Choosing Your EV

How to choose the perfect EV for you 

1. Price

Your budget is the first and most important factor to consider. It will narrow down options a lot and will give you a rough idea of what you are working with.

2. Size of car

This depends on the budget. Generally, a higher budget means a larger car, however, this isn't always the case. For example, the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross is 4.7m long and 2.1m but starts from only £32,585, and the smart #1 Brabus has a smaller 4.3m length and 2.0m width, but starts from £44,960.

3. Range

This also depends on your price range. Like the size of the car, if you are paying a lot, then you'll likely get a very decent range. But in the lower end of the price range, cost cuts simply can't match the range leaders. For a car under £30,000, a range of 250-310 miles is expected. For cars between £30,000 and £50,000, ranges of 350 miles for the lower end, up to 480 miles for the Mercedes CLA (£43,250). Above that, ranges above 500 miles are becoming more common, with 566 miles on the BMW i3 (£54,925) and even 483 miles on the heavily-performance-focused AMG GT 4-Door Coupe (103,275). All these range figures are from WLTP tests.

4. Brand Loyalty

Brand loyalty can be a big part in choosing a car. Car companies often have specific deals or features that make customers come back. Examples of this are MG or Kia's long warranty, Volvo's reputation for safety, or Tesla's self-driving features. Or if an electric version of your existing car is available, it can be seen as the safest option.

5. Other specs

Other technical specifications like charging speed, boot capacity, or efficiency are also very important to most poeple. However, acceleration and top speed figures are often less important, unless you're into that. Track days in an EV with instant torque can be very fun.