Revealed: the cheapest electric cars with 250 miles of range

If you travel long distances or don’t want to be stricken with range anxiety, you’ll need to fork out a bit more money to get an electric car that meets your needs.

Of course, various factors will affect an EV’s battery such as driving type, weather conditions, wheels and load. Whether it’s a used electric car or a new one, here are some that should do the trick. 

BYD Atto 3

Chinese firm BYD entered the EV market with a bang when it launched the 80kWh 261-mile (claimed) range Atto 3, rivalling the likes of the MG ZS and Kia Niro EV. 

It sits on a bespoke platform which supports front, rear and four-wheel drive; charging from a 100kW fast charger from 10 to 80% will take 44min. Its interior is inspired by gym equipment, giving it stacks of character. Prices start from around £37,000.

Volkswagen ID 3

As standard, Volkswagen’s ID 3 Pro is offered with a 58kWh battery which Volkswagen claims gives a 265-mile combined range. Spend some extra on the Pro S variant and you’ll get a 77kWh battery that’s good for 347 miles. Prices for a new ID 3 start from £35,700 while used 77kWh examples from 2022 with around 40,000 miles can be had from £25,000. 

Cupra Born

The Born sits on the ID 3 platform which means that both cars are very similar to drive although the Born has the ace up its sleeve as drivers can spec a hot e-Boost variant. This pushes the power from 201bhp to 228bhp, whilst those who want a hot ID.3 will need to wait for the GTX which is said to arrive this year.

Like the ID 3, the Born has a 58kWh battery that’s good for 265 miles. New prices start from £36,475 while used 2022 cars with around 14,500 miles can be had for £27,000.

Mercedes EQA

Aimed at buyers who are considering the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y, Mercedes claims that the EQA 300 will return around 268 miles from a single charge. There are a few options available such as the 188bhp EQA 250+ starting from around £50,000 which Mercedes says will give 323 miles, the 228bhp EQA 300 starting from £53,000, with the 292bhp EQA 350 (from £57,510) is said to return 262 miles.

A used EQA 250+ with around 10,000 miles will cost £40,500 while a near-new EQA 350 with 18,000 miles will cost £34,500. 

MG 4 Trophy

If you fancy an electrified MG 4, there are a couple of options available: the SE and the Trophy. The SE cars will still offer a decent range, but Trophy variants go the extra mile and offer more tech such as wireless phone chargers, 360-degree cameras and a bigger battery.

Spending an extra £5500 for the Trophy will see the range hop from 218 to 270 miles; if you’re not bothered about the extra tech, you can opt for the £29,495 281-mile SE Long Range. Prices for a new Trophy start from around £32,000 while near-new cars with 8000 miles will cost around £26,000.

MG ZS

If the MG4 is a bit too small, you can opt for the larger ZS EV SUV. It starts from around £30,000 for the 51.1 kWh SE model, which MG says will return 198 miles, but if you spend some extra cash on the SE Long Range, you get a 72.6kWh battery that is said to return 273 miles.

Charging the Long Range variant via a 100kW rapid charger from empty to 80% will take just 42min. Prices for a used ZS Long Range with 5500 miles start from around £25,000.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Select

With its aggressive styling, minimalist interior and 273-mile range, the Mach-E offers a lot in standard 75kWh guise. Performance comes from a 267bhp electric motor that drives the rear wheels, allowing it to hit 62mph from rest in under 7sec.

Those who want more range will need to spend an extra £10,000 or so for the 379-mile Premium variant. Prices for a new Mach-E Select start from £50,830, but a used 2021 car with sub-32,000 miles will cost around £30,500. 

Kia Soul EV

Kia has positioned the Soul EV to compete with the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric and Volkswagen ID 3. Buyers have a choice of either a 39.2kWh battery, giving a range of 170 miles, or a 64.8kWh battery, stated to achieve 280 miles.

The latter comes loaded with toys such as a heated steering wheel, a 10” touchscreen with sat nav, heated front seats and power increase from 134bhp to 201bhp. Prices for a new 64.8kWh start from £39,075, but if you want a used 2020 car, one can be had for £21,000 with around 37,000 miles.

Renault Megane E-Tech

The Megane E-Tech offers a 280-mile range in its base 60kWh form and 220bhp. As standard, you get features such as 130kW rapid charging functionality, rear park assist, traffic sign recognition and a heated steering wheel. Buy a new one and you’ll be £33,995 lighter, although you will find used 2023 examples with just 5000 miles for around £30,000.

Kia Niro EV

Buyers only have the option of a 64.8kWh battery with the Niro EV, but Kia says it’s good for 285 miles. The 201bhp electric motor means it can achieve 0-60mph in under 8sec and the battery will charge from 10 to 80% in 45min via a rapid charger — the maximum charging speed is 72kW. Prices start from £37,295 while near-new 8000-mile examples start from around £30,500. 

