hours on a 7kWh home charger point to two hours and 40 minutes from a 22kWh fast charger. There are even some Zoes with rapid charging if you need to travel further afield. All in all, the Zoe deserves its place as the best used electric car currently available, especially since we found a nearly new 2018 Dynamique Nav example with only 936 miles on it for £12,991. Impressive when you consider that it’s £25,000 new.
We found: 2018 Dynamique Nav, 936 miles, £12,991
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