Fastest-depreciating cars for less than £50,000

Model 50kWh Design List price £36,610 36k/3yr resale value £10,225 Price drop £26,385 Retained value 27.9%

The Mokka Electric isn’t among the cheapest electric SUVs to buy to begin with, and after three years it’ll have shed more of its original price than any other car here. Plus, while your head might be turned by its looks, its performance is rather less striking, lacking the kind of instant shove you get in the rival Kia Niro EV and Smart #1. Those models can take you farther on a charge, too.

When hustled along, the Mokka Electric leans more through bends than the best electric SUVs. However, it also deals with lumps and bumps in the road better than some rivals and is less bouncy than the DS 3 E-Tense.

While its tall window line and tapered roofline can make rear seat passengers feel a bit hemmed in, there’s actually more room than they’ll find in a DS 3 E-Tense or Mazda MX-30. The Mokka Electric’s boot is small, though, taking just four carry-on suitcases in our test.

Entry-level Design trim has most of your equipment needs covered, coming with LED headlights, automatic wipers, a reversing camera and 17in alloy wheels as standard.

Read our full Vauxhall Mokka Electric review

Model Espirit De Voyage List price £39,825 36k/3yr resale value £11,350 Price drop £28,475 Retained value 28.5%

The DS 3 E-Tense has the dubious honour of being the first car here to drop below 30% of its original value after three years of ownership. And while no version performs well in terms of depreciation, the range-topping Espirit De Voyage model is the worst offender.

Performance from the car’s 154bhp electric motor will be plenty quick enough for most drivers, and it’s impressively quiet. Ride quality is generally good, too, but the steering isn’t as precise as that of the rival Kia Niro EV, and there’s quite a lot of body lean in corners.

When it comes to range, the E-Tense’s 50.8kWh battery offers an official 250 miles, and that means plenty of rivals – including the MG ZS EV and Hyundai Kona Electric – can take you farther between charges.

The DS 3 is big on visual appeal inside, but its touch-sensitive ‘buttons’ can be hit-and-miss to use, and some controls – including for the air-con – are buried in infotainment menus. The Niro EV, while more drab inside, is easier to get along with, plus it’s much more spacious in the back.

Read our full DS 3 E-Tense review

Model 50kWh Design List price £32,445 36k/3yr resale value £9800 Price drop £22,645 Retained value 30.2%

The Design trim level brings the Corsa Electric’s price tag down, but being cheaper to buy doesn’t protect it from the spectre of depreciation.

Design trim is available only with the smaller of the two batteries the Corsa Electric offers; that means an official range of 222 miles, which is competitive against the entry-level MG4 but behind plenty of rivals.

Acceleration from the 134bhp electric motor is decent – it’ll beat the Renault Zoe to motorway speeds – and the Corsa Electric has plenty of punch for overtaking. It doesn’t feel especially sporty to drive, though, with vague steering and a fair bit of body lean through the corners. The closely related Peugeot e-208 is more fun to thread along a country road.

The Corsa’s interior is nice enough, and we’re happy to see most functions controlled using physical buttons and dials, but the thick windscreen pillars and tapering roofline can make it hard to see out of. Luckily, rear parking sensors come as standard, but you’ll need to step up to GS trim to get a rear-view camera thrown in.

Read our full Vauxhall Corsa Electric review

Model 39kWh Acenta List price £28,995 36k/3yr resale value £8850 Price drop £20,145 Retained value 30.5%

The Nissan Leaf is offered with a choice of two battery sizes: 39kWh and 59kWh. And while an example with smaller battery will cost you less to buy, it also depreciates in value faster, to the point that after three years and 36,000 miles, it’s worth the least of any car in this feature.

That might be something to do with its lacklustre range. Officially, it can take you 168 miles, beating the Mazda MX-30 but little else, and that figure fell to just 128 miles in our real-world test. However, that might be enough if you mainly drive in town and can charge up regularly.

The Leaf is generally better to drive than the Renault Zoe; its ride is comfier and it leans less in corners, plus it reaches motorway speeds with less effort.

Passengers will be at least as comfortable in the Leaf as they would be in the Zoe, but neither car offers anything close to the amount of stretching-out space they’d find in an electric SUV like the Kia Niro EV. That said, the Leaf has an impressive appetite for luggage; it swallowed seven carry-on suitcases in our test, beating the Zoe’s six.

Read our full Nissan Leaf review

Model R135 Boost Charge Techno List price £31,995 36k/3yr resale value £9775 Price drop £22,220 Retained value 30.6%

One of the pioneering modern electric cars, the Renault Zoe remains a strong option if your budget to go green is limited. However, while it’s priced roughly in line with its Nissan Leaf and Vauxhall Corsa Electric rivals, it joins those cars in shedding value at a rapid rate.

The Zoe’s 134bhp motor drives its front wheels and returns a 0-62mph sprint time of 9.5sec – slower than most rivals can manage. Nor is it at the top of the class when it comes to range; the Zoe R135 Boost Charge Techno officially returns 238 miles on a full charge, but we managed only 208 miles in our real-world summer range test.

We like that the Zoe seats you quite high up, and front seat occupants get a decent amount of space, but taller passengers in the rear might complain about both leg and head room. The quality of the interior materials lags behind that of many rivals, most notably the Mazda MX-30. More importantly, some safety equipment, including automatic emergency braking, isn’t available at all – even as an option.

