The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
TOP 5 ELECTRIC CARS
Not as cheerful or eye-catching as the 5, but a bit more useful
1 RENAULT 4
THE GOOD: All the joyfulness and fun of the 5, but now with added practicality… just like the old days
THE BAD: Some minor annoyance with the fiddly drive selector
THE UGLY: Where the 5 is a sensationally adept modern recreation of the look and feel of the original, the new 4 is a bit generic to look at
THE ONE TO BUY: Prices start at £26,995, which is very hard to argue with. Mechanically just the one version for now, but a dizzying amount of choice, trim and options
GIANT TEST WINNER
2 RENAULT 5 E-TECH
THE GOOD: The way it looks, the way it drives, the keen pricing – but it’s also refreshingly practical, with five doors, a usable rear bench, and good efficiency
THE BAD: Fiddly gear selector stalk; no frunk
THE UGLY: What ugly? Look at it
THE ONE TO BUY: Entry point is £22,995 but we’d splash a few more grand on mid-spec Techno and the bigger battery
GIANT TEST WINNER
3 HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 N
THE GOOD: Electric and exciting – synthetic drive modes and gearchange are game changers
THE BAD: Breadth of configurability takes getting used to. Ignore that it’s software-driven – it feels real
THE UGLY: Interior quality below par for a £65k car
THE ONE TO BUY: Just one model; paint and a sunroof the only options – all the drive modes are included
4 PORSCHE TAYCAN
THE GOOD: Totally overhauled but still fast, responsive and fluid; now more efficient
THE BAD: Info screen in front of the passenger is faintly ridiculous
THE UGLY: Prices are all up, and be aware of poor demand for used Taycans
THE ONE TO BUY:Priced from £88,200 for the rear-drive basic Taycan; you can pay a lot more and get a bit more performance
5 KIA EV3
THE GOOD: Roomy and clever interior; great value for such long range; funky looks – it’s a shrunken EV9 or EV6
THE BAD: Air trim feels cheap inside, but only when compared to bigger Kia EVs
THE UGLY: That weird climate-control screen
THE ONE TO BUY: The 270-mile-range car is brilliant value but most will want the longer-range option. GT-Line is our pick for value-to-comfort goodness
PCM (per calendar month) figures are typical prices for PCP (personal contract purchase) deals available at the time of writing. For guidance only