• Data suggests that the average used EV costs just ~$1,000 more than a used ICE car.
• Analysts warn that there are some hidden costs of running an EV that need to be considered.
• Components, accident repairs, and insurance cost more on average for EVs than for ICE vehicles.

In the past, used EVs may have been considered a bit of a gamble, especially if they were packing a few years under their belt. But things are changing. A report from Cox Automotive says that used EV sales in March were up 27.7% compared with the previous year.

Even more telling was that the March figures were a whopping 53.9% higher than February’s. There are several reasons driving the change, but according to CNBC, experts warn that while cheap EVs may look attractive, there are a few hidden considerations buyers should still be wary of.

An Influx Of Used EVs

One reason is the simple fact that as more people buy new EVs, more used EVs end up at dealer lots as their leases end. According to Joseph Yoon, a Consumer Insights Analyst at Edmunds, “Where we had the highest concentration of leasing happen was between the tail end of 2022 and all the way through 2023, and since most leases are three years long, all those cars… are coming back to dealer lots in droves.”

Read: America’s Used EV Market Is Heating Up For One Simple Reason

This means that much of the depreciation has already occurred, translating into some attractive deals for those looking at the used market. In fact, 44% of those EVs sold in March of this year were priced below the $25,000 mark.

More Choices & Price Parity

Whereas previously electric vehicles were offered by only a handful of manufacturers, nowadays there’s a veritable smorgasbord of options coming into the used market. And with more options comes lower prices as well. The average price of a used EV in March was $34,653, according to Cox Automotive. Contrast that with the average price of a used gas car being $33,641, and price parity isn’t far off.

With used EVs no longer bearing price premiums over their gas-powered equivalents, they are now more accessible to buyers who have long aspired to jump on the EV bandwagon but were unable to in the past. But it’s not just lower purchase prices that are seen as appealing. Promises of cheap running costs are just as enticing.

Costs To Consider

Charging an EV, especially if you use a home charger, can be pretty cheap, according to a Kelley Blue Book report. Taking into account a 1,015-mile monthly average, home-charging an EV worked out to an average of $59.66. But not everyone has the ability to install one of those. If you’re forced to use public fast charging exclusively, then things are a little different. That cost rises to $169, which is higher (albeit not by much) than the $147.24 gas bill that an average gas-powered vehicle with a 30mpg fuel efficiency figure would cost you.

See Also: The Average New Car Costs $50K, So Americans Are Emptying Used Car Lots

Another of the biggest benefits that EV makers regularly promote is their relative lack of maintenance. It’s true that you don’t need to spend money on engine oil changes and filters because an EV doesn’t have a gasoline engine. Also, since EVs use regenerative braking to recover energy under deceleration, their brake pads also benefit from longer lifespans. However, there is one consumable component that EVs go through faster than gas cars, and that’s tires. According to Consumer Reports, this is primarily due to the higher curb weight of EVs contributing to accelerated tread wear.

Components’ Costs

EVs also have some pretty expensive components that can run you a pretty sum if they go wrong outside of warranty. Chief among these is the traction battery, where replacement costs can range from $5,000 to $15,000. That’s why the advice from experts is to seek out a used EV that still has warranty coverage remaining. Generally, EV batteries come with an eight- or ten-year warranty, and in most cases these are transferable to a subsequent owner.

Collision repairs are another area where EVs tend to cost more. In 2025, fully battery-powered cars cost an average of $6,395 to repair after a collision, compared with $5,105 for gas-powered vehicles, according to Mitchell International, which specializes in claims and collision technology.

Insurance is similarly pricier. The average annual cost of insuring an EV runs to $4,058, versus $2,732 for a comparable gas car, according to a 2025 report from insurance website Insurify. That said, the actual figure varies considerably by model, insurer, and location, and a used EV will generally cost less to insure than a new one.

With conflict in Iran causing oil prices to surge, many motorists have been tempted to make the switch to electric vehicles and offload their petrol or diesel cars.

One of the biggest questions surrounding electric cars is whether people actually save or lose money by abandoning petrol-powered cars. Many remain concerned about charging costs and the initial purchase price of the vehicles.

However, climate scientist Bill McGuire, who has owned various versions of the Nissan Leaf over the years, has championed the benefits of electric cars with some remarkable savings figures.

Writing in the i newspaper, he detailed how, as well as experiencing virtually no technical problems with his cherished Leaf, the financial savings had been extraordinary.

Like many electric car owners, Bill has had a home charger fitted at his property and also benefits from solar panels. Overall, when it comes to cost per mile, he noted that while a petrol car will set you back around 12p to 18p, an electric vehicle can sometimes cost as little as 2p, reports the Express.

He explained: "We almost always charge the car at home, paying 12p per unit (kWh) on a night-time tariff, or for nothing when it is sunny and our solar panels are producing full blast.

"But you can pay as little as 7p, depending on your supplier and tariff. Off-peak home charging can mean that you are paying as little as 2p a mile for getting around." All told, Bill estimates he has made substantial savings over his decade behind the wheel of electric vehicles.

Bill said: "This translates, on the basis of our mileage over the 12 years we have been driving EVs, to a saving of at least £10,000."

But that's not the only potential advantage of going electric, with Bill pointing out that one day many electric cars could enable drivers to sell surplus electricity back to the grid through Vehicle To Grid (V2G) technology.

It follows comments from respected motoring journalist Ginny Buckley, who described switching to EVs as the "biggest saving".

Writing in the Express, she explained: "If you can charge at home and access an off-peak tariff, an EV can cost just a few pence per mile to run, compared with roughly 12 to 18 pence per mile for a petrol car - around a third of the cost, and sometimes even less.

"EVs have another useful trick, they use 'regenerative braking', so when you lift off the accelerator the car slows down putting energy back into the battery - effectively giving you a few "free miles" instead of wasting that energy as heat in the brakes."

• Jaguar will reveal the name of its new electric vehile on May 12.  
• It will be a four-door production version of the Type 00 concept.  
• Jaguar will reveal the production car in September.  

Jaguar’s future hinges on its new electric vehicle. The British automaker is shifting its focus from the German and Japanese luxury brands to battle Bentley, Porsche, and Aston Martin instead. Doing so means a production version of the Type 00. While the car doesn't have a proper name yet, that will change very soon.

According to Autocar India, Jaguar will announce the EV’s name on May 12 ahead of the production car’s debut in September. Deliveries are scheduled to begin early next year, giving the British brand a new model to sell after ending production of its combustion-powered lineup at the end of 2025.

The car that Jaguar will build should be slightly different from the original concept, which was a two-door coupe. The production car will be a four-door grand tourer that appears to be quite faithful to the concept’s proportions and overall design.

The electric Jaguar will ride on the automaker’s new platform called Jaguar Electric Architecture. The EV will feature three electric motors producing nearly 1,000 horsepower, an air suspension, and over 400 miles of range on the WLTP cycle.  

We expect Jaguar to offer several variants of the EV, including less powerful options. Jaguar has not mentioned the price, but don’t expect it to be as cheap as previous models.  

Motor1’s Take: The concept’s polarizing design has created quite the online controversy before we have even seen the vehicle. The name is important if the automaker wants to avoid any intense scrutiny for another potential internet obsession.

With that in mind, a group of journalists from Autocar have ranked the best electric cars for families, with two of the top three turning out to be from the same brand.

Coming in top of their list was the BMW iX that was praised by the reviewers for having “near-faultless” handling and ride. They also liked the fact it was well priced and had a long range.

What the reviewers didn’t like was the fact that it didn’t have good enough efficiency, “divisive” styling and a frustrating user interface.

The car's starting price is an eye-watering £75,000 but, nonetheless, the team wrote: “Offering excellent all-around ability, the iX combines generous SUV-level cabin comfort and versatility with a genuinely relaxing and understated luxury ambience.”

Coming in second behind the iX was the Volkswagen ID 7 electric saloon. Starting from around £52,000 the ID 7 was praised for its incredible ride comfort, one of “the most practical in its class” and being easy to drive.

Where it was considered lacking was in its infotainment interface and not being that engaging to drive. Of the ID 7, Autocar’s reviewers concluded: “The Volkswagen ID 7 is the German giant's first electric saloon and estate.

“Think Volkswagen Arteon, but built for the electric age….Further appeal comes in the form of its class-leading ride comfort and competitive driving range. Rear space is limousine-esque.”

Completing the podium was the BMW iX3. Starting from around £65,000, the 2026 Top Gear Car of the Year was lauded for being a step up in technological terms, being good to drive, and having pleasing aesthetics.

Meanwhile, its actual ride was listed as a negative, as was the cabin layout for being “complex, and potentially distracting”. Nevertheless, other plus points included plenty of storage spots inside and a large boot.

The third of those cars, the iX3, hasn’t just been reviewed by Top Gear and Autocar, but by the Mirror too, with Reach Plc reviewer Christopher Sharp also attending the car’s UK launch earlier this year.

Of the car Christopher also praised the handling, he said: “The laws of physics should dictate that a 2.3-tonne electric SUV shouldn’t handle well, but the BMW does. A bit like rivals Audi, it manages to communicate effectively and with nuance through the seat, steering and pedals.

“You can genuinely thread your way along a road with confidence that you know what each corner is doing, and that’s before you get to the regenerative braking…. If the rest of BMW’s Neue Klasse cars are in anyway like it then there is hope for motoring joy in an increasingly electrified world.”

• Bentley's first EV has been spotted racking up the miles at the Nürburgring.
• Although it slots below the Bentayga, it's still on the large side.
• A combustion-engine version isn't happening.

We’re about to cross another name off the list of automakers without an electric car in their portfolios. Bentley’s inaugural EV will premiere later this year, and in the meantime, prototype testing is in full swing at the Nürburgring. It’s by far our best look yet at the upcoming SUV, positioned below the Bentayga in terms of size. However, it’ll still be nearly five meters (196.8 inches) long, so the “Urban SUV” nickname feels a bit forced.

Although it’s fully cloaked in camouflage, the prototype’s shape reveals a more compact footprint than the Bentayga. How much of last year’s EXP 15 Design Vision Concept is hiding beneath the disguise is hard to tell at this stage, but the electric SUV appears more modern than Crewe’s conventionally powered luxobarge. Then again, that’s hardly surprising, considering the Bentayga is getting long in the tooth, having been around since 2015.

While some high-end brands are getting cold feet about launching electric vehicles, Bentley isn’t backing away from dipping its toes into the EV pool. The new SUV is due by the end of the year, and it won’t be reengineered to accommodate combustion engines. That’s not even technically possible, since the PPE architecture was developed strictly for zero-emission applications.

An educated guess suggests there will be some commonalities with the similarly sized Porsche Cayenne Electric, albeit with comfort and luxury dialed up a notch. We’ve previously learned it’ll be among the fastest-charging EVs, which makes sense, considering its Zuffenhausen cousin maxes out at 400 kW.

As a refresher, the Cayenne needs less than 16 minutes to go from 10 to 80 percent in ideal charging conditions. Just 10 minutes of charging enables 202 miles (325 kilometers) of range in the WLTP cycle. As with the Porsche, it would make sense for Bentley to offer the electric SUV with a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup as standard. Power? A four-digit figure is highly plausible, given that a Cayenne Turbo has 1,140 hp on tap.

Who’s the electric Bentley for? Chairman and CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser has already expressed the company’s intent to attract new customers while continuing to cater to its traditional clientele with gasoline and plug-in hybrid models. Vehicles with combustion engines will continue well into the next decade, with a second-generation Bentayga set to arrive in the coming years with a plug-in hybrid setup.

Motor1's Take: Bentley has reason to be confident that its first EV will do well, at least in the United States. Internal studies conducted in Miami and Los Angeles showed that eight out of ten people would buy the so-called Urban SUV.

But the vehicle’s main selling point won’t be its electric drivetrain, but rather that it is the “next Bentley,” according to Mike Rocco, CEO of Bentley North America.

The electric M3, expected to arrive in 2026, will deliver power figures that dwarf its combustion sibling. Where the current M3 Competition produces 503 horsepower, the electric version targets close to 1000 horsepower through a quad motor setup that puts individual electric motors at each wheel. This configuration promises not just straight line brutality but sophisticated torque vectoring that could redefine how a sports sedan handles.

BMW M division boss Frank van Meel confirmed the pricing strategy during recent media briefings, stating the electric M3 would be priced "in the same ballpark" as the current petrol model. This positions the car at roughly $75,000 to $85,000 in the US market, depending on specification levels. The decision contradicts industry trends where electric performance cars typically command significant premiums over their gasoline counterparts.

The power delivery method separates this M3 from anything BMW has built before. Each wheel receives its own electric motor, creating what amounts to four individual power sources that can be managed independently. This setup allows for precise torque distribution that changes thousands of times per second, potentially making the car faster through corners than any combustion engine could manage through mechanical differentials alone.

Like this? Get the app: iOS | Android

Range remains the critical question for any electric performance car. BMW targets approximately 300 miles of range in normal driving conditions, though that figure will drop significantly under track use or aggressive acceleration runs. The company plans to use its latest generation battery technology, likely sourced from CATL or Samsung SDI, with charging speeds targeting 200kW DC fast charging capability.

The pricing strategy reflects broader industry pressure to make electric vehicles mainstream rather than niche luxury products. Tesla proved this approach with the Model S Plaid, which delivers over 1000 horsepower for around $90,000. BMW appears to be following this playbook, betting that volume sales of high performance electric cars matter more than maintaining artificial price premiums.

Production will take place at BMW's Munich plant, where the company is investing heavily in electric vehicle manufacturing capabilities. The facility already produces the i4 and will be retooled to handle the more complex assembly requirements of the quad motor M3 system. BMW expects initial production volumes of around 15,000 units annually, split between global markets.

The competitive landscape includes the Mercedes AMG EQE 63 S and the upcoming Audi RS e-tron GT variants, but neither matches the BMW's projected power output. Porsche's Taycan Turbo S produces 750 horsepower in overboost mode but costs significantly more than BMW's target price point. The electric M3 could represent the first time buyers can access near supercar performance in a practical four door package without paying supercar prices.

Whether BMW can deliver on these promises while maintaining build quality and reliability remains the ultimate test. The company has struggled with some electric vehicle launches, particularly software integration and charging system reliability. Getting the electric M3 right matters beyond just one model success. It represents BMW's credibility in the electric performance space and their ability to compete with Tesla's performance offerings while maintaining the driving dynamics that made M cars legendary.

Sources: Information compiled from automotive industry reports and BMW official communications. Specific pricing and performance figures subject to final production specifications.

• BMW plans EV and ICE M3 pricing parity despite massive performance gap.
• Electric version could hit 800-1,000 hp, gas model will make less than 600.
• Manual gearbox and RWD options may disappear from combustion M3.

BMW is about to do something unusual with its most famous sports sedan. When the next-generation M3 arrives, buyers will get two very different machines wearing essentially the same badge and, crucially, roughly the same price.

According to a new report, BMW intends to sell the electric and combustion M3 side by side in the same price bracket. That might sound straightforward, but it gets interesting once you look at what each version actually delivers.

Related: BMW’s Electric M3 Tries To Simulate Everything It Just Replaced

The electric M3 could deliver close to 1,000 hp (1,014 PS) from its quad-motor setup, though base models are likely to deliver 700-800 hp (710-811 PS) at launch. Meanwhile, the combustion model will stick with an evolved twin-turbo straight-six boosted by mild hybrid tech to somewhere around 552 hp (560 PS).

Visually, the two cars won’t stray far from each other either. BMW wants them to feel like siblings, not alternatives from different worlds. Expect shared design cues inspired by the Neue Klasse look, even though they’re based on entirely different platforms, the combustion car sticking with an updated version of today’s M3’s CLAR platform.

Panoramic iDrive

Inside, both should follow the same minimalist, screen-heavy direction. That means fewer physical buttons and a more digital-first cabin, incorporating BMW’s Panoramic iDrive tech, which may divide opinion just as much as the powertrain choices.

Combustion M3

Sylvia Neubauer, BMW M’s sales boss, is adamant that both cars will deliver what buyers expect. “It’s not only about acceleration and power, it’s about drivability, manoeuvrability and that level of trust and connection between the driver, car and road,” she told Autocar.

She also made it clear BMW knows not everyone will jump ship to electric overnight. “Obviously we will not convince 100 percent out of the petrolhead target group to buy an all electric BMW M3,” she admitted. “But out of 100 people that try it, we will be able to convince some.”

That explains why the combustion version isn’t going anywhere just yet, though some elements of it might be. Reports suggest the manual gearbox option, currently only available on the non-Competition version of the M3, might be retired. If that happens, even the petrol M3 edges further away from its analog roots.

• The electric BMW M3 will likely feature a 1,000-horsepower quad-motor powertrain.
• According to Sylvia Newbauer, VP of Sales for BMW M Division, the EV M3 will 'stay true to BMW M DNA'.
• Price-wise, both the EV and combustion M3 will land in the same ballpark. 

BMW M3 shoppers will soon have a choice: do you keep your combustion powertrain or embrace electrons? The next-generation M3 will arrive as both a full battery-electric super sedan and a gas-powered motoring icon. But don't worry, BMW swears it will keep its soul.

According to a new report from Autocar, both versions will remain true to the M brand DNA. Per Sylbia Neubauer, Vice President of Sales for BMW's M division, the electric M3 is an 'M3 no matter the drivetrain.'

The 2027 BMW M3 EV will arrive wearing the Neue Klasse styling. More importantly, however, the electric M3 will likely boast a quad-motor setup, which should deliver nearly 1,000 horsepower. This will be an incredibly important machine for BMW, as this will be the M division's first production EV.

Still, BMW knows its most hardcore M fans will revolt if there's no combustion-powered version on offer. While this upcoming M3 should boast straight-six power, there's a strong chance that electrification will play some part.

More and more high-performance vehicles benefit from some manner of hybrid setup. The result is gobs of power, no torque gaps, and shockingly strong fuel economy. While there's also a weight penalty, the gargantuan power on tap more than offsets the extra heft.

Motor1's Take: BMW is wise to offer two powertrain choices for the next M3. The car should be quite a looker, shod in its Neue Klasse getup. And while we will likely prefer the gas-powered version, there will be no denying the potential performance capability of a quad-motor-powered electric M3.

The good news is that BMW says both versions will arrive in the same price ballpark. We'll be curious to see if that means the same section... or just the same stadium.

There are approximately 40 million licensed passenger vehicles on UK roads. The Department for Transport's own vehicle licensing statistics confirm that at the end of 2025, zero emission cars accounted for 4.8 percent of all licensed vehicles. That figure improved by 1.1 percentage points in 2025. At that rate of growth, the UK would need more than two decades to reach majority electric ownership — before accounting for the fact that the existing internal combustion fleet replaces itself on roughly a 14-year cycle.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the two million figure "a key moment in the UK's transition to electric." She is not wrong. It is a moment. It is not an arrival.

What the numbers actually show

The growth is real. EV registrations are up 15 percent on last year, with March 2026 seeing the highest demand ever recorded. The Electric Car Grant, launched in July 2025, helped over 100,000 drivers save up to £3,750 off a new EV, and demand surged 10 percent in the six months after it launched. Electric cars are now cheaper to buy, on average, than petrol models for the first time, according to figures from Autotrader.

The top five EVs sold under the grant were the Ford Puma Gen-E, Vauxhall Frontera Electric, Renault 5, Skoda Elroq and Volkswagen ID.3 — not a Tesla among them. These are mainstream cars at mainstream prices, which matters because it means the growth is no longer driven exclusively by early adopters with high incomes and parking on their own property. It is beginning to reach the mainstream.

The charging infrastructure has grown with it. There are now 119,000 public chargers across the UK, which the government notes is roughly twice the number of petrol pumps. That comparison sounds impressive but slightly obscures the difference in refuelling time: filling a petrol car takes three minutes, and a significant proportion of EV charging still takes considerably longer on a standard unit.

The Iran war and the resulting fuel price spike has also played a role. Colin Walker, head of transport at the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, noted that with pump prices rising as the conflict between the US and Iran destabilises oil supplies, interest in EVs is surging among British drivers. "These two million drivers are now protected from these sudden jumps in oil price," he said. That framing is accurate — and it is also doing most of the work for the government's announcement, because without the fuel price pressure, the milestone would look identical but feel less urgent.

Like this? Get the app: iOS | Android

The people the milestone does not include

Vicky Edmonds, CEO of EVA England, said something important that got less prominence in today's coverage than the headline figure: "Two million EVs is a huge milestone and shows what's possible when the right incentives are in place. But this can't just be about targets and big headline numbers. Getting the transition right means reaching the people who've so far been left out. Particularly those without easy access to home charging who face higher costs, and many middle and lower income households."

That is the structural problem the 15 percent growth rate cannot solve on its own. Electric vehicles still work most efficiently and affordably for people who can charge at home overnight. The average cost of using a public rapid charger in the UK is now higher per mile than petrol in many cases, because public charging carries VAT at 20 percent while domestic electricity for home charging attracts just 5 percent. Nobody in government has fixed that anomaly, despite repeated calls to do so from the industry.

