Best electric cars 2025: Top 11 EVs to buy and the ones to avoid

The electric car market is bigger than ever, and today there are well over 100 different EVs available to buy new in the UK. Whether you want a small, city-friendly runabout, a family-friendly SUV or a sports car, there’s probably an EV for you – and thanks to improvements in battery and motor technology, they can drive further – and charge faster – than ever before.

Some of today’s EVs have official driving ranges of over 400 miles, while others can fill their battery to 80 per cent in under 20 minutes. Gone are the days plugging in for an hour or more every 100 miles. As we head through 2025 and beyond, all of these attributes will only improve; EVs will go further, charge quicker and cost less.

Prices for new EVs start at just £15,995 for the cheap and very cheerful Leapmotor T03, while other brands like Tesla offer big discounts and zero per cent finance offers (including ) to make monthly payments more affordable – and, in many cases, cheaper even than petrol or diesel models.

But which EV should you buy? We’ve come up with a list of ten of the very best in 2025, covering every need and every budget, plus some advice on the EVs you should avoid.

All our car testing starts with you in mind. We consider how you’re likely to use your electric car and what needs and priorities you might have.

We’re testing cars in real-world situations: parking them in car parks, filling them with shopping, fitting child seats, fiddling with the infotainment, turning the stereo up loud and driving them on a variety of roads in the UK and abroad,

We won’t be taking a family-friendly SUV around a race track, but we’ll take it along B-roads, around the M25 and into city centres. Then we run the numbers to compare buying and running costs with rivals so we can make a recommendation you can really trust.

Switching to an electric car can seem daunting, but knowing what to look for simplifies the process. On top of the usual considerations when buying any car – things like budget, size and practicality – look for an EV with a battery size and range that will comfortably accommodate your regular journeys.

Once you’ve narrowed the field, you can start to consider things like charging speeds – you might need to install a wall box, for example – charging accessibility at home and on the go, as well as conveniences like generous warranties and in-car tech.

Best: Overall EV

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Independent rating: 10/10

Kia’s newest EV is the best electric car the Korean manufacturer has yet made, taking everything we loved about the Kia EV9 and EV6 and rolling it into a super-affordable and family-friendly hatchback.

For a starting price of £32,995, the entry-level Air model gets a 58kWh battery capable of hitting 270 miles on a single charge. Spend an extra £3,000 on the larger battery and that range heads up to a whopping 375 miles. That’s unbeatable value and an impressive mileage for this price.

Read our full Kia EV3 review

A stylish and modern-looking car inside and out, the Kia EV3 offers plenty of space for the family and a decent-sized boot. As well as being practical, it’s fun to drive too: comfortable without feeling floaty, with accurate and predictable steering and great visibility.

The best EV in Kia’s range and our top pick of best EVs overall, the Kia EV3 is a brilliant small family car at a head-turning price.

Best: EV for company car drivers

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Independent rating: 10/10

The UK's best-selling EV just received the comprehensive update it desperately needed. The 2025 facelift addresses the key criticisms levelled at the original, transforming it into a far more complete and refined package. The ride quality has been softened thanks to redesigned suspension geometry borrowed from the latest Model 3, and the cabin is noticeably quieter due to new acoustic glass and improved sound deadening. Inside the quality is higher too, and new features like cooled front seats and an 8in rear screen for passengers ensure even greater comfort when making the most of the longest range option of 387 miles.

Read our full Tesla Model Y review

With a new starting price of £44,990, the Tesla Model Y now sits above the £40,000 threshold for the UK's ‘expensive car supplement’ tax, making it a more expensive option than some newer and more aggressively priced EV rivals like the Xpeng G6. The Tesla still holds most of the cards though, offering superior range and access to the Supercharger network. The new Model Y is unquestionably a better car, fixing the original’s flaws and justifying its premium pricing against impressive new competition.

Best: Budget EV

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Independent rating: 8/10

A new name to the UK but backed by automotive giant Stellantis, the Leapmotor T03 arrives with a single focus: value. At under £16,000, this budget-friendly EV undercuts almost everything else on the market, but still comes loaded with a decent amount of standard equipment that embarrasses cars costing twice as much. For not much money you get a sunroof, a 10in touchscreen and even adaptive cruise control. The 165 mile range is perfectly adequate for city driving, and its surprisingly spacious interior offers decent room for four.

