NEW WAVE
Four truly desirable EV superminis coming in 2025 that cost around £20k – including Citroen’s comfy e-C3 & the Renault 5
Budget champions Dacia have just launched the Spring
THERE’S a lot of chatter about electric cars being expensive. They are.
But that’s just a symptom of a bigger problem.
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Cars are expensive, full stop.
Even with petrol superminis, you’ll be lucky to spend less than £20k.
The cheapest Skoda Fabia is £19,880, giving you enough change for a pair of trainers.
A new wave of electric cars is coming that are in that ball-park for price, and if you can charge at home they cost usefully less to run.
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Plus, of course, every electric car is far smoother and quieter than a petrol, and they’re all automatic.
Budget champions Dacia has just launched the Spring. A good name, as it’s a cheery little thing with a spring in its step, handy for town driving and a cinch to park.
Sure, it’s pretty cramped and hardly goes more than 100 miles on a charge, but in a two-car household that won’t matter. And at £14,995, who’s complaining?
Handsome spec
The Spring is made in China. It’s the same with the BYD DolphinMini, but it’s a year away. (In China it’s called Seagull, but BYD realised in Britain seagulls steal your chips.)
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For more cash, there are some truly desirable small cars on the way.
The gorgeous Renault 5 arrives in April, starting from £22,995 for a handsome spec.
A look at the new Fiat Grande Panda EV
Hyundai’s electric cars are trusted and they have the Inster which also has a lot of funk and kicks off at £23,495.
If the word Inster is new, the Fiat Panda is generations old. But there’s a completely fresh version coming, Grande Panda.
It’s likely to slip in at a lower price than Fiat’s 500 electric which is smaller but posher and starts at £22k.
In fact we already know a fair bit about the Panda’s spec, because underneath it’s the same car as the new Citroen e-C3. Citroen and Fiat are owned by the same corporation now.
And the Citroen, like the Renault 5 and Hyundai Inster, has just been shortlisted for European Car of the Year.
The e-C3 starts at £21,990. That gets you a 199-mile battery by the WLTP test, and a big enough motor to keep you swimming in quick traffic.
It looks the part too, with alloys and a two-tone roof.
KEY FACTS: CITROEN E-C3 PLUS
Price: £21,990
Battery: 44kWh
Power: 113hp
0-62mph: 10.4 secs
Top speed: 82mph
Range: 199 miles
CO2: 0g/km
Out: January
The main thing is comfort. The suspension laughs at speed bumps and rural pot-holed lanes.
The seats are nicely squidgy. What with the silent drive, it’s a properly Zen way of getting about.
My test route took in town and countryside and it never felt out of its depth.
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And it recharges fast. There’s decent space in the back and boot.
This isn’t just a city rollerskate, it’s a proper car.
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