Top 10 best small electric cars 2023 | Autocar

Were you to design an environment for which purely electric cars were perfectly suited, it would look something akin to our suburbs and cities – and the cars themselves would be superminis.

Dinky supermini hatchbacks have always been ideal for driving in tight, built-up locations with limited parking space, and the near-silence of electric powertrains along with their zippy accelerator-response makes EV versions an even better fit than their combustion-engined counterparts. Of course, there is also the added benefit that the electric cars put out no emissions at point-of-use, which only enhances their appeal in densely populated areas. 

There are further benefits to buying an electric car in the smallest available form – a smaller battery means a lower price, and less mass means that even the only moderately powerful electric motors found in this class can provide surprisingly punchy performance, at least initially. When it comes to the 0-20mph dash, electric superminis beat their combustion cousins with ease, and with a low centre of gravity these EVs tend to handle quite nicely too, with some, such as the Mini Electric, really capturing an enjoyable go-kart personality.

Drawbacks? Urban-dwellers are less likely to have a driveway on which to charge their car and public charging infrastructure still leaves something to be desired in many parts of the country, so these are things to consider. And outside cities, smaller batteries mean less range, so these cars are the most natural choice for longer journeys, even if many can manage around 200 miles on a single charge. 

Best small electric cars 2022

Arguably the greatest disruptive presence in any class of car comes in the form of MG’s new eletric hatchback, the 4. Granted, it is not as small as some cars on this list and is more Golf-sized than Polo-sized, but it’s low pricing makes it well worth your consideration, and its on-paper attributes are right at the sharp end of the class. Make no mistake: relative to rivals, this is one of the most impressive and compelling cars currently on sale.

One of the car’s key attributes is its claimed driving range, which if you’ve opted for the 64kWh Long Range battery pack is rated at 281 miles. With 168bhp, performance is also more than adequate, but it’s the MG’s handling that proves the real surprise.  While it doesn’t thrill like a traditional hot-hatch, the 4 steers with pleasing accuracy and has an easy-going handling balance that makes its rear-driven chassis very satisfying to flow along interesting roads. Truth be told, the car is a bit of revelation.

Inside it’s a bit monochrome, and some of plastics and fit-and-finish betray the car’s positioning as a value proposition, but it’s not badly put together, is comfortbale over distance, and for less than £30,000, we think you can forgive the MG some small drawbacks.