The two million registered EVs are disproportionately concentrated in London, the South East and other areas with higher average incomes and higher rates of housing they own with parking on their own property. Scotland has made more progress in rural and island communities than might be expected. But in large parts of northern England, Wales and rural areas generally, the EV transition is still something people watch other people doing.

The ZEV mandate and where this is actually going

The government's Zero Emission Vehicle mandate requires manufacturers to ensure that 28 percent of new car sales in 2026 are fully electric, rising to 80 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2035. Several manufacturers have been paying penalties rather than meeting the targets, because the demand from consumers has not kept pace with the mandated supply. That gap between policy ambition and market reality is the defining tension of the entire programme.

The 2026 mandate figure is 28 percent of new sales. EVs are currently running at around 20 percent of new car sales in the UK. The mandate is pulling the market in one direction; consumer reluctance, charging infrastructure gaps and income inequality are pushing back in the other.

Tanya Sinclair, CEO of Electric Vehicles UK, put the two million number in its proper frame: "Two million electric vehicles in the UK shows that if the market offers choice, value and availability, drivers will snap it up... It is now more important than ever for government to build on these foundations with cohesive policy. If it does, the market and the next two million EVs will follow."

The next two million. That is a more interesting sentence than the first two million. Getting from two million to four million will require reaching the drivers the first phase did not reach. That means public charging costs that are competitive with home charging. It means EVs that work for people who rent, who live in flats, who do not have a driveway.

Two million is a milestone worth marking. It is also, on the road to 40 million, the point at which the easy part ends.

Sources:

• Department for Transport — 2 million EVs registered across the UK
• Renewable Energy Magazine — UK Government announces 2 million EVs registered
• EV Fleet World — Over two million EVs now on UK roads
• GB News — UK hits electric car milestone as EV numbers pass two million
• Tech Digest — UK hits 2 million electric vehicles milestone
• Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit — 2 million EVs registered across UK
• Autotrader — New electric cars now cheaper than petrol on average

The Volkswagen ID. Polo has finally arrived. It’s a rather big moment for VW, as the brand hopes that a new generation of electric cars it’s launching will help patch up the, er… patchy reputation it has over its EVs.

As well as the ID.3 Neo that launched earlier in 2026, the new ID. Polo is a production car result from the ‘True Volkswagen’ scheme led by CEO Thomas Schäfer that’s designed to get the brand back making cars people want and, more importantly, actually like.

Put simply, the new ID. Polo is an electric supermini that’s designed to fight cars like the Renault 5, Nissan Micra, Hyundai Inster, Kia EV2 and Cupra Raval among others launching soon.

So… not ID.2, then?

Nope. That’s another part of the ‘True Volkswagen’ program; to bring back names and make VWs feel more welcoming. Schäfer confirmed this to CAR in 2025, saying that ‘names we’re familiar with’ would return. It’s pretty much a given that the ID.4 will be renamed ID. Tiguan, for example, while the ID.7 could be renamed ID. Passat.

Anyway, back to the electric Polo. It measures 4053mm long, 1816mm wide and 1530mm tall, giving it a footprint and silhouette that’s very close to the combustion Polo that’ll remain on sale beside it.

The design has been led by Andreas Mindt and the VW design team. Schäfer tells the story of how he met Mindt, saying how his ‘life changed’ after the first conversation they had. ‘He was at Bentley at the time, and he described and sketched to me the way he saw Volkswagen and what he interpreted what our design should be: clear, timeless, confident,’ says Schäfer. ‘Andy then went to work over that Christmas and designed the ID.2 All show car that we presented in Hamburg in March 2023.’ That concept has spawned the ID. Polo you see here.

Not much has changed from that concept car. It’s a cleanly designed thing, with VW’s head of development Kai Grünitz saying that ‘a Volkswagen always needs a face, friendly eyes and likeable smile.’

The front end has an optionally backlit panel across the bumper on higher-spec trims, but little else changes depending on what version you choose. VW says there’ll be three trims: Trend, Life and Style (but we’ll have to hang on a bit for specific UK trim levels). The car still has a chunky C-pillar that’s common for Volkswagen hatchbacks and includes details like rear lights that ‘look like whiskey glasses,’ says Grünitz.

And there are buttons inside now?

Yes! We’ve seen inside the ID. Polo for some time now, with VW so keen to show it off that the finalised design was announced months before the ID. Polo’s official reveal. That doesn’t dent the positive progress VW has made here, having listened to the public (and us grumpy media types) grumble for years about poor UI and rubbish interior quality on the brand’s EVs. This is particularly where VW hopes it can repair its reputation.

The interior layout, then, is straightforward and comes with a bunch of new physical controls. The steering wheel, for example, is a brand new design that has entirely physical buttons on it, and there is a bank of switches below the large infotainment screen that control the climate. VW has also added a physical volume dial for audio controls, and replaced the frustrating two-button window switch setup for a more conventional four-switch one on the driver’s side.

Some focus has been paid to the materials used, with new upholstery designs and colours launching. Soft but durable textiles are used in place of plastics in many areas like on the doors, with much a general lean away from using leather (genuine or manmade). From our experiences, it all feels like a genuine improvement over VW’s EV line-up, as well as the combustion powered Polo.

The infotainment itself has been improved, too. The user interface has been tidied up, and the central screen feels responsive from our early poke around. VW has introduced a ‘retro’ skin for the dials and central screen, too, so you can have a set of classic-looking instruments inspired by older Polo models.

VW also claims some big car tech can be had. As well as various driver assistance systems like the brand’s Travel Assist tech and matrix LED headlights being available, every ID. Polo has vehicle-to-load as standard.

Give me some ID. Polo specs and tech details

Under the bodywork is the new MEB+ architecture that VW Group is rolling out across its new range of small cars. The platform first launched on the Cupra Raval, the Spanish brand’s version of the ID. Polo, with Skoda also unveiling its small Epiq crossover soon.

The MEB+ platform used here is strictly front-wheel drive only, enabling some packaging benefits in terms of interior and boot space. Rear legroom is good for tall adults behind tall drivers from our experience, and VW claims a 441-litre boot capacity – bigger than a Golf. That area is split by a false floor, with Grünitz claiming you can drop a pram or a few crates of drinks in the lower part.

Two battery sizes and three power outputs make up your powertrain choices. A base 37kWh LFP battery pack, which can be charged at up to 90kW via DC charging, can be linked to either a 114 or 133bhp electric motor. VW claims a maximum 204-mile range for this battery.

A top-spec 52kWh NMC battery is mated to a 208bhp is your punchiest choice before the ID. Polo GTI arrives later in 2026. VW says this one can reach a maximum of 283 miles of range, and charges at a quicker 105kW speed via DC charging.

We’ve already had a go in a prototype of the ID. Polo and came away rather impressed.

How much is a new ID. Polo and when can I buy one?

VW says the first orders for the ID. Polo will open towards the end of April, with deliveries likely starting in the summer. Specific UK pricing and specs are to be announced, but we’re confident that the ID. Polo will be priced from under £25k when it arrives here – and that’s before any UK Government electric car grant is potentially applied.

This is certainly the case in the UK. Electric vehicle deliveries so far in 2026 are up 14.5 per cent year on year, with 137,614 entering the road between January and March. 

But despite this progress, sales are well short of the Government's targets.

Under the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate introduced in 2024, mainstream manufacturers are by law bound to increase their share of EV sales to a third of all new car deliveries this year.

Based on registrations so far this calendar, EVs represent just 22.4 per cent of the new car market in 2026 as Britons continue to cling on to the combustion engine.

And it's a similar case across the pond. Donald Trump's decision last year to end federal tax credits of up to $7,500 for EVs and revoke Biden's order for half of new cars to be electric by 2030 has dramatically dampened demand. 

Some manufacturers have scrambled to respond to this less-than-expected appetite, either by culling poor performing EVs from showrooms or delaying plans to launch new battery cars over concerns that the market isn't quite ready for them.

Here are just some of the brands that have hit pause on electric cars in recent months... 

AFFELA

Sony Honda Mobility CEO Yasuhide Mizuno pictured in January 2025 with the Afeela 1 EV, which was due to hit the market this year. But the Afeela project has now been dumped

Afeela is a car brand you probably haven't heard of. And that's understandable, given it didn't even get off the ground.

Afeela was due to be a new name on the EV market as part of a joint venture between Sony and Honda signed back in 2022.

As recently as January, the Japanese companies unveiled the Afeela Prototype EV, which was scheduled to become the second model in the range. But within weeks, the project was canned as the firms announced they are reviewing the future of their joint venture.

Deliveries of the debut Afeela 1 saloon had been due to arrive in California later this year, with orders already taken for the $89,900 EV.

In a statement issued at the end of March, Honda said reassessment of its own strategy 'factoring the changes to the EV market' had resulted in the 'discontinued development' of the Sony Honda Mobility project.

APPLE

Another EV project that failed to turn a wheel was the Apple car, which was officially scrapped two years ago.

The tech giant's much-anticipated shift into the automotive sector had been in the pipeline for more than a decade. However, a leaked email sent to employees in February 2024 reportedly confirmed that the 'Special Projects Group' developing the vehicle were to be moved to its artificial intelligence AI division.

The self-driving EV - codenamed Project Titan - had been earmarked for a 2028 release but was culled, according to reports, due to 'insurmountable development hurdles' and 'low profitability projections' linked to a broader industry trend of falling investment in electric cars triggered by slower-than-expected sales and shrinking margins.

Read More

Electric cars that went flat: Three EVs axed from showrooms early

ASTON MARTIN 

British luxury car firm Aston Martin last February said its first EV, previously set to be launched in 2026, would not see the light of day until ‘the latter part of this decade’. 

This is the second time the inaugural Aston Martin EV has been delayed, having already pushed its debut back from 2025 to 2026. 

The decision came just months after executive chairman Lawrence Stroll said that demand for fully-electric versions of the marque had been lower than expected, with many of its well-heeled customers still wanting to hear the throaty roar of a powerful internal combustion engine rather than the hum of e-motors. 

AUDI

Audi shuttered its electric car factory in response to a slowdown in EV sales in February 2025. The brand's largest EV - Q8 e-tron - was removed from sale ahead of the closure

Audi ditched its biggest - and one of its most expensive - EVs last year when it pulled the Q8 e-tron from showrooms.

This was tied to the 'painful decision' to shutter its electric car factory in Brussels on 28 February 2025 as part of cost-cutting measures by parent company Volkswagen triggered by the electric car sales slowdown. Some 3,000 jobs were put at risk due to the closure, according to reports.

Audi UK stopped accepting orders for both the relatively niche Q8 e-tron and Q8 Sportback e-tron in December 2024, with no successor lined up. This was considered a major step given the Audi e-tron (rebranded the Q8 e-tron in a 2022 facelift) was the German firm's first mainstream EV.

Instead, Audi will concentrate efforts on smaller EV models that are selling in higher volumes, including the Q4 e-tron. 

BENTLEY 

The reveal of Bentley's first EV - a 'large urban EV' - has been pushed back to later this year as the Crewe-based car maker postponed its all-electric shift to 2035

Bentley delayed the reveal of its first EV from 2025 to late in 2026 as part of a wider adjustment to its schedule to go fully electric.

In 2024, it also announced that its first EV - originally promised to be a sleek grand tourer - would be a large urban SUV. 

Plans to debut a new EV every year from 2025 have also been extended as it postponed its commitment to be all-electric to 2035 instead of 2030.

This shift in strategy is due to falling demand for EVs and a lack of a suitable public charging infrastructure, the Crewe-based car maker said.

FORD 

Ford in 2024 confirmed that it was axing the electric F-150 Lightning pick-up after just three and a half years on sale 

While Ford has been adding to its EV line-up in Europe in recent months - including the addition of the Puma Gen-E and Capri - there has been a discontinuation of a significant electric model in America.

After just three and a half years on sale, Ford's $40,000 electric F-150 Lightning was ditched early last year.

Ford US said the move stemmed from a cocktail of poor sales, financial losses and the changing political landscape. As such, it said it would pivot to range-extended plug-in hybrids and smaller, more affordable, EVs.

The decision to axe the electric pick-up is a monumental one, too. The Ford F-Series has been America's best seller for decades, and the EV was seen as a landmark shift towards electrification.

ORA (GREAT WALL MOTORS)

It was confirmed earlier this month that Chinese car firm Ora - owned by Great Wall Motors - has axed the Ora 03, formerly the Funky Cat, due to poor sales

Great Wall Motors is one of China's biggest car makers. However, in the UK, it's still relatively unknown having failed to make a huge impact on the market with its first brand, Ora.

Debuting in November 2022, it launched its one and only UK-spec model - the Funky Cat EV. Just a year later, the awful nameplate was changed to '03' to attract more customers.

However, the name change did little to bolster its fortunes and in 2025 its UK importer sold just 542 examples of the Mini Electric rival.

As such, the Ora 03 has now been ditched, with only stock new models available in the UK.

HONDA

Honda has this month stopped taking orders on the e:Ny1 electric SUV, which has only been on sale in the UK for two years

Earlier this week, we included the Honda-e as one of the electric cars that had been pulled from UK showrooms ahead of schedule due to a poor sales performance.

But the brand has also shelved a newer EV: the e:Ny1 SUV.

A Honda spokesperson told Daily Mail and This is Money that the family SUV is being axed because it has 'naturally entered the final stage of its model lifecycle'. However, given it only launched in late 2023, its demise comes after a little over two years in showrooms.

Honda tells us it will no longer take new orders, and that the EV has been pulled from its online configurator - like after recording mediocre sales. And this is somewhat unsurprising given its £40,000 asking price, basic interior and limited range of just 256 miles.

There will be no direct replacement for it, with Honda now selling no EVs in the UK. That will change in a matter of months, though, when the tiny £20,000 Super-N shoulders the brand's electric offering. 

And this switch to smaller, cheaper EVs is part of a wider global reset by the Japanese giant. 

In March, it confirmed it had dumped its 0 Series EV project over concerns about limited electric car appetite, having unveiled a couple of daring prototypes with big performance claims in 2025.

The 0 Series was also due to underpin the Afeela vehicles sold in partnership with Sony, which explains why that Sony Honda Mobility project too was scrapped. This has reportedly cost the Japanese car maker $15billion.

LAMBORGHINI 

Lamborghini earlier this year confirmed it had shelved plans to unveil its first EV. The Lanzador (concept pictured) was due to launch with electric power but will instead be a plug-in hybrid

Lamborghini earlier this year confirmed it had scrapped its immediate EV plans with the luxury car maker citing low demand among its deep pocketed clientele.

The Italian brand's chief executive Stephan Winkelmann warned that EV development was at risk of becoming 'an expensive hobby' amidst poor global sales. Doubling down, he promised to 'build combustion engines for as long as possible'.

As such, its forthcoming Lanzador Gran Turismo will be plug-in hybrid rather than an EV. An all-electric version of its best-selling Urus SUV has also been sidelined. This will mean Lamborghini's line up will be PHEV only by 2030. 

But while Lamborghini has put a pin in its EV transition, Ferrari is due to unveil its first fully-electric car - the Luce - next month. 

LEXUS

Lexus hauled the UX 300e - its first EV sold in Britain - from showrooms last month having only been on sale for five years. While unconfirmed, this is likely due to low sales 

Lexus is another brand that has scrapped its inaugural EV early having experienced low levels of customer demand.

After a mere five years on sale, the UX 300e was axed last month.

The website ‘How Many Left?’ suggests fewer than 3,400 UX 300es have been registered since it first hit the market in 2021. Part of the UX 300e's problem was that it only managed 186 miles of range and couldn't CCS charge, making it out of date with its CHAdeMO charge connector.

The hybrid model is still on sale, but with the electric version gone the only option for Lexus buyers wanting an EV is the £48,000 RZ SUV. 

TESLA

Elon Musk announced in February the end to Tesla's Model S and Model X EVs with production 'winding down next quarter' as part of the company's shift to robot outputs

Even the world's most famous EV maker is shelving some of its electric cars.

Earlier this year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that the company is looking to move away from building EVs as it shifts attention to robot outputs.

Musk announced in February the end of the road for the company's Model S and Model X EVs, with production said to be 'winding down next quarter' despite having sold almost 420,000 examples of the two vehicles in 2025. While both are due to be replaced (the Model S having been on sale since 2012 and the X since 2015), there is no direct successor lined up to take over.

Instead, Tesla will continue to concentrate sales on Model 3 and Model Y, while the Roadster and Cybercab are also long-overdue releases waiting in the background. 

The Fremont factory in California where the electric executive saloons and SUVs have been manufactured will shortly be converted and turned into a facility that instead assembles Tesla's upcoming Optimus robot.

Tesla will also redirect its focus to self-driving vehicles as 'a lot of our investors asked us to do this', Musk said.

'It’s time to bring the Model S and X program to an end with an honourable discharge, because we’re really moving into a future that’s based on autonomy.'

VOLKSWAGEN

The VW ID.5 SUV-coupe is set to be axed after amassing disappointing sales in China and Europe

While Volkswagen unveiled its new ID.Polo EV this week having already showcased its updated ID.3 this year, one of its electric cars that's expected to be discontinued shortly is the ID.5.

Launched in 2021 as a coupe-like version of the ID.4 SUV, it was primarily aimed at the Chinese customers. However, it failed to gain traction in the world's biggest market and proved unpopular in Europe too, with buyers generally opting for the more practical ID.4.

Like the ID.7, saloon the ID.5 was not offered in the US. Production of the ID.4 at an American factory was scaled back in September last year due to low demand and the 4 has now been discontinued in the US.

VOLVO

Volvo has told dealers in the US it will axe the availability of the EX30 EV after just two years due to 'shifting market conditions and financial factors'

Volvo's EX30 - which launched in 2023 - is currently subject to a global recall over concerns about potential battery fires. Some 10,000 UK vehicles are impacted, with owners told to not charge the cars beyond 70 per cent until the failing battery units can be replaced.

But in the US, 'shifting market conditions and financial factors' has seen it pulled from dealerships entirely after only two years. 

In a memo sent to showrooms in the US and seen by Automotive News, the company said it will discontinue the battery-powered EX30 and EX30 Cross Country after the 2026 model year.

The new statistic has been confirmed today by the Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

The two million number - and counting - is being dubbed a 'key' moment in the switch to zero emissions driving.

The total number of electric cars in the UK is up 15 per cent on last year, with last month seeing the highest demand for new models ever recorded.

It comes off the back of the Government's Electric Car Grant (ECG), which has reportedly seen 100,000 subscribers to the discount scheme which shaves between £1,500 and £3,750 off the list price of some affordable EVs.

And vast manufacturer investment means there is a massive choice of 160 electric models now in showrooms – up from just over 130 at the start of 2025 – with at least 60 more due to arrive in 2026.

The UK has reached an EV milestone with two million electric vehicles registered in a 'landmark' moment for zero emissions driving

The DfT says demand for EVs surged 10 per cent in the six months after the Electric Car Grant launched in July 2025 - and could accelerate even faster as motorists consider ditching their petrol and diesel cars over rocketing fuel prices triggered by conflict in Iran.

Recent figures from online car buying platform Autotrader have suggested that electric cars are now cheaper to buy - on average - than petrol models for the first time, which the Government attributes to discounts applies from the ECG.

However, this is based solely on the price advertised on Autotrader's website, rather than a conclusive market-wide study. 

Car makers have also been heavily discounting EVs, with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) recently revealing that brands are being forced to discount their cars at a cost of £11,000 each in order to hit EV sales targets set by the Government.

This demonstrates the harsh reality behind the healthy sales increase in EVs, which saw almost half a million (473,348) new EVs registered during 2025 – more than in the whole of 2021 and 2022 combined.

EV market share rose to reach 23.4 per cent – a strong uplift, but with a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate target of 28 per cent the gap remains.

Read More

The electric cars being CANCELLED: Makers who have wielded the axe on EVs due to low demand

Commenting on the two million milestone, Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, said:

'Today, over two million EVs are now registered across the UK - a key moment in the UK’s transition to electric, backed by £7.5 billion in government funding. And as global fuel prices continue to fluctuate, making the switch has never made more sense.

'We’ve made it cheaper and easier than ever to buy an EV, helping over 100,000 drivers save up to £3,750 off the cost of a new electric car. 

'We’re also investing £600 million to deliver hundreds of thousands of additional chargers to support this uptick and build on the 119,000 already available – that’s twice the number of petrol pumps.'

• Ford Racing has created a new, more powerful version of the Mustang Cobra Jet EV; the Cobra Jet 2200.
• The 2200 in the name refers to the 2,200-horsepower output.
• Ford set a quarter-mile time of 6.87 seconds, which is an EV record.

Ford recently made news with some fresh track records. The fast times continue, though, as the Blue Oval brand set another new record—but this one is of the straight-line variety.

There's a new version of Ford's electric drag racer. Dubbed the Mustang Cobra Jet 2200, this all-electric beast managed a 6.87-second quarter-mile run. The trap speed was 221 miles per hour.

Say hello to the world's quickest EV.

