Cheapest electric cars on sale 2025
EVs are often dismissed for being too expensive, but these electric cars are bucking the trend
EVs are now firmly part of the motoring mainstream, and prices have been steadily decreasing over the past couple of years. Today, the cheapest electric cars on sale are now well within the reach of more drivers than ever before, and plenty of these budget-friendly models offer genuine appeal along with a generous helping of battery range.
There’s a variety of different sizes of EV to be found on this list, too, with everything ranging from small-scale city cars to family-friendly SUVs. This means there’s a very real chance that you’ll be able to find an affordable electric car that will meet your needs perfectly.
So which of the UK’s cheapest electric cars should you buy? Our road testers have driven every car on our list below, so read on to find our expert insights on every model, as well as their respective starting prices.
1. Dacia Spring
- Prices from £14,995
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 140 miles
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The Dacia Sandero sat at the top of the UK’s cheapest new car list for a very long time and now, in the age of the EV, it’s the turn of the Dacia Spring. For a mere £14,995, you can have a brand-new fully-fledged electric car.
In order to keep the price small, pretty much everything else about the Dacia Spring is on the small side, too. This is a compact city car with a 26.8kWh battery and 44bhp on tap if you opt for the cheapest version. The claimed 140-mile range isn’t exactly massive, either, but it should still prove more than enough for most day-to-day needs. One thing that isn’t small, though, is the equipment list, with a seven-inch touchscreen display, parking sensors and air conditioning all thrown in.
2. Leapmotor T03
- Prices from £15,995
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 165 miles
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Leapmotor is a very recent arrival in the UK, but this brand is yet another part of the Stellantis puzzle, with the global giant owing 51 per cent. The Leapmotor T03 follows a very similar formula to the Dacia Spring; it’s small, simplistic and sensibly priced.
Inside, the T03 is surprisingly spacious considering its dinky proportions, and there’s a healthy amount of kit thrown in as standard. The sole 37.3kWh battery pack is good for an official WLTP combined range of 165 miles, which should prove plenty for typical city car duties.
3. Citroen e-C3
- Prices from £21,990
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 199 miles
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With up to 199 miles of range, enough space for four passengers, useful standard kit and distinctive styling, the Citroen e-C3 already has plenty of appeal. The clincher, though, is that it can be bought brand-new for under £22,000.
Although it looks like a beefy little SUV at first appearance, the Citroen e-C3 is actually more similar in size to the Vauxhall Corsa Electric. To keep costs down, the brand has taken a back-to-basics approach with its electric supermini, with cheaper materials and a lack of any particularly groundbreaking tech. The brand has still included plenty of modern essentials, though, including LED headlights, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment unit and a suite of safety and driver assistance systems. The e-C3 is such a great all-round buy that we named it our 2024 Car of the Year.
4. Renault 5
- Prices from £22,995
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 249 miles
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There’s been plenty of hype surrounding this retro-styled supermini and, much like its classic predecessor, the new Renault 5 is an affordable small car for the masses that just so happens to be fully electric.
Along with its eye-catching design, even the basic Renault 5 comes with useful features such as a 10.1-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights and rear parking sensors. This cheaper model is fitted with a smaller 40kWh battery, but still delivers a reasonable 193 miles of claimed range.
5. Hyundai Inster
- Prices from £23,495
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 229 miles
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If you’re someone who likes your car to really stand out, the Hyundai Inster is one of the quirkier options on our list. This is a city car with a pseudo-SUV design that follows a similar ethos to the Toyota Aygo X and Suzuki Ignis. It feels like a bigger car from behind the wheel, too, as there’s plenty of kit and space to be found within the cabin.
Although we found the ride quite firm during testing, the upside is that the Inster is quite fun to drive without having to sacrifice efficiency – helped by the fact it weighs less than 1,425kg.
6. Vauxhall Frontera
- Prices from £23,495
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 248 miles
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If you assumed this list would only be populated with tiny city cars and superminis, think again. The reborn Vauxhall Frontera is available either as a hybrid or fully-electric car, but the brand has given both versions the exact same starting price.
