Best Used Electric Cars

Even if you only have a modicum of interest in cars, it won’t have escaped your notice that electric cars dominate the conversation in the automotive market right now.

In fact, EVs have been a point of discourse for around five years now as manufacturers engage in a fierce game of one-upmanship to launch models with more range, faster charging capacities and more efficient batteries.

That’s good news for us consumers, but an even better byproduct of this electric gold rush is it now means the used car market is brimming with zero-emission models.

And they make very tempting propositions too when you consider the significant cost savings – both on the forecourt and on the road.

Better yet, since electric vehicles have fewer moving parts than their ICE-equivalents, they are generally considered to be more reliable, or at least easier to fix with a laptop and a cable, instead of a spanner and a ramp.

This confidence in electric durability is evidenced by most manufacturers offering at least eight-year warranties on batteries from new, meaning there is a good chance there will still be a few years left to run on any used purchase.

In short, there has never been a better time to consider going electric with a used car… but which are the best used electric cars out there right now?

Nissan LEAF

The electric car movement owes an awful lot to the Nissan Leaf.

While 2010 – the year the first-generation Leaf was launched - might not seem all that long ago, in the fast-evolving world of electric cars, it’s is positively ancient by comparison.

Back then electric power was a compromise, falling well short of the superior range and recharging stats we are presented with now. So fast moving has EV development been that the second-generation Leaf – launched in 2016 – really was a quantum leap forward.

While the game has moved on again since then, the second gen Leaf – owing to its relative age – therefore makes a veritable bargain in a used car context, matching newer but much smaller models on price.

Indeed, the Leaf was and remains a well thought out car, proving practical, easy to get along with and frugal with up to 170-miles of range.

Most enticingly, however, is its reliable reputation, which has been highlighted by several bodies that consider the Leaf one of the most durable cars on sale – electric or otherwise.

Volkswagen ID.3

If the Nissan Leaf was an electric car trailblazer, the Volkswagen ID.3 was the car to really popularise the EV message in a manner not dissimilar to the Beetle, Polo and Golf before it.

Indeed, the ID.3 went a long way to normalising electric cars in terms of style, functionality and practicality, putting the values of what makes VW so popular at the forefront of what happened to be an EV too.

Its bespoke EV platform allows it to return impressive range, while all the Volkswagen traits of solid engineering, a spacious interior and a refined drive can all be found in the ID.3 too.

If the ID.3’s quirks aren’t for you, however, then you might find favour with the more conventional electric Volkswagen Golf instead.

Vauxhall Mokka Electric

There haven’t been many Vauxhalls that stop pedestrians in their tracks and turn their heads, but the Vauxhall Mokka is certainly one of them.

The rakish small SUV cut through a competitive marketplace when it was launched in 2020 and quickly found a loyal following, especially in suitably trendy electric trim.

It means there are many examples of the Vauxhall Mokka Electric hitting the used car market right now and are among the best value EVs out there.

Better yet, the daring looks haven’t aged much in the years that have followed, while the Mokka backs this up with a well-built interior, composed drive and upwards of 200-miles of electric range.

Hyundai IONIQ 5

History will look back at the Hyundai IONIQ 5 as a seminal moment in electric car lore, such was the impact it made upon its launch in 2021.

The distinctive SUV-cum-hatchback looks shrouded a vast interior with space all round for five adults, a high-tech and premium interior and a refined, comfortable driving experience.

It also set new standards at the time for range with certain grades capable of driving up to 350-miles before needing to be recharged.

It’s a figure that is still competitive today, which therefore makes the IONIQ 5 a compelling used car prospect, especially when Hyundai’s long warranty and famed reliability are also factored in.

BMW i4

You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to picking a used electric BMW, not least because each model – the BMW i4, BMW iX1 and BMW i3 – are considered among the most reliable around.

While the quirky i3 hatchback is best reserved for those who remain within city limits and the iX1 perfect if you’re in the market for a higher riding premium SUV, it is the BMW i4 that we’re highlighting here.

Closely related to the aspirational BMW 3-Series, the i4 takes its sibling’s ‘sports saloon’ formula and gives it an electric twist, returning over 300-miles of range while retaining the Munich marque’s famed engaging dynamics.

And, being a BMW, it’s a polished performer all round with plush interior, punchy performance and generous specification.

Jaguar I-PACE

In many ways, the Jaguar I-PACE is the anti-Jaguar… albeit in a very deliberate way.

The British marque might have been late to the SUV party with the F-PACE, but it was positively blazing a trail with the I-PACE, which set a tone for the deluge of electric SUVs that have since followed.

As Jaguar’s first electric model, it is clear a lot of thinking has gone into it, which is why the styling is handsomely grand, the interior is impeccably built and the driving experience is lavish.

Time has caught up with it in a modern context, making its once headline grabbing 292-miles of range seem less impressive today, but it is something of a veritable bargain by comparison all the same.

It means that not only is a Jaguar more within reach than you might have expected, but it’s a thoroughly modern, futureproof one too.