The Mustang Cobra Jet 2200 builds upon everything Ford learned with the Cobra Jet 1800. Instead of four heavy motors, the 2200 only needs a pair of electric motors. Despite that, total output increases from 1,800 hp to 2,200 hp. The charging time is shorter, and the overall weight falls a bit lower as well.

Additionally, safety precautions have been improved. The Cobra Jet 220 features an explosive way to cut power. There's a tiny charge that can be triggered by the driver, track workers, or the race team, which instantly severs the main electrical connection.

The most interesting bit of tech, however, involves the unique clutch and transmission system used to gain traction on launches. According to Hagerty, the Cobra Jet 2200 features a multi-speed transmission and centrifugal clutch. This allows the driver to maintain torque management when launching the car. It then switches to direct drive once it's ripping down the strip.

Motor1's Take: This is certainly a heady achievement for an electric vehicle. But it's not as impressive as what Rimac pulled off with its production-ready Nevera. That EV hypercar managed a quarter-mile run of 7.9 seconds and will go from 0 to 60 mph in just 1.66 seconds. Though, to be fair, you're equally as unlikely to see either one of these cars in real life anytime soon.

Some 473,348 were sold last year – a 23.9 per cent increase over 2024 – meaning there are now some 1.8 million in use on UK roads today.

And there are particular EVs that are driving this growth. 

Tesla's Model Y was again the most popular pure-electric car in Britain last year, as 24,298 units of the SUV were delivered to customers. 

And cheaper small models – like the Renault 5 – are now starting to generate a cult following among private buyers.

However, not every EV has experienced this level of success. In fact, some have failed to gain traction at all, with buyers ambivalent at best, and left cold at worst.

We’ve rounded up three EVs that have experienced a royal sales flop in recent years and been axed from showrooms prematurely due to a lack of demand.

Honda e

Axed after 4 years 

The Honda e debuted with big expectations but sold in poor amounts which led to it being discontinued. It's hefty price tag for a small car, of up to £37k, is likely the reason

Honda's 'e' was the Japanese brand's first UK-available EV. When it launched in 2020, the production car was stylistically so close to the company's cracking Urban EV concept car revealed three years earlier that the industry predicted big demand.

But that's not how it has worked out.

The Honda e was removed from sale just three years after it debuted in 2023 due to poor sales. And for one very good reason...

While people praised its cute futuristic looks and high-tech interior, it didn't gain traction with buyers, as fewer than 4,000 examples were sold each year across Europe due to its comparatively limited battery range.

At an official 137 miles, it fell horribly short of rivals. In winter months, the reality of the distance between charges was closer to 70 miles.

For a small EV with a £32,000 to £37,000 price tag, it didn't make practical sense to many drivers.

GWM Ora 03

Axed after 4 years 

The Ora 03 – formerly the Ora Funky Cat – is no longer on sale after hardly anyone wanted to buy it. 2025 saw 542 registrations 

Great Wall Motors is one of the biggest names in China. However, in the UK, it is still a relative unknown having failed to make a huge impact on the market yet.

Its first car sold in Britain was the Ora Funky Cat, which launched in November 2022. A year later, the awful nameplate was changed to the Ora 03 in an effort to kickstart sales.

However, the name change didn't help the electric hatchback fly off the shelves, or to bring in sales success for GWM.

Read More

Chinese cars will take over Britain's roads. Here's what you need to know before you buy one...

GWM wasn't a Chinese winner last year, as it saw a drop of 53.3 per cent in sales to just 542 registrations – which the poor sales of the Ora 03 played a part in.

GWM's UK importer, International Motors’ 542 examples compare to around 9,000 MG4 EVs registered in 2025.

As such, the Ora 03 has now been ditched, with only stock new models available in the UK. 

The future of the GWM Ora was thrown into doubt after the EV maker announced the hatchback would no longer be made in Thailand for the Australian market, and now bosses confirm it will be phased out as part of plans to overhaul its European strategy.

Lexus UX 300e

Axed after 5 years 

The website ‘How Many Left?’ suggests fewer than 3,400 UX 300es have been registered since 2021. It's no longer on sale, Lexus has confirmed

Lexus' inaugural EV has found itself on the rubbish heap of cars.

It was the brand's first ever pure-electric Lexus. But after five years on sale, it has now been axed. Confirmation of the news arrived last month, after the model went missing from Lexus' website.

A spokesman confirmed to Auto Express that the electric UX was 'removed from sale in late-2025' but gave no reason for its disappearance. However, poor sales are likely to be the reason. 

The website ‘How Many Left?’ suggests fewer than 3,400 UX 300es have been registered since 2021. Part of the UX 300e's problem was that it only managed 186 miles of range and couldn't CCS charge, making it out of date with its CHAdeMO charge connector.

The hybrid model is still on sale, but with the electric version gone the only option for Lexus buyers wanting an EV is the RZ SUV.

Starting from £48,365 it is bigger and more expensive than the UX was, but offers considerably more range and faster charging.

Historically, one of the primary barriers preventing people from purchasing electric cars has been the lengthy charging times required.

While petrol and diesel vehicles can be refuelled in mere minutes, some electric cars still take around 20 minutes or longer to charge. The charging speed of an electric vehicle is measured in kW (kilowatts).

Yet recent technological breakthroughs mean electric cars are rapidly narrowing the gap with their fossil fuel, synthetic fuel and hydrogen-powered rivals. With this in mind, experts at Top Gear have compiled a list of the world’s fastest-charging electric vehicles.

Topping the list is a 1,340bhp four-door saloon from Mercedes called the GT XX, capable of charging at up to 1,041kW, with an average of 850kW, reports the Express.

While primarily a test vehicle, such cars are typically developed with the aspiration that the technology could eventually be rolled out into mainstream production models.

In terms of range added, Top Gear explained that this translated to more than 200 miles in under five minutes. They said: “In testing it recorded a 1,041kW maximum charging speed, averaging out at around 850kW — that’s 250 miles of range in five minutes. Merc has also partnered with Alpitronic, a specialist in high-power charging, to devise units capable of handling such speeds.”

Taking second place behind the Mercedes was the BYD Han L SUV, boasting a charging speed of around 1,000kW — equivalent to approximately 1.2 miles of range per second via its Super e-Platform. The platform is due to feature in upcoming models, including the Denza Z9 GT.

Rounding off the top three was another Chinese electric vehicle, the Li Auto Mega — a people carrier capable of charging at speeds of up to 520kW.

Top Gear’s rankings come at a time when appetite for electric car ownership is growing rapidly. In response, motoring organisations have been working to give the public a clearer picture of what life with an electric vehicle actually looks like, particularly in relation to charging speeds.

The RAC, for instance, has moved to dispel common misconceptions around charging times, stating that electric cars do not “take forever to charge”.

In a Facebook video, the RAC featured James, a Business Director at Zapmap, who shed light on why long charging times are not the norm for all electric vehicles. He argued that, when factoring in the total time spent at a typical service station, electric cars are far more comparable to petrol and diesel vehicles than most people realise.

He explained: “Most EVs charge while their owners are sleeping, meaning it actually takes less time for the owner to plug in and unplug their car than it does for, say, a petrol driver to go to a petrol station and wait while their vehicle fills up.

“If you have to charge your car while out on the road with an ultra-rapid charger, some of those can charge in as little as twenty minutes.

“So by the time you’ve gone into the service station, grabbed a coffee, gone to the loo, and come back outside to send that final WhatsApp message, your car is already charged."

But as great as having access to big mileage on a full battery is, you also don't want to be stuck recharging an EV for ages when you're taking on long journeys. 

Which is why the ultra-rapid charging speeds arriving with latest generation of EVs are making it quicker and easier to get back on the road in minutes.

Charging times have come on leaps and bounds in recent months, with new technology and faster chargers making it possible to add hundreds of miles of juice to your EV's battery in less than 15 minutes.

But which EVs can handle the fastest charging speeds? And where can you find chargers capable of topping them up this fast?

Here are the top 10 fast charging EVs currently on the market, and a quick guide to ultra-rapid charging options.

1. Denza Z9GT

Charging speed: 1,500kW

BYD's Denza brand is making waves, mainly because its Z9GT can recharge in only five minutes on BYD's 1,500kW Flash Chargers 

Denza, the luxury, technology-led sub-brand of BYD, has just launched in the UK. And already its flagship model, the Z9GT shooting brake, has gone straight to the top of the charging league table.

It can charge to the eye-watering speeds of 1,500kW - almost three times the next fastest charging on this list.

This is part due to the car's Blade Battery 2.0 and separately BYD's Flash Charging network.

Together they can deliver 10 to 70 per cent charging in just five minutes and 10 to 97 per cent in nine minutes. It's game changing.

2. XPeng G6 

Charging speed: 451kW

The XPeng G6 can charge up to 451KW making it the second fastest charging EV in the UK. 10 to 80% charge happens in only 12 minutes

XPeng is an AI and smart technology car maker, and the G6 smart SUV is its first UK model.

Despite only arriving in February 2025, the G6 has been updated already and that update introduced even fast charging speeds of 451kW.

So, the new G6 SUV can claim 10 to 80 per cent charging in just 12 minutes, which is less time than most people stop at a service station. It puts the Chinese car maker on the map.

3. Lotus Emeya

Charging speed: 420kW

The Lotus Emeya has been found to ultra-rapid charge at speeds of 443kW on a 450kW and deliver 10 to 80% in just 13 minutes and 35 seconds

The Lotus Emeya fully electric hyper GT costs a pretty penny, starting from £84,990 but you get between 603hp and 905hp and extremely fast charging speeds for that price tag.

While the Emeya is billed at having max 420kW charging speeds, an independent test found that the Emeya could ultra-rapid charge at speeds of 443kW on a 450kW and deliver 10 to 80 per cent in just 13 minutes and 35 seconds.

So, it's as capable as a fast-charging EV as it is as a performance GT.

4. BMW iX3 

Charging speed: 400kW

The all-new 2026 BMW iX3 can charge up to 400kW and add 231 miles of range in 10 minutes

The new BMW iX3 has been garnering attention for its 500-mile range but its charging capabilities are equally impressive.

The all-new 2026 mid-size electric SUV is completely overhauled and with that overhaul comes DC charging of up to 400kW, offering a minimum charging time of 21 minutes for a 10 to 80 per cent top up. 231 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes.

This family SUV doesn't just cut range anxiety, but it also cuts charging anxiety.

=5. MG IM5 and MG IM6 

Charging speed: 396kW

‹ Slide me ›

The IM5 and IM6 EVs can charge at 396kW speeds which delivers 10 to 80% charge in 17 minutes

IM - a tie-up between SAIC, e-commerce power player Alibaba and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, a leading R&D specialist - is MG's 'technology showcase' arm and stands for 'Intelligence in Motion'.

It is only right then that the technology showcase side of MG demonstrates the Chinese-owned British heritage brand's fast charging tech - and it does with its IM5 and IM6 models.

Both the saloon-inspired EV and the bigger SUV model can charge at 396kW speeds which delivers 10 to 80 per cent charge in 17 minutes.

7. Porsche Cayenne

Charging speed: 390kW

The new Porsche Cayenne Electric can charge to 390kW speeds and can recharge 10 to 80% in only 16 minutes

Read More

Porsche Cayenne Electric review: New 1,140bhp SUV is the tipping point for too much power in a family car

Porsche's electric Cayenne SUV has been long awaited, and now it's finally here - and it arrives with some very impressive charging speeds.

The luxury electric SUV, which costs at least £77,500, can charge to 390kW speeds and can recharge 10 to 80 per cent in only 16 minutes. 

As the Cayenne has a range of 405 miles, this will give you a good chunk of extra range to get you to your end destination.

It is also the first mainstream electric car sold in Britain with wireless charging capabilities. 

When we drove it at launch, it was the Cayenne Electric Turbo's gobsmacking 1,140bhp and organ-rearranging acceleration that shocked us more than its recharging capabilities.

8. Volvo EX60

Charging speed: 370kW

Volvo's new EX60 has an official range of more than 500 miles, can charge to 400kW and can also add 211 miles of charge in only 10 minutes

Volvo is on a bit of an EV run at the moment, and the EX60 is its latest electric offering.

Not only is the long-range, electric mid-size SUV able to drive 503 miles on a single charge - class-leading range - but it can also add 211 miles of charge in only 10 minutes.

Capable of charging on a 400kW charger, Volvo says the EX60 makes a charging stop nearly as fast as a fuel stop.

=9. Hyundai Ioniq 6/Lotus Eletre/Volvo ES90/Polestar 3

Charging speed: 350kW

Polestar has just upgraded its 3 SUV, so it can now charge 10 to 80% in as little as 22 minutes. It boasts charging speeds on par with three rivals

All four of these EVs can charge at 350kW speeds.

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 mid-sized fastback saloon can add 215 miles of range in 20 minutes. It has a maximum range of 338 miles.

The Lotus Eletre can deliver 10 to 80 per cent in only 20 minutes and has a max range of 373 miles.

Volvo's ES90 luxury electric saloon has a long-distance range of up to 435 miles. And crucially, it can charge 10 to 80 per cent in 20 minutes and add 186 miles of range in 10 minutes.

Polestar has just upgraded its 3 SUV, enabling significantly faster DC charging. The new, intelligent, adaptive battery software allows the Polestar 3 to charge 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 22 minutes.

A number of large EV charging providers are upgrading their networks to handle 400kW charging speeds, including Gridserve

So, where can you actually charge to these speeds?

There are a few charging providers that currently can offer the charging speed these EVs demand.

The first one is MGF EV Power. 

The blue, white and green ultra-rapid chargers are mainly found at motorway services, roadside retail and supermarket car parks.

With over 1,000 ultra-rapid chargers across the UK, the majority of its sites have a mixture of 150kW, 300kW and 400kW charges.

The second, Gridserve, the UK’s most used EV charging network, has 400kW chargers on the Electric Highway which can add more than one hundred miles of range in less than 10 minutes. 

Plans include 96 new high-power, 400kW-capable bays across seven new motorway Super Hubs installed by 2026.

Ionity is also currently upgrading its network and rolling out 400kW chargers across Europe and the UK.

But most importantly BYD, the Chinese car maker, is bringing 600 Flash Chargers to the UK, with the rollout happening this year. 

The 1,500kW Flash Chargers can charge compatible EVs in as little as five minutes - the time it takes to refuel a petrol car - as we've already seen with its new Denza Z9GT model.

Last year, a First-Tier Tribunal (FTT) heard an appeal from a not-for-profit charging company, Charge My Street, about the way in which VAT is applied to EV chargers. 

At present, using a public charger means electric car drivers must pay VAT at the commercial rate of 20 percent. Those using their own charger at home only see VAT levied at five percent. 

Charge My Street successfully argued to the FTT that this disparity should be removed, and that public electric vehicle charging should only attract VAT at the five percent domestic rate. 

Now, HMRC has announced it will seek to appeal the FTT’s decision, potentially denying cheaper charging to UK motorists.

Removing the EV charging disparity

The arguments in Charge My Street Limited v HMRC hinged upon highly technical legal interpretations of the UK’s VAT legislation. 

In particular, Charge My Street argued that exceptions in the Value Added Tax Act 1994 applied to public EV charging, as it provides premises where drivers can charge their cars. 

This interpretation of public EV charging points as ‘premises’ was accepted by the FTT, meaning the five percent VAT rate would be applicable instead of 20 percent. 

Under the wording of the current tax legislation, the five percent rate would apply to the first 1,000kWh of electricity supplied to a customer at a specific charging location each month. 

Exceeding the 1,000kWh limit in a single month would mean fully recharging a typical electric car more than 15 times.

Savings for drivers, lost revenue for HMRC

Various groups have long campaigned for the rate of VAT on public EV charging to be cut to five percent, arguing that it unfairly penalises those without access to off-street parking at home.

Previous analysis by Zapmap has found that reducing the level of VAT would typically save EV drivers without a home charger up to £145 per year. 

However, such a reduction could see HMRC losing revenue of £143 million in 2027, increasing to £315 million by 2030, according to Zapmap’s calculations.

The decision would also mean HMRC having to repay charging operators the overpaid level of VAT levied in previous years. 

However, as the Charge My Street matter was the lead case against HMRC, other UK charging point operators may now choose to bring their own challenges to the rules on VAT.

ALSO READ:

Will fully charging your electric car damage its battery?

Best electric cars to buy in 2026

Your EV questions answered on Motoring Electric

Smart discontinued the Fortwo in 2024 after nearly three decades of production. The brand, now jointly owned 50/50 by Mercedes-Benz and China's Geely and headquartered in Ningbo, had moved steadily upmarket through a series of increasingly large electric SUVs. The #1, the #3, the #5 crossovers got bigger with each number. A saloon, the #6, was unveiled at Beijing this week alongside the new concept. Smart, it appeared, was not a small car brand anymore.

And then they announced the #2.

What it is

The Smart Concept #2, unveiled at the Beijing motor show on Wednesday 23 April, is the clearest preview yet of what the production #2 will look like. It is unmistakably a spiritual successor to the Fortwo. The same short overhangs, the same wheels pushed to the corners, the same two door two seat silhouette that made the original so distinctive in a car park full of sensible family hatches.

New elements include more pronounced wheel arches, a cleaner overall surface treatment, and headlights that reference the current Smart family design language. The concept features some details that will not survive to production... leather straps in place of door handles, transparent aero covers over the wheels, a small matrix screen at the rear that can display messages, and a floating roof finished in shiny gold. The production car will be toned down. The core shape, though, is the statement.

The Concept #2 measures 2,792 mm in length, making it the largest interpretation of the two door city car that Smart has ever built. That is still considerably shorter than almost anything else on sale.

According to Carscoops, the production Smart #2 will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, ahead of its market launch. The car is primarily focused on Europe and the UK, though Smart has confirmed it will also launch in China and selected global markets.

Like this? Get the app: iOS | Android

How it is built and what it will cost

The #2 rides on a brand new platform called the Electric Compact Architecture, developed jointly by Geely and Mercedes specifically for this car. This is notable because every other Smart in the current range was engineered entirely by Geely and designed by Mercedes. The ECA is the first platform they have developed together, reflecting that the European city car market has different requirements to the larger SUV segment where Smart has been playing.

Autocar reports that the platform can accommodate a dual motor setup, and Smart has confirmed that the turning circle will match the legendary Fortwo... which could spin around in spaces that baffled larger vehicles.

Production will be in China. The design is by Mercedes-Benz.

Pricing is expected to start at around €20,000 according to InsideEVs, with a battery pack of approximately 30 kilowatt hours. That range figure will be the critical number, given that the final generation electric Fortwo managed just 99 miles on the EPA cycle. Three decades of battery development should have taken care of that... but the short wheelbase of a city car still limits how large a pack can be fitted.

The honest question

€20,000 for a two seater with a small battery is a harder sell in 2026 than it would have been a decade ago. For roughly the same money, a buyer in Europe can now get a BYD Dolphin Surf, a Citroën e-C3 or a Renault 5... all of which seat four or five people and offer more range. The Smart #2's case rests entirely on the one thing those cars cannot replicate: the ability to park in a space nobody else can use.

In cities where parking costs more than petrol ever did and a 2.8 metre car fits where a 4 metre car cannot, that remains a genuine argument. Whether it is a €20,000 argument depends very much on whether you live somewhere with a chronic shortage of parking... or somewhere that does not.

Smart made the city car segment what it is. It walked away from it in 2024. The #2 is the brand admitting that was a gap worth filling.

Production deliveries are expected in 2027.

Sources:

• Smart official press release — Smart Confirms Reinvention of Iconic City Car
• Autocar — Smart #2 Concept previews design for Fortwo successor
• Carscoops — Smart Goes Back To Its City Car Roots With Concept #2
• InsideEVs — The Smart Car Is Coming Back, This Time Fully Electric
• Autocar — Smart #2 Fortwo successor begins testing ahead of 2026 launch

The 2026 C-Class becomes the latest entrant to a growing premium electric saloon sector, following the recent unveiling of the rival BMW i3. 

With 800-volt technology and an eye-catching aerodynamic design, the new C-Class will offer a range of up to 473 miles when fully charged. It should make for a talking point in the company car park, given the new BMW can achieve more than 550 miles…  

However, Mercedes-Benz will look to win over business drivers with an interior packed with technology, plus the promise of an engaging driving experience. 

Ola Källenius, chairman of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said this will be the “most powerful and sportiest C-Class we’ve ever built, offering pure driving pleasure and outstanding real-world range – all while being the perfect sanctuary for our customer.”

The sportiest C-Class so far

Mercedes has given the new C-Class what is described as a ‘coupe-like’ profile, along with a front grille reminiscent of the latest GLC electric SUV. The latter incorporates no less than 1,050 individual LEDs for illumination.

In C400 4Matic guise, the new C-Class will come with all-wheel drive as standard, along with 483hp and 590lb ft of torque. This sees the new compact saloon accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 130mph.

A new 94kWh battery can be charged at speeds of up to 330kW. This means it can add more than 200 miles of range in 10 minutes, with a charge from 10 to 80 percent requiring 22 minutes.

