Electric Cars

Cheapest All Electric Cars in the UK 2023

Rank of cheapest electric cars in the UK. See how prices compare. Includes charging costs.

If you're looking to minimize your motoring costs and want to drive an electric vehicle, then consider one of the cars on this page. While electric cars can usually offer significant savings in annual running costs, the cars listed below also stand out for cheap purchase prices.

Top 10 Cheapest All-Electric Cars in the UK

To help you start looking for a cheap electric car, we've found the 12 brands offering the cheapest cars on the market. The table below shows these brands, ranked according to the cheapest of their respective models. For example, the cheapest electric car brand is Smart, and their cheapest car is the Smart EQ fortwo coupe. (Smart also sells a cabrio that starts from £24,645.)

Cheap electric car brands

12 Cheapest Electric Car Brands UKCheapest ModelsStarting PriceBattery (kWh)Average Real Range (combined driving) in milesCost to fully charge
1Cheapest Smart EVSmart EQ fortwo coupe£22,22516.760£5.7
2Cheapest MG EVMG MG4 EV Standard Range£25,99550.8185£17.3
3Cheapest Vauxhall EVVauxhall Corsa-e£28,55545175£16.0
4Cheapest Nissan EVNissan Leaf 39 kWh£28,99539145£13.3
5Cheapest Fiat EVFiat 500e Hatchback 42 kWh£29,43537.3145£12.7
6Cheapest Citroen EVCitroen e-C4£29,99545165£15.3
7Cheapest Mazda EVMazda MX-30£30,05030105£10.2
8Cheapest Peugeot EVPeugeot e-208£30,19547175£16.0
9Cheapest Hyundai EVHyundai Kona Electric 39 kWh£30,45039.2155£13.3
10Cheapest Mini EVMini Electric£31,00028.9110£9.8
11Cheapest GWN EVORA Funky Cat First Edition£31,99547.8170£16.3
12Cheapest Renault EVRenault Zoe ZE50 R110£31,99552190£17.7

Charging costs assume a cost of electricity of 34p/kWh.

1. Smart EQ fortwo coupe

The cheapest all-electric car in the UK market is the Smart EQ fortwo coupe. With a starting price of just £22,225, it costs 57% less than the average electric car cost in the UK according to our calculations. The Smart EQ fortwo coupe only seats 2 people, however, and has one of the smallest batteries available (17.6 kWh). The smaller battery means the car only delivers an average range of 60 miles for combined city and motorway driving (50 in winter and 70 in summer)—the shortest range of any electric car in the UK. Not surprisingly, the boot is small with only 260 litres of cargo space.

  • 0-62 mph: 11.6 seconds
  • Starting price: £22,225
  • Cost per charge: £5.68
  • Average range: 60 miles

2. MG MG4 EV Standard Range

With a starting price of £25,995, the MG4 EV Standard Range is the 2nd cheapest electric car to buy in the UK. It's got a great range for the price, at an average estimated range of 185 miles for combined city and motorway driving. The MG MG4 EV Standard Range seats 5 people and offers 363 litres of boot space, about the same as the Mazda MX.

  • 0-62 mph: 7.9 seconds
  • Starting price: £25,995
  • Cost per charge: £17.27
  • Average range: 185 miles

3. Vauxhall Corsa-e

The Vauxhall Corsa-e a good car to consider as well if you're after a cheaper electric car, with a starting price under £30,000, range of 175 miles on average and does 0-62 in 8.1 seconds. It's not flashy or a big standout in any particular category, but is good functionally all around.

  • 0-62 mph: 8.1 seconds
  • Starting price: £28,555
  • Cost per charge: £15.98
  • Average range: 175 miles

4. Nissan Leaf 40 kWh

The Nissan Leaf is another top pick for a cheap all-electric car, due to the large boot space. Not only does it seat 5 to accommodate extra people, but the boot space is a generous 435 litres to carry school bags, shopping, sports bags and more. The Nissan Leaf provides the most boot space out of all the ten cheapest UK electric cars. If you ever need more storage space, folding the rear seats will provide 1,176 litres of room. The 40 kWh battery delivers an average range of 145 miles (170 in summer and 120 in winter) and it's one of the zippiest cars in the group, reaching 60 mph in 7.9 seconds. This is the most popular of these "cheap" electric cars.

