Electric cars are slowly becoming the most popular new car segment out there. After the release of the Tesla Model S, the EV market has experienced a significant boost in research and development.
If you are living in an area in which you can utilize a proper charging network, an electric car as a first car is a good proposition. The best smaller compact EVs are the Peugeot e-208, Mini Electric, Honda E, BMW i3S, VW e-UP, and the Renault Zoe.
If you want a larger, but still fairly compact electric car, the best options are the Tesla Model 3 or the Model Y, VW ID.4, Kia Niro EV, or the Audi e-Tron SUV. This is probably the most popular electric car segment out there and is soon to arguably be the most competitive one of the bunch.
But if you want a full-on luxury electric cars experience, the Porsche Taycan, Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, and the Audi e-Tron GT are the ones to consider. This is the electric car segment making all the noise today, and pretty much all of these are the cutting edge of technology for each respective brand.
Best small electric cars as your first car
A small hatchback electric car is probably the best option for city runarounds because these types of cars are small, nimble, easy to maneuver and park, and they also don’t cost as much. Navigating a Taycan or a Model S through crowded city streets can sometimes feel a bit frustrating, but that’s where these pocket rockets excel.
The Peugeot e-208 offers a great-looking interior and exterior design, an affordable price tag, and a decent usable range which takes this Peugeot to the very top of the hatchback electric car list. The Mini Electric and the BMW i3 are fairly similar because they offer the same powertrain.
But that’s where the similarities end because the Mini is positioned as more of a regular car with an electric car powertrain, while the BMW i3 looks and feels like a true electric car. The i3 does cost more than the Mini and the majority of cars listed here, but it does not offer that much more in return.
The Honda E looks amazing inside and out, the VW Up looks weird, and the Renault Zoe is somewhere in between. All three of these are similar, but the Honda E is the one that looks the most promising.
Best compact electric cars as your first car
Compact EVs are just starting to catch up, but in a few years, we are likely going to witness this very electric car segment to offer the most options. Compact EVs are the perfect middle ground between the way to small EV city runarounds, and the way too big electric SUVs and sedans.
And the Tesla Model 3 seems like the best pick of the bunch. The Model 3 takes advantage of Tesla’s advanced charging network, plus it also looks good inside out. The Model Y is more or less the same car like the Model 3, and these two are likely the two best compact electric car options out there.
The VW ID.4 is also making quite a bit of noise lately because it seems like VW has finally built a full-on competitive electric car. And that is indeed true because the ID.4 offers lots of useful VAG family technology features which make the ID.4 seem like an upscale model compared to a regular VW Golf.
The Audi e-Tron SUV is also a fairly popular option. The e-Tron SUVs and the Mercedes EQC are the electric car versions of the Audi Q5 and the Mercedes GLC. Both of these are amazing inside and out, but as of right now, they can not match Tesla.
Best luxury electric cars
Luxury electric cars are booming right now, and it seems like every month there is a new competitor in town. These cars offer space-age technology combined with good old leather and piano black/wood inlays. They are the very best the EV market can offer, and choosing one of these as your first car puts you right on the top of the list.
Probably the best luxury electric car out there right now is the Porsche Taycan because the Taycan offers amazing design inside and out, a true Porsche driving experience, and a great predicted reliability score. Porsche says that the Taycan is 100% a true Porsche, and it seems like most Porsche enthusiasts tend to agree.
The Model S on the other hand can not match the Taycan, the Mercedes, or Audi for luxury, sportiness, comfort nor build quality. But Tesla offers a far more advanced charging network which makes the Model S a far easier car to live in within areas where there aren’t that many charging stations.
The Audi e-Tron GT is arguably the best-looking electric car on the planet, and the e-Tron RS GT model is also one of the fastest. The Mercedes EQS is aimed to be the S-Class of electric cars which makes the EQS the most luxurious EV on the market right now.
FAQ Section
Is an electric car a good first car option?
It depends on several different aspects. Primarily you should be able to take advantage of fast charging infrastructure if you want a truly seamless electric car ownership experience. And the truth is that most of the world still does not offer not nearly as many charging stations for this to be possible.
Buying, owning, servicing, and selling a regular internal combustion engine car is a lot easier and less stressful. You should probably opt for a regular ICE/hybrid car if you are only planning to own a single car.
Which electric car is the sportiest one?
The sportiest electric car out there is the Taycan. But if you look at the very highest end of the electric car market, brands like Rimac, Pininfarina, and Lotus are making cars that can hit 60mph from a standstill in less than 2 seconds.
But as of right now the Taycan is the sportiest one. The Tesla Model S Plaid is soon to be released and it will offer a better 0-60mph time, but the handling characteristics will probably still not be able to match the Taycan.
How much does it take to fully charge up an electric car?
A typical car battery is somewhere along 60 kWh, and it takes about 8 to charge it up through a regular 7kW wall outlet. If you use a regular car charger mostly found on highways rests stops, you are looking at around 40 minutes for an 80% charge.
If you are able to find a rapid charger, 80% state of charge is readily available after 20-30 minutes.