Air suspension with live predictive damping, along with rear-wheel steering, are said to make the new Mercedes ‘as smooth as an S-Class on long journeys’, while remaining agile on a twisty road.

As seen on screen

The interior of the new C-Class is likely to impress, depending on the options chosen. This includes the ability to specify an enormous 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen.

Spanning the entire width of the dashboard, it’s the largest display ever fitted to a C-Class. More than 1,000 LEDs are used to create it, with individual sections that can be dimmed as required.

A further 162 LEDs are found on the ‘Sky Control’ panoramic roof, which mimics the colour chosen for the ambient lighting throughout the cabin.

Other details include ‘Twisted Nappa’ leather upholstery, a 470-litre luggage capacity combined with a 101-litre ‘frunk’, plus the ability to tow trailers weighing up to 1,800kg.

Production of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class will begin later this year, with UK prices and specifications to be confirmed in the meantime. Come back to Motoring Research for more details soon.

ALSO READ:

First look at Hyundai’s new Ioniq 3 electric hatchback

New manual-only Porsche 911 GT3 S/C is lean and roofless

New BMW i3 revealed: electric 3 Series offers 559 miles of range

Happy Wednesday! It's April 22, 2026, and this is The Morning Shift — your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you'll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around.

In this morning's edition, we're looking at the end of GM's electric truck plans, and Tesla scrambling to fix lackluster sales in India. We'll also look at Amazon's car sales landing with a flop, and another Ford recall. 

1st Gear: GM gives up on future electric trucks

Chevrolet

GM has a line of big electric trucks, but they're not exactly selling spectacularly. Now, with the company pulling back on this whole "electrification" thing, it seems the Sierra, Silverado, and Hummer EVs will be left to die on the vine. From Automotive News: 

General Motors has indefinitely delayed its next generation full-size electric truck program amid waning EV sales and a pivot back to the internal combustion engine and hybrid technology.

The automaker had been developing lower cost, refreshed versions of the all-electric GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, Escalade IQ and Hummer SUV and pickup with a targeted start of production in 2028, according to three people with knowledge of the plan who requested anonymity.

Suppliers were recently informed that the next-gen program was halted with no new timetable specified. Supplier executives and analysts told Crain's Detroit Business that they do not expect to see a new generation of the electric vehicle line until 2030 or beyond.

Automotive News says to expect plug-in hybrid Silveradoes and Sierras, but made no mention of a similar treatment for the Escalade. I'm shocked you can't already get Cadillac's biggest vehicle as a hybrid, but for that to remain the case even as platform-mates get electrified is absurd. 

2nd Gear: Tesla is already trying desperate moves in India

Stock all/Shutterstock

Tesla made a big, flashy entrance into India a while back, which was immediately proven to be a flop as soon as sales numbers came out. Now the company is trying to tailor its best-selling crossover for the Indian market, but that not be enough to save it. From Reuters: 

MUMBAI, April 22 (Reuters) – U.S. electric vehicle maker ‌Tesla has launched a six-seater version of its best-selling Model Y in India as it tries to attract buyers in the world's third-largest car market where it has struggled to grow sales.

Tesla has sold just 350 Model Ys in India since starting deliveries in ​September, government data showed, with rivals including BYD, Mercedes-Benz and BMW far outselling the U.S. company over the ​same period.

Its imported Model Y attracts a steep 100% import tariff, a level that chief Elon ⁠Musk has often criticised, meaning Tesla's cars are priced much higher in India than in other markets.

With the Model ​Y L, Tesla aims to tap a wider customer base as Indian buyers, especially families, increasingly turn to larger, premium ​vehicles equipped with touchscreen displays and sunroofs. This shift has helped propel demand for three-row SUVs in India, a segment currently dominated by Toyota Motor and Suzuki Motor.

The Model Y L, which has a longer driving range of 681 kilometers (423 miles), will be priced ​at about 6.2 million rupees, equivalent to $66,000. That is only slightly above the $64,000 price tag on the Model Y, ​but still far above a market where most cars are priced below $22,000.

The Model Y L isn't unique for the Indian market — Tesla also sells it in China — but Tesla seems to be introducing it in the nation in hopes it'll grab that family market. Only time will tell whether the market will bear a $66,000 price tag for a Model Y. 

3rd Gear: People aren't buying cars on Amazon

Summer_Wind/Shutterstock

Amazon sells cars, and the company seems very interested in getting you to buy one — bordering on desperate, given some of the promotions we've seen. Turns out, that desperation is warranted: People simply aren't buying cars online. From Automotive News: 

Amazon continues expanding its vehicle-selling platform across the U.S., but some participating dealerships report the partnership with the e-commerce giant has been slow to deliver tangible results.

Amazon Autos launched in December 2024 with Hyundai in 48 cities. It now operates in more than 130 cities and includes new, used and certified pre-owned vehicles from Chevrolet, Jeep, Kia, Mazda and Subaru.

Some early participants report selling just one or two vehicles monthly through Amazon, far short of what they'd hoped from a partnership with one of the world's largest retailers.

"I think it's way too early to tell because of the low volume of transactions," said Andrew Wright, a Vinart Dealerships managing partner who helped craft Amazon's early pilot with Hyundai dealerships but chose not to participate in the program.

Amazon's now known for "low volume of transactions," but Amazon's also not known for selling the second-most-expensive things most people are ever likely to own (after a home). Turns out, people like tangible experience when they're spending that kind of money. 

4th Gear: Ford recalls 140,000 Rangers over fire risk

Torkgaur/Shutterstock

Take a drink! Ford's issuing another recall, this time for 140,201 Rangers that could catch fire thanks to wiring in the A-pillar. That's what we in the industry call a "whoopsie." From Reuters: 

Ford is recalling 140,201 Ranger ‌vehicles in the U.S. as damaged wires can create ​an electrical short and ​cause a fire in ⁠the A-pillar area, increasing ​the risk of injury or ​a crash, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on ​Wednesday.

The sun visor ​or headliner wiring harnesses may be ‌improperly ⁠positioned or have excessive tape thickness, which can result in damaged wires, the ​regulator ​said.

Wiring catching fire due to having too much tape is a new one. Shouldn't that stop it from rubbing raw on any bare metal?

Reverse: Possibly our largest mac

It's so interesting to see Ray Kroc talk about competing not only with Burger King, but with "specialty shop[s]." I wonder how many of those more local joints McDonalds drove out of business back when the Big Mac was 45 cents. The cost of that burger has, for the curious, outpaced inflation. 

The Fuel Up

AAA

Gas prices are still dropping, but the rate of the drop is slowing as we approach four bucks a gallon. Asymptotically approaching, we'd say in the math world. Zeno's paradox of gas prices. 

On The Radio: Cryalot - 'Hurt Me'

It's wild to think that this track is four years old, since it feels like it could be straight off the latest Purity Ring album. 

That is how much battery electric vehicle registrations jumped across 15 major European markets in March 2026 compared to the same month last year. More than 224,000 electric passenger cars were registered in that single month. Across the full first quarter, over 500,000 EVs were sold across EU countries ... up 33.5 percent on Q1 2025. Every one of Europe's five largest economies ... Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Poland ... posted growth above 40 percent year to date.

Then there is Norway, which at this point is barely a data point and more of a philosophical statement. In March 2026, 98.4 percent of new car registrations in Norway were fully electric. Denmark was at 76.6 percent. Finland near 50 percent.

Across the full year of 2025, nearly one in five new cars sold in Europe was a fully electric vehicle, according to data from the International Council on Clean Transportation. That is a 4 percentage point rise on 2024 and the highest annual share ever recorded. Battery electric and plug in hybrid vehicles combined reached 28 percent of the market. Combustion engine vehicles lost 10 percentage points of share in a single year.

Why March exploded

The catalyst is not complicated. Trump's attack on Iran sent fuel prices surging across Europe. Petrol and diesel jumped by around a fifth. European drivers, already watching the Strait of Hormuz crisis push pump prices to levels not seen in years, started doing the maths differently.

As Chris Heron, Secretary General of E-Mobility Europe, put it: "March's surge in electric car sales is one of Europe's biggest recent gains in energy security, in a month when oil dependence has become a real vulnerability. That translates into half a million electric cars registered so far this year, cutting roughly two million barrels of oil demand annually."

Ben Nelmes, CEO of New Automotive, was equally direct: "Every electric vehicle registered means Europe is less reliant on imported oil. At a time when energy security has moved to the top of the political agenda, the EV transition is delivering real and measurable resilience."

The Iran war did not cause Europe's EV momentum. European sales grew strongly through 2025 even before the conflict began. But rising fuel costs in early 2026 turned a steady trend into a surge.

Like this? Get the app: iOS | Android

Meanwhile, in America

The United States went in the opposite direction.

In Q1 2026, Americans bought approximately 216,000 new electric vehicles. That is down 27 percent on the same period last year, according to Cox Automotive and Kelley Blue Book data. EV market share fell to 5.8 percent of total new car sales... less than a third of Europe's equivalent figure and well below the 10.6 percent peak the US hit in Q3 2025.

The reason is not complicated either. The Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act ended the $7,500 federal EV tax credit on September 30, 2025. Nothing replaced it. The market felt the removal immediately and sharply.

Individual brand collapses are instructive. Volkswagen's US EV sales dropped 90 percent in Q1. Audi was down nearly 90 percent. BMW fell 63 percent. Ford discontinued the F-150 Lightning pickup in December due to low demand. VW ended ID.4 production to refocus on higher volume combustion models.

Tesla held up relatively well by comparison, its sales falling just 4.6 percent and its share of the US EV market rising to over 54 percent precisely because so many other brands collapsed around it. Toyota and Lexus actually grew ... 79 percent and 207 percent respectively ... as buyers shifted toward hybrids rather than full EVs.

The market is not dead. Hybrid sales in the US rose 57 percent year on year in Q4 2025. Used EV sales rose 12 percent in Q1 2026, and used EVs now average just $1,300 more than a comparable combustion car ... the narrowest gap on record. The demand for electrified vehicles in some form is still there. What collapsed was the demand for new, expensive, full electric vehicles once the government removed the financial bridge that made them competitive.

The same oil price. Two different reactions.

Here is the sharpest version of the contrast.

Both Europe and the United States were hit by the same fuel price spike following the Iran war. Internet searches for electric vehicles in the US jumped 20 percent in the week following the original strikes on Iran. The appetite was there. But without a tax credit making new EVs affordable, that appetite had nowhere to go in the showroom. European buyers walked into dealers with rising fuel prices and government incentives in place. American buyers walked in with rising fuel prices and no subsidy.

The result: Europe posted its biggest monthly EV surge in recent history. America posted its worst quarterly decline in new EV registrations since the market began tracking them.

This is not a story about which country's consumers love electric cars more. Research consistently shows Americans who own EVs are among the most satisfied car owners in any segment. It is a story about what happens when one government decides the transition is a national priority and another decides it is not.

The cars are the same. The oil price was the same. The policy was not.

Sources:

• Carscoops — Europe's 51% EV Sales Boom Is Leaving America Back At The Gas Pump
• Carscoops — America's EV Sales Fell By Nearly A Third
• Electrek — Europe's EV sales surge just hit 51% and oil is the reason why
• Electrek — New EV sales drop 28% in Q1 2026, but used EVs surge 12%
• International Council on Clean Transportation — Europe's battery electric car market closes 2025 at 19% average
• Cox Automotive via Electrive — Post incentive slump: US EV sales down 28%

• The Jetta X concept debuts this week at the Beijing Auto Show.
• It's one of four Jetta models set to launch in China by 2028.
• Jetta will focus on affordable hybrid and electric vehicles.

The Jetta has been around since 1979 as a sensible compact model, serving as the sedan sibling to the Golf hatchback. Nearly half a century and seven generations later, it retains the original's formula. However, Jetta stands for something different in China. The Volkswagen Group and local partner FAW spun off Jetta into a sub-brand in 2019, catering to the entry-level segment.

While the initial focus was on combustion-engine models, Jetta’s Chinese arm is now targeting New Energy Vehicles (NEVs). The term applies not only to fully electric vehicles but also to plug-in hybrids and EVs equipped with range-extending combustion engines. As of 2026, Jetta is considered an independent entity, giving it greater autonomy.

Jetta essentially picks up where Skoda left off, as the VW Group is pulling the Czech brand out of China after sales collapsed. Four NEV models will go on sale by 2028, and if this intriguing concept is any indication, a boxy SUV will be among them. The Jetta X is making an early debut ahead of its first public appearance at the Beijing Auto Show later this week.

The VW Group has little to share on technical specifications, but it does confirm that the Jetta X is purely electric. We’re told the upright stance reflects a new “Modern Robust” design language that future Jetta-branded vehicles in China will adopt. It’s a clean, almost Rivian-esque design with short overhangs, suggesting it rides on a dedicated electric vehicle platform.

Predictably, for a vehicle exclusive to China, the Jetta X features a simplified interior with a user interface that relies heavily on screens. Andreas Mindt, head of the VW Group’s design, revealed the concept’s interior on LinkedIn, showing a large touchscreen paired with a smaller passenger display.

Also on LinkedIn, but nearly a year ago, VW Group China ​CEO Ralf Brandstaetter said Chinese buyers want "AI-first, connected vehicles, with seamless voice control and smart cockpits." By contrast, Europeans favor "tactile controls, long-term durability, and driving dynamics."

A handful of physical buttons sit ahead of the central armrest, and as with the exterior, there are no Volkswagen badges. After all, this isn’t a VW, but a Jetta. Inside and out, it looks far more upscale than previous China-spec Jetta models, which were starting to feel dated amid the influx of newer models from domestic brands.

Jetta will launch its first next-generation model later in 2026, followed by three additional NEVs over the next two years. Don’t expect to see these cars in other markets, as Jetta operates exclusively in China.

Motor1's Take: Some may be surprised to learn that Jetta has already been a separate sub-brand for six years. The VW Group appears determined to carry the Jetta name into the electric era in China, where EVs are rapidly taking over.

With Skoda exiting the Chinese market, Jetta assumes the role of the VW Group’s entry-level brand. Given the fierce competition in the affordable EV segment, it has a steep climb ahead, but this concept shows serious promise, at least from a design standpoint.

Hopes of a breakthrough and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial oil and gas shipping route, have receded following the US attack on the Touska.

The prolonged uncertainty, with the US-Iran ceasefire due to end on Wednesday, is likely to further impact households in the UK facing higher petrol and diesel costs at fuel pumps now and the prospect of rising energy bills later in the year.

UK to narrowly avoid recession and jobless rate to surge, Item Club warns

Britain is to ‘flirt’ with recession and unemployment will be sent soaring amid the fallout of the Iran war, according to economic forecasters.

The latest Item Club report predicts the economy will flatline in the second and third quarters, which will leave gross domestic product (GDP) rising by 0.7% over the year as a whole, down from 1.4% expansion in 2025.

While the economy will ‘flirt with recession’ – defined as two quarters or more in a row of falling GDP – it will also see higher oil and energy prices weigh on activity and the jobs market suffer its ‘biggest hit since the pandemic’, the Item Club warned.

Mercedes electric C-Class breaks cover with 473-mile range

Mercedes has revealed its answer to the new BMW i3 with the electric C-Class.

The C-Class is one of the marque’s best-selling models and the electric iteration broadens its appeal further.

The electric C-Class will be equipped with a 94kWh battery pack and an electric motor that can return a claimed range of up to 473 miles on a single charge. Mercedes says that the car will benefit from 800-volt architecture, which will enable ultra-rapid charging speeds of up to 300kW, allowing 202 miles of range to be added in just 10 minutes.

FTSE 100 falls back amid renewed US-Iran tension

The FTSE 100 started the week on the back foot on Monday as hopes for a peace deal in the Middle East once more hung in the balance.

The FTSE 100 closed down 58.55 points, 0.6%, at 10,609.08. The FTSE 250 ended 265.71 points lower, 1.2%, at 22,940.21, and the AIM All-Share fell 1.77 points, 0.2%, to 808.34.

In European equities on Monday, the CAC 40 in Paris ended down 1.1%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt fell 1.2%.

MPs will have the opportunity to scrutinise the Government’s accountability in relation to the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador in an emergency debate on Tuesday.

Your chance to name the very best – and worst – in the industry returns as we launch Car Dealer Power 2026.

Inverness dealer Craig Walker of Culloden Cars says used Tesla models ‘fly out the door’ despite wider scepticism. He stressed product knowledge is key, highlighting build differences, features and specs as crucial to matching the right car to the right customer and maximising desirability.

Executives from Suzuki, Dacia and XPeng warn heavy EV discounting to meet ZEV targets is harming residual values, distorting markets, raising finance costs and potentially slowing long-term electric vehicle adoption.

Car dealer Hendy Group has extended its sponsorship of Hampshire Cricket until 2027. The renewed deal includes shirt branding, stadium presence at Utilita Bowl and fan engagement activities during matches.

Keir Starmer to face further scrutiny over Peter Mandelson in emergency debate

MPs will have the opportunity to scrutinise the Government’s accountability in relation to the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador in an emergency debate later today.

Sir Keir Starmer has blamed former top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins for deliberately keeping him in the dark over Lord Mandelson’s failure to pass security vetting checks before taking the role.

The Prime Minister told the Commons he would not have appointed Lord Mandelson if he had known the peer had failed the checks and insisted there was no pressure from No 10 to push through the high-profile appointment.

Heathrow Airport can recover up to £320m in early expansion costs – regulator

Heathrow Airport can recover up to £320 million of early costs linked to its expansion plans, the industry regulator has said.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority also confirmed that a rival bidder for Heathrow’s third runway could recover some costs linked to its plans.

Last year, the aviation watchdog launched a consultation on the regulatory treatment of early costs of Heathrow expansion.

Weather outlook

The UK will today see a calm and fairly mild spring day overall.

In the south, cloud will clear to sunny spells with temperatures around 13 °C. The Midlands will be partly cloudy but mostly dry.

In northern England and Scotland, it will stay cooler with more cloud and occasional brightness, with highs near 9–11 °C.

• Join our breaking news WhatsApp group
• Sign up for daily email Car Dealer news bulletins
• Listen to the latest Car Dealer Podcast
• Read the latest digital issue of Car Dealer Magazine

• Mercedes says it has no plans to build a wagon version of the new C-Class EV.
• Electric C 400 4Matic packs 482 hp and up to 473 miles of WLTP electric range.
• BMW teased i3 wagon, could bring next M3 Touring to US after M5 Touring success.

If you’ve ever said you’d buy a wagon but then bought an SUV instead, congratulations, you’ve helped kill one of the most beloved body styles in the business. Mercedes has confirmed it currently has no plans for an estate version of the new electric C-Class, which would make it the first C-Class ever to skip the long-roof option.

That’s not just a break from recent tradition. Every small Mercedes sedan since the very first C-Class took over from the 190 in the early 1990s has been offered in shooting brake form. True, it was only fleetingly offered in the US, but it’s been a staple of Benz’s European lineup for decades.

Also: AMG’s Sleeper Wagon Has Over 500 HP And A Deployable Rear Wing

Now though, Mercedes is set on ending a 30-year streak, and the reason is a simple mathematical one. We just didn’t buy enough of the things for the brand to bother investing in a new version.

Increasingly For Enthusiasts Only

“If I sit down with guys like you or other designers, they say ‘well, I like station wagons!'” Mercedes designer Robert Lesnik told Autocar.

“But in the end, nobody is buying them. We have three regions. Nobody is buying them in America; we tried the shooting brake CLS and nobody bought it. The Chinese don’t understand them and don’t buy them. Then Europe is left, and if you look at a Mercedes E-Class, it’s pretty expensive – so who can actually buy a car like that in Europe?”

Lesnik isn’t some wagon-hating SUV bro, either. His first car was an Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon, and he reckons the best car in his company’s current lineup is the “almost perfect” E-Class Estate. He’s clearly pained by the whole situation.

GLC Takes Over

“I say we should have station wagons, but the reality is a little bit different,” Lesnik says. Though he left a door ajar with a “never say no,” it seems like the automaker has made up its mind. For now, Mercedes expects the electric GLC SUV to cover family-hauling duties instead.

Which is a shame, because the new C-Class is shaping up to be a genuinely impressive kit that could work well in wagon form. The C 400 4Matic that arrives first pairs two electric motors for 482 hp (489 PS / 360 kW), dispatching 0-60 mph (97 kmh) in 3.9 seconds. Mercedes claims up to 473 miles (762 km) of WLTP range from the 94 kWh battery, and a 10-minute charge can recover up to 202 miles (325 km) of range.

Full-Width Digital Dash

The cabin features an optional 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen and a panoramic roof with 162 illuminated stars. It’s launching in the US first, with pricing still to come, but likely to start at around $55-60,000 when it takes on the new BMW i3 in the first half of 2027.

BMW Might Offer Salvation

In contrast to Mercedes, BMW has already teased a wagon version of the i3 for Europe, though it probably won’t come to the US. One wagon that might, however, is the next M3 Touring. America didn’t get it this time around, but BMW North America has been knocked out by the surprise success of the M5 Touring, which handily outsells the sedan in the US, and could lead to more performance Tourings being offered stateside.