Read our full Renault Zoe review

Model Active List price £35,700 36k/3yr resale value £11,200 Price drop £24,500 Retained value 31.9%

The latest Peugeot e-2008 is a case of style over substance. It might attract admiring glances from your neighbours as you drive past, but they’ll end up frowning should you offer to give them a lift.

You see, the e-2008 is notably less spacious than the best small electric SUVs; both the Hyundai Kona Electric and Smart #1 offer more room for passengers to stretch out, and a middle rear passenger will be much comfier in most rivals. At least the boot is the same size as the regular, non-electric 2008’s, swallowing five carry-on suitcases in our tests.

The e-2008’s range is nothing special, either; while its 54kWh (usable capacity) can officially take you 250 miles on a charge, it managed only 183 miles in our real-world test. And while the e-2008 offers a comfier ride than the #1, ironing out lumps and bumps with less choppiness, the #1 is more fun to thread along a country road, thanks to its more consistently weighted steering. Better news is that the e-2008’s 154bhp electric motor feels sufficiently punchy in most driving situations.

Read our full Peugeot e-2008 review

Model 35.5kWh Makoto List price £35,550 36k/3yr resale value £11,350 Price drop £24,200 Retained value 32.6%

The Mazda MX-30 is available both as a plug-in hybrid and as a fully electric car. And while neither performs especially well in terms of depreciation, it’s the electric model that comes off worst.

You’ll need to be taken by the MX-30’s unique looks to consider one; it lags behind the competition by some margin in most other respects. For starters, its 35.5kWh (usable capacity) battery returns an official range of just 124 miles, and that’s beaten by most other electric cars on sale today. The MX-30 isn’t especially fast, either; it just about matches the Renault Zoe in a sprint to 60mph, but it quickly runs out of puff on the motorway.

That’s a shame, because the MX-30 is otherwise decent to drive. Its suspension is firm enough to keep body lean at bay in corners, yet it soaks up most bumps without being bouncy – unlike the DS 3 E-Tense.

The MX-30 has a great driving position, too, and its high-quality interior features an easy-to-use infotainment system. There’s not a lot of room for passengers or luggage, though.

Read our full Mazda MX-30 review

Model 300e List price £47,495 36k/3yr resale value £15,500 Price drop £31,995 Retained value 32.6%

We know that Lexus can do SUVs very well; the Lexus NX is one of our favourite plug-in hybrids, while the smaller hybrid Lexus LBX is our reigning Car of the Year. The UX, however, isn’t as good as those cars, particularly in pure electric 300e form.

While recent improvements have upped the official range to 279 miles, in our recent winter range test it managed just 170 miles. There’s a lot of body lean in corners, too, and the steering doesn’t give you much sense of connection to the front wheels.

It’s not all bad news; the interior features a pleasing mix of premium materials, and even the entry-level model comes with dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting and an 8.0in infotainment screen.

However, the UX is outclassed when it comes to practicality; its Ford Mustang Mach-E, Tesla Model Y, Volkswagen ID 4 and Volvo EC40 rivals all give rear seat passengers more space, plus the UX’s boot is on the small side.

Read our full Lexus UX300e review

Model 50kWh Max List price £36,105 36k/3yr resale value £12,050 Price drop £24,055 Retained value 33.4%

There’s a lot to like about this fully electric coupé-SUV, from its cushy ride, which takes the sting out of battered British roads, to a plush interior that’s loaded with kit – especially in Max trim.

Your family should like it, too; there’s lots of room for adults to stretch out inside, and we managed to fit five carry-on suitcases into the boot – more than we could squeeze into the rival Mazda MX-30 or Smart #1.

As a comfortable and practical cruiser, then, the e-C4 scores big points, but there are better electric car options if you’ll be covering lots of miles, because its 260-mile official range isn’t a patch on what some rivals can manage. The MG4 Extended Range, for example, can go farther on a charge, is comparable on price and holds onto its value for longer.

Don’t expect the e-C4 to be the last word in engaging handling, either; it’s not remotely sporty and there’s quite a bit of body lean through corners. At least it’s very quiet, doing a better job of cutting out road noise than the Kia Niro EV and Volkswagen ID 3.

Read our full Citroën ë-C4 review

Model 1.5 Exclusive-Line List price £30,000 36k/3yr resale value £10,150 Price drop £19,850 Retained value 33.8%

Few cars can match the Mazda MX-5’s driving thrills for so little. No version will cost you more than £35,000 to buy new, and of its two petrol engines, the cheaper 1.5-litre option is our favourite.

Despite having only 130bhp, the MX-5 feels quite quick. Its low weight and modest dimensions, plus its accurate steering, help to make it feel like a true pocket rocket. Indeed, while the 0-62mph sprint time of 8.3sec doesn’t sparkle on paper, it’s more than nippy enough to be fun.

In traditional sports car style, the MX-5 has only two seats, and you might find your head brushing the fabric roof’s lining if you’re tall. Handily, dropping the roof is easy, despite being a manual process. The boot, meanwhile, is small but will handle luggage for a weekend away.

Although the MX-5 loses its value faster than any rival, it’s not all bad news when it comes to ownership costs. The 1.5-litre petrol version’s respectable fuel economy – it managed 44mpg in our real-world tests – should make the MX-5 relatively cheap to run.

Read our full Mazda MX-5 review

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