By Frank Kamuntu

Electric cars have come a long way over the past few years and improvements across the board mean they’re a more viable ownership option than ever before.

But which are the best electric cars you can buy today? Well, some are better at certain things than others, so we’ve organised the cars in this list to highlight exactly what they’re best at.

For example, some electric cars are better at delivering a long range, while others are best for practicality, driver appeal, or value for money.

But don’t panic: whether you’re looking for the most practical EV or one loaded with enough tech to fill a branch of Currys, we’ve got you covered.

Each car on this list has been selected by a judging panel of Autocar journalists for its prowess in a specific area. We will explain what makes a good showing in each class and why each EV we’ve picked deserves its place.

And if you’re still not convinced by any car on this list, check out our comprehensive guide to all the new cars coming in 2024. It’s an especially big year for new electric cars, so you’re sure to find something you’re interested in.

So here are the best electric cars on sale right now.

The Best Electric Cars

1. Cupra Born

For a couple of years now, Autocar has conducted an annual test of the best-handling, most fun electric cars on sale, and the Cupra Born is the reigning champion, beating rivals such as the MG 4 XPower and Abarth 500e.

The Born sits at a compelling nexus of size and usability, weight and power, real-world range and price.It has enough power to keep you interested but doesn’t seem excessive for the road or to compromise its efficiency in quicker motoring. It has an engaging, balanced, rear-driven chassis and some precision and purpose to its body control, but it also includes four usable seats and a decent boot.

The Cupra Born will also cover 220 real-world miles on a charge, which should be enough to get you to and from your favourite road, but it also has the personality and poise to make the trip worthwhile.There’s a completeness to the Born as a package that makes it the ideal affordable EV for interested drivers to take their first steps into zero-emissions motoring. Perhaps not by chance, it feels more like a Volkswagen Golf GTI for the electric age than anything that Volkswagen itself is making right now.

2. Fisker Ocean

Aston Martin designer turned car company founder Henrik Fisker takes a no-nonsense view when it comes to EVs and range: for the time being, you can’t offer too much of it. That’s why his new mid-sized SUV, the Fisker Ocean, has a nickel-manganese-cobalt drive battery with 106kWh of usable capacity. That’s almost as much as either Mercedes or BMW provides in their flagship EVs, only Fisker is putting it on the market for half of their cost.

The Ocean’s WLTP claimed lab test range is as much as 440 miles, making it one of the longest-range electric cars on the market.We’ve tested the Ocean abroad and found that a 400-mile range is achievable in reality on a mixed test route taking in plenty of motorway.

That’s the kind of range that might help to change the way we think about EVs and might also open up ownership for those who can’t charge at home.Some super-expensive EVs may go slightly further, but nothing offers a better combination of usable range and value for money right now than this.

3. Hyundai Ioniq 5

Designing good-looking EVs is difficult. It’s the lesson that many electric cars seem to teach, with their necessarily long wheelbases, short overhangs and high-rising bodies so typically displaced upwards by underfloor battery packs. So really great-looking EVs demand recognition – particularly when they’re more affordable ones.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has shown us better than any rival that EVs can be desirable, stylish and still affordable.Its maker reached for some retro design cool with its look, referencing the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed 1974 Hyundai Pony Coupé concept, among other inspirations.

The result is undeniably distinctive and desirable on the road and manages to solve the proportion-related design problems that many EVs face.The Ioniq 5 is a cool family car that just happens to be electric – and Hyundai has never before built something that you can define in anything like the same terms.

4. Mercedes-Benz EQS

It was Tesla that blew the lid off in-car digital technology when it introduced the Model S saloon, but now the world’s oldest car maker has taken the game on in a bid to prove that it can better anything that can be made in Silicon Valley.

When the Mercedes-Benz EQS arrived in 2021, it blooded the Hyperscreen: a wide expanse of touchscreen digital real estate that seemed to occupy the entirety of the dashboard.In reality, it doesn’t quite do that, but it does bring together a sizeable digital instrument console with a large head-up display, a huge 17.7in infotainment touchscreen and a 12.3in touchscreen in front of the passenger.

The combined effect is pretty dizzying, assuming that you like lots of touchscreen technology in cars (here at Autocar, the jury is still split on that one).Mercedes isn’t just throwing massive screens at its cars, though. Its latest, third-generation MBUX infotainment software is much easier to navigate than its predecessors were and evidences a user-friendliness that other brands aren’t equalling, making it one of the finest luxury electric cars for sale.

5. Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV

On-board comfort was a character facet of new cars overlooked for much of the late 20th century, but it’s now making something of a resurgence with EVs.

A gentle, absorptive, quiet ride is a dynamic quality that you can enjoy on every journey, and while we just somehow expect EVs to have one because of their wider refinement advantages, we don’t always get it. So if you want to prioritise a comfortable ride, the Mercedes EQS SUV is the big EV to go for.

The high-rise seven-seater rides with almost no perceptible road noise at all and makes lumps and bumps seem to just disappear under its wheels. As far as comfort is concerned, it simply doesn’t get much better than this.For a great-riding EV of a different shape or price point, meanwhile, look to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 or the excellent BMW i7 limousine.

Sized to sit between a big car and a medium-sized van, it’s intended to fit into typical parking bays and to be easy enough to drive and use in everyday traffic. To feel like a regular family car on the outside but provide much more space and versatility inside, basically.

The Buzz offers passenger and cargo space well in advance of even bigger luxury EVs – and the long-wheelbase version adds seven-seat versatility and extra carrying capacity on the top.

Volkswagen’s retro design makes the MPV more desirable than any other utility-flavoured EV, and there are four-wheel-drive, camper van and GTX performance versions planned.

The Buzz is a super-practical EV that you will want to own, that’s designed for life and that escapes the drawbacks of the usual van conversions.

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