On new the subject of discounting new EVs, the executives all highlighted growing concern that short-term tactics to hit ZEV mandate targets are distorting the market.

Kateley pointed to the growing tension between long-term strategy and immediate pressures, describing a market caught between ‘confliction, where we want to be strategic, we want to plan long term, but then you’ve got the short term tactics of trying to hit mandate targets’.

That pressure is increasingly leading manufacturers to push EV volumes through heavy incentives, which is having a knock-on effect on used values. As Kateley, ‘every time we force the market on EV, that has a fundamental impact on the used car market’.

The concern is that weakening residual values will ultimately feed back into the new car market, making it harder to sustain demand due to higher finance costs and lower consumer confidence.

Kateley said it was important ‘not [to] sacrifice residual value because hitting a mandate target is important, but it’s not as important as the customer experience and the customer choice’.

The issue is particularly acute for legacy brands, which face regulatory pressure to increase EV sales quickly, unlike newer electric-only entrants.

Industry leaders stressed the importance of working closely with dealer networks to manage the transition more sustainably. ‘We have to listen, understand, and then respond accordingly,’ Kateley said, noting that both manufacturers and retailers ultimately share the financial impact of falling used values.

The panel discussion included some fascinating observations from Lorraine Bishton on the mindset needed to operate a Chinese challenger brand, and Lina Ribeiro’s plans to grow a traditionally value-for-money brand in a time of high new car prices.

The session can be watched by visiting the Car Dealer Live website where you can purchase a replay ticket. This will allow you to watch back each session in-full on video to watch back at your leisure.

You can hear all the highlights from Car Dealer Live 2026 in our special podcast, which can be listened to below:

• Join our breaking news WhatsApp group
• Sign up for daily email Car Dealer news bulletins
• Listen to the latest Car Dealer Podcast
• Read the latest digital issue of Car Dealer Magazine

The new Mercedes C-Class Electric has been revealed on Monday, and it's designed for luxury buyers in the compact-executive class.

While an impressive 473-mile range has been confirmed and makes the saloon one of the longest-range EVs on the market today, it falls noticeably short of BMW's recently unveiled i3, which boasts a mind-blowing 526 miles between charges.

Yet both cars are expected to be around the same £50k price point.

The coupe-looking C-Class shares styling cues with the bigger GLC Electric SUV. This includes a grille made up of 1,050 LEDs, headlights with the three-point star embedded and the GLC’s rear clusters. It's also longer than the existing combustion C-Class, so expect a more executive and roomier ride.

What else do we know about the new C-Class Electric? Here's what to expect from Mercedes' latest EV offering.

The new Mercedes C-Class Electric has been revealed, and its impressive 473-mile range still isn't enough to beat its new rival the BMW i3 saloon which offers 526 miles of range 

Range and charging: how it compares to BMW's i3

The C-Class's 94.5kWh battery powers a dual-motor set up and will be able to charge at 330kW speeds thanks to 800V architecture. 

And 198 miles of the C-Class Electric's 473-mile range can be added in a mere 10 minutes.

The German car giant says that a less powerful, longer-range, single-motor version will follow, which will be able to do 497 miles on a single charge - so, still no match for its Beemer competition.

As the C-Class sits on Mercedes' new 'MMA' EV platform, it will be offered with an optional DC converter so it can charge to 400kW at ultra-rapid charging stations. 

We think the converter is a bit of a rip off, especially as the BMW i3 can fast charge to 400kW as standard with no need to upgrade at additional cost.

Read More

BMW i3 is the longest-range electric car on the planet: New £50k saloon can go 559 miles on a full charge

Performance and safety: How will it drive?

Mercedes says the C-Class Electric is the 'sportiest C-Class ever - raising the bar for true driving pleasure'. 

This is thanks to its air suspension, rear-axle steering and interior comfort, which means it is 'an extremely agile cornering machine' and as 'smooth as an S-Class on long journeys'.

The dual-motor variant comes with 482bhp and is said to be able to sprint from 0-to-62mph time in just 4.1 seconds (which, coincidentally, is the same as a Mercedes-AMG C63). The i3's performance figures haven't been released, so we can't compare the two for the moment.

Mercedes has packed a lot of safety kit into the C-Class. This includes some pioneering optional assistance functions, such as 'MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO6F'. 

This is Mercedes' AI-powered autonomous driving system - already seen in the CLA - which allows users to take their hands off the wheel and eyes off the road up to speeds up to 40kph in certain regions. 

It has already been launched in the US though Level 3+ automation is yet to receive regulatory approval in the UK.

Inside there's a 39.1-inch seamless MBUX Hyperscreen with matrix backlight technology with over 1,000 individual LEDs. The panoramic roof has 162 ambient-lit stars

Tech and comfort

Inside, the C-Class is as flash as you might expect.

It has a 'create your own sky' function, which allows you to individually select the ambient lighting colour of 162 stars in the 'Sky Control' panoramic roof.

There too is an AI Virtual Assistant you can quiz and ask to change the vehicle's settings.

The EV also gets an augmented reality head-up display and 4D surround sound.

Its cockpit is dominated by a 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen. This comes with matrix backlight technology with over 1,000 individual LEDs and independently adjustable brightness zones, so driver and front passenger can modulate the display appearance like you would an Apple iPhone.

And comfort has not been overlooked in any way: as well as a certified vegan interior, there's a 'Twisted Diamond' Nappa leather design and electric seats with lumbar support, massage and seat ventilation.

Practicality hasn't been forgotten either with a 101-litre 'frunk' [front trunk] and a 470-litre boot, as well as a 1.8-tonne towing capacity.

It's estimated that the C-Class Electric will cost around the £50,000-£55,000 mark, as the GLC Electric starts from £60,350

How much will it cost and when will it arrive?

It's estimated that the C-Class Electric will cost around the £50,000 to £55,000 mark, given that the larger GLC Electric starts from £60,350.

The single-motor variant - due to arrive months later-  could come in at the sub-£50,000 point, but that remains to be seen.

If it does, it will importantly sit below the £50k Expensive Car Supplement threshold for EVs. The ECS is a £440-a-year surcharge on top of standard rate tax (vehicle excise duty) for five years for the priciest models.

The C-Class Electric is expected to go on sale in late summer, with first deliveries to British customers arriving before the end of 2026.

In March 2026, the Jaecoo 7 became the UK's best-selling car, recording 10,064 sales in a single month and achieving a 2.66% share of the total UK car market. Jaecoo only began selling cars here in January 2025, yet has already outperformed Citroën, Mazda and Mini in year-to-date figures. For an established industry used to watching the Ford Puma and Nissan Qashqai trade places at the top, it was a seismic result.

Now its sibling brand is arriving with a car built on the same bones.

Lepas, whose name was constructed from the words leopard, leap and passion, is another brand under the Chery Group umbrella alongside Jaecoo and Omoda. The five-seat Lepas L6 will be offered with either a plug-in hybrid or battery-electric powertrain. The PHEV uses the same 204bhp setup as the Jaecoo 7, combining a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and 18.3kWh battery. The electric version offers 270 miles from a 67kWh battery, while the Super Hybrid claims over 700 miles of combined range.

The L6 made its European debut this week at Milan Design Week, before a planned UK arrival in the fourth quarter of 2026. Pricing has not yet been confirmed, though given its shared platform with the Jaecoo 7, analysts expect it to sit somewhere between £28,000 and £35,000.

The design language is presented as original. Lepas says the L6's aesthetic is intended to capture the agility of a running leopard, while the LED headlights evoke a leopard's gaze. The reality is harder to miss: from almost any angle the L6 reads as a softer, slightly more premium reworking of the car Britain just made its bestseller. Architecture, dimensions and powertrain are shared. The styling is cleaned up, repositioned one rung higher, and given a different badge.

Lepas UK managing director Ray Wang described the L6 as "as clever as your smartphone, with intelligent technology woven into every journey, and as sophisticated as your home."

Whether that pitch lands is a separate question. What Chery has demonstrated with Jaecoo is that British buyers will consider a Chinese SUV if the price is sharp enough and the interior credible enough. Autocar, which ran a Jaecoo 7 for 6,000 miles, found it brilliantly spacious, well finished, and genuinely admired by people who had never heard of the brand before.

The Lepas L6 is targeting buyers who want something a step above that. The rapid charge capability allows a 30 to 80 percent recharge in around 20 minutes. A 13.2-inch portrait touchscreen, physical climate controls and wireless charging are expected, based on the larger L8 flagship.

The broader context is striking. Chery has quietly built the UK's most popular car, and is now deploying a second brand, built on the same platform, aimed at a slightly wealthier buyer, making its debut at one of Europe's most prestigious design events.

The industry called the Jaecoo 7 a knockoff. The UK made it number one. Lepas is betting the same logic applies one step further up the market.

Sources: Autocar · T3 · Car Dealer Magazine · Jaecoo UK · Carscoops · Motorpoint · GB News

The name traces back to the company's own history. Project Nightingale takes its name from Le Rossignol, French for "the nightingale," the house near Henry Royce's winter residence on the Côte d'Azur where his designers and engineers lived. That connection informs the car's colour and character throughout. The reveal example wears Côte d'Azur Blue, a pale solid blue with subtle red flakes, paired with a silver soft top and an interior in Charles Blue, Grace White, and Navy with Peony Pink accents.

The design department drew from a specific period. Project Nightingale draws inspiration from Rolls-Royce's red-badged experimental prototypes of the 1920s, particularly the 16EX and 17EX, considered among the rarest and most desirable motor cars in the company's history. The broader aesthetic is Streamline Moderne, the precision-driven branch of Art Deco that favours uninterrupted surface over ornament.

The front end benefits directly from the electric powertrain. With no large cooling intakes required, the area between the wings and the Pantheon Grille presents uninterrupted surfacing. The grille measures nearly one metre wide, with 24 vanes set within a stainless-steel surround. The Spirit of Ecstasy is recessed into the grille's upper section, its form flowing rearward into the bonnet as a single continuous gesture.

At the rear, the boot opens sideways, like the lid of a grand piano, with a vertical brake light mounted directly onto the boot lid and two slim vertical tail-lamps on the sides of the rear fascia. Rolls-Royce calls it the Piano Boot. The 24-inch wheels are inspired by yacht propellers viewed from beneath the waterline, forms designed to appear in continuous motion even when stationary.

Inside, the cabin wraps around its two occupants in soft pastel leather with open-pore blackwood trim arranged in a V-form. The centrepiece is the lighting. The Starlight Breeze ambient lighting system uses 10,500 LEDs to display patterns based on the sound waves of nightingale calls. Each light point differs in size, and the overall effect shifts as the car moves.

A motorised centre armrest moves back when the door opens to reveal a Spirit of Ecstasy rotary dial, with a further button allowing the armrest to slide deeper to uncover a storage area. Controls are deliberately minimal, reduced to five rotary dials in what appear to be precious metal finishes.

The roof uses sound-deadening composites layered with cashmere and fabric. Rolls-Royce considered building the car as a speedster without a roof at all, but concluded the soft top made it genuinely usable across more conditions.

The powertrain shares its platform with the Spectre, Rolls-Royce's first production EV launched in 2023. Full technical specifications, including power output and range, have not yet been disclosed. Testing will begin this summer ahead of first deliveries in 2028. Rolls-Royce claims the car is 99% production ready.

The Coachbuild Collection sits in a deliberate gap in the brand's lineup. It sits between the series-production one-offs, such as last year's Phantom Goldfinger, and the ultra-exclusive full Coachbuild models such as the three-off £20 million Boat Tail from 2021. Future Coachbuild Collection models will follow every two to three years, with varying production numbers each time.

Pricing has not been formally announced. Autocar reports the figure starting from around £7 million, with customisation costs pushing individual examples considerably higher. The clients are already chosen.

CEO Chris Brownridge described the brief plainly: "Some of the most discerning Rolls-Royce clients in the world asked us for our most ambitious work."

A car that long, that quiet, for two people only, sold before anyone outside of Goodwood had seen it. Rolls-Royce found its audience before it unveiled the car.

Sources: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars · Autocar · Top Gear · New Atlas · The EV Report · Wallpaper · Interesting Engineering · Destination Charged

A Freedom of Information request by Vauxhall found that 56 tier-one councils either currently offer cross-pavement charging, or will introduce it before 2026 is out.

Seven of the 134 councils that responded to the Freedom of Information request have it live in their constituencies. A further 21 are at the trial stage, with plans underway in 28 more.

However, Vauxhall also discovered a lack of consistency in how councils are approaching applications from residents for cross-pavement gullies.

Some charge upwards of £1,000

Some councils will offer installation services for free, whereas others are asking more than £1,000.

There is also a lack of clarity about how to apply for cross-pavement charging, and how long people must wait before they find out if permission is granted.

Separate Vauxhall research has found that four in 10 UK households do not have a driveway. This is a key barrier to electric car ownership, as it means residents cannot easily benefit from cut-price home EV charging. Cross-pavement charging is intended to solve this problem.

Council clarity is needed

“To allow drivers across the country to feel confident going electric,” said Vauxhall MD Eurig Druce, “councils need to ensure they are providing drivers with as much clarity as possible about the options available to them, and how they can install EV charging outside their door.”

To help accelerate awareness of cross-pavement charging, Vauxhall has teamed up with leading provider Kerbo Charge on its Electric Streets of Britain campaign.

As part of the firm’s Electric All In offer, it will provide £500 off a Kerbo Charge installation to new EV buyers.

Vauxhall proudly adds that every electric car in its range costs less than £40,000, and is also eligible for the Electric Car Grant – saving customers £1,500.

What is Kerbo Charge?

Kerbo Charge says it is the leading provider of cross-pavement charging channels in the UK. Some 34 local authorities are trialling it, and more than 1,000 channels have already been installed.

A narrow strip is cut into the pavement and kerbs, into which the channel is then installed.

EV owners then insert their own charging cable into the channel, and securely close a lid above it – just like a zip, says Kerbo Charge. It means no cables stretching across pavements, and no trip hazards for pedestrians.

The channels, made in Derbyshire, are unique to the UK and are able to bend with the pavement surface – which is important as most UK pavements are not flat, notes the firm. It also means that surrounding groundworks are not required.

Kerbo Charge was founded by Michael Goulden and Ben Whitaker, who pitched the business on the BBC’s Dragon’s Den. They received £50,000 from Deborah Meaden in 2024.

“The best inventions solve widespread problems with simple and cost-effective solutions,” said Meaden. “Kerbo Charge does just that.”

ALSO READ:

Radical new Nissan Juke goes fully electric for 2027

Tolman Motors builds Honda Integra Type R DC2 restomod

Volvo marks 70 years of the seatbelt

The trend first became apparent in Australia, Lohscheller explained. Fuel prices there have rocketed following the war in Iran, with the cost of diesel up a staggering 100 percent.

“We have seen sharply rising orders in Australia because of the whole energy situation now globally… I call this pump anxiety – people are nervous when they go to the gas station, and more and more people are changing to EVs.

“When I first saw the reports that we were improving so quickly in Australia, I asked my team, is this right? But it’s clear there is uncertainty, and EVs can benefit from this.”

Now, as pump anxiety overpowers charge anxiety, other markets are seeing interest in electric cars grow – including the UK.

UK’s fastest-growing premium brand

While Polestar sales are up in key markets such as Sweden, South Korea and Germany, the UK remains Polestar’s biggest global sales base, says Lohscheller. “The UK is a role model for me – what works in the UK will also work in other markets.”

Polestar is still the UK’s fastest-growing premium car brand, too. The firm has announced a record first quarter, with year-on-year sales up 12 percent. So far this year, Polestar is bigger than Lexus, Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo, amongst others.

The Polestar 2 has defined the firm since its UK launch in 2020. However, the new Polestar 4 – the car that famously has no rear window – is also helping to drive growth, with sales up by almost half. “It’s like playing with two strikers now,” Lohscheller told us.

As part of this growth, Polestar wants to boost sales to private buyers, after years of success with company cars. “They are a key target for us… if you buy a Polestar, you tell all your friends about it, and this can help multiply awareness and sales.”

A next-generation Polestar 2 is due in 2027, with the new Polestar 7, a compact SUV set to compete in a very popular part of the market, arriving in 2028.

Used Polestar value

It’s not just new car sales that are on the up, either. Sales of used cars – known as pre-owned EVs within Polestar – are up a whopping 99 percent, as lower prices open up the brand to a whole new audience. Pump anxiety is again proving a catalyst here.

“Pre-owned is always the indicator of what happens next. People look at gas prices, start to get nervous, maybe look at used [electric] cars… we are seeing this in the growing increase for pre-owned cars.”

The Polestar 2 has been the firm’s core model since 2020, with around 200,000 sold. This means there is a growing number of used Polestar 2s coming to market as cars return from lease or PCP deals.

“There is a lot of management focus on pre-owned… you need to sell a car four times, not just the first three-year leasing period. It’s an important business – I can’t underestimate the importance of pre-owned,” added Lohscheller.

Polestar technology trends

Just as with new cars, used Polestars benefit from ongoing over-the-air updates that improve the vehicles over time. There’s a residual value benefit to this, said Lohscheller, and it means Polestar can keep in constant dialogue with customers.

In-service statistics reveal no worries about long-term battery life either (every Polestar Pre-owned has a battery health certificate, along with a two-year warranty). EVs also require much less servicing “and when you get the electricity at a reasonable rate, you start to see – hey, this is fun financially, right? It’s actually cheaper.”

Polestar recently won the prized AUTOBEST Smartbest 2026 award, for the first integration of Google Maps’ clever live lane guidance into the Polestar 4. The AI-supported technology highlights all possible lanes for the chosen route, including which lane the car is in.

The aim is to help drivers change lanes in time, particularly around busy intersections.

“It’s important because we do this in partnership with Google,” said Lohsheller. “Everybody a few years ago said, ah, we need to do everything on our own. But no – we need to integrate things and customers love it.”

ALSO READ:

Polestars can now use Plug & Charge devices – including Tesla’s!

Polestar 2 2025 review

Your EV questions answered on Motoring Electric

BYD - the Chinese EV maker that overtook Tesla last year to be the biggest electric car producer in the world - has brought its Flash Charging technology to the UK and This is Money has had an exclusive first look.

Demonstrated on its new Denza Z9GT - BYD's technology-focused luxury brand - Flash Charging can recharge the EV's battery in just five minutes, cutting the fastest charging times currently available in the UK by a third.

The motto for Denza's first EV is: 'Ready in 5, Full in 9 and Cold add 3'. This is because Z9GT can charge from 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes, from 10 to 97 per cent in nine minutes, and even in minus 30 degrees Celsius can still recharge from 20 to 97 per cent in 12 minutes.

How easy is it to use? Just how fast is it compared to going to the petrol station? And will your EV soon be able to charge to these speeds too?

Here's what we learned and our quick guide to Flash Charging...

We tried BYD's Flash Charging - the world's fastest EV charging which can top up an EV in just five minutes

How fast is five-minute charging compared to filling up a car with petrol? Or a service station stop?

A video paints a thousand words, so the best way to understand just how fast this charging experience is, is to watch our exclusive video which shows the Denza Z9GT charging from 10 to 97 per cent in nine minutes - the 'full in nine' motto.

Stopping at a petrol pump and filling up a tank takes roughly two minutes, or up to five minutes. So, Flash Charging is about the same as refulling, give or take a few minutes.

And it's far less time than many people stop at a motorway service station to grab a short break, which is on average around 20 minutes.

Having seen it with my own eyes, I can confirm that this is truly game changing technology: the nine minutes flew by, and there's no way I would have needed more time to go into a service station, go to the loo, grab a tea and a few snacks, and walk back to the car than it took to charge.

Especially if you have kids or a dog with you, or you just need a quick stretch of your legs - the car will charge in less time than your pit stop takes. Goodbye, charging anxiety.

The T-shaped charging stations can charge two cars simultaneously and the overhead structure keeps cables off the ground and 

Is Flash Charging easy to use?

Because Flash Charging stations are yet to make it to Britain, we've only tried it out on a demo version in France which uses off-grid batteries to power it.

Yet it was a like-for-like representation of what Flash Chargers will be like once they arrive in the UK. And I can confirm they are extremely easy to use - just as simple as other ultra-rapid EV device.

The 'dispenser', as BYD calls it, is a T-shaped structure to make the user experience 'as simple and as convenient as possible'.

Read More

The EV that charges in FIVE MINUTES coming to Britain: We drive the Denza Z9GT - China's most expensive car yet costing £100,000

This overhead cable system makes it easy - and clean because it never drags on the floor - to use because the weight of the cable is well supported. 

The cable is lighter to carry than most charging cables, and it never touches the ground.

The payment system is yet to be fully confirmed, but it is likely to be a choice of using the BYD app, RFID cards and contactless card payments. The latter is always easiest.

Will the Flash Charging network be open to other EVs? How are these charging speeds possible?

Yes, Flash Charging stations will be open to all EV drivers. 

