Primetime EV Picks · Cars
Which EV should I get? Start with your situation, not the badge.
“Which car?” is the question we get most on the live show. There’s no single best EV. There’s a best one for how you drive, where you park and what you can spend. Here are our picks for the four situations that come up most, chosen on cost and nothing else.
Quick answer: On a tight budget, the cheapest new EVs now start around £13,000. If you can’t charge at home, pick the most efficient car you can afford, because every mile costs more on public chargers. Many new EVs get up to £3,750 off through the government’s Electric Car Grant, and the dealer takes it off the price.
Our picks this month
Cheapest new EV
Leapmotor T03
£12,995 on the road, after Leapmotor’s own £3,000 discount
A small four-door city car with a 37kWh battery. It’s the cheapest new EV we can find in the UK. Fine for town and short commutes; less suited to regular motorway trips. The discount is Leapmotor’s own offer, not the government grant, so check it’s still running when you order.
Want more range for the money? The Renault 5 starts at £21,495 with the government grant taken off, with 196 miles of official range. The Comfort Range version is £23,945 and goes up to 267 miles.
Best if you can’t charge at home · order now
Hyundai Ioniq 6 Premium RWD
£33,240 on the road, with the £3,750 grant included
Without a driveway, efficiency is everything, because you pay public charging prices for every mile. The Ioniq 6 is rated at 4.6 miles per kWh. On public chargers at 54p per kWh, that’s about £1,170 for 10,000 miles, against about £1,630 for an average EV. It has the range to charge once a week, too.
The catch: this updated version delivers from early 2027. If you need a car sooner, ask the dealer about earlier Ioniq 6 stock, or see our used-car checks below.
Best family car
Renault Scenic E-Tech
£33,245 on the road (Techno), with the £3,750 grant included
A proper family car with a big 89kWh battery. Up to 399 miles of official range means the long trip to see family doesn’t need planning around chargers.
Also worth a look: the Kia EV3, from around £31,500 with the £1,500 grant taken off, for a slightly smaller SUV.
Buying used
Pick the car’s battery, not the car
Used EVs are the cheapest way in, and running costs are the same as a new one. We don’t pick one model here, because used prices change week to week. Instead, check these before you buy:
- A battery health report. Ask the seller for one. A good seller has it. A bad seller makes excuses.
- Real range for your week. Older EVs can lose range. Make sure it still covers your longest regular trip in winter.
- Rapid charging on the CCS connector. Most public rapid chargers use it. Some older cars use a different plug.
- No grant on used cars. Compare the price with a new car after the grant. The gap is sometimes smaller than you’d think.
Prices from manufacturer announcements and electrive: Leapmotor (30 June 2026), Renault 5 (24 September 2026), Renault Scenic (3 October 2026), Hyundai UK (29 October 2026), Kia EV3 list price less the £1,500 grant. Grant levels checked against Auto Trader’s eligibility list, updated 30 October 2026. Range and efficiency figures are official WLTP figures; real-world range is lower, especially in winter. Grant eligibility can change: confirm with the dealer before you order. Checked 1 November 2026.
How we choose
- Cost first. Price after any grant, then what it costs to run for your situation.
- Real situations. Each pick answers a question we get on the live show, not a category in a brochure.
- Updated monthly. Prices and offers change. So do our picks.
- Nobody pays to be here. No car maker, dealer or finance company can buy a place on this page.
Not sure an EV works for you yet?
Tell us your miles, whether you can charge at home and what you drive now, and we’ll give you a straight answer: switch now, switch with a plan, or not yet. Get your verdict in a minute → Or ask us live: Should I Switch? is on TikTok every Tuesday at 8pm.
Buy, lease or salary sacrifice? → · Home chargers → · Cheapest EV tariffs →
Primetime EV has covered electric vehicles independently for over 20 years. We don’t sell cars, finance or leases, and nobody pays for our picks or our verdicts.