1. Smart EQ ForTwo

...Best small electric car for parking

Used Smart ForTwo deals from £13.890

Small it might be, but the BMW i3 has plenty of space for the family thanks to its roomy interior. The batteries are stored underneath the flat floor and the bonnet is short, as there's no engine underneath.

It's nippy, nimble and well built. The i3 also offers lots of choice: used models built until mid-2016 have a real-world range of around 90 miles between charges

Since 2017, most BMW i3 models were updated versions called 94Ah, after their upgraded battery, which increases the real-world range to around 124 miles. Finally, there’s the new BMW i3s, a sportier version of the car, which has a little more power and slightly faster acceleration. It's more responsive when you want to change direction too.

2. BMW i3

...Best small electric car for interior space

Used BMW i3 deals from £12.662

Small it might be, but the BMW i3 has plenty of space for the family thanks to its roomy interior. The batteries are stored underneath the flat floor and the bonnet is short, as there's no engine underneath.

It's nippy, nimble and well built. The i3 also offers lots of choice: used models built until mid-2016 have a real-world range of around 90 miles between charges

Since 2017, most BMW i3 models were updated versions called 94Ah, after their upgraded battery, which increases the real-world range to around 124 miles. Finally, there’s the new BMW i3s, a sportier version of the car, which has a little more power and slightly faster acceleration. It's more responsive when you want to change direction too.

To date, most electric cars have lacked the wow factor, that certain spark that can make a customer fall in love with a car when they see it in the showroom or take it for a test drive.

The exception to that is the i3. BMW’s contender in the fast-growing pure electric car market is a breath of fresh air, and not just because there are no emissions spewing an exhaust. It looks different to every other car on the road because under the surface, it is different to the herd.

3. VW e-Up

...Best small electric car for nippiness

Used VW e-Up deals from £12.050

Fitting batteries and an electric motor to the Up has had quite an impact on this little Volkswagen’s price. The expensive conversion means that it’s almost the same price as a much larger Nissan Leaf, and considerably more than the Smart ForTwo. It’s had a considerable impact on sales, in the sense that very few people buy one.

If you do see one of the used models for a reasonable discount, it’s worth a look because it’s an excellent car. The electric motor provides faster acceleration than the petrol-powered Up and the low-mounted batteries barely affect the car’s manoeuvrability and agility in corners.

Unlike many cars that have been converted to electric power, boot space in the e-Up has not been affected, so you’ll still have 251 litres, which is plenty for a weekly shop.

4. Renault Zoe

...Best small electric car for the latest tech

Used deals from £22.500

There's an all-new Renault Zoe on sale now, and it's been showered with new tech and performance improvements. As the only second-generation electric car on this list, it's understandable that this new Zoe has got the best battery and the best electric motor.

Prices for this new model are slightly higher than you might have seen on the previous generation version. That's partly down to the fact Renault has decided to scrap its battery-leasing scheme. Now all Zoes come with the battery included in the price of the car. So prices upwards of £25,000 might be a bit steep, but you are getting a very capable car for your money.

With its cutting edge 52kWh battery delivering a 245-mile range, and rapid charging making a full charge possible in just three hours, the Zoe has become more than just a city car restricted to a daily run to the shops. This is an electric car you can make much more comprehensive use of.

5. Skoda Citigoe iV

...Best small electric car for driving range

Used deals from £19.355

This is a new arrival on the small electric car scene for 202, but the Skoda Citigoe iV has already made a pretty substantial impression. It's just as fun to drive as the original (now discontinued) petrol Citigo, but it's been dramatically improved by virtue of its electric motor.

Mechanically similar to the Volkswagen e-Up and Seat Mii Electric, the Citigoe iV is powered by an 82hp electric motor and a 36.8kWh battery capable of stretching out 165 miles of range with a single charge. The difference between the three models though, and why we've picked the Skoda over the Seat, is because the Citigoe iV is available as a cheaper alternative.

While you don't get rapid charging, or as many gadgets inside, the cheaper SE trim will give buyers an opportunity to save some money if they need to.

6. MINI Electric

£24,900

..Mini has been a long time preparing to enter the electric car market; but now that it finally has, it has certainly brought all of the fun factor you expect of the brand - albeit packaged with a few equally typical usability restrictions.

Based exclusively on the three-door Mini bodyshell, the Mini Electric adopts the powertrain from the BMW i3S, giving it a very healthy 181bhp and 199lb ft of torque. Performance is notably stronger than many of the cars you might compare it with in this list, while handling is grippy and darty and agile in the enduring dynamic traditions of the Mini brand.

Range is the catch. Mini claims 144 miles; in reality, depending on how and where you drive it, you’re more likely to get between 100- and 120-. And that’s in a car with a pretty small boot, whose back seats are tricky to access and little use for anyone but younger kids in any case.

This clearly isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ sort of electric offering, but it’s priced surprisingly competitively and, if its limitations aren’t bothersome to you, could be the very car to show you how rewarding electric motoring can be.

7. Nissan LEAF

starts at $31,600

..The Nissan Leaf, in first-generation form, set the mould for the affordable electric car approaching a decade ago – and in new second-generation form, it’s still right in amongst the list of contenders who are following in its tread marks.