BYD has confirmed that all electric vehicles with a standard CCS2 port will be able to connect - albeit it as long as the EV can handle megawatt-level charging. And many EVs can't yet.

But over time this is likely to change, as EVs - especially those from Chinese brands - are starting to arrive on the market that can handle much faster charging speeds.

At the moment, the Denza Z9GT EV and the plug-in hybrid version are the only two cars in the UK capable of charging to these speeds because they combines BYD's new Blade Battery 2.0 tech and its Flash Charging tech.

Without getting too techy, this Fast Charging battery has ultra-fast ion channels, reducing the battery's internal resistance by 50 per cent, allowing for it to achieve higher charging currents.

BYD is delivering 300 Flash Charging units. With two connectors per device, this means 600 chargers

How many Flash Chargers are coming to the UK?

BYD has promised 300 Flash Chargers in 2026.

With every Flash Charger having two connectors, this essentially means 600 devices this year. 

Bosses say this is the right volume at a launch phase before more vehicles utilise the technology and the network of devices can be expanded. 

Comparatively, there are 140 Tesla Supercharger locations in the UK offering over 1,400 Superchargers to EV drivers.

This trend has been driven in large part by the war in Iran that began when the USA and Israel started striking targets in Iran, which subsequently effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices skyrocketing.

As a result, more people are likely to show a greater interest in going electric rather than buying a new petrol or diesel car.

With that in mind, journalists at the renowned automotive publication Top Gear have put together a list of electric cars with the longest ranges on sale in the UK.

The one with the longest range was Mercedes EQS 450+, an electric saloon car with a claimed range of around 575 miles. This is enough, in theory, to get from London to Edinburgh on one charge of electricity.

Furthermore, Top Gear added that if people were worried about how long it would take to charge, they needn’t be concerned because it said the Mercedes could add 200 miles of range in 10 minutes, albeit on a 350kW charger.

In second place behind the Mercedes was another incoming car, the BMW i3 50 xDrive with a claimed range of 562 miles. Like the Mercedes, the BMW is a luxury model and forms part of the brand’s new Neue Klasse-era positioning.

Completing the podium was the Volvo EX60 with a claimed range of 503 miles, which Top Gear said was down to its 117kWh “cell-to-body” battery design, meaning that rather than cells being assembled into a separate pack, the cells are integrated directly into the vehicle structure.

The interest in switching from fossil-fuel-powered cars to electric cars has been reflected by experts and automotive bodies, who have been helping reassure drivers that old worries about electric cars are no longer as relevant.

One fear many people used to have about electric cars was that they would run out of charge. However, battery technology and a much-improved charging infrastructure mean there are now plenty of places for electric car drivers to recharge.

In a post on social media featuring the Business Director of Zapmap, the RAC wrote: “Worried your EV might run out of charge in long traffic jams? James, Business Director at Zapmap, breaks down the facts and sets the record straight.”

In the video, which looked at myth-busting around electric cars, James explained that using the radio or air conditioning would not cause your electric car to run out of charge quickly.

He said: “Using things like the radio, heating, air conditioning takes very little battery energy compared to, say, accelerating the car up to 70 miles an hour. An EV can power those things for a very long time if you're stuck in a traffic jam.”

This £650 million scheme began rolling out in July 2025, and new models are gaining eligibility almost weekly.

Here we list every single car that qualifies for a discount and deliver the definitive Autocar verdict on what each is like.

The ECG targets the affordable end of the market, capping eligibility at electric cars priced below £37,000 or in some cases £42,000.

To qualify, manufacturers must prove their vehicles meet stringent criteria regarding real-world range, overarching sustainability and long-term warranty cover.

The grant is split into two distinct structures, with the full £3750 discount being rewarded to only the greenest cars. 

Eligibility hinges on the carbon footprint of the car's production, factoring in emissions from battery manufacturing and the assembly line – even the carbon intensity of the electricity grid in the country of origin.

Categorised by their grant bands and outlining your potential savings, we've got everything you need to know.

Read on to find out which ones deserve a spot on your driveway...

Original price: £33,500

Price after grant: £30,245

Read our Alpine A290 review

With excellent handling, a punchy powertrain and old-school charm, the Renault 5-based Alpine A290 shows that the hot hatchback still has a place in the EV era. The 217bhp enables 0-62mph in 6.4sec - making it by far the fastest car on this list - and it has won plenty of awards already. 

Original price: £36,685

Price after grant: £32, 935

Read our Citroën ë-C5 Aircross review

This ë-C5 Aircross offers plenty of metal for the money. The range-topping Long Range version can travel up to an impressive 421 miles on a charge, and its versatile, lounge-like interior will suit many families both large and small. 

Original list price: £33,690

Price after grant: £29,940

Read our Ford E-Tourneo Courier review

This five-seat MPV is a spacious option that offers up to 2162 litres of cargo space, plus a range of 177 miles. 

Original list price: £28,999

The electric Ford Puma is a good all-around option. It has a huge boot, despite its compact dimensions, it’s fun to drive and it's one of the more efficient mid-sized electric cars on sale right now. Ford claims a range of around 233 miles and charging speeds of up to 100kW. 

Original list price: £32,400

Price after grant: £30,900

Read our Hyundai Kona Electric review

The Kona Electric is Hyundai’s first model to qualify for the ECG. The Long Range version’s 69kWh battery delivers a competitive WLTP score of 319 miles, while its motor puts 215bhp through the front wheels. It remains a benchmark for efficiency too: expect a real-world figure comfortably in the region of 4mpkWh.

Original list price: £32,805

Price after grant: £29,255

Read our Mini Countryman Electric review

The Countryman makes a relaxing, fun and overall a very good electric SUV – and now qualifies for the £3750 grant. It’s not the be all and end all of value or practicality but is immensely likeable, with a beautifully minimalist interior. Good economy too: during our testing, we achieved an average of 3.4mpkWh, which is creditably close to the official figure of 3.6mpkWh.

Original list price: £35,999

Price after grant: £32,249

Read our Nissan Leaf review

The original mass-market EV has returned to its roots as a value champion, becoming the latest addition to the government's grant list. The Sunderland-built crossover secures the full £3750 discount, undercutting key competitors such as the Kia Niro EV and Volkswagen ID 3 significantly. For that outlay, you get the 'Engage' model paired with a 75kWh battery, capable of a claimed 386 miles between charges. Standard kit is plentiful, with a heat pump and Google Automotive services included.

Original list price: £26,995

Price after grant: £23,245

Read our Nissan Micra review

Renewed and redesigned, the Nissan Micra is back as an electric hatchback, this time sharing most of its underpinnings with the Renault 5. That means two battery options – 40kWh and 52kWh – with an official range up to 260 miles. It's this 52kWh version that gets the full £3750 discount.

Original list price: £27,195

Price after grant: £23,445

Read our Renault 4 review

Some 30 years after the Renault 4 was retired, it returned as a small electric crossover. Don’t think the model's heritage has been lost, though, because the new one is a retro design that takes cues from its predecessor. Renault also claims a competitive range of 247 miles. It now qualifies for the higher grant sum, too. 

Original list price: £27,695

Price after grant: £23,945

Read our Renault 5 review

The Renault 5 is one of the most talked-about cars of the year, and for good reason. It’s fun to drive, comfortable and has a class-leading interior, as well as a good, usable range between charges. Drivers can choose from either a 40kWh or a 52kWh battery for up to a claimed 250 miles. The latter is eligible for the full £3750 grant, too. 

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £33,245

Read our Renault Scenic review

Once an MPV, the Scenic is an SUV these days. It employs the same 215bhp powertrain as the Megane but adds a much larger battery. Its 87kWh size enables an official range of up to 379 miles, which is almost as impressive as its practical, 545-litre boot.

Original list price: £22,095

List price after grant: £20,595 

Read our Citroën ë-C3

Citroën’s smallest car is comfortable and relaxing, with decent levels of space for the price. It’s also packed full of equipment, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated seats and a suite of safety tech. Its main downside is a small, 44kWh battery, which produces around 199 miles of range – and that might not be enough for some people. 

Original list price: £23,095

Price after grant: £21,595

Read our Citroën ë-C3 Aircross

The ë-C3 Aircross is a larger, SUV-shaped alternative to the ë-C3. The ë-C3 Aircross is available with seven seats, plus a larger battery that provides a claimed 247 miles of range. It retains its smaller sibling’s comfort and equipment levels too, which is a key selling point. 

The ë-C4 offers a lot of car for the money, entering the fray as a larger option for the price of some electric superminis. A 54kWh battery enables an official range of 257 miles and soft suspension means it's a comfortable car for most journeys. 

Read our Citroën ë-C4 review

Original list price: £27,650

Price after grant: £26,150

Advertisement Back to top

Citroën ë-C4 X

Original list price: £28,715

Price after grant: £27,215

Read our Citroën ë-C4 X review

The ë-C4 X is the saloon counterpart to the hatchback ë-C4, offering more leg room and a larger boot. At 510 litres, the saloon's cargo space is 130 litres roomier than the hatch's. Range figures are pretty much the same, as are its levels of comfort and equipment. 

Original list price: £31,240

Price after grant: £29,740

Read our Citroën ë-Berlingo review

The key selling point of the ë-Berlingo is its cavernous interior, which can accommodate just about anything. Its boot measures 775 litres, and there’s even an XL model with seven seats. Range isn’t really a strong point, though: an official 213 miles from a 52kWh battery. 

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

The ECG also affects passenger-carrying vans, and the Citroën ë-Spacetourer is one that has £1500 knocked off its list price. Citroën claims a range of 136 miles, which might sound pretty poor, but it’s suitable for city–focused deliveries and taxi work, because you can seat up to nine passengers in the XL model. 

Original list price: £35,690

Price after grant: £34,190

Read our Cupra Born review

Our former Best Electric Car title holder is still a compelling buy today, thanks to a host of recent updates, including a new infotainment system. The Born is one of the best cars on this list to drive, possessing dynamic handling, a comfortable ride and a claimed range of up to 360 miles. It merits a place near the top of your shortlist, especially with that £1500 grant saving. 

DS 3 E-Tense

Original list price: £35,995

Price after grant: £34,495

Read our DS 3 E-Tense review

Not a car you really buy with your head. Range is fine at 250 miles, material quality for the price is just about fine and it comes in some sophisticated bright colours. But ultimately it's a car clinging on to the small premium electric SUV class standards by its fingernails.

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

Read our DS No4 review

The new DS No4 leads the French premium brand’s design revival, and it’s available with the grant when you select its entry-level Pallas specification level. There’s just one electric powertrain, featuring a single 210bhp motor and a 58.3kWh battery for an official 278 miles of range. 

Original list price: £28,495

Price after grant: £26,995

Read our Kia EV2 review

The EV2 is Kia’s entry-level electric crossover. It may have compact proportions, being just 4060mm long, but it maintains a proper SUV vibe with its boxy, shrunken EV5 silhouette and chunky bumpers. It utilises a 400V electrical architecture and is available with either a 42.2kWh or 61kWh battery, offering ranges of 197 miles and an outstanding 281 miles. Both options can rapid-charge from 10-80% in less than 30 minutes and feature vehicle-to-load technology.

Original list price: £33,055

Price after grant: £31,555

Advertisement Back to top

Read our Kia EV3 review

Crowned Autocar’s Best Electric Car of 2025, the Kia EV3 is one of the most well-rounded EVs currently on the market. Designed to take on the Volkswagen ID 3 and Cupra Born, it features bold, chiselled styling clearly inspired by the flagship EV9 but condensed into a highly practical family footprint. It offers a choice of two battery packs, of 58.3kWh and 81.4kWh. Paired with a 201bhp front-mounted motor, the larger battery allows it to thoroughly outshine its rivals with a 375-mile official range (and regularly affords 270-300 miles in reality). 

Original price: £34,745

Price after grant: £33,245

Read our Kia EV4 review

The Korean brand's Honda Civic-sized EV is a sensible and comfortable electric hatchback that builds on the success of the smaller EV3 thanks to its strong range, space and drivability. For value, efficiency and refinement it should make it onto any shortlist for a family looking to make the switch to an EV; just don't expect much driver engagement.

Original price: £32,995

Price after grant: £31,495

Read our Kia PV5 review

The PV5 was already keenly priced but now qualifies for the £1500 grant, making it almost £30,000 cheaper than an equivalent Volkswagen ID Buzz. And while the VW benefits from retro-charm, the Kia is a tempting choice for its ease of use, flexible and versatile interior and strong value for money. The big battery version qualifies for the grant, which has a more usable 256-mile range. 

Original list price: £35,000

Price after grant: £33,500

Read our Nissan Ariya review

Advertisement Back to top

Nissan dropped the Ariya’s price by a dramatic £6000 to make sure it qualified for the ECG, meaning it’s available for as little as £33,500 after the discount has been applied. All Ariyas that qualify are front-wheel-drive and come with either a 63kWh battery or a 87kWh one, with up to 310 miles of range claimed. 

Original list price: £30,150

Price after grant: £28,650

Read our Peugeot e-208 review

Peugeot’s supermini becomes a more enticing EV with the ECG, which brings its price down to £28,650. For that, you get a 50kWh battery and a claimed 226 miles of range. The larger-battery version also qualifies, which gives you 268 miles of range, according to Peugeot. 

Original list price: £35,400

Price after grant: £33,900

Read our Peugeot e-2008 review 

Like many of the models from brands in the Stellantis stable, the Peugeot e-2008 gets either a 50kWh or a 54kWh battery, offering up to 247 miles of official range. A 434-litre boot means this electric SUV is a good option for families, although it’s still down on the Kia Niro EV’s cargo-carrying ability.

Original list price: £36,460

Price after grant: £34,960

Read our Peugeot e-308 review

The Peugeot e-308 offers more versatility than most, because it’s available as both a hatchback and an estate (badged SW). The hatch comes with 361 litres of boot space, while the estate gets an impressive 508 litres. Peugeot says you can expect 267 miles from the 54kWh battery.

Peugeot e-408

Original list price: £36,170

Price after grant: £34,670

Read our Peugeot e-408 review

The e-408 is fundamentally a practical and efficient car that is mostly good at most things, with a range of 281 miles. The deciding factor in your hard-earned being ploughed into one is what you make of the design. It's striking in the metal, with sharp creases and pronounced haunches. If you put form over function, this is the ECG car for you.

Original list price: £32,250

Price after grant: £30,750

The e-Rifter shares its underpinnings with the Citroën ë-Berlingo, Toyota Proace City Verso and Vauxhall Combo Life Electric. That means a spacious cabin with room for up to seven people as well as equipment such as a 10in infotainment system, a digital driver's display, overhead storage, rear parking sensors and a heated steering wheel as standard.

Original list price: £36,925

Price after grant: £35,425

Read our Peugeot e-Traveller review

The e‑Traveller is a cavernous people-carrier with genuine family appeal, thanks to its van-based architecture and eight-seat flexibility. Potential range is 217 miles, but our real-world results fall closer to 180 miles – still not bad for something of this size. The front-mounted 134bhp motor struggles with the 2.2-tonne kerb weight, though, and delivers a leisurely 0-62mph time of 14.3sec. 

Original list price: £32,495

Price after grant: £30,995

Advertisement Back to top

Read our Renault Megane review

The Megane provides a 215bhp motor and a 60kWh battery for a claimed 285 miles of range. It also has a heat pump as standard, which is vital for boosting efficiency. There’s a larger, 12in infotainment system following a 2024 update, plus adaptive cruise control as standard. 

Original list price: £31,710

Price after grant: £30,210

Read our Skoda Elroq review

Few cars on this list are more capable than the Skoda Elroq. Most versions of the crossover are eligible for the grant discount, including the 85 SE L, which offers an 82kWh battery and up to 356 miles of range, according to Skoda. 

Original list price: £39,010

Price after grant: £37,510

Read our Skoda Enyaq review

Oddly enough, the Skoda Enyaq has a list price above the government’s £37,000 threshold, but it still qualifies for the grant because it shares much of its underpinnings with the Elroq. That means you can snap up an SE L or 60 Edition for £1500 less than usual. For that, you will get a competitive 270 miles of range, based on the official figures.

Original list price: £34,495

Price after grant: £32,995

Read our Toyota C-HR+ review

The C-HR+ brings a familiar SUV-coupé silhouette to the ECG ranks – but confusingly it isn't actually related to the C-HR hybrid. The EV is available with two battery sizes, the larger 77kWh unit unlocking a headline-grabbing 378-mile range. Toyota may have been slower than some rivals to embrace full electrification, but the C-HR+ makes up ground by balancing style and practicality with a commanding 10-year warranty and a refreshingly intuitive interior.

Toyota Proace City Verso

Original list price: £31,995

Price after grant: £30,495

We haven't driven this MPV yet, but it's essentially the same as the Citroen ë-Berlingo, Peugeot e-Rifter and Vauxhall Combo Life Electric found elsewhere in this list. Lots of room for not a lot of cash. Added bonus of a 10-year warranty.

Original list price: £35,005 

Price after grant: £33,505

Read our Vauxhall Astra Electric review

The electric Astra shares its underpinnings with the Peugeot e-308, including its battery. Vauxhall claims a range of 256 miles and its power output is 153bhp. As with the e-308, there’s a choice of a hatchback or a roomier estate. 

Original list price: £32,190

Price after grant: £30,690

The Combo Life is a sibling to the Citroën ë-Berlingo and co. There’s a choice of five- or seven-seat layouts but just one battery: a 52kWh unit. In the Combo Life, it produces an official 213 miles of range. Boot space is rated at 597 litres and there are 27 different storage areas throughout the car. 

Original list price: £27,505

Price after grant: £26,005

Read our Vauxhall Corsa Electric review

Formerly the UK’s best-selling car, the Vauxhall Corsa is just as good to drive with battery power as it is with a combustion engine. At its lowest price, you will get the small battery with a claimed 223 miles of range. Thankfully, the model with a 54kWh battery is also available with the ECG, and it produces a far more practical 256 miles of range, according to the official figures.

Vauxhall Frontera Electric

Original list price: £23,995

Price after grant: £22,495

Read our Vauxhall Frontera Electric review

Vauxhall recently revived the Frontera name for a small electric crossover, which shares its footprint and mechanicals with the Citroën ë-C3 Aircross. Like the French car, it produces a claimed 189 miles of range from a 44kWh battery as standard, but it also offers a 54kWh battery for an official range figure of 252 miles. 

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,455

Read our Vauxhall Grandland Electric review

If the Corsa and Frontera are too small, you can look to the Grandland. Thanks to a 72kWh battery, it promises 323 miles of range. An even longer-range, 97kWh version is coming soon too, although we expect that to fall outside of the ECG threshold. Boot space is 550 litres – close to that of the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y.

Original list price: £32,505

Price after grant: £31,005

Read our Vauxhall Mokka Electric review

Just one electric option is available for the Vauxhall Mokka. It comes with a 54kWh battery and a claimed 252 miles of range. Maximum charging speed is capped at 100kW and its single electric motor produces 154bhp. That’s sufficient to get you from 0-62mph in 9.0sec.

Original list price: £39,100

Price after grant: £37,600

Another Stellantis group whopper. Vauxhall describes it as a lounge on wheels, and it offers six- and nine-seat options. Two battery options to choose from too, the smaller resulting in a 139-mile range, the larger 219 miles.

Original list price: £32,350

Price after grant: £30,850

Read our Volkswagen ID 3 review

The Volkswagen ID 3 is good to drive and a sensible option for people looking to combine efficiency and comfort. Entry-level cars get a claimed range of 241 miles, but you can also step up to the Pro S Essential with 352 miles of range and still qualify for the ECG. 

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

Read our Volkswagen ID 4 review

Like the ID 3 but bigger. It has a large, 543-litre boot and its cabin impresses too with generous rear leg room, although the materials feel less premium than in some rivals and the touch-sensitive controls won’t be for everyone. The ID 4 is composed and easy-going on the road, with sharp initial acceleration for the more powerful models. Claimed range of up to 339 miles too.

Original list price: £36,995

Price after grant: £35,495

Read our Volkswagen ID 5 review

Mechanically identical to the ID 4 above but with a more coupé-like backside, yet peculiarly it has a larger official boot capacity.

However, EVs are becoming less expensive to buy fresh off the assembly line as the race is on to provide people with affordable options, in and around the £20,000 sweet spot.

We've already seen the recipe for a small EV around this price point - with bags of personality, fun driving credentials and enough practicality - turn into a sales sensation with the Renault 5. 

The retro-inspired EV is famously the first electric car to have a wait list.

Now almost every manufacturer is after that same £20,000 sales sensation and this year appears to be the one where new car buyers have a plethora of these EVs to choose from.

We've rounded up five new small EVs hitting the roads this year that will set you back between £20,000 and £25,000.

Spanish racing-inspired car brand Cupra has revealed its new Raval EV which will cost less than £23,000. It's going up against the cheap Renault EVs like the Twingo and R5

1. Cupra Raval

Price: £22,785

Spain's racing-inspired car brand Cupra is bringing an EV to the streets that will compete against the uber-popular French Renault 5 EV.

