20. Fiat 500 / Abarth 500e
“The 500 is a compact car, but it might be your only vehicle if you don’t require much room. This is because it has enough range on a charge to make driving on the highways bearable. Conversely, anyone who ever drives outside of a conurbation as opposed to merely within one would have to consider the Honda e or Mini electric as second-class vehicles.
“The Abarth is based on the Fiat 500 electric, just like when Carlo Abarth himself began emboldening Fiat 500s back in the late 1950s. That brings a super-compact electric hatchback, front-wheel drive and design that’s a retro-modernised version of those 1950s themes. They even gave it a sound generator designed to mimic a petrol engine at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.”
19. Lotus Eletre
“The trick here is to roll with the fact that the Eletre has nothing to do with ‘traditional Lotus’, but that doesn’t mean it can’t align itself with Lotus values, and be an interesting aspect of a growing brand. Yes, it’s built in China and not Norfolk. Yes it’s electric. Yes, it’s a high-riding SUV. But it’s also a really very convincing one, and despite all the various arguments arranged against it, it still, just a little bit, has some Lotusness in there. More than enough to take on anything in the sector – including electric luminaries like Tesla at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.”
18. Hyundai Kona Electric
“Yep, this really is what actual production family crossovers look like these days. Bravo, Hyundai.
“The button-filled interior should be applauded in this day and age, and prices that start in the mid-£30k region aren’t bad in today’s market either. The Kona Electric may have way more rivals than it did when it first arrived back in 2017, but this refresh keeps it right up towards the top of our tree.”
17. Renault Scenic E-Tech
“Renault has another family electric hatch, the Megane E-Tech Electric, but people have complained it’s not roomy enough in the back. The Scenic is largely the same up front but has a 100mm longer wheelbase, devoted to the rear at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.
“People also grumbled that the Megane’s battery size isn’t enough, so the Scenic comes with 87kWh as standard. That’s 391 miles WLTP. Which ought to shut them up.”
16. Hyundai Ioniq 6
“We’ve been saying how much of a roll Hyundai is on for the last three-to-four years. This is just further evidence of that, with the twist of a different styling vibe. Its performance is entirely in line with how Hyundai is pitching it: this is a comfortable, effortlessly smooth and easy cruiser. To operate, as well as drive. It soaks up miles, uses its charge surprisingly sparingly and does as much as possible to mitigate range anxiety at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.”
15. Maserati GranTurismo Folgore
“This is a car that has real cachet, that feels, acts and drives expensively and comes across as better engineered and developed than any Maserati in living memory at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.
“As a company it has momentum and investment behind it right now. The wonderful MC20 is a halo, and the SUVs will sell in bigger numbers. But this is Maserati’s signature dish.”
14. Kia EV9
“Kia’s flagship product feels like a worthy range-topper not simply because it offers a lot of metal, chair and equipment for the money.
“It’s genuinely a well-designed product with enough features to be future-proof, a robust feel for daily family use, and enough performance and range to support a price that would have seemed absurd for a Kia, or any Korean car, ten years ago.”
13. Volvo EX30
“The audited CO2 footprint of a base-model EX30 out of the factory is only 18 tonnes; not much more than many petrol rivals. The UK electricity it uses to drive for an 8,000-mile year emits about 0.4 tonnes of power-station CO2, where a petrol car would emit 1.8 tonnes from its exhaust. So the EX30’s lifetime CO2 is about half that of a petrol at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.”
12. BMW i4
“We like the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2, but there’s still a vacancy for a really sweet-driving alternative. The i4 is that alternative. In eDrive40 guise it rides very well and handles more deftly than any other comparative EV.
“It doesn’t look like a spaceship, but lots of people don’t want that. This car’s secret superpower is that it’s a proper BMW.”
11. Volkswagen ID.7
“In many ways the ID.7 has absolutely nailed the brief. The space, comfort, range and efficiency are impressive, even in the smaller-battery Pro version that’ll hit European roads first at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.
“Perhaps most of all, it’s easier to use and less of an oddball than the earlier ID models. VWs should be friendly. This is.”
