Were you to design an environment perfectly suited to purely electric cars, it would look something akin to our suburbs and cities – and the cars themselves would be superminis.
Dinky supermini hatchbacks have always been ideal for driving in tight, built-up locations with limited parking space, and the near-silence of electric powertrains along with their zippy accelerator response makes EV versions an even better fit than their combustion-engined counterparts.
Of course, there’s also the added benefit that the electric cars put out no emissions at the point of use, which only enhances their appeal in densely populated areas.
There are further benefits to buying an electric car in the smallest available form: a smaller battery means a lower price, and less mass means that even the only moderately powerful electric motors found in this class can provide surprisingly punchy performance, at least initially. When it comes to the 0-20mph dash, electric superminis beat their combustion cousins with ease, and with a low centre of gravity, these EVs tend to handle quite nicely too, with some, such as the Mini Electric, really capturing an enjoyable go-kart personality.
Drawbacks? Urban dwellers are less likely to have a driveway on which to charge their car and public charging infrastructure still leaves something to be desired in many parts of the country, so these are things to consider. And outside cities, smaller batteries mean less range, which means these cars are not the most natural choice for longer journeys, even if many can manage around 200 miles on a single charge.
We’ve tested and rated every small electric car currently on sale. Here is our rundown of those we consider to be the very best.
Best small electric cars 2023
1. MG 4
Pros: Excellent value for money, plenty of space inside, good fun to drive
Cons: Interior feels built to a price, frustrating driver assistance systems, some controls are fiddly
Arguably the greatest disruptive presence in any class of car comes in the form of MG's electric hatchback, the 4. Granted, it is not as small as some cars on this list and is more Golf-sized than Polo-sized, but its low pricing makes it well worth your consideration. Its on-paper attributes are right at the sharp end of the class; make no mistake: relative to rivals, we say this is one of the most impressive and compelling cars currently on sale.
One of the car's key attributes is its claimed driving range, which is rated at 281 miles if you've opted for the 64kWh Long Range battery pack. With 168bhp, performance is also more than adequate, but it's the MG's handling that proved the real surprise when we put it to the test. While it doesn't thrill like a traditional hot hatch, the 4 steers with pleasing accuracy and has an easygoing handling balance that makes its rear-driven chassis very satisfying to flow along interesting roads. Truth be told, the car is a bit of a revelation.
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I think that the resale residue values of electric vehicles are relatively low owing to battery degradation and battery leasing agreements because there is very little or no discussion of these values. Am I right?
IF this website was hiring journalists: then you would include the MG 4 in your line up. Please start researching your articles. This is appalling that you have not even evaluated the efficiency of any of the cars. This is the most important issue with Ev’s today.
The car autonomie is ridiculous compare to a Zoe, the driveability is appalling (i m not talking about performance), the dc charging power announcement is fake (two mins max at full power), the wheel are spinning like my 205 gti used to do and last but not least how can you say that the boot of Zoe is similar to a 208???