Volkswagen Group owns Cupra, and this new Raval launch is part of a push back against Renault's successful cheap EV drive, with VW bringing out several cheap small EVs to compete.

Sharing 37kWh or 52kWh battery options with Skoda Epiq and Volkswagen ID Polo and ID Cross, the Raval comes in three trims and two special launch editions, and ranges of between 186 miles and 279 miles.

Inside the sport-tuned EV there's a 10.25-inch instrument display, the biggest of any Cupra yet, and a 12.9-inch screen taken from the Cupra Born EV. Plus, a 430-litre boot - 45 litres more than the Born.

The cheapest Raval Core trim starts at £22,785 but it is expected to qualify for the Government's Electric Car Grant in which case it will drop to £21,285.

Honda brings its new 'Kei' car inspired Super-N EV to the UK later this year and it is expected to cost around £20k

2. Honda Super-N

Price: Estimated £20,000

Honda is hoping its Super-N electric city car will sell in high volumes - something the Honda-e EV never managed.

The small, retro-inspired EV - which has an uncanny resemblance to the short-lived Nissan Cube of the late 2000s - is heavily inspired by Japan's 'Kei' cars (pronounced 'kay'), which are tiny - and affordable - vehicles that have been dominating Japan's city streets for decades.

The Super-N is just 3.45 metres long, which is more than half a metre (60cm) shorter than the new Renault Twingo and much smaller than the typical 4.8m-long UK parking space.

With four seats, very limited (and yet unspecified) boot space and a 128-mile range (which can be stretched to 200 if only used for urban driving under 30mph) this tiny car is definitely made for whizzing around town and nothing else. 

But for cheap zero-emission transport that fun and functional, it's a charming idea. It goes on sale this summer.

The Polo - a best seller for VW for over 50 years - has come to life as an electric car. The c. £22k EV will be practical and stylish when it arrives this year

Read More

EVs hit record sales in reaction to surging fuel prices and availability of cheaper Chinese models

3. Volkswagen ID.Polo

Price: Estimated £22,000

The iconic Polo is going electric - 50 years after the bestseller first debuted.

The ID.Polo is the ID.2 concept in production form and is the first VW production model to feature technology built on VW's new-gen EV platform MEB+. 

It's the first of four new VW EV models.

Inside the compact EV uses a clever layout to offer ample space for five people and up to 435 litres of luggage space to make sure the EV is even more practical than the combustion Polo.

And it brings a new cockpit design which will follow into other VW models and harks back to the charm of the 1980s with a retro display; a single press of a button and the digital instrument display transform into screen views that look like the first Golf.

Available in three outputs initially and two battery sizes you'll get 279 miles of range maximum. A GTI will follow which will come with 223bhp.

Deliveries will start in late summer/early autumn and will start from around £22k.

Renault has nicknamed its new cheap EV, which costs under £20k, 'Le Frog'. It will bring a fun hint of nostalgia to UK roads this year 

4. Renault Twingo

Price: Estimated below £20,000

The Twingo brings a sense of cheer and chicness to the electric supermini class.

Renault boss Fabrice Cambolive said: 'Accessibility to EVs is critical for the future, and Twingo offers something new for Renault, and for all car buyers.'

Like the Renault R5, the Twingo will be another last century inspired EV - this time bringing back the feel of the original 90s car in an updated electric form.

The five-door 3.79m-long manages to pack in a surprisingly spacious interior, a 360-litre boot and useful storage options like a closed centre organiser and smartphone cable organiser.

A 7-inch and 10-inch screen share 100 apps and use Google Built-in and Chat GPT but there are still buttons and dials for functions like aircon.

You get up to 163 miles of EV driving and 10 to 80 per cent charge in 30 mins.

It's incredibly cheap, costing under £20,000.

The Kia EV2 is the South Korean brand's smallest EV SUV and its cheapest model to date. It costs £24,245 and offers up to 281 miles of range

5. Kia EV2

Price: £24,245

Another urban EV - this time from South Korea.

The EV2 is Kia's smallest electric SUV to date and it's cheapest EV. It's the sister model to the Hyundai Inster and rivals the Volvo EX30 and Renault 4 e-Tech.

'Class-leading range' provides customers with either 190 or 281 miles on a single charge and you can choose between four trims; Air, First Edition, GT-Line and GT-Line S.

Buyers of the EV2 get three screens and clever practical features including reclining seats and generous cargo space. 

You can also configure the EV2 with the number of seats you want makes it one of the most functional supermini options on the electric market

It has 403 litres of boot space, slightly less than the Renault 4 e-Tech's 420 litres, but the EV2 comes with a 15-litre frunk which the R4 does not.

And the interior is filled with sustainably sourced and made materials which gives the EV2 an extra gold star.

Orders have just opened and first customer deliveries are scheduled for later in 2026.

The quirky SUV is Nissan's second best-seller in Europe after the Qashqai, with more than 1.5 million examples sold since the original was launched in 2010.

The third-generation Juke, unveiled early this morning at the brand’s future-looking Vision Event in Japan, is based on Nissan’s CMF-EV platform and so powered exclusively by electricity.

It will share much of its underpinnings with the smaller Leaf EV, alongside which it will be built at Nissan’s Sunderland factory.

The Japanese firm’s answer to the Ford Puma Gen-E and Kia EV3 sports a “reimagining” of the Juke’s heavily sculptured and distinctive design, as previewed by 2024’s radical Hyper Punk concept. It also features its own light signature at the front and rear.

As its predecessors have done since 2010 with their “bold designs” that “challenge convention”, the new Juke will “help us reach new customers” within the EV market, said regional product boss Clíodhna Lyons.

However, in an effort to continue catering for as many customers as possible, the new Juke will be sold alongside an updated version of the current second-generation Juke hybrid.

Nissan originally planned to replace the Mk2 with the Mk3, but slower-than-expected EV sales growth made this move financially untenable.

However, Nissan Europe boss Massimiliano Messina was steadfast in confirming that the brand “remain firmly committed to a fully electric future", saying the decision to offer both powertrains brings “greater choice” to buyers while helping to “accelerate our transition to zero-emission mobility”.

Expected updates for the Mk2 Juke, which is also manufactured at Sunderland, are expected to concentrate on aligning its design with the Mk3. Its technology, now seven years old, is also due a refresh.

Details of what underpins the new Juke have yet to be confirmed, but it's expected to mirror the Leaf. That car offers either a 52kWh or 75kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery for up to 386 miles of range; power tops out at 215bhp; and, unlike in the larger Ariya EV, drive is sent exclusively to the front wheels.

Nissan Europe's R&D boss, David Moss, previously hinted that the new Juke could feature a bespoke chassis set-up that would help distinguish it from the technically identical Leaf and emphasise its more 'dynamic' character. This differentiation is particularly relevant given that the Leaf has morphed from a hatchback into a crossover that's very similar in size to the Juke.

Nissan isn’t worried about the pair stepping on each other’s toes, however. Its chief performance officer Guillaume Cartier told Autocar previously that their buyers "are a totally different profile, with nothing in common” because they occupy completely “different customer bubbles”. He said that the Juke is a “Marmite” car and one that “will not be compared to anything else”.

The new Juke was designed, engineered and developed in the UK, Spain and Germany, which Nissan said “underlines [its] long-term investment in Europe as both a production and innovation hub.”

Build trials at Sunderland will begin in the coming weeks, ahead of full production commencing in early 2027. Sales will then begin in the spring.

Context:

Nissan's new all-electric Juke will be built in Sunderland alongside both hybrid and EV variants.

Context:

This dual approach lets Nissan adapt to slower EV adoption while maintaining its electric transition goals.

Context:

The original Juke has sold over 1.5 million units since 2010, making it Nissan's second best-seller in Europe.

Only 100 of the individually personalised battery-powered Rolls-Royce are being built to order for the British luxury car-firm's super-rich clients around the world - and the Daily Mail and This is Money is among the first to have seen it in the metal.

Riding on vast 24-inch wheels - the largest ever fitted to a Rolls-Royce - the imposing but elegant 5.76-metre-long two-door drop-top with its torpedo-shaped profile and yacht-like features promise the ultimate in wind-in-the hair motoring with a distinctly nautical air.

And thanks to the near silent electric power it is so quiet inside - even with the roof down - you can hear birdsong.

Nightingale draws its inspiration from the glamorous and aerodynamically sleek open-topped luxury touring cars of the art deco and jazz age 1920s and '30s which cruised around the French Riveria, as well as from Rolls-Royce's early experimental or 'EX' cars.

It also harks back to a time when the fashion was for wealthy customers to buy a Rolls-Royce chassis and then commission a specialist coachbuilder to design and fit a bespoke body designed to their specification.

By invite only: Feast your eyes on the new Rolls-Royce Nightingale - the £3.5million electric cabriolet that's only being offered to the British luxury firm's most discerning clientele

In its modern 21st century incarnation, the Nightingale project marks the beginning of Rolls-Royce's new 'Coachbuild Collection' series - an exclusive limited run of specially created and 'never to be repeated' cars designed by the car-maker which clients can then individually customise with a high degree of bespoke personalisation.

The entire Nightingale run of 100 cars, each coachbuilt by hand, is worth around £350million in total to the luxury UK motor manufacturer which, since 1 January 2003, has been under the stewardship of German owners BMW.

Global testing gets underway this summer with first customer deliveries beginning from 2028.

But even if you win the lottery, you won't be able buy one; ownership is 'by invitation-only' and restricted to long-standing 'design literate' customers with 'a deep affinity' to the Rolls-Royce marque. 

They will take part in events and gatherings around the world as they customise their cars and visit Goodwood to see first-hand the engineering and craftsmanship that underpins it.

Only 100 of the individually personalised battery-powered Rolls-Royce are being built to order for the British luxury car-firm's super-rich clients around the world

Nightingale draws its inspiration from the glamorous and aerodynamically sleek open-topped luxury touring cars of the art deco and jazz age 1920s and '30s era. These were the premium motors that cruised around the French Riveria

It comes as Rolls-Royce Motor Cars massively expands its boutique factory at Goodwood in a £300million building project to cater for the boom in bespoke cars for the super-rich. 

I spent time with the car and exploring the new extension on an exclusive pre-launch visit to Goodwood ahead of the unveiling.

The new car takes its name from Le Rossignol - French for nightingale - which was the name of the designers' house at Rolls-Royce founder Henry Royce's Riviera estate and winter home on the Côte d'Azur in the South of France.

Rolls-Royce said that many of the collectors who inspired the Coachbuild Collections programme are existing owners of the firm's first electric car - the Spectre fastback coupe - 'who celebrate how its electric powertrain elevates the Rolls-Royce experience'.

Size matters

At 5.76 metres, Nightingale is almost exactly the same length as a standard flagship Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine - and significantly longer than a Ghost (5.4 metres) and a Spectre (5.5 metres) - with the vast expanse of flowing space devoted entirely to a sleek two-seater convertible form.

Constructed using Rolls-Royce's aluminium spaceframe, the monolithic Nightingale appears to have been carved from a single, solid piece of metal.

At a stately 2 metres wide and 1.6 metres high - with a wheelbase of 3.2 metres - it is expected to weigh around 2.5 tonnes.

At 5.76 metres, Nightingale is almost exactly the same length as a standard flagship Rolls-Royce Phantom limousine. But it's only a two-seat convertible

Read More

Rolls-Royce vows to stick with potent 12-cylinder petrol engines as it shelves plan to go electric in 2030

Electric elegance  

Nightingale is powered by a variant of Rolls-Royce's fully electric drivetrain - first deployed in the all-electric Spectre fastback coupe.

Although Rolls-Royce said it was too early to give performance details, expect an all-wheel drive powertrain developing around 600hp to 650hp delivering acceleration from 0-62mph of around 4.5 seconds up to a top speed governed at 155mph.

The company noted: 'The silent and effortless delivery of power amplifies every characteristic that has defined the Rolls-Royce experience for more than a century, and the nature of this powertrain unlocks completely new design possibilities.'

The Spirit of Ecstasy or 'Flying Lady' figurine is integrated into the top of the grille in a subtly recessed section whose lines flow backwards and dissolve into the bonnet

Bold front and light fantastic

The bold and commanding Rolls-Royce Pantheon grille with its generous surround – almost a metre in width – appears to be carved from a solid block of aluminium, with 24 vertical air vanes set deep within.

One of the most dramatic design elements are the slim vertical headlamps dropping down either side of the grille at the outermost edges of each wing. From the bottom of these headlamps polished stainless-steel bands run the full length of the car to meet the thin slightly angled red tail-lights at the rear.

The Spirit of Ecstasy or 'Flying Lady' figurine is integrated into the top of the grille in a subtly recessed section whose lines flow backwards and dissolve into the bonnet 'as though the figurine is moving at speed through water with the metalwork parting gently around her'.

A carbon fibre apron below creates the effect that the grille is set on top of a plinth. It is a nod to Art Deco skyscrapers - like New York's Chrysler Building - whose decorative uppermost floors are supported by solid geometric blocks beneath them.

The single 'hull line 'runs continuously from front to rear along the length of Nightingale and is inspired by the line that separates a yacht's hull from its superstructure

We are sailing  

From above, Nightingale looks like a vast yacht with fore and aft decks.

A single 'hull line 'runs continuously from front to rear along the length of Nightingale and is inspired by the line that separates a yacht's hull from its superstructure.

A second lower polished stainless-steel band near the rear wheels evokes the gentle white water of a sailing yacht's wake.

Two aerodynamic bumps or blisters directly behind the behind the driver and passenger headrests help protect against the elements.

Torpedo-shaped profile  

The full impact of Nightingale's torpedo-shaped design is revealed best in side profile.

Here an expansive bonnet leads to the dramatically raked windscreen with a stainless-steel frame which also houses a delicate quarterlight windows inspired by the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé.

The compact two-seat cabin is set deep within the body of the car - behind the vast bonnet and in front of the sloping rear deck which falls and tapers towards a dramatically low trailing edge.

Rolls-Royce said: 'This is a motor car that is almost entirely bonnet and tail, its two-seat cabin an intimate counterpoint to the grandeur of the volumes surrounding it.'

These 24-inch wheels are the largest ever fitted to a Rolls-Royce Motor Car in its history

Wheel presence 

Nightingale's giant 24-inch wheels – the largest fitted to a Rolls-Royce – feature a directional design inspired by the propellers of a yacht viewed from beneath the waterline.

They appear to be in continuous motion even when the car is stationary while machined stripes create the impression of wire wheel spokes moving at speed.

Aluminium flakes within the black finish introduce a delicate sparkle as the wheel turns.

A piano-style boot lid - which opens sideways on a cantilever - is just one of a selection of jaw-dropping features 

Putting the boot in 

The rear 'Piano Boot' opens sideways on a cantilever - echoing the ceremony of a grand piano while transforming a routine function into a performance.

A single narrow brake lamp sits directly at the centreline on the rear deck, pointing downwards.

Aerodynamic styling and a carbon fibre 'Aero Afterdeck' ensures stability at high speed without the need for a spoiler.

A recessed chrome number plate surround is set 'with the precision of a watch bezel'.

With the roof lowered, Rolls-Royce engineers said near-silent sensation of driving all-electric Nightingale was akin to travelling by sailing yacht

Hitting the roof 

The fabric roof can be raised into place from the rear if the weather turns against open top driving - giving Nightingale a coupé-like presence.

Within the roof itself, a unique sound-deadening material combines cashmere, fabric and high-performance composites.

With the roof lowered, Rolls-Royce engineers said near-silent sensation of driving all-electric Nightingale was akin to travelling by sailing yacht, noting: 'The fully electric drivetrain generates virtually no mechanical noise, and wind noise is all but eliminated.'

That leaves occupants to savour their surroundings - from the sound of ocean waves breaking on the shore to the chorus of birdsong.

Rolls-Royce said: 'The acoustic engineers aim to achieve an exceptionally serene experience whether the soft top roof is raised or lowered, while still preserving the sounds that enhance the romance of driving – such as raindrops on canvas.'

Indeed, hearing birdsong 'with unusual clarity' on early test drives, prompted designers to analyse the distinctive sound-wave patterns created by nightingale song and use this to create an interior illumination called Starlight Breeze comprising 10,500 individual 'stars' which extend from the front of each door and wraps around the driver and passenger's seat,

The fascia surround and headrests features delicate flashes of Peony Pink inspired by the wild blooms of the Riviera

Electric glide in blue 

Nightingale customers will be able to choose from an entirely new set of colour and material palettes and bespoke features which are reserved exclusively for this specific Coachbuild Collection series and will not be available on any other Rolls-Royce motor car.

The first demonstration Nightingale shown today uses a pale solid blue exterior paint finish that draws inspiration from the experimental Rolls-Royce 17EX of 1928. 

It is infused with subtle red flakes that reveal themselves in changing light – a discreet reference to the red badges fitted to past 'EX' motor cars.

A silver-coloured convertible soft-top roof completes the picture.

Sumptuous interior for two 

Inside, the sumptuous seats are finished in soft pastel Charles Blue, paired with a warm Grace White tone, to create an environment of gentle, sunlit calm designed to evoke the atmosphere of the Côte d'Azur.

Deep Navy seat inserts create contrast and depth.

The fascia surround and headrests features delicate flashes of Peony Pink inspired by the wild blooms of the Riviera.

Openpore Blackwood veneer laid in a 'V' shape opens upwards to direct the eye to the sky above.

On opening the rear-hinged coach door to enter the car, the driver's armrest glides automatically rearwards to reveal the Spirit of Ecstasy rotary controller. This has a tactile aluminium collar with four grooves and a look reminiscent of contemporary jewellery.

The jewelled treatment extends throughout the interior to the gear selector and remaining rotary controls - of which there are just five in total.

At the touch of a button, the armrest moves further to reveal a concealed compartment for personal items.

Polished aluminium cupholders add a further jewel-like accent.

A hidden shelf behind the seats includes space for hand luggage.

The handle for the coach doors incorporates a hidden lock mechanism and a discreetly integrated indicator lamp.

The elegant stainless-steel Rolls-Royce 'Double R' monogram appears on each front wing and in the centre of the luggage compartment.

A hidden shelf behind the seats includes space for hand luggage. But don't expect to be transporting a lot of gear in this £3.5million luxury barge

Torpedoes running - and all that jazz 

A key inspiration for Nightingale was Rolls-Royce's high-speed experimental or 'EX' motor cars of the 1920s - in particular the torpedo-shaped 16EX and 17EX models - which were based on powerful Phantom chassis cloaked in lightweight aerodynamic aluminium bodies, reached speeds of more than 90 miles per hour, and were distinguished by their imposing scale, long bonnet, shallow windscreen and a snug, enveloping cabin for driver and companion.

Nightingale also embraces the spirit of Streamline Moderne design from the late Art Deco era.

Rolls-Royce said: 'These motor cars were created in 1928, at the height of the Jazz Age, just three years after the Art Deco movement was given its name. They are some of the rarest and most desirable motor cars in the marque's history.

It added: 'Defined by grand proportions and underpinned with a fully electric drivetrain that delivers a uniquely silent open-top experience, Project Nightingale draws on the glamour and confidence of the 1920s and 1930s while remaining entirely of its time.'

Creating a coachbuilt heritage 

Landmark coachbuilt Rolls-Royces of recent years include: Sweptail in 2017; Boat Tail in 2021; and Droptail in 2023.

The one-off Rolls-Royce commission La Rose Noire - said to be the most expensive car in the world - cost a staggering £23million.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars chief executive Chris Brownridge said Nightingale brought together 'the design freedom of coachbuilding, our powerful, near-silent all-electric powertrain, and a uniquely potent yet serene expression of open-top motoring.'

Rolls-Royce noted: 'Each of the 100 examples will be meticulously curated with its commissioning client to reflect their personal taste, character and vision.

'In drawing on the experimental spirit of Henry Royce and the glamour of the Art Deco era, Nightingale is a motor car that looks to the past with the confidence of a marque that has always known its future.'

Will it fit in my garage? Rolls-Royce Nightingale

Limited run: 100

Price: circa £3.5million each

On sale: Now (but 'by invitation only')

First deliveries: 2028

Length: 5.76 metres

Width: 2.02 metres

Height: 1.559 metres

Wheelbase: 3.21 metres

Weight: circa 2.5 tonnes (estimate)

Powertrain: Battery-electric all-wheel drive.

Power: circa 600hp to 650hp (estimate)

Acceleration (0-62mph): 4.5 seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 155mph (governed)

• Owners say SUVs can suddenly stop charging, starting, or driving.
• Lawsuit claims GM knew about the defects before selling the Lyriq.
• Plaintiffs allege some vehicles spent weeks or months at dealerships.

For something as expensive and high-tech as the Cadillac Lyriq, buyers probably expect a few software bugs here and there. Maybe a glitchy screen, a frozen app, or a charger that occasionally needs a second try. According to a new lawsuit against General Motors, some owners are dealing with something much worse: SUVs that suddenly become completely unusable.