Read our full Leapmotor T03 review

The budget price is evident in some areas. The infotainment system is fiddly and lacks Apple CarPlay or Android Auto integration. The ride can be a little choppy on poor road surfaces, and its exterior styling is certainly an acquired taste. While it won't win any design awards or long-distance races, if your priority is getting the most electric car and equipment for the absolute minimum outlay, the Leapmotor T03's value proposition is hard to ignore.

Best: Seven-seat EV

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Independent rating: 7/10

Kia may be seen by many as a mainstream brand, but the EV9 is proof that it’s moving towards the premium end of the market. This big, seven-seat SUV is the first of its kind to go on sale, beating the Volvo EX90 and Range Rover. And yes, it can be considered alongside those brands, the quality is that good.

The futuristic look of Kia’s EVs sits happily on its largest model, but there’s no denying this is a big, heavy car – which has an impact on its electric range and performance, although a claimed range of 349 miles from its huge 99.8kWh battery will be okay for most people. The EV9 gets handy fast-charging tech, too, so if you find the right charger you can add 154 miles in just 15 minutes.

Read our full Kia EV9 review

It’s the spacious and airy interior that really marks the EV9 out, though, with plenty of usable tech without overloading the driver. There’s decent space for all seven passengers, while many of the interior fabrics are made from recycled materials.

And the EV9 hides its bulk on the road, too – the view out is great, while a host of cameras make things easier when parking. It’s a comfortable cruiser, quiet with a nice ride that isn’t too bumpy and – thanks to the square shape – surprisingly easy to manoeuvre around town.

Best: Sports EV

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Independent rating: 9/10

Most electric cars are quick in a straight line, but can they handle like a sports car, too? The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N proves that they can – few cars, whether electric or not, can put a smile on your face like this one.

In a short space of time, Hyundai’s N division has proven that it can deliver proper sports cars that can be mentioned in the same breath as Volkswagen GTIs and Rs, Audi RS models and BMW M cars. It’s not surprising, really, as former BMW M boss Albert Biermann is the man responsible for the hot Hyundais, honing them at the company’s bases at Germany’s infamous Nürburgring race track and Hyundai’s own Namyang R&D centre – the latter gives the N brand its name.

Read our full Hyundai Ioniq 5 N review

This car is quick, the steering is super-sharp, the handling is safe and secure meaning you can throw it through bends at surprising speeds and there’s all the measuring tech on board today’s hot hatchback fans love.

Then there’s the noise – you can either just listen to the holistic whirring and cracking from the electric motor or turn on the electronically generated sounds that mimic revs rising and even the pops and bangs of a sports exhaust. It might sound a bit Playstation, but it actually adds to the whole experience, making your grin even wider. And as with all great hot hatchbacks, there’s a sensible side to the Ioniq 5 N – it’ll double up as a sensible and comfortable family car when it’s not at the race track.

Best: Urban EV

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Independent rating: 9/10

Fiat revived the spirit of its original 80s icon with the new all-electric Grande Panda, delivering a well-priced, characterful and city-friendly EV. Applying a modern twist to its predecessor’s boxy shape, the Grande Panda is packed with delightful design details, from embossed ‘Panda’ lettering to oval shapes inspired by Fiat’s famous Lingotto test track. There’s even some bamboo-based trim to honour to car’s namesake.

While its name is ‘Grande’, it remains a compact car at under four metres long and feels at home on city roads. The 44kWh battery delivers a claimed 199 mile range, enough for urban jaunts, and it can be topped up quickly with 100kW DC fast charging delivering 20-80 per cent in 27 minutes. On our test drive we were pleased with the retractable 7kW charging cable integrated into the car's nose, eliminating the need to carry a separate cable for home charging.

Read our full Fiat Grande Panda review

The ride comfort is nicely judged and, despite a modest 0-62mph time, the Fiat Grande Panda feels nippy and easy to handle. Space is decent for its size and the 361 litre boot is practical. With a starting price just over £20,000 (and even base models getting impressive dual screens with wireless smartphone connectivity) the Grande Panda proves that new electric cars can be both fun and genuinely affordable.

