It's fair to say that it was the Tesla Model S that started off the whole performance electric car craze. First launched in 2012, the Model S has come a long way since then with the fastest incarnation scoring countless YouTube hits beating various Lambos and Ferraris away from the lights.

Early models are still pretty potent, but the Model S has received multiple updates over the years to make it faster still. That's culminated in the 2024 Tesla Model S Plaid: a big electric saloon car with 1020PS and an alleged 0-60mph time of under two seconds. It'll even do up to 200mph, Tesla claims.

That three-motor all-wheel-drive system means stomach-churning acceleration, yet the 373-mile range is still among the longest of any electric car sold today. 

Those are the good bits. The bad? Well the main one is that Tesla isn't quoting a price, but expect it to be well over £100,000. Happily, if that's a bit rich for you, even the standard dual motor model does 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds, which is hardly sluggish. 

Let’s face it, if Porsche – that last bastion of internal combustion-engined racers - is making an all-electric sports car, then we can all sleep soundly knowing the future is really here.

The Porsche Taycan is a stunning car and what makes it stand out from everything else, even the Teslas of this world, is that it is very much a Porsche first and an electric car second. In other words, it has all the feel and character of a Porsche, but it just so happens to have an electric motor rather than petrol engine.

Eschewing the trend for SUVs, the Taycan is a four-door saloon that rivals the much-in-demand Tesla Model 3. It's blisteringly quick, too, with the top-of-the-range Turbo S version grabbing the headlines. With an electric motor that offers the equivalent of 751bhp, it’ll do 0-62mph in a staggering 2.8 seconds.

Having been around for a couple of years now, some more affordable used examples are starting to emerge. Granted, it's still no bargain, but that incredible performance hasn't diminished in that time. 

You might look at the Mercedes-Benz EQE and assume it's a cosseting, wafty electric car built for cruising. And it is, but add the three letters 'AMG' into the name and things step up a notch.

The Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 takes the refined recipe and adds a dose of raw chilli, or in other words, a dual-motor powertrain that makes up to 686PS (in overboost with the AMG Dynamic Plus package). Even without the overboost function, it'll get from 0-60mph in 3.4 seconds, but that drops to 3.2 seconds with it fitted (the same as a McLaren F1, by the way). 

The top speed is a much more modest 149mph, but why go any faster when you'll obliterate your range? Speaking of which, the 90.6kWh battery translates to a range of up to 321 miles. Super strong regenerative braking helps, but less aggressive drive models also reduce the total power output.

Mercedes-AMG has also tweaked the EQE 53's suspension to boost agility, which given that it weighs 2.6 tonnes, is essential. Sure, it's not a hardcore tyre-shredder, but tidy handling combines with supreme refinement, tech and comfort. 

Based on the same platform as the mighty Porsche Taycan, the e-tron GT is Audi's take on a luxurious electric saloon car. Not only is it hoping to compete against the Taycan, but the e-tron GT is also designed to tempt potential buyers away from the likes of the Tesla Model S. That means it needs to be quick, and while the standard e-tron GT will hit 62mph in a speedy 4.1 seconds (and comes with a range of up to 295 miles), it's the hot RS e-tron GT model that impresses. Capable of launching to 62mph in 3.3 seconds, it'll cover 283 miles between charging stops. 

It's also very practical as well, with a big 350-litre boot and space for four adults. It's not cheap at more than £120,000, but that's likely to be less than a Tesla S Plaid. You get Audi's lovely build quality as well, plus a more typical ownership experience. 

We love the regular Kia EV6. It's been a revelation for the Korean brand, which is known for affordable and practical cars such as the Kia e-Niro, but the Korean firm has made a genuinely desirable, high-tech and striking EV with the EV6.

That's not all, though, because it's fast. Even the 'mid-spec' all-wheel-drive model puts out 325PS, which is enough for 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds. Its range is a chunk less than the entry-level rear-wheel drive model, but at around 260 miles, it's still pretty good given its price. 

If that isn't enough for you, Kia responded in 2022 with the EV6 GT. It puts out a massive 585PS through dual electric motors, enough for a 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds. A Kia that's nearly as quick as a supercar? That's something we certainly didn't expect to see a decade ago. 

