Paris motor show 2022: the best electric vehicles

By James Attwood

18 Oct 2022

The Paris Motor Show returned for the first time since 2018 this week, and while it was a lot smaller than it used to be there were still plenty of interesting new machines on display – and almost all of them were electric.

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Here’s our pick of some of the most interesting electric vehicles on display at the show.

Renault 4Ever Trophy

Renault’s design team have found a winning formula for electric cars: dust off an old nameplate, pick out some of the original model’s finest features and then use that as the basis for a new EV. The Renault 4Ever Trophy repackages design cues from the classic Renault 4 into a thoroughly modern compact crossover package.

Of course, since the production version won’t be along until 2025, Renault decided to show off its work in concept form – which explains the rally raid-ready styling of the 4Ever Trophy, inspired by a humanitarian rally in which students drive original 4 machines through Morocco. Although if a roof-mounted spare tyre and a boot lid-mounted spade appear on the option list for the production version, we’ll be ticking them.

Meanwhile, Renault gets bonus points for bringing along the bonkers Renault 5 Turbo 3E drift car concept. It's essentially what would happen if you asked modern online gaming fans to create their own version of a 1980s rally car, and we very much approve.

Mobilize Solo Concept

Renault’s mobility arm, Mobilize is developing a range of vehicles that are designed to change the way we get around cities. They include the Duo, a quadricycle that’s a spiritual successor to the Renault Twizy, and the slightly bonkers Solo. It might look a bit like a Dalek you can sit in, but it’s the firm’s vision for a single-seat e-scooter rival with added safety.

Jeep Avenger 4x4 Concept

It would be easy to question if the Jeep Avenger is a ‘proper’ Jeep. After all, the brand is known for vehicles capable of tackling the toughest of off-road trails: and the Avenger is a small, front-wheel-drive electric crossover made on a platform shared with other Stellantis brands such as Peugeot and Vauxhall.

But hey, Ant-Man was small and lacked the super strength or magical powers of other superheroes, and he still gets to be a proper Avenger – so why can’t the Avenger be a proper Jeep? And to prove what it’s capable of, Jeep developed this Avenger 4x4 Concept, previewing what a likely twin-motor, all-wheel-drive ready version could look like. Just hand us the keys and point us towards an off-road trail already.

The Next Ora Cat

We’re not quite sure why Chinese firm Ora has chosen to feature Cat in the name of all its cars, but we thoroughly approve anyway. The firm is about to launch the Volkswagen ID 3-rivalling Ora Funky Cat in Europe (it’s already out in China, where it’s called the Good Cat), and at the Paris show it showed off its next car that will arrive here.

And it turns out the next Ora Cat will be… The Next Ora Cat. Yes, it’s a work in progress title, but it’s all kinds of brilliant. The car is interesting too: a curved Tesla Model 3-rivalling saloon with a hint of Porsche Panamera about it.

Plus, while waiting for it to arrive here next year we can idly speculate on what it will be called. It’s the Lightning Cat in China, where other Ora models include the Black Car, White Cat and Punk Cat.

DS 3 E-Tense

While many of the cars on display in Paris looked to the future, the DS 3 E-Tense is very much a machine for the present. It’s effectively the revamped version of the DS 3 Crossback, except with a shorter title and a longer range. A new 54kWh battery means it can go up to 250 miles on a single charge.

The DS 3 E-Tense had its first public outing at the Paris show, although it was actually unveiled earlier this month during Paris Fashion Week – a reminder that the DS brand is all about being chic and stylish.

BYD Atto 3

Move Electric has already had a short drive in the BYD Atto 3, but it was still interesting to see the Chinese EV brand further signal its European intentions with a significant stand at the Paris show.

The Atto 3 is set to spearhead BYD's impending passenger car launch in the UK (you can already get on a BYD electric bus in many cities), and it's a thoroughly decent family SUV that should be a credible and cost-effective alternative.

The firm also displayed the BYD Seal, an oddly named Tesla Model 3 rival that is also tipped to reach here.

Alpine A110 e-Ternité

Alpine is a brand in the midst of an interesting transition. Since it was revived by Renault in 2017 it’s only model has been the revived A110 sports car, but it’s now become the group’s motorsport arm – and is developing an electric-only line-up of performance cars.

The brand’s future design direction was previewed at Paris with the bold Alpine Alpenglow concept, but that had a conceptual hydrogen powertrain in. Perhaps more interesting with the Alpine A110 E-Ternité prototype, effectively a one-off electric conversion of the A110.

Alpine has crammed in battery modules from the new Renault Megane E-Tech Electric and fitted a 178kW electric motor, but has kept the weight down to 1378kg, just 258kg more than a combustion-engined model.

Effectively, while the Alpenglow previews the design direction, the A110 E-Ternité is the first vision of how Alpine aims to develop electric cars that can offer sports car handling.

Microlino Lite

Despite its name, Swiss firm Micro has plans for a pretty big line-up, revealing two variants of its Microlino 2.0 quadricycle in Paris. There was a new lower-powered Microlino Lite that will meet the lower level of quadricycle regulations, allowing it to be driven in certain countries without a driving licence.