  • 0-62 mph: 7.9 seconds
  • Starting price: £28,995
  • Cost per charge: £13.26
  • Average range: 145 miles

5. Fiat 500e Hatchback 42 kWh

The Fiat 500e Hatchback 42 kWh starts from around £29,000 and delivers around 145 miles on a full charge (165 in summer and 120 in winter), around average for the group. This car seats 4 and takes 9.0 seconds to accelerate up to 62 mph, similar to other cars in this category. However the app has somewhat poor ratings, with many complaints about it crashing. This car has the smallest boot of the group, with just 185 litres. The Fiat 500e was voted best small electric car & DrivingElectric Car of the Year 2021 by drivingelectric.com.

  • 0-62 mph: 9.0 seconds
  • Starting price: £29,435
  • Cost per charge: £12.68
  • Average range: 145 miles

6. Citroen e-C4

The Citroen e-C4 ranks 6th in the list of cheapest electric cars in the UK, with a starting price of £29,995. This unique-looking car is narrow so good for driving in the city or on narrow lanes, has great visibility and seats 4 people. However, it is one of the slower EVs in the group taking 9.7 seconds to get up to 62 miles per hour. And it offers just 166 litres of boot space which is on the small side. It does deliver 165 miles on average, however, which is quite good.

  • 0-62 mph: 9.7 seconds
  • Starting price: £29,995
  • Cost per charge: £15.3
  • Average range: 165 miles

7. Mazda MX-30

The Mazda MX-30 is Mazda's first battery electric production car and was voted "Favourite Electric Car 2021" by the readers of DrivingElectric.com. The range is not massive (105 miles on average), but surely this is still enough for most people. This small SUV will appeal to a lot of drivers looking for an electric SUV at an affordable price.

  • 0-62 mph: 9.7 seconds
  • Starting price: £30,050
  • Cost per charge: £10.2
  • Average range: 105 miles

8. Peugeot e-208

The Peugeot e-208 provides one of the longest ranges (175 miles on average over combined city and motorway driving). It also provides decent acceleration with a 0-60 mph time of 8.1 seconds. Boot space is 265 litres which might be tight for a family (the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf have more boot space).

  • 0-62 mph: 8.1 seconds
  • Starting price: £30,195
  • Cost per charge: £15.98
  • Average range: 175 miles

9. Hyundai Kona Electric 39 kWh

The Hyundai Kona Electric 39 kWh is kind of average across the board here, with 155 miles on average for a full charge, a 0-62 time of 9.9 seconds and a 332 litre boot space. But, the car clearly appeals to a lot of people as it's the 2nd most popular car of the "cheap" group behind the Nissan Leaf. In fact, it's the 6th most popular electric car in the UK, behind the Tesla Model 3, Kia Nero, Volkswagen ID.3, Nissan Leaf, and Audi e-Tron.

  • 0-62 mph: 9.9 seconds
  • Starting price: £30,450
  • Cost per charge: £13.33
  • Average range: 155 miles

10. Mini Electric

The Mini Electric is another favourite, and the third most popular car on this page behind the Hyundai Kona. This iconic car is not only affordable, it's the sportiest car in the list of 10 cheapest electric cars with a 0-62 mph time of just 7.3 seconds. The range is not super, but the average of 110 miles of combined city and motorway driving will still be enough for most commuters.

  • 0-62 mph: 7.3 seconds
  • Starting price: £31,000
  • Cost per charge: £9.83
  • Average range: 110 miles

Comparing Cheapest All-Electric Cars

Of the cheapest all-electric cars in the UK, which offers the best value for money? Have a look at the chart below to see how cars compare—in this case, range per OTR price. As you can see, the MG MG4 EV Standard Range stands out for offering great range for the price tag.

Chart showing the cheapest EV brands in the UK

To see the extent of savings you can make with an electric car vs an ICE, see our How Much Can You Save with an All-Electric Car? article.

FAQs

The cheapest EV in the UK is the Smart EQ fortwo coupe (and the cabrio), followed by the MG MG4 EV Standard Range. These cars start from under £26,000. Here is a list of the top 10 most affordable electric cars in the UK.
The Nissan Leaf and Citroen e-C4 are amongst the cheapest EVs in the UK whilst offering decent boot space for sports equipment, school bags and shopping—435 and 380 litres of boot space, respectively.

Methodology

The data on this page was sourced from car company websites and also the EV Database. Prices reflect the On The Road (OTR) price and include VAT, first year VED, vehicle first registration fee, number plates and delivery.

Erin Yurday

Erin Yurday is the Founder and Editor of NimbleFins. Prior to NimbleFins, she worked as an investment professional and as the finance expert in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business case writing team. Read more on LinkedIn.

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