Best: EV for long range

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Independent rating: 8/10

The DS No.8 is a stylish and impressively comfortable electric SUV that focuses on what the brand calls “French elegance” and “dynamic serenity”. While the fussy styling won't be to everyone's taste, there's no denying its unique character and road presence. We love how it looks.

The real headline here is the range. The Long Range model, with its 97kWh battery, boasts a claimed maximum range of 466 miles, with DS promising it can cover over 300 miles on a continuous motorway run. This efficiency is largely thanks to a super-slippery aerodynamic profile. The driving experience majors on comfort, with a plush ride that soaks up bumps beautifully, especially with the optional active scan suspension. It handles tidily and is wonderfully quiet, making it a serene long-distance cruiser.

Read our full DS No.8 review

Inside, the cabin is spacious and features high-quality materials on the seats and dash, though some cheaper-feeling shiny plastics let the side down slightly. Tech is solid, with a large 16in infotainment screen, but be aware that it lacks a rear windscreen wiper in the name of efficiency, which could be a visibility issue on wet days. The DS No.8 is a compelling and comfortable premium EV that finally puts DS firmly on the map.

Best: Sustainable EV

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Independent rating: 8/10

The Polestar 3 is a full-size SUV with a big battery and, if you’re gentle on the accelerator, a real-world range closing in on 350 miles. It also benefits from fast charging, a roomy and stylish interior packed with kit as standard, and an on-road poise that will please keen drivers. It’s not a sports car by any stretch of the imagination – and you’re best off buying the least powerful model in return for maximum range – but the 3 goes well and feels composed, even nimble, for its size. Thankfully, it rides far better than the overly-stiff Polestar 2. It’s properly impressive, even on our broken British roads.

Polestar’s interior tech is among the best, but some buyers might be frustrated by the lack of physical controls for key functions like the cabin temperature and mirror adjustment, while others will admire the clean and tidy Android interface. Optional extras are bundled into packs, which can quickly get expensive (especially if you just want the excellent Bowers & Wilkins stereo), but the 3 still feels like good value compared to rivals from the better-known German brands.

Read our full Polestar 3 review

The Polestar 3’s cavernous interior has seating for five (not seven, unfortunately) and is a masterclass in minimalism. Volvo fans will recognise some of the switchgear, which is no bad thing, and the 3 is fitted with recycled ‘WeaveTech’ fabric as standard. Nappa leather is available as an upgrade with the Pilot and Plus packs; the latter also includes active noise cancelling to reduce road noise, a head-up display, heated rear seats (on the fronts are heated as standard) and the phenomenalB&W sound system, complete with Dolby Atmos surround sound.

Best: Luxury EV

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Independent rating: 9/10

Porsche’s first EV received a big technical upgrade in 2024, giving the Taycan more power, a greater range and faster charging. It now fills its batteries quicker than almost any other EV, while boasting clever active suspension and, should you have a big budget, acceleration to rival any supercar.

The Porsche Taycan is also a sensible and practical four-door saloon with a high-quality interior, smart infotainment and decent but not segment-leading storage.

Read our full Porsche Taycan review

The rear seats can feel cramped for taller adults, but from the front row the Taycan is a wonderful place to spend many miles. We’re big fans of the elongated estate styling of the Cross Turismo and the extra practicality it brings, while the 4S powertrain gives you all the performance you’ll need without the massive cost of the Turbo.

The recent facelift has done wonders to the Taycan’s spec sheet. It now has much more range than before and charges quicker than almost any other EV on the road today. Expensive, but a triumph of engineering.

Short-term residuals are a concern among luxury EVs and the Taycan is no exception, but depreciation tends to stabilise quickly after the first year of ownership.

Best: Family EV

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Independent rating: 8/10

The new all-electric Scenic may not be as ground-breaking as the original small MPV, but its reinvention as a mid-size SUV hasn’t been without success – it’s the current European Car of the Year. Do we agree with the esteemed jury? Yes and no.

The Scenic is pretty mediocre to drive with a firm ride and lacking the pizazz of so many electric cars. Some of the interior plastics feel decidedly cheap, too.

Read our full Renault Scenic E-Tech review

But there are plenty of clever touches that will please the driver and passengers. A brilliant Google-powered touchscreen with excellent voice control is the star tech attraction, but anyone in the back will be in awe of the ‘ingenious armrest’ which not only includes the obligatory cup-holders, but clever fold-out holders for tablets or smartphones – complete with power sockets. There’s decent space in the back, too.