This family-friendly SUV isn’t the most thrilling EV on the market when it comes to the driving experience, but if you’re after a sensible, practical car that’s comfortable and well equipped, it’s something of a bargain. The cheaper model’s range is modest by today’s standards, though, at a maximum of 186 miles on the WLTP combined cycle.
7. Fiat 500e
- Prices from £24,995
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 199 miles
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Fiat scored a hit when it reinvented the classic 500 back in 2007, and since then it's become one of the best city cars to buy. Time moves on, however, and the tiny Fiat has since evolved into a fully-electric car.
Keenly priced from around £25,000, the 500 line-up starts with a variant that’s capable of driving up to 118 miles on a single charge. There is a longer-range option which offers up to 199 miles but this inevitably costs a bit more to buy. There’s also the option of a folding fabric roof or even the hotter (and far more expensive) Abarth 500e.
8. BYD Dolphin
- Prices from £26,195
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 265 miles
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BYD is an enormous brand back home in China, but it’s still gradually emerging in the UK market. After making an impressive debut with the Atto 3 SUV, ‘Build Your Dreams’ has now introduced the Dolphin to our roads. It may be the brand’s cheapest car, but the Dolphin still offers a standard of technology, practicality and build quality that should spark real concern among its better-established rivals.
While we are still a bit sceptical about some of the larger Atto 3’s unusual features, such as the guitar-string door pockets, the Dolphin generally takes a more conventional approach. One eccentricity that has been carried over is the rotating infotainment screen, and although we still believe that this is a bit of a gimmick, there’s no denying the system’s sheer speed and processing power.
9. Citroen e-C4
- Prices from £26,295
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 257 miles
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As we’ve come to expect from a Citroen, the e-C4 offers funky looks and ride comfort in spades. Thanks to a mid-life refresh, this family hatchback is now more appealing than before, too. Along with its updated looks, the e-C4 claims over 200 miles of range in all guises.
This range should mean that frequent motorway trips won’t be a problem, plus Citroen’s ‘Advance Comfort’ seats help to make eating up the miles into a much more pleasant experience.
10. Vauxhall Corsa Electric
- Prices from £26,895
- WLTP combined battery range: up to 246 miles
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If you’re making the switch to an electric car for the first time, the Vauxhall Corsa Electric offers a sense of familiarity that should make the transition a lot less intimidating. This popular supermini looks virtually the same as its petrol-powered sibling both inside and out, only here there’s no engine.
What you get instead is a single, front-mounted electric motor that’s quiet in operation and reasonably punchy with up to 154bhp on tap. Drive it gently and even the smaller 50kWh battery can officially return more than 200 miles on a single charge.
Cheapest electric cars: prices and ratings table
| Cheapest electric cars ranking | Name | Prices from | Practicality, comfort and boot space rating (out of 5) | Overall Auto Express star rating (out of 5) |
| 1 | Dacia Spring | £14,995 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Leapmotor T03 | £15,995 | 3 | 4 |
| 3 | Citroen e-C3 | £21,990 | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Renault 5 | £22,995 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| 5 | Hyundai Inster | £23,495 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | Vauxhall Frontera | £23,495 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| 7 | Fiat 500e | £24,995 | 3 | 4 |
| 8 | BYD Dolphin | £26,195 | 3.9 | 4 |
| 9 | Citroen e-C4 | £26,295 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Vauxhall Corsa Electric | £26,895 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
Should I buy a quadricycle instead?
They aren’t technically classed as cars but quadricycles are an even cheaper way into fully-electric four-wheeled motoring. The difference between electric cars and quadricycles is the amount of power on offer, a legally-required limited top speed of 28mph and their extremely compact size and low weight.
A well-known example of a quadricycle that can currently be bought in the UK is the Citroen Ami. While its starting price of less than £8,000 is certainly eye-catching, the official 46-mile battery range is much less likely to suit driver requirements.
Quadricycles are primarily designed with short-distance urban journeys in mind, and in order to keep costs to a minimum, there’s very little in the way of comfort, technology or safety equipment to be found. Because of this, most buyers will be far better suited to a fully-sized electric car.
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