The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Top 5s
TOP 5 £500pcm+ EVs
GIANT TEST WINNER
1 PORSCHE TAYCAN
THE GOOD: Interstellar acceleration; stellar handling; agreeably tactile; roomier than a 911
THE BAD: Empty interior; ferociously expensive; not a 911
THE UGLY: Begs to be thrashed, but thrashing it clobbers the range
THE ONE TO BUY: Choose from saloon, estate or Cross Turismo. Get the Taycan 4S (£87k or £940pcm)
2 BMW i7
THE GOOD: One of the best luxury cars south of a Rolls-Royce, electric or otherwise
THE BAD: List price starts at £107k; weighs more than 2.7 tonnes; ‘brave’ styling
THE UGLY: Theatre Screen option is pointless gimmickry
THE ONE TO BUY: Don’t bother with the pricier Pro trims
GIANT TEST WINNER
3 TESLA MODEL 3
THE GOOD: Sceptic-confoundingly good to drive, easy to live with
THE BAD: Giant touchscreen genius – and hugely distracting
THE UGLY: Panel gaps to swallow a SpaceX rocket
THE ONE TO BUY: Long Range (£60k/£850pcm)
GIANT TEST WINNER
4 KIA EV6
THE GOOD: A mainstream EV that feels truly special
THE BAD: Not cheap
THE UGLY: Trying to actually get hold of one: EV6 waiting lists are XXL
THE ONE TO BUY: GT version is supercar-rapid but go for the regular RWD EV6
GROUP TEST WINNER
5 JAGUAR i-PACE
THE GOOD: Drives brilliantly; great use of interior space
THE BAD: Range isn’t great; naff infotainment
THE UGLY: Just don’t let yourself worry about what fate awaits Jaguar as a whole
THE ONE TO BUY: EV400 SE (£70k/£870)
TOP 5 SUB-£500pcm EVs
1 MG 4
THE GOOD: Incredible value for the price and remarkably good fun to drive
THE BAD: There’s something insectoid about the design
THE UGLY: How do you feel about driving an MG-badged hatchback from a Chinese-state-owned parent company?
THE ONE TO BUY: It’s so affordable may as well pick the long-range version in Trophy trim
2 POLESTAR 2
THE GOOD: Speed; sharp handling; Scandi-tech style; handsome
THE BAD: Cramped packaging; challenging charging
THE UGLY: Lacks Tesla’s killer-blow charging network
THE ONE TO BUY: Starts from £42k/£390pcm. Long Range Dual Motor is great but £48k/£450pcm
3 HYUNDAI IONIQ 5
THE GOOD: Original, ingenious, bold and feelgood – everything VW’s ID. 3 isn’t, then...
THE BAD: Looks like a hatch; actually the size of an SUV
THE UGLY:
