Best small electric cars 2024

It's no longer available as a brand new car because it's been discontinued by Volkswagen, it it's well worth seeking out a used VW e-Up if you can, because we still rate it as the best small electric car going.

Look for as late a model as you can afford, because later in its life, it received a significantly extended range of 161 miles from a new 32.3kWh battery, which powers the 82PS electric motor

The e-Up comes in a single standard specification, which means less decision making. It’s well-equipped as standard, too, with climate control, heated seats and windscreen, cruise control, a rear-view camera, alloy wheels and smartphone integration. The cabin is lowkey but attractive and the e-Up actually drives better than the petrol model as well.

As small electric cars go, the Jeep Avenger is one of the coolest. It looks the business thanks to the rugged, no-nonsense styling typical of the Jeep brand, with trademark features like boxy bodywork and a seven-slot grille. And while the interior doesn't dazzle for practicality or quality, it has vibrant splashes of colour that help the car feel unerringly cheery.

It's an enjoyable car to drive, too. It rides pretty comfortably, especially at low urban speeds, and it has enough pace to opportunistically exploit gaps in city traffic. It feels zippy and manoeuvrable in town -  thanks partly to its small dimensions, flat sides and good visibility - and the handling remains tidy at higher speeds.

Official figures put the Avenger's range at 244 miles, which is more than enough for you to use it outside the city if you wish, but Jeep says you'll get a lot more than that figure if you confine yourself to urban use.

The Honda e is like the iPhone of cars. It’s small, expensive and will need recharging regularly. Yet, EV owners will buy it regardless of its shortfalls simply because of its desirability, which is in large part down to its styling. It’s a superb balance of modern and retro design, meaning young buyers will gravitate towards this rather than, say, a Renault Zoe, despite its high price and shorter electric range.

Speaking of which, it has an official range of 137 miles, dropping to 125 miles if you spec the prettier 17-inch alloy wheels. That’s not as good as competitors like the MINI Electric, which is cheaper. But it’s pretty much untouchable on tech. There are five screens spread across the dashboard, including two infotainment displays and digital screens instead of conventional door mirrors. 

Inside, the cabin is superb, using a mixture of wood and contemporary materials to provide a funky feel. Despite its compact dimensions, a flat floor means it feels surprisingly spacious up front, although room for rear-seat passengers is limited. It's got quite a small boot, too.

The Peugeot e-208 is far from the smallest electric car in this list, but it's hardly a Range Rover is it? It's certainly still dinky enough for the cut and thrust of urban life, but unlike some cars here, it has a real air of style and luxury for a compact hatchback. 

The striking exterior design can be had with cool-looking 'fang' LED lights and other nice details. But the premium feel doesn't stop with the outside, as the e-208 has a surprisingly upmarket interior, particularly on top trims. It's roomier than other cars here, too, with higher levels of standard equipment available. Prefer a more subtle design and simpler (albeit duller) interior? The Vauxhall Corsa-e and the updated Corsa Electric share their mechanical bits with the e-208.

On the road, the Peugeot e-208 feels heavier and less agile than some of the other best small electric cars. But the benefits of that include better refinement, a more comfortable ride and plenty of performance. You also get a very respectable range of up to 225 miles on versions with the 136PS powertrain, or 248 miles with the updated 156PS powertrain that was introduced alongside the less powerful one during the 2024 facelift.

Fiat struck gold with the original Fiat 500 (well, the first modern one) when it first arrived back in 2008, with its cheeky retro design proving a hit with those looking for a classy city car. Fast-forward to 2021, and the latest iteration of the Fiat 500 became an electric-only model. 

The Fiat 500 Electric is a touch larger than the original car, but it's still one of the smallest cars on the road at only 3.6m long, while it comes with the choice of two batteries. The entry-level model (which has since been discontinued as a new car) is equipped with a modest 24kWh battery that delivers a claimed range up to 118 miles, while there's also a 42kWh battery pack that stretches the Fiat 500's range up to 199 miles. It can also be fast-charged to 80% of full battery power in 30 minutes (you'll need to be using a fast charging public station to achieve this, though). 

Fiat's refined up the design of the 500 for 2021, while it's also available as a soft-top cabriolet, so it's one of the few electric cars that allows you to have the roof down. There are three trim levels to pick from: Action, Passion and Icon. The entry-level model doesn't have a touchscreen, instead requiring you to connect your smartphone, while the top of the range model sports a large 10.0-inch touchscreen. 

