Listed: The cheapest electric cars including the government's Electric Car Grant

Price: £14,495

Best for: Overall value

The truly affordable small car format needs both saving and electrifying, and the Dacia Spring no longer stands alone as its best hope, thanks to the T03.

Jonathan Bryce, Social Media Executive

You may not have heard of Leapmotor. It is a Chinese car brand, but one with a difference.

Leapmotors sold outside of China are sold by Leapmotor International, a joint venture with Stellantis, which owns many brands including Citroën, Fiat, Jeep and Peugeot. This means the marque is sold within Stellantis showrooms, giving drivers the ability to try a new car within the parameters of a parent company that they know.

There’s only one powertrain available, a front-mounted 94bhp motor, but you do at least get a selection of paint colours plus a 37.3kWh battery with up to 165 miles of range.

As standard, the T03 has an 8.0in digital instrument display, a multifunction steering wheel and a 10in infotainment touchscreen with sat-nav and a DAB radio, but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Price: £14,995

Best for: Quick trips

For many, the Dacia Spring will be all the car they ever need, and it will raise a smile or two as well.

Jack Warrick, Staff Writer

This dinky EV, which initially went on sale in mainland Europe, has had a big overhaul inside and out, gaining a new face and significant improvements to interior quality and connectivity.

With a 26.8kWh battery and tipping the scales at just 984kg, the Spring offers a range of around 137 miles on a single charge. 

Price: £17,995

Best for: Style

Frankly, as everything around it becomes increasingly amorphous or aggressive, the Microlino should be applauded just for being a fun little thing.

Felix Page, Deputy editor

The Microlino’s stylistic influence from the era-defining 'bubble car' is very obvious and even extends to a side-hinged front door.

Swing open that front end and you’re met by a bench seat that can happily host two adults… and not much else.

It is not fast by any stretch of the imagination, but its circa-5.0sec 0-30mph time means it works fine in cities and on slow roads.

The standard Microlino comes with a 10.5kWh battery with a claimed 110 miles of range, but there’s also a Lite version with a 58-mile range, courtesy of a smaller battery that brings the overall weight below 425kg, putting it into the quadricycle class.

Neither version is capable of fast charging, but Micro reckons it needs only four hours on a three-pin to go from empty to full. 

Price: £18,650

Best for: Sophistication

It doesn’t feel out of depth on the motorway, where it will cruise along in comfort and admirable quietness.

Kris Culmer, Chief sub-editor

BYD’s smallest and cheapest car is also one of its best. China’s second-best-selling car comes with three variations in the UK. Option one gives a battery size of 30kWh (usable capacity) teamed with an 87bhp motor and is good for a 137-mile WLTP range. Option two keeps the 87bhp motor, but ups the battery size to 85kW, making 200 miles on the WLTP lab test. Option three gives the same as option two but raises power to 154bhp and trims the range to 193 miles.

Inside, you get BYD’s trademark infotainment screen, which can switch between portrait and landscape, and broadly there’s a lot of space in here. But there are only four seats, mind.

Best for: Interior versatility 

Price: £19,525

It feels mature at higher speeds while lacking the character you would expect at lower speeds.

Mark Tisshaw, Editor

Hyundai has dipped its toe into the world of affordable EVs with the Inster, a small city car with a rugged and characterful appearance. 

Measuring somewhere between the Hyundai i10 and i20, the Inster is genuinely small and appears similar in stature to the Suzuki Ignis.

Power comes from a single front-mounted electric motor. Power ranges from 96bhp to 113bhp and a 42kWh battery is included as standard.

A larger, 49kWh battery is also available, giving the Inster a maximum range of 229 miles.

Standard kit includes a heat pump, two 10.25in dashboard screens and lots of safety software.

It's fairly practical too, with a boot measuring 238 litres with the seats up and 351 litres with them still up but slid farther forwards. 

Price: £20,595

Best for: Comfort

If the C3 is aiming to be the most or the best at anything, then it is comfort and ride quality.

Mark Tisshaw, Editor

Citroën parent company Stellantis is really bossing this list. The ë-C3 is the latest entrant and promises something that is both utilitarian and chic.

All models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, plus 'Comfort' seats and safety aids.

It has a 199-mile range and can rapidly charge at rates of up to 100kW, enabling a 20-80% charge in 26 minutes.

On the road, its hydraulic bump-stops do a good job of filtering out abrasions and you feel pretty well isolated from big bumps. In other words, it’s comfortable and easygoing.

An even cheaper version, costing £17,250, will arrive in mainland Europe in 2025. But Citroën has yet to confirm whether this version will be sold in the UK.

Price: £21,035

Best for: Space

There are some really creative design touches in the car that make it a joy to be in. Considering it's not actually the most fun car to drive, it's still a remarkably fun car.

Mark Tisshaw, Editor

Fiat’s utilitarian Panda is back, now named the Grande Panda (because it’s larger than the old model).

The electric version shares a great deal mechanically with the Citroën ë-C3, including its 44kWh battery serving up a WLTP range of 199 miles. It can charge at up to 100kW and it lays down a 0-62mph time of 11.0sec.

The cheapest models are called Red and come equipped with 16in white steel wheels, LED headlights, a 60/40-split folding rear bench, a 10.25in touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, cruise control and rear parking sensors.

Price: £21,245

Best for: Funky design

A lot of the finer details, such as missing features and system glitches, suggest this car isn’t finished and needs another cycle of development.

Kris Culmer, Chief sub-editor

The Ora 03 is the smallest car in the GWM range, behind the GWM Haval Jolion 07 SUV and the Poer 300 pick-up truck. They’re all perhaps names you won’t be too familiar with. GWM (Great Wall Motor) has been around since the 1980s but it hasn’t made much of a mark in the UK yet.

Officially the 03 offers up a range of 193 miles for the base car, and 260 for the Pro with the larger battery. Both models have 169bhp, making the 03 fast enough for most situations. It feels nippy around town, but out on the open road it can feel a bit top heavy, much like a much larger SUV.

Perceived interior quality is not a strong point. There are plenty of cheap feeling materials in here, especially around the centre console. Bright colour schemes can somewhat hide the worst of it though.