10. Jeep Avenger
“Well, who’da thunk it? Jeep has built an excellent city car. Like any decent EV the powertrain is silent and smooth, and it qualifies for various cheap parking and congestion-zone incentives. It’s small and manoeuvrable and the boxy outline helps you judge the corners. The bash-resistant exterior and speedbump-happy suspension calm your nerves at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.
“That’s not all, mind. It has OK range and quick-enough rapid charging, so its long-distance compass is perfectly tolerable. The cruising manners are fine, and it’s even fairly chuckable in corners. Thank the small size and long-travel suspension.”
9. Polestar 2
“We love the Polestar 2 because it’s handsome, the build quality will give Audi drivers PTSD, and there’s a real sense of humility about the car. It’s been designed to work seamlessly, not to wow you with gimmicks then wind you up further down the line. Single Motor iterations make it more accessible for most too at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.”
8. BMW i7
“BMWs have always relied on their mostly great engines for the soul and sensation we all crave, as well as their dynamics, but the focus is shifting elsewhere now. The new 7 Series has arguably the finest interior in the automotive world, beautifully executed, well-made and imaginative. You can argue among yourselves about the exterior design, but inside is a knock-out at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.
“It’s blissfully smooth, fast and easy to drive, and impressively efficient for such a large car. A lot of clever, highly motivated people have dug very deep here and you can tell. The i7 is one hell of a car.”
7. Dacia Spring
“The Spring’s appeal is that it’s everything that many electric cars aren’t: it’s not over-wrought or heavy-handed, it’s honest and enjoyable and manages to keep the dream of a low impact electric car alive and proves to everyone else it is possible for a battery electric vehicle to weigh largely the same as its petrol equivalent. Well done Dacia, let’s hope that where you lead, others will follow at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.”
6. BMW i5
“The BMW i5 is an exceptional new car. We’ll have to wait to try the combustion versions of the new 5 Series, but if BMW’s stated aim here was to combine 3 Series dynamism with 7 Series luxury, it’s mission accomplished: this is the best-handling car in its class and makes a Model S feel like a shopping trolley. Especially the M60. Yes it’s expensive, but it feels every penny of the billion-pound investment it surely was for its maker.”
5. Tesla Model 3 / Tesla Model Y
“This is the future we were promised – a car with sentience, a sense of humour, and a fresh take on the old norms. After trying this, your old repmobile will just feel a bit dull. The Model 3 has been in production since mid-2017, but even heading into old age, nothing on the market has yet managed to beat it on all fronts. While not without flaws, it is quite simply one of the most interesting, compelling cars in the world right now. We might even look back on it as the car that changed the way we all drive at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.”
“It would have been one of the shocks of the century if Tesla had heightened a Model 3 and spoiled it in the process. In short, it has not.”
4. MG4
“On the face of it, the MG4 doesn’t seem like a very exciting car – certainly not something Top Gear would give a massively high score to. But when you dig into what it does for the money, how high it scores on multiple levels, it’s probably the only car in the class to recommend. It’s got range, charging, equipment, zippy dynamics and now some style.”
3. Porsche Taycan
“The Taycan can absolutely entertain on the right road and is a delight to cruise in – a GT with the heart of a sports car. More importantly, it’s a proper Porsche that just happens to run on electricity.”
2. Rolls-Royce Spectre
“Electric has enriched the Rolls-Royce. It’s still a galloping, ocean-going, 24-carat indulgence, but with a tasteful specification it’s just about possible to swerve absolute vulgarity at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.
“It’s rich in the decadence of the so-called glory days but gratifyingly simple to operate for a product of 2023. While other manufacturers wrestle with the conundrum of transposing their family heirloom values into an electric future, the age of electric propulsion will suit Rolls-Royce very well indeed.”
1. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
“Right now, the Ioniq 5 N is an electric car that’s as involving as a really good petrol car. In some ways it does that by brazenly impersonating a petrol drivetrain. The surprising thng is that’s absolutely not just a gimmick.
“Then in corners it has some original tricks of its own. It’s not just fast, it’s confident and playful so it’s fun even when it’s not going fast. It’s useful and versatile too at Top Gear’s top 20 electric cars.
“So it has many of the talents you expect from an electric car, and many more that so far are unique in EVs. Which makes us call it a new and brilliant chapter.”