Ora is still a rather unfamiliar name the UK, but the brand is an offshoot of Great Wall, a Chinese manufacturer that's been making vehicles for decades. This particular car was named the Funky Cat when it was first launched in the UK, but it seems the British public couldn't put up with such a dingbat name, so it's since been rechristened as the 03, a name that couldn't be any duller if it tried. By any name, it's a really solid little electric car, with excellent safety ratings, loads of equipment included as standard and decent space inside.

It's also impressively affordable, which lets it take on other value-for-money electric cars like the MG4 and the BYD Dolphin, as well as more expensive alternatives like the MINI Electric. There are of course some compromises for the money, including a relatively short battery range of 193 miles, although that's better than the MINI and the Honda e. While it's spacious in the back, it's got a small boot, and it's not particularly fun to drive, either.

But the Funky Cat has eyecatching looks and a very attractive price, which means we can forgive many of its shortcomings. Even more affordable versions should be on the way soon, too, which will make it even more of a temptation.

The Mazda MX-30 is something of an oddball. It's a small SUV with a small battery range, although the addition of a range-extender model to the, er, range provides an interesting alternative to traditional plug-in hybrid rivals. It's a car that certainly won't be for everyone, but it nevertheless has much to recommend it, especially as a used car.

With a battery range of just 124 miles, the MX-30 simply can't live with the many hundreds of miles that some rivals can boast. However, this small capacity helps to keep costs down, and if it's a problemfor you, the range extender model has a tiny petrol engine: not to drive the wheels, but solely to recharge the battery. It'll cover about 50 miles before the engine steps in to help out, and unlike many PHEVs, you can fast-charge it at public chargers to top up.

Both models are fun to drive, with direct steering, and the interior is just lovely, with classy materials, an easy-to-use infotainment system and a great seating position. The rear doors are hinged at the back, which is an interesting talking point, although not particularly practical. We'd rather think of this as a quirky, very likeable city SUV for two.

Is the Citroen Ami the coolest car we've seen in the last few years? Maybe not. But it'll probably get you noticed more than any supercar in town. 

It's not just the unusual, funky design that draws people's eyes, but also the size of it. At barely over 2.4m long and under 1.4m wide, it makes a Smart ForTwo look bulky. It's a doddle to drive, and turns on a sixpence. It's perfect for the city, then, which is just as well because it's utterly useless outside the city limits: it'll only do 28mph and has a maximum range of 47 miles on a charge.

There's plenty of other compromises to be made, too. For starters, it isn't technically a car, meaning it doesn't have to obey any crash safety regulations. With two seats and almost nothing in the way of equipment except seats and a heater, it makes every other car in this list look luxurious. But, it only costs from around £8,000, and unlike a bicycle or a scooter it has a roof, windows, and more protection from bad drivers.

The Renault Zoe is one of the oldest cars on this list, having hit the road back in 2013, and to be honest, it's starting to feel it these days. However, there's still plenty to recommend it, especially if you can find a cheap used example, which will be among the cheapest electric cars it's possible to buy.

Thanks to its small footprint, it's very easy to drive and squeeze into the tight parking spots, while the clever design means there's a decent amount of space inside and a slightly raised driving position compared to many small cars. While the design appears to suggest its a three-door, it is in fact a five-door hatchback, with the rear door handles neatly disguised in the frame of the door. 

Over the years Renault has improved the battery performance on the Zoe. Originally coming with a 22kWh battery that delivered an official range between 130 and 150 miles, the later models feature a 52kWh capacity battery with a claimed range up to 245 miles.

If buying a used one, though, make sure you clarify exactly what you're buying. When new, some Zoes were sold with the battery included, and some were sold without, and owners paid Renault a monthly fee to lease the battery. That charge will still need to be paid on used examples, so when buying, make sure you know if the battery is included or not.

The Vauxhall Corsa Electric was first launched in the UK as the Corsa-e, but when the car was facelifted in 2023, and received the same cool front-end styling as more recent models in the Vauxhall range, is also received a new name.

And that wasn't all. Alongside the existing 136PS electric powertrain that was good for a range of 222 miles, a slightly pokier one was added with 156PS and a slightly bigger battery for an extended range of 246 miles.

Those powertrains, plus everything else that lies under the rather conservative bodywork, is shared with other Stellantis-Group electric cars such as the flamboyant Peugeot e-208 and DS 3, not to mention the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600e. Most of them are fairly interchangeable in most areas, so just pick the one you like the look of most, and which suits your budget.