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Electric cars might be the future of transport, but since their growth in popularity in recent years, more brands from all over the world are launching new models with weird and wonderful names.
Some have been so unusual that brand's have gone as far as to rename its entire range of cars in order to improve its image.
Here, we take a look at some of the strangest electric car names and share the meaning behind them.
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Afeela
The new union between Sony and Honda will see the Japanese tech giant and the car maker join forces to create electric cars. The two firms have created an entirely new brand called Afeela, which is set to launch its first EV – a super-sleek Tesla Model 3 rival – by 2025.
Sony and Honda say that the new brand “represents feel”, hence the name Afeela, adding that feel is at the 'heart of the mobility experience'. The new brand is yet to confirm the name of its first EV.
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BYD Seagull
Don’t worry – the BYD Seagull won’t steal your fish and chips at the beach. The electric supermini has been designed for China and is broadly similar to the Volkswagen e-Up!.
The new EV forms part of BYD’s new ocean-themed range of electric cars, as the firm is aiming to expand its line-up in order to take a slice of the European EV market.
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BYD Dolphin
Another BYD aiming to make a splash in the UK is the Dolphin, an electric hatchback which is set to rival the likes of the Peugeot e-208 and Volkswagen ID 3.
The Dolphin also forms part of the Chinese brand’s expanded electric line-up, which uses the firm’s ‘Ocean Aesthetics’ design concept to give it a unique look.
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BYD Seal
Taking the form of a saloon, the BYD Seal is another ocean-themed EV from the Chinese brand, again using a name inspired by creatures of the sea.
While the Seal doesn’t actually resemble the fin-footed marine mammal, it’s been designed to rival the Tesla Model 3 and is set to arrive in the UK later this year.
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Citroën Oli
Revealed last year as a bold new concept car, the Oli showcases the future design language of the French brand and highlights its plans to create lightweight, uncomplicated and affordable electric cars.
The off-road inspired EV has affectionately been named the shortened version of Oliver. In fact, Oli is pronounced ‘all e’ referring to the all-electric nature of the car.
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Cupra Born
Based on the Volkswagen ID 3 electric hatchback, the Cupra Born arrived as a sportier version of VW’s well-regarded family EV. And despite its firmer ride and frustrating infotainment system, the Born offers a great range and a pleasing driving experience.
The name ‘Born’ is an unusual one, but refers to the small district of El Born in the city of Barcelona in Spain. Fun fact: El Born has a chocolate museum – so at least we know where to go on holiday next year.
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Cupra Raval
Launched last year under the UrbanRebel nameplate, the Raval is the Spanish brand’s new electric ultra-compact urban SUV that will go on sale in 2025. The striking new model will join the Cupra Born and recently unveiled Cupra Tavascan coupé SUV.
Like the Cupra Born, the firm’s inbound EV has also been named after a small province in Barcelona, in Spain, known as El Raval.
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Genesis Mint
No, the Korean EV concept won’t give you a fresh breath; but it could arrive as an electric hatchback sooner than you think. First shown at the New York Motor Show in 2019, the Mint highlighted the design of a potential small, urban-focused EV for the brand.
While you might assume that the Genesis concept’s name was inspired by toothpaste or a mojito cocktail, the Mint name is actually derived from the matte green colour scheme of the car.
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Lanciai Pu+Ra HPE
The striking new Lancia concept showcases the brand’s bold new styling direction as the Italian firm transitions into an all-electric car maker. Its new concept won’t actually make production – sad times – but is a manifesto for how its future cars will look.
And since you were about to ask, Pu+Ra stands for the ‘pure’ and ‘radical’ design language of the concept, which features nods to the Stratos and Delta models of yore. HPE stands for High-Performance Electric; a nod to a badge that previously appeared on variants of the Lancia Beta in the 1970s, albeit meaning High-Performance Estate back then.
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Ora Funky Cat
The Volkswagen ID 3 rival certainly raised eyebrows when it arrived in the UK late last year, with the Funky Cat designed to offer retro-charm and a premium feel.
Owned by parent firm Great Wall Motors, the Ora Funky Cat is actually known as the Good Cat in China, with the firm also offering other feline-themed models such as the Big Cat and Ballet Cat. Ora executives opted against the Good Cat name for the UK, instead preferring the Funky Cat moniker. However, in late 2023 the brand decided to change the name of the Funky Cat to the Ora 03 in order to improve the brand's European image.
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Next Ora Cat
Another Cat? The Ora brand is aiming to take a slice of the UK EV market and plans to launch an electric saloon to rival the Tesla Model 3 this year.
Known as the Lightning Cat in China, the Next Ora Cat is certainly one of the stranger names to make our list. It is likely that like the Ora Funky Cat, the brand has renamed its new model in a bid to appeal to the European market.
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Porsche Taycan
Porsche’s first performance electric car arrived in 2020 and was soon regarded as one of the best driving electric cars. While it might offer exhilarating performance and handling as well as its 911 big brother, the Taycan name is a bit of a strange one.
The German marque says the name of its electric saloon originates from Turkey, and is roughly translated to mean “soul of a spirited young horse”...apparently.
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Smart #1
The Kia Niro EV rival will arrive in the UK later this year and has been designed to appeal to a younger generation – and its name is set to play a big part in Smart’s future.
Now co-owned by Geely and Mercedes-Benz, Smart plans to reinvent itself as an all-electric car brand, with the #1 – pronounced hashtag one – being the first new EV. Smart hopes the hashtag naming strategy will help it to become a “trendsetter” within the car industry.
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Toyota bZ4X
The Toyota bZ4X arrived last year as the Japanese car firm’s highly important first bespoke electric car, and the first to use the brand’s electric e-TNGA architecture.
While the bZ4X name might look confusing, it does actually have a hidden meaning that does have some logic to it. bZ stands for Toyota's new Beyond Zero EV brand, while 4 denotes the size in the model range and X represents that it is a rugged SUV machine.
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Volkswagen ID Buzz
Buzz Lightyear to the rescue! No, no, enough with the Toy Story references. The much-loved Volkswagen MPV arrived last year and immediately gained praise from the top automotive magazine – sister brand What Car? named it their car of the year.
But its name is actually more simple than that: in Germany the Type 2 Volkswagen on which the electric MPV is based is often referred to as “bus”, hence the Buzz name. We’re assuming the ‘zz’ were added for a bit of EV flavour and to mimic the sound of an electric car.