In association with Pod Point
Electric Car Awards 2024: Best electric small car
With fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars now coming in all shapes and sizes, we’ve named the best new and used buys in every class. Here we look at the best electric small cars...
Mini Cooper SE Exclusive
Imagine it’s 1959. The Mini has just been launched as the Austin Mini Minor – and it’s electric. No, of course it wasn’t, but the new electric Mini Cooper could convince you that the legendary (extremely) small car should have been electric from the beginning.
This is the fourth generation of Mini since BMW took the reins in 2001 but, from behind the wheel at least, you could imagine it having taken over directly from the 1959 original, complete with a dinner plate-sized single central instrument with a row of toggle switches below. However, rather than serving only as a speedometer, said instrument is now also a 9.4in touchscreen that looks after infotainment and many of the car’s functions.
It’s a shame that the toggle switches don’t control the heater, like they did in the original. Instead, you have to use the touchscreen to adjust the climate control in the new car. However, there is a physical volume knob for the stereo. Other switches include the start button (shaped like a key), the gear selector and a driving mode or ‘Experiences’ control.
The sportiest of these is Go-Kart Mode, and it goes a long way to imparting the sense of fun that the original Mini was known for. With barely any body lean in corners and precise, confidence-inspiring steering, the electric Mini raises more of a grin than its rivals. And the original Mini certainly didn’t accelerate like this one; the 215bhp SE manages 0-62mph in just 6.7sec. That makes it quicker than the Abarth 500e – a car billed as an electric hot hatch.
The fact that it was designed from the outset as an electric car, rather than being based on a combustion-engined one, allows the latest electric Mini to accommodate a bigger battery than its predecessor. The SE gets a 49.2kWh (usable) battery, officially enough for a 244-mile range. That’s a huge leap from the old Mini Electric’s 145 miles and also beats the figures of the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric.
Just like the original Mini, the Cooper SE is less well suited to carrying adults in the back than many other small cars, but its compact dimensions and nippy performance make it an urban commuter par excellence, and it’s great for two heading out on a long weekend farther afield. If the original Mini had been electric, it would have been just like this one.
Best used electric small car
Peugeot e-208 Allure (2020-present)
Price from £11,000
Small but perfectly formed, the Peugeot e-208 combines a comfortable ride with a stylish interior and decent range – and all in a temptingly affordable package.
Used Peugeot e-208 buying guide >>
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