Five electric vehicles that are bringing rear-wheel drive back

Driving enthusiasts love rear-wheel drive (RWD) – or “correct wheel drive” as some like to call it – because it ensures great balance and nice steering that’s unflustered by having to deal with power delivery. And RWD cars also do good skids.

But RWD has long been endangered by the superior packaging and lower cost of FWD layouts. We live in an age when even a formerly purist RWD brand, BMW, has just launched a FWD 1-series.

Good news, though: without awkward internal combustion engines to worry about, electric vehicles offer RWD potential without the engineering downsides. Here are five that are bringing RWD back (see what we did there?).

BMW i3

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Carbon-tub construction, RWD: the BMW i3 is pretty exotic when you think about it.

The i3 has been proudly RWD since launch back in 2013. It was nothing to do with the range extender version (no longer offered in New Zealand) having its petrol scooter-derived engine in the back, because that never actually drove the wheels; it just generated electricity.

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The i3 was RWD mostly because BMW wanted to show the world that its then-new i-brand was making “proper” BMWs. 

That’s why we still love the i3 so much. It might look tall, but it has a very low centre of gravity and it always feels eagerly RWD. It proves EVs can be fun.

Mini Cooper S E All4 Countryman

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Never mind FWD BMWs: In Max eDrive mode, Mini Countryman plug-in model is pure RWD.

The Countryman is based on a BMW FWD platform, but that’s a good thing. Because the easiest way to make the S E All4 plug-in electric hybrid version was simply to bolt an “e-axle” on the back.

This means the E Countryman can technically be three different cars. With the fizzy three-cylinder petrol engine working alone, it’s FWD. With petrol and electric power working together in hybrid mode, it’s AWD. And making the rear axle independently EV also means it can be finely controlled for better AWD traction on loose surfaces.

But it also means that when you are using the car’s pure-EV capability (a claimed 40km of electric-only range) in “Max eDrive” setting, it’s actually a RWD Mini. And feels it.

Tesla Model 3

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Tesla is a new-gen brand, but Model 3 sticks with traditional compact-executive sedan RWD values.

The Tesla Model 3 is arguably the “it” EV of 2019, partly due to the near-cult status of the brand among owners and plug-in enthusiasts, but also because the first orders of the car have just been delivered to NZ, making a huge dent in national sales numbers for September. The Model 3 was actually NZ’s top-selling private passenger car for the month.

The attention-grabbing Performance version is AWD of course, but the majority of sales are actually the entry-level Standard Range Plus RWD version, which starts at $75,900 and offers 460km range (according to NEDC testing).

That price puts it bang up against traditional executive sedans like the BMW 3-series and Mercedes-Benz C-class. And a key tradition in this segment is RWD.

Porsche Taycan

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Porsche Taycan has opened with super-fast AWD models, but there’s a RWD version on the way.

​Porsche has pulled the covers off its Taycan sports car (or perhaps they flew off under the force of extreme acceleration) in range-topping Turbo and Turbo S guises to start with. They are of course hugely powerful machines, full of trick chassis technology and AWD for maximum traction.

But the company always planned to offer a range of different Taycan models. Following closely on the launch of the Turbo versions, Porsche has already announced a lower-powered 4S version, with a smaller battery. 

As the name suggests, the 4S is still AWD. But even further down the track there will indeed be an entry-level Taycan RWD. Which sounds pretty cool to us, even if it won’t have the crazy-fast speed of the Turbo AWD models.

Uniti One

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Cute but cleverly engineered as well: the Swedish/British Uniti One.

The brilliant Uniti One is a bespoke urban EV from a Swedish startup company, with engineering from the UK. 

Prices in Europe start from around NZ$35,000, but it’s not intended to be basic transport: it sports Scandinavian high style on the outside, premium materials inside and a live dashboard that’s driven by Google.

It also features some clever and appealing design and engineering, including a central driving position (two passengers sit behind on either side) and rear-drive layout. It’s fast enough that you’ll get to enjoy that: it comes in two battery sizes and can hit 120kmh once you venture out of the city.