What's more, the EV6 even in lesser form is pretty fun to drive, with a sportier setup than its sister car, the Hyundai Ioniq 5. It's hardly a Porsche Taycan, but you should enjoy threading the Kia down your favourite back road: although watch the range plummet as you do so. The GT gets an even more sporting set-up, and there's even a drift mode if you're that way inclined. 

Proudly sporting the famous Mustang badge, the Mach-E requires a serious amount of oomph if it's going to live up to its name. Fortunately it's got just that, with the Mach-E GT packing 465PS and 830Nm of torque from its dual-motor setup. That's enough to catapult it to 62mph in just 3.7 seconds. 

The Mustang Mach-E GT features an 88kWh extended-range battery for a pure-electric driving range of up to 310 miles, which should help convince even die-hard petrolheads that the new-era Mustang is more appealing than ever.  

If you want to travel further, the standard Mustang Mach-E is available with an extended-range battery and all-wheel drive. This accelerates to 62mph in 5.1 seconds yet has an official range of up to 335 miles.

Sports cars might have had featured heavily in MG's more distant history, but over the last ten-to-fifteen years, you'd never have expected to find MG - a purveyor of cheap-and-cheerful Chinese hatchbacks and SUVs - on a list of the fastest electric cars. Such is the company's renaissance, however, that this is where we find ourselves.

In truth, whichever of the various versions of the MG4 you choose, it's great fun to drive. Even the more humble ones have decent power, rear-wheel drive and 50/50 weight distribution, so they're engaging and confidence-inspiring cars to fling along your favourite backroad, not something that can be said of all EVs by any means.

The range-topping XPower, meanwhile adds in a second motor for the front axle, and this hikes the overall power output up to a truly stonking 425PS, and when you hook up the standard launch control function, the 0-62mph dash can be taken care of in 3.8 seconds, which has the beating of several cars that cost much, much more.

BMW took a while to release a proper rival to the Tesla Model 3, but good things come to those who wait. The i4 is an excellent electric sports saloon that will certainly give the Californian brand something to worry about. 

Granted, the styling might not be to everyone's tastes, but the same is true of many new BMWs. Look past that, and you're basically getting an electric version of the brilliant 4 Series Gran Coupe. BMW knows that wow-factor matters in the EV sphere, so it launched the i4 first in top-flight M50 form. 

The M50 badge doesn't reference an engine, rather its 544PS output and dual electric motors for four-wheel drive. Officially it'll do 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds, but we reckon it's even faster than that in reality.

Not satisfied with straight-line bragging rights, BMW has also made the i4 handle brilliantly, with barely any body roll, sharp and precise steering and a rear-wheel-drive bias to its power delivery. It's the all-electric Ultimate Driving Machine. 

The Audi e-tron has been on sale for a while now, and the posh electric SUV has proved fairly popular with buyers. Audi confused matters by changing its name in 2022 to the Q8 e-tron, but fundamentally it's the same car underneath. 

Audi hasn't gone quite to the level of the fastest Tesla Model X with its battery-powered SUV, but SQ8 e-tron certainly delivers enough potency to keep the vast majority of motorists happy. 

503PS and dual electric motors is by no means exceptional these days, but its enough for the 2.5-tonne SUV to get from 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds. It feels faster than that, too, and is certainly enough to put a smile on you and your passengers' faces. 

Not only that, but Audi has beefed up the suspension to make it feel sportier to drive, and it'll still manage up to 284 miles on a single charge. Plus, you get that classic Audi quality finish and great tech. 

Polestar is Volvo's trendy electric car brand. The Chinese-built Polestar 2 might share a platform with the Volvo EX40, but it certainly isn't a lumbering SUV in terms of performance.

With its two electric motors producing a combined 408PS and 660Nm of instant torque, the Polestar 2 is propelled to 62mph in just 4.7 seconds. It can also travel an impressive 292 miles between charges, which could be enough to tempt drivers away from their petrol or diesel cars. 

Even more impressive is the technology on offer: it uses an Android-based infotainment system (with Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play built in), while its speech recognition system is one of the most accurate we’ve used.