Jaguar I-Pace

Depending on how deep your pockets are, you could buy a new Jaguar I-Pace, but that’ll leave you £69,995 lighter and our list is about the cheapest EVs. If you can bear not having a brand new I-Pace and aren’t bothered about an extra eight miles of range, then you can pick up a used 2019 car with around 70,000 miles on the clock for just £23,000.

You’ll get a 287-mile range, 0-60mph in under 5sec and it’ll charge from empty to 80% off a 100kW charger in around 50min.

Hyundai Ioniq 5

The Ioniq 5’s sharp front lights, spaceship-like rear and interior tech make it one of the coolest EVs on our list. Buyers can choose from three editions: Premium, Ultimate and Namsan Edition, and either two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.

Four-wheel drive 77kWh cars are claimed to give a range of 298 miles while the two-wheel drive equivalent will give 315 miles. The four-wheel drive also gets a power boost from 228bhp to 325bhp. Prices for the 77kWh battery start from £38,470, nearly new examples with 2000 miles can be had for around £470 less.

Hyundai Kona EV

Hyundai claims that the 64kWh £37,695 Kona EV is good for 300 miles —rapid charging at a 100kW unit will charge the battery from 10 to 80% in 47min. Buyers get adjustable regenerative braking, plenty of safety tech such as blind spot monitoring, remote climate settings and heated and cooled seats. Used high-mile 2020 examples start from £14,000. 

Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 balances both luxury and ability thanks to the array of standard equipment and additional packages on offer. The base 69kWh model starts from £44,950 and Polestar claims that it’ll return around 300 miles on a charge, and although it only has a single motor, it still produces 268bhp and 361 lb ft which means 0-60mph is dispatched in 6.2sec and top speed is 127mph. Used 69kWh 2022 cars with around 6000 miles go for £36,000. 

Tesla Model S 85

Tesla seems to be focusing more on the Model 3 nowadays, and while the Model S is listed on the website, it’s only the Plaid guise that we know the price tag of — £125,000. The S model isn’t new and used examples can fall into the relatively cheap category, with the 85 variant returning around 300 miles on a single charge.

If you charge it from one of Tesla’s 120kW ultra chargers, it’ll take around 43min to reach 80% from empty. Sub-100,000-mile 2014 cars start from £24,500.

Tesla Model 3

If you’re sold on a new Tesla, then the standard Model 3 will return 305 miles, and is shorter than the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series. You still get a 15in touchscreen as standard, but if you want the Enhanced Autopilot feature which gives autopilot navigation, auto lane change, summon and smart summon features, you’ll need to pay £3400 extra. Prices start from £42,990 while used sub-12,000-mile 2022 cars can be had for around £30,000.

Toyota bZ4X

The bZ4X’s name may sound experimental and its plastic panels may make it look unfinished, but putting looks to one side, this Toyota claims to return 318 miles of range.

Buyers have the choice of three trim levels: Pure, Motion and Vision, all of which are front-wheel drive and all come with a 204bhp electric motor. Prices start from £46,110 for a new car, but if you don’t mind a used 2022 car with sub-6000 miles, one can be yours for just £38,000. 

Genesis GV60

The GV60 has previously received several awards and accolades thanks to its 321-mile range, fast charging system up to 239kW (10 to 80% in just 18min) and 483bhp on tap. 

0-62mph arrives in just 4sec via the 10sec boost function and drivers can also engage a ‘drift mode’ which switches the car to rear-wheel drive. Its design is utterly unique from its LED front lights to the fastback bodystyle. Prices start from just over £50,000 although a used 2022 car with less than 12,000 miles can be had for around £40,000.

Audi Q4 40 e-Tron

There’s a slight trade-off in performance with the 40 e-Tron: Audi says it’s good for 321 miles on a single charge but its 200bhp motor means that it takes nearly 9sec to reach 62mph from rest. Those who want more oomph will need to spend £6380 more for the 50 variant, upping the power to 295bhp, although the range drops to around 300 miles. Prices start from £49,915 for the 40 guise, but for £44,000, you can have a near-new 7400-mile 2022 car. 

Skoda Enyaq iV 80

Those who are interested in the Enyaq have a choice of either an estate or a Sportback variant; there is nearly a £6000 difference for the latter. Going with the iV 80 estate, prices start from around £43,000 for a 77kWh battery that Skoda claims is good for 339 miles. 

You also get the basic ‘Loft’ interior with fabric seats while things like LED Matrix headlights, keyless entry, wireless phone charging, heated seats and drive mode select will cost just shy of £5000 extra as part of the ‘Plus’ package. Prices for used 2021 cars with sub-19,000 miles currently sit around £32,000.