Having had a 25 per cent boost on battery capacity, the Nissan now leads some of its rivals with a WLTP-certified range of 168 miles - rising to more than 200 in the case of the range-topping 64kWh 'e+' version. It’s also got significantly more power and torque than its direct predecessor; performs fairly keenly; feels like a more rounded car to drive generally; and has one of the strongest showings here on daily-use practicality for a small family.

A value proposition that’s also improved, and is now on a par with that of a mid-market, conventionally fuelled family hatchback once you take the government’s £3000 PiCG grant into account, cement the car’s strengths. It’s our default recommendation for anyone looking to simply replace their fossil-fuelled family hatchback with an electric one well-capable of doing the same job – and doing it well.

8. Honda E

26.160

..Honda has taken a leftfield approach with its first all-electric car, the Honda E supermini - which is unusually compact for an electric car, and innovative in several ways. A rear-mounted motor promises packaging efficiency (although the car itself fails a little to follow through with it) while all-independent suspension heralds the ride and handling sophistication of a bigger car (which the car does a deal better to actually supply).

The car’s available in 134- and 151bhp forms, but neither has quite the battery capacity of rivals: 35.5kWh ‘gross’ is all you get here, which makes for claimed WLTP range of 137 miles maximum (with the car rolling on 16in wheels). In testing, we struggled to get much more than 100- from our 17in-equipped test car.

To drive, the Honda E feels plush, composed and easy to operate, with medium-paced steering but a tight turning circle, and moderate but responsive performance. It doesn’t excite but would make a relaxing city car, albeit one with even less usable space than a Mini Electric; and its alternative styling should also do much to recommend it.It's easy to say that the Honda e is one of the most adorable little cars we've driven for a qwhile. It has character, it has personality and it really is a lot of fun to drive. It's also a car that's loaded with tech, taking a refreshing approach in the interior and giving you options that you simply don't get in other cars, including those that are twice the price. Compared to close rivals, the Honda e feels different - and that goes a long way in small cars.

9. Citroen C-Zero

...The C-Zero is surprisingly practical, with space for four. From £26,2166

Naturally, the exact range depends not only on how the C-Zero is driven, but also when and where. On a cold night, with the main beam and air-con turned up, the charge will be depleted far quicker than if it’s all turned off, but buyers will quickly learn to factor such events into their journey planning.

The C-Zero doesn’t compromise on the things that make city cars useful. It has plenty of space for four occupants, four doors and decent boot. The narrow track means its can squeeze through gaps in traffic and all-round visibility is excellent and the rear-mounted motor means it has a tight turning circle.

10. Fiat 500 ELETTRICA

37.900 euro

...Il motore è discretamente potente, considerato il segmento, con 87 kW, equivalenti a 118 CV. Per la prima volta Fiat ha introdotto tre diverse modalità di guida, come per altro fanno già tutti i costruttori di auto elettriche. Con la modalità Normal le prestazioni sono completamente disponibili, con velocità massima di 150 km/h, limitata elettronicamente, e uno scatto da 0 a 50 in 3,1 secondi. Con la modalità Range anche la nuova 500 può fare affidamento alla cosiddetta One Pedal Drive. In decelerazione la resistenza magnetica del motore elettrico è più alto, così da ottimizzare il recupero energetico. Infine la modalità Sherpa riduce al massimo le prestazioni, con velocità bloccata al massimo a 80 km/h, permettendo di avere più autonomia in casi problematici.

11. Opel CORSA-e

...La nuova Corsa-e garantisce un'autonomia fino a ben 337 km (WLTP)1 senza dover ricaricare. Grazie a pochi accorgimenti relativi a velocità, stile di guida e impostazioni del riscaldamento è facile massimizzare l'autonomia della tua Corsa-e.

* Consumo di energia di Corsa-e (ciclo misto) xx,x - xx,x kWh/100 km; emissioni di CO2 0 g/km; autonomia (ciclo misto) da 329 km a 337 km (in base agli equipaggiamenti). I dati relativi all'autonomia e al consumo di elettricità sono stati calcolati secondo la procedura di test WLTP, utilizzata per l'omologazione dei nuovi autoveicoli dal 1 settembre 2018. I valori registrati possono variare in funzione delle condizioni d'uso e dipendono da numerosi fattori, tra cui la velocità, il comfort termico a bordo del veicolo, lo stile di guida e la temperatura esterna. Il tempo di ricarica dipende dalla potenza del caricatore a bordo del veicolo, dal cavo di ricarica e dal tipo e dalla potenza della stazione di ricarica utilizzata.

12. RENAULT Twizy Expression

... £10,995

This electric, 0 door, 2 seat RENAULT Twizy is a good option if you are looking for a low emission, economical quadricycle.

With an indicative electricity cost of 3.2 p/mile, no VED payable and congestion charge exempt, the running costs for this RENAULT Twizy Expression 13kW Auto, are minimal. With an official range of 62 miles day-to-day operation of this RENAULT Twizy, especially with a charger at home, is straightforward.

Approved by Next Green Car and with a NGC Rating of 15 – down to 4 when using renewably generated electricity – this all-electric RENAULT Twizy is one of the greenest cars available.