Best used electric cars: 15 second-hand EVs that need to go onto your shortlist

If ever there was a car that deserved better, it was the i3. Launched in 2013, it was a radical city car that was simply too futuristic for its own good. Looking as fresh today as it did back then, its carbon fibre shell and lightweight aluminium chassis were the perfect backbone for an urban EV… and yet nine years later BMW killed off the cleverest car of its generation in favour of fatter EVs instead.

The earliest versions got a 22kWh battery, though this was later upgraded to 33kWh and then 42kWh for up to 193 e-miles. Get one now while you still can.

Read Top Gear's review of the BMW i3

Honda’s futuristic city car arrived to much cooing back in 2020, but even with the cute looks, lounge-style interior and surprisingly adept rear-driven cornering ability, few people bought it. It was held back by its limited 137-mile range and expensive price tag, which had crept up from £26k to £37k by the time it was taken off sale in 2023. Not far off forty big ones for a car that couldn’t make it much beyond the city was a hard sell, but it remains every bit as adorable and a whole lot more tempting at secondhand prices today.

Read Top Gear's review of the Honda e

Back in 2018, the future looked extremely bright for Jaguar. It had just launched the I-Pace, its first electric car (395bhp/90kWh battery/292-mile range) that was as good to look at as it was to drive. A solid foundation to build on in our new electric era… and one which it failed to capitalise on. It was taken off sale (along with every other model in the range) in 2024 as Jaguar attempted the most ambitious reinvention of any car company in history. Even more reason to buy one before it becomes a museum piece.

Read Top Gear's review of the Jaguar I-Pace

The electric car went mainstream with the launch of the Leaf back in 2010, but it didn’t exactly set hearts racing. It had a face that only a mother could love and tired interior, while Nissan reckoned on 109 miles of range from its 24kWh battery. These days you can pick them up for under two grand, but we’d suggest instead looking for a MkII, which when new could manage 168 miles of range from its 40kWh battery and can be picked up for around £5k.

Read Top Gear's review of the Nissan Leaf

Renault launched its first city car in 2012 and steadily upped it from 130 miles of range to a respectable 242 during its lifetime. It was a hit too, but even that wasn’t enough to avoid it being canned in 2024, with Renault replacing it with the retro 5. Still, does mean that early Zoes are now getting into bargain basement territory. Your best bet is a late 2016 onwards model, which got a 41kWh battery and 180 miles of e-range all for around three and a half grand.

Read Top Gear's review of the Renault Zoe

Love it or hate it, the Model 3 has been a gamechanger since its arrival in 2017, and it became the first electric car to pass the one million global sales mark in 2021 – good news for those on the lookout for a pre-owned model, because the secondhand market is flooded with them. Even the earliest models will manage around 250 miles on a charge, with Long Range versions capable of 350 or so. Just beware the dodgy build quality.

Read Top Gear's review of the Tesla Model 3

Even Porsche isn’t immune when it comes to depreciation, and six years on from the launch of the Taycan there are some real bargains to be had. A quick browse of the classifieds reveals that early single motor versions (375bhp/93kWh/301 miles) can be found for approximately half what they cost new. Not bad for one of the best EVs available, possessing all of Porsche’s renowned driving dynamics and packaged in an extremely stylish suit. 

Read Top Gear's review of the Porsche Taycan

Volkswagen’s electrified Golf arrived in 2014 in Mk7 guise, but while early versions got a 24.2kWh battery and an official range of 118 miles, the Mk7.5’s arrival in 2017 brought a bigger 35.8kWh battery and a more useful 185 miles of e-range. It’s otherwise as conventional a car as they come, and what’s more, it doesn’t feature the infuriating cabin tech that was introduced in the Mk8, making it arguably the Golf to buy. ID.3 who?

Read Top Gear's review of the Volkswagen e-Golf

Summer’s almost here, which means if you’ve dreams of cruising down the French Riviera with the wind ruffling your hair and a clean conscience, then you’ve the choice of this, and… well, MG Cyberster aside, not much else. Sure, you’ll have to get there first, with its 42kWh battery good for just 199 miles of range, but the Fiat 500 Convertible will fit right in. Just don’t forget to pack light… and bring the sun cream.

Read Top Gear's review of the Fiat 500e Convertible

BMW has long been renowned for making some of the best driving cars in the business, and any concerns we had that it would take its eye off the ball in our new electric era were quickly dismissed with the arrival of the i4 in 2021. If you’re on a budget you want the eDrive 35, which gets a 67kWh battery for 299 miles of range, but otherwise look for the eDrive 40, which gets a larger 81kWh battery and a useful 359 miles of e-range.

Read Top Gear's review of the BMW i4

The Polestar 2 was one of the most complete electric cars money could buy when it first arrived in 2020. Classy looks? Tick. Comfortable cabin, complete with Google-based infotainment system that proved the folly of almost every else? Tick. Faultless build quality? Tick. But there was a catch – the near £50k price tag. A year after launch Polestar introduced a more attainable base version with a smaller 64kWh battery but still offering an impressive 275 miles of range. Not bad for a posh Volvo.

Read Top Gear's review of the Polestar 2

Reborn MG made its presence felt with the launch of the 4 in 2022, one of the best bang for your buck electric cars money could buy. Until its arrival, the vast majority of EVs had been wearing a price tag that was simply unattainable to most of us, but here was an electric car that started at just under £26k. And it wasn’t total garbage either, with stylish looks, a load of kit and decent range, over 218 miles in base versions. New or used there’s a lot to like.

Read Top Gear's review of the MG 4

These days Skoda is one of the most eminently sensible brands around, as it proved with its Enyaq SUV, which showed up both its Audi Q4 e-tron and VW ID.4 cousins when it arrived in 2020, being as good to drive, more practical and cheaper to buy than either of them. It’s one of the easiest to recommend family cars, with battery options of 58kWh and 77kWh for between 246 and 339 miles of range. And with an updated version set to arrive imminently, the price of pre-facelift versions on the secondhand market could well drop too.

Read Top Gear's review of the Skoda Enyaq

The Hyundai Kona Electric first arrived back in 2017 looking like it could have come straight from the RoboCop film set, and since then the Korean brand has sold over a quarter of a million worldwide. Early versions were available with a 39kWh battery that could only manage 189 miles of range, but the one you really want is the 64kWh battery which offers up to 300 miles of e-range, trumping the Kia e-Niro above with which it shares the exact same underpinnings. Don’t kid yourself your bladder could last any longer.

Read Top Gear's review of the Hyundai Kona Electric

Kia has been on something of a roll in our new electric era, and one of its earliest arrivals to market was this, the car now known as the Niro Electric. With minimal visual changes over the standard Niro, it was for those looking to switch to electric power without feeling it necessary to show off their zero emission, planet-saving credentials, and that remains the case today. Cheapest versions get a 39kWh/180-mile e-range, but you really want the later 64kWh/282-mile version, most of which will still be within Kia’s seven-year warranty period.

Read Top Gear's review of the Kia e-Niro