There’s also a long-range version with a handy 379-mile driving range although the Scenic prices aren’t quite so handy, starting at £37,495 for the 260 mile Comfort model going up to the range topper at £45,495 – putting it very much in Tesla territory.

Best: For affordable fun

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Independent rating: 9/10

Quite simply, the Renault 5 E-tech is one of the best cars of 2025. It is well priced and well equipped; it looks fantastic, with a lovely interior and great ride quality. It is also supremely comfortable for a car in this class, with loads of retro charm and a Google-powered infotainment system that works brilliantly.

Read our full Renault 5 review

It isn’t especially quick – you can always go for the sportier, pricier and closely related Alpine A290 if that’s a concern – but the 5 is still a fun car to drive. It is particularly good around town, where we imagine most 5s will live, but it’s also fairly civilised on the motorway, too, although wind noise does ramp up (and efficiency falls) at higher cruising speeds.

Although easy and enjoyable to drive, we wish the steering wheel wasn’t quite so cluttered by stalks, and we’d rather the car had a Park gear, instead of asking for neutral, followed by a pull of the electric handbrake. It’s a small criticism though, for what is otherwise a fantastic car.

What makes an EV worth avoiding depends on your needs as a driver, but there are a few cars on the market today whose features have fallen behind the curve.

The Nissan Leaf is one example. Once a trailblazer in the EV world, the current generation Nissan Leaf is antiquated compared to modern rivals, with a tiny 39kWh battery and slow charging. A new model is in the works – until then the Leaf is a bit of a dinosaur.

Similarly, the all-electric Mazda MX-30 might have been good value when it first hit the scene, offering a meagre 124 miles for your money, but a wave of newer competitors have outflanked this budget EV with bigger batteries and better range.

Think about the journeys you do and whether you could live with an EV, as well as when and how you would charge it. Let’s put it this way, many people buy an EV as their second car and it quickly becomes their main vehicle.

They’re cheaper to run, quieter and quicker, while the tech is often better. The biggest change is availability and time taken for ‘fueling’. If you’ve got home charging, you can just charge overnight and it’ll be cheaper, but public charging will take longer than just pulling in to a fuel station.

Full hybrid cars can run on electric power for a very short period of time before a petrol engine kicks in. EVs run on electricity full time – they tend to be quicker and quieter, too.

It’s simple – you have a home charger installed and pay for electricity for charging on your electricity bill. Get on a specialised energy tariff and you can save money on overnight charging.

You can just plug and pay with a tap of your card these days, or you can have an account via an app. There are different speeds of chargers that will charge your car in different times; faster chargers are more expensive to use.

Our team of motoring experts have decades of experience driving, reviewing and reporting on the latest EV cars, and our verdicts are reached with every kind of driver in mind. We thoroughly test drive every car we recommend, so you can be sure our verdicts are honest, unbiased and authentic.

New EVs are coming thick and fast with more choice available for every car buyer. We’re seeing improved ranges, the very latest tech and higher quality. The cars are getting more comfortable, and prices are coming down, especially if you look at some of the lease deals available.

Our pick of the best EVs of 2025 is the Kia EV3, a practical and fun family hatchback that combines impressive range with budget-friendly pricing. We also highly rate the Tesla Model 3. It’s so good it’s a real thorn in the side for other car makers. Not only is it a great EV that’s got a good range, is great to drive, has space for all the family and the best tech you can get, there’s also the benefit of Tesla’s bespoke Supercharger network. And all that at a price that makes other EV makers wince.

That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of other outstanding EVs out there. We love the sheer affordability of the sub-£15,000 Dacia Spring, for starters. Or there’s the current World Car of the Year, the Kia EV9: a handsome car with a whiff of Range Rover about it, but with superb build quality, strong sustainability credentials and plenty of space for seven people.

Another Korean car will be most likely to put a smile on your face: the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. It’s a modern-day hot hatchback that blends great fun (especially with the great sounds it makes) with a dose of practicality. It’ll carry five people and plenty of luggage, and is as happy at the shops as on a track day.

There are cheap EVs, luxury EVs, EV family cars and EV vans - with new EVs being launched every month. It really is a great time to buy an electric car.