A proposed class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington claims the Cadillac Lyriq suffers from widespread electrical, software, and battery-management issues that can leave the electric SUV unable to start, charge, or drive. In other words, the lawsuit alleges that some Lyriqs effectively become very expensive driveway ornaments, or, in tech terms, bricks. We doubt owners find much comfort in that, regardless of whatever styling drew them in.

More: Thousands Of Cadillac EVs Recalled Over A Feature Meant To Impress

According to the lawsuit seen by Carcomplaints, Washington resident Wendy Cochran and Florida resident Charlene Riddle both say their Lyriqs suffered what’s described as “catastrophic electrical system failure.” Riddle claims GM told her a software fix was required, but that no fix was available at the time. Cochran, meanwhile, says her SUV became unusable, leaving her with lost time, added costs, and a vehicle now worth less than she paid.

Importantly, the filling calls into question failures with the Lyriq’s electrical architecture, battery-management modules, software systems, and vehicle control networks. All of those systems have to constantly work with one another. The plaintiffs point out that if one fails, it can cascade throughout the rest of the system and effectively brick the car.

One important piece of the puzzle is that the lawsuit claims that GM was aware about this issue and put the cars on the market anyway. The lawsuit alleges that the company had access to pre-production testing, engineering reports, warranty claims, dealership repair records, and consumer complaints, all of which pointed to the same issue. Even so, GM allegedly continued marketing the Lyriq as a premium, reliable luxury EV.

At this point, the ball is in GM’s court. It can respond by denying the allegations or, more likely, it could ask the judge to dismiss the case altogether. Generally, the next move comes within three weeks of the initial filing so we should have more news on the case soon.

As everyone is rightly thinking, ex-007 isn't about to lend his chiselled profile to a cheap Chinese product [even if they pay him a small fortune], which must mean this Chinese car brand is a little bit different to what we've seen so far.

And Denza is certainly unique.

It's the luxury spin-off of BYD - the EV maker that dethroned Tesla as the world's largest electric car maker - that's being pitched against glamorous European car makers. 

But it has a significant ace up its sleeve with technology that promises to revolutionise the EV charging game.

Denza launched in Paris last week at the Opera Palais Garnier no less, revealing its first European and UK model - the flagship Z9GT shooting brake.

It will be a rival to the Porsche Cross Turismo with the temptation of either fully-electric or plug-in hybrid power, state-of-the-art gadgets, sumptuous features, eye-watering performance and battery charges in just five minutes.

But with a price tag of around £100,000, it's far from the cheap Chinese cars Britons have been snapping up at record pace in the last 18 months.

Daily Mail and This is Money motoring reporter Freda Lewis-Stempel is among the first to drive the Z9GT to see if China really can compete at the luxury end of the car market.

This is NOT a cheap Chinese car: Denza launched in Paris last week at the Opera Palais Garnier, revealing its flagship £100k Z9GT with 5 minute charging and blistering performance 

What is Denza? BYD goes luxe

Everyone - unless you've been living under a rock for the last couple of years - has now heard of BYD. What people won't have heard of is Denza - the Chinese giant's luxury tech arm.

The premium brand was born in China in 2010, in partnership with Daimler, and was dedicated to 'new energy vehicles' - essentially, EVs and advanced hybrids. 

It's first model went on sale at the end of 2014 in China, and its first store outside of its home country was opened in Hong Kong in 2024.

Daimler exited what was left of its partnership in 2024, after which BYD followed with a 2025 announcement that Denza would arrive in Europe - and that Britain would be one of its first markets.

Denza promises to 'blend cutting-edge technology with sophisticated design to deliver a smarter, safer, and more refined driving experience'.

Daily Mail and This is Money motoring reporter Freda Lewis-Stempel drove the EV version on launch and witnessed its Flash Charging first hand. Is it worth £100k?

£100k Z9GT flagship EV charges in 5 minutes

The Z9GT is not only the first Denza model to launch in European and UK markets, but also the flagship car. 

It promises to bring the best of the marque's cutting edge technology and features to buyers with immediate effect.

Denza says, 'blending a sophisticated, flowing shooting-brake body style with state-of-the-art technology, the Z9GT represents a unique proposition for premium buyers searching for a supremely comfortable car underpinned by innovation'.

The Z9GT is available as both an EV and plug-in hybrid Super Hybrid DM (Dual Model) to give buyers ultimate flexibility. 

And they both are compatible with BYD's 'Flash Charging' - a huge pull for buyers and a huge moment for EV charging and tech in general.

Flash Charging is BYD's version of Tesla Supercharging but on steroids.

The charging technology can deliver unparalleled charging speeds of up to 1,500kW. 

And the Denza Z9GT is the first model that can extract such incredible rates, thanks its second-generation BYD Blade Battery battery. 

It means recharging times are no longer than it takes you and I to brim a petrol car. 

Read More

Chinese cars will soon take over Britain's roads. I've tested them and spoken to insiders¿ here's what you need to know before you buy one, says motoring editor ROB HULL

Denza goes with the line 'ready in five, full in nine, cold add three' because the Z9GT can charge from 10 to 70 per cent in five minutes, from 10 to 97 per cent in nine minutes, and even in minus 30 degrees Celsius can still recharge from 20 to 97 per cent in 12 minutes.

There's no denying that this - which I saw with my own eyes during the Paris launch - will transform both recharging and range anxiety for EV buyers, and represents the future of EV charging.

Tesla with its 500kW Superchargers which can add 200 miles in 15 minutes is left in the dust.

Expect the expansion of the Flash Charging network to be as rapid as the charging times too: BYD will install 300 1500kW chargers in the UK over the next 12 months.

There will be 600 chargers in total in the UK, offering the fastest charging times, as part of 6,000 new locations globally.

The EV has 1140bhp, which is more than the Ferrari 12Cilindri V12 (819bhp) and the Porsche 911 Turbo S (760bhp). It can cover 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds. Is this simply too fast for a family car? 

What is the Z9GT like to drive?

The Z9GT is a bit of a driving dilemma.

It comes with pretty mind-blowing performance.

The EV has 1,140bhp. To put that into real terms, that's more grunt than a Ferrari 12Cilindri V12 (819bhp) or a Porsche 911 Turbo S (760bhp).

It can cover 0-to-62mph in 2.7 seconds, which is faster than a Porsche Taycan 4s and a BMW i5. In fact, that's only 0.2 seconds shy of the Aston Martin Valhalla hypercar.

The Z9GT threw me back in the seat when I first floored the throttle, and this hit my adrenaline quota for the day.

But it was also a bit skittish, squirming as it soared through that 0-62mph time; you have to handle it or it will handle you.

It's deeply impressive and exhilarating, but it raises a fear in me for the safety of day-to-day drivers. It's just so much power and pace.

I asked BYD Vice President Stella Li this at the reveal ceremony in Opera Palais Garnier in Paris and she counteracted it that 'on one hand you have speed and fun, and the other hand it's also safe', pointing to its many safety features.

This includes its high-speed tyre blowout system, which will react to the incident in milliseconds and adjust the torque of the unaffected tyres to keep the car in a straight line and them slow it down.

This is great, but I'm less concerned with a tyre blowing out than I am with someone deciding to use launch control on a rural road or take a corner at too high a speed.

There is a conversation to be had around the kind of performance new cars, especially EVs, are offering buyers with deep pockets. Motoring editor Rob Hull complained about the very same thing when he drove Porsche's new Cayenne Turbo Electric last month - which coincidentally produces 1,140bhp.

Many sports car brands and supercar brands give new car buyers track and advanced driver training to make sure they can handle their new, very powerful cars safely. 

It might be time for other brands to join suit.

I enjoyed threading it around Ile de France's rural roads, finding the steering tight, precise and very much controlled

It's extraordinarily comfortable to drive, the position low and sporty and yet visibility was great

Power and performance aside I enjoyed threading it around Ile de France's rural roads, finding the steering tight, precise and very much controlled - and it basically turned itself through the slalom course earlier on.

It's extraordinarily comfortable to drive, the position low and sporty and yet visibility was great (and I am not tall so this can be a struggle). 

You can electronically adjust the seats to 800 different positions and the steering wheel to match, and the electronic seat bolstering keeps you secure and supported through twists and turns.

There are many driving modes to choose from, with Sport being the most fun unsurprisingly, but I was happy to find both Eco and Comfort didn't let the side down either.

The digital rearview mirror didn't bother me at all (it's not the first car I've driven with one) and was crisp and clear, but I can't get onboard with the digital side mirrors - just give me a normal wing mirror.

I'd like to spend more time in the Z9GT, taking it on a weeklong road trip to understand what this car is about every day - would I be excited to drive every day? 

I feel I would, but I'm not quite ready to commit to that yet.

The Z9GT EV's 122.49kWh battery delivers 372 miles of range and it can charge from 10-70% in five minutes

Breakthrough for EV charging: BYD has unveiled its new Flash Charging station design which claims to be able to boost an electric car battery from 10-97% charge in 9 minutes

Range and tech - how Z9GT maximises miles

The Z9GT EV's 122.49kWh Blade Battery delivers 372 miles of range which is almost enough to get you from London to Edinburgh on a single charge. 

Of course, once there's a Flash Charger on the route you only need to stop for five minutes to get yourself over the line with range to spare.

The Z9GT PHEV (three electric motors, a 63.82kWh battery and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine) offers 126 miles of EV only range - a seriously impressive amount and leading PHEVs in all classes. It has a 500-mile combined range. It can also Flash Charge.

The other tech that the Z9GT offers is as eyebrow-raising advanced as Flash Charging.

I watched this car park itself in so many ways I have no idea why anyone would ever need to learn to park again.

Through its e³ Parking Assist and rear-wheel steering, it can 'crab walk' (meaning it can move diagonally rather than simply forwards and back) and 360-degree compass turn and manoeuvre itself into the tightest spaces imaginable. Its 4.62-metre turning radius is class-leading.

All of these can be controlled via the smartphone app or via the touchscreen. 

The car identifies the available spaces and will park itself into the space whichever way is needed, tucking in mirrors as required. 

You can even select the speed at which you want it to complete each park - fast, comfort etc. Or whether you want it to park to the left or right of a space depending on which side you need the most space. 

I've seen a lot of self-parking tech; this is by far the most advanced.

As mentioned already, there's a lot of safety tech on offer.

This includes a full suite of advanced assistance features, including adaptive cruise, lane centering and predictive collision avoidance (none of which I found too intrusive) as well as the high-speed tyre blow out and a low-adhesion road stabilisation system.

It looks good most of the time but sometimes can look almost dated...and the badge could use some work

Z9GT design inside and out - is it as elegant as promised?

It might seem a bit odd to get to the design of the car so late into a review, but because Denza leads with tech, the looks aren't as big a draw as its Flash Charging or incredible performance, in my opinion.

Denza says it draws inspiration from the fluidity of silk, 'with clean flowing lines that balance strength, refinement and aerodynamic efficiency'.

I love a shooting brake body style. And I do think the Z9GT can look luxe and quite sexy but on a good day if that makes sense. 

It doesn't wow all the time, in all lights or at all angles. I don't think the Denza badge helps either - it's a bit old school.

The interior, on the other hand, is really something. It is true luxe.

I could sit in those four plush, leather seats for hours; all seats have massage functions because Denza treats all passengers equally, they are heated and ventilated, the sunroof provides light or sun shading as required, there's not a nasty material anywhere to be found, the insulation and noise cancelling is sublime and that 20-speaker Devialet sound system is a music lover's heaven. Outstanding.

The doors open at the touch of a Rolls-Royce style button, which makes you feel pretty fabulous too.

The interior is divine: A 17.3-inch main touchscreen and two 13.2-inch screens and endless luxury features

All seats have massage functions because Denza treats all passengers equally, and they are heated and ventilated

And the cockpit looks fantastic with a 17.3-inch main touchscreen and two 13.2-inch screens - one for the driver and one for the passenger. 

The passenger can sing karaoke while the driver controls the parking for instance. The driver also gets a whopping 50-inch head up display. 

The wireless Apple CarPlay was flawless to connect and the two 50kW wireless charging pads actually worked - and fast.

In terms of practicality and space, you can fit large adults in with room to spare, and there's a 495-litre boot in the EV and a 478-litre boot in the PHEV. The EV also has a 50-litre frunk. And both models have a cooling or heating refrigerator too.

How much does the Z9GT cost?

BYD often undercuts European rivals, creating pricing wars to drive demand to its 130-plus UK showrooms. 

But this isn't the case with the Z9GT. It turns the Chinese car expectation on its head - it's a very expensive vehicle.

The EV costs €115,000 (£100,221 at the time of writing) and the PHEV costs €101,000 (£88,020).

For comparison, the equivalent estate-like Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo rings in at £89,200 and the Cross Turismo costs £99,200. So, Denza has hurdled even the luxury Stuttgart brand.

There's a long-range version coming soon too, but we don't know pricing for that yet.

The EV costs €115,000 (£100,221 at the time of writing) and the PHEV costs €101,000 (£88,020). Will UK buyers pay that for a car from a brand they've never heard of?

Cars and Motoring verdict: Has Denza done it right?

In the Z9GT Denza has delivered a very impressive tech and performance package - and industry-changing EV charging too.

I genuinely want to drive the car more, and first impressions have been very positive.

Order books open later this month. Act fast and place a deposit before September and BYD will throw in complimentary flash charging, too. 

But no matter how much cash you throw at Daniel Craig to endorse it, or wax lyrical about its charging speeds, will buyers agree to splash £100,000 on an EV from a Chinese brand they've never heard of before?

That's a big ask and only time will tell...

Denza Z9GT EV: Specs at a glance 

Price: £100,000 (est)

On sale: Order books open in late April

First deliveries: Later this year 

Dimensions (length / width / height): 5,180mm / 1,990mm / 1,490mm 

Battery: 122.4kWh battery

Drive: 3x e-motors 

Power/torque: 1,140bhp/1,210Nm

Transmission: Single-speed auto, all-wheel drive

Acceleration (0-62mph): 2.7 seconds

Top speed: 167mph

Charging: 1,500kW (10-97% in nine minutes)

Range: 372 miles

Context:

Denza Z9GT offers revolutionary 5-minute charging technology, potentially solving EV's biggest barrier to adoption.

Context:

This breakthrough could accelerate mass EV adoption by eliminating range anxiety and lengthy charging waits.

Context:

BYD recently overtook Tesla as the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer in sales volume.

• BYD will roll out ultra fast chargers in Europe delivering up to 1,500 kW.
• Europe gets 3,000 Flash Charging stations within the next 12 months.
• Denza EVs and even hybrids will both exploit very short top-up times.

BYD has officially confirmed that its absurdly powerful new charging tech is headed to Europe, which means the phrase “rapid charger” may soon need a slightly more ambitious definition. Across the next 12 months, the company plans 6,000 Flash Charging stations outside China, including 3,000 across Europe.

Europe already has thousands of EV fill-up stations, but these BYD Flash Charge devices don’t just edge past today’s fastest public chargers, they absolutely body-slam them. BYD says the new hardware can deliver up to 1,500 kW, making it comfortably the quickest charging setup announced for Europe so far.

Related: Geely’s Golden Brick Battery Charges Faster Than BYD, But Good Luck Finding A Plug For It

Better yet, this won’t be some members-only club for BYD owners. The chargers are set to use CCS2 connectors and should be open to other brands too. Dealers selling BYD’s posh Denza vehicles will get their own branded versions, while public sites elsewhere will simply wear the Flash name. BYD is also planning to work with existing charging locations rather than starting from scratch every time.

The headline numbers are predictably bonkers. BYD says its newest battery tech can take compatible cars from 10 to 70 percent in five minutes, and from 10 to 97 percent in nine. That’s less charging stop, and more pause for breath.

Denza Leads The Charge

The first big beneficiaries in Europe will be the Denza Z9GT and the D9 DM-i. The Z9GT is the flashy one, a tri-motor, fully-electric shooting brake with a 123 kWh battery and enough shove to hit 62 mph in 2.7 seconds.

The D9 DM-i minivan, meanwhile, proves plug-in hybrids can join the party too. Its 58.5 kWh battery can accept up to 559 kW, allowing the same five-minute run from 10 to 70 percent and nine minutes from 10 to 97. That’s especially handy in a giant seven-seat MPV with 130 miles (209 km) of electric range and a 590-mile (950 km) total figure when the petrol tank is full. In contrast, some PHEVs from other brands still don’t accept DC charging at all.

Of course, BYD isn’t the only one throwing elbows. Earlier this week, Geely claimed its latest chargers and Golden Brick battery tech were even quicker still, because apparently the industry has decided the best way to sell EVs is through stopwatch violence.

BMW Says Non To Charging War

BMW, though, isn’t buying the hype. “You always have to be careful with those kinds of announcements,” the company’s battery production boss Markus Fallböhmer told Car Sales recently, suggesting battery longevity and reliability could be at stake.

“It is possible to optimize one single performance indicator, but you have to make compromises on other sides. We could also increase our charging speed, but then you have to reduce other important factors of a battery.”

Context:

BYD will deploy 3,000 ultra-fast 1,500 kW chargers across Europe within 12 months, open to all EV brands.

Context:

This charging speed could reduce typical charging stops from 30+ minutes to just 5-9 minutes for most drivers.

Context:

Current fastest European public chargers typically max out around 350 kW, making BYD's system over 4x more powerful.

• Average new car transaction price in US climbs to $49,275.
• EV prices fall 2.8 % to $54,508 thanks to sales incentives.
• Buyers are still choosing big vehicles such as full-size trucks.

Here’s some good news if you’ve been eyeing an EV as a way out of buying expensive gas, but also flinching at the price of making the switch. The gap between electric and gas cars just shrank to its smallest level ever. Okay, so $5,800 is not pocket change, but it’s a whole lot less scary than it used to be, and is the kind of difference you could even out with fuel cost savings if you’re a high mileage driver.

New EV prices dropped 2.8 percent year over year to $54,508, marking their third straight monthly decline, according to fresh data from Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book. That’s not happening by accident, either. Automakers are throwing incentives at buyers like confetti, with EV discounts now averaging 14.6 percent of transaction price.

Related: Most Automakers Clear Inventory With Discounts, Tesla Raised Model S And X Prices Instead

Meanwhile, gas and hybrid vehicles are holding steady. The industry average transaction (ATP) price landed at $49,275 in March, up 3.5 percent from last year but basically flat compared with February. So while EVs are coming down, ICE models aren’t exactly rushing to meet them halfway.

The annual price gains have now accelerated for four consecutive months. The average MSRP reached $51,456, marking the 12th straight month above $50,000.

Bigger Is Better

What’s really driving the overall numbers, though, is what Americans are actually buying. Spoiler alert, it’s still big stuff, and its not electric. Full-size pickups are hovering near $66,000, while full-size SUVs are knocking on the door of $80,000. 

At the other end of the spectrum, compact cars are barely moving, up just 1.1 percent year over year and still sitting under $28,000. Even with rising prices, they’re losing relevance as buyers keep chasing space, power, and presence.

The brand data adds another layer of intrigue. Porsche buyers clearly didn’t get the memo about tightening American household budgets, with average prices jumping 12.4 percent year over year to $128,447. Cadillac is also riding high with an 11.6 percent increase to $84,139. 

Mercedes, Tesla Prices Down

But not everyone’s winning. Mercedes-Benz prices fell 3.4 percent to $75,886, while Tesla dropped 2.6 percent to $53,142, continuing its quiet price-cut campaign to stay competitive. 

And then there are incentives across the wider market. They climbed to 7.2 percent of ATP, up from 6.9 percent in February, showing that even as prices stay high, automakers are working harder behind the scenes to keep buyers interested.

Average Transaction Price By Automaker

Automaker Mar-26 Feb-26 Mar-25 MoM
change YoY
change BMW $70,792 $71,807 $70,515 -1.4% 0.4% Ford Motor Company $57,170 $57,312 $54,312 -0.2% 5.3% Geely Auto Group $61,461 $60,268 $60,094 2.0% 2.3% General Motors $53,474 $53,325 $51,521 0.3% 3.8% Honda Motor Company $39,125 $39,521 $38,967 -1.0% 0.4% Hyundai Motor Group $38,880 $39,195 $38,139 -0.8% 1.9% Mazda Motor Corporation $36,229 $36,068 $36,160 0.4% 0.2% Mercedes-Benz Group AG $75,886 $76,904 $78,592 -1.3% -3.4% Renault-Nissan-Mitsu Alliance $36,302 $36,967 $34,224 -1.8% 6.1% Stellantis $56,366 $56,391 $53,288 0.0% 5.8% Subaru Corporation $36,673 $37,323 $35,058 -1.7% 4.6% Tata Motors $104,374 $103,421 $104,791 0.9% -0.4% Tesla Motors $53,142 $53,798 $54,573 -1.2% -2.6% Toyota Motor Corporation $46,293 $46,651 $45,060 -0.8% 2.7% Volkswagen Group $58,314 $58,346 $55,244 -0.1% 5.6% Industry Average $49,275 $49,329 $47,606 -0.1% 3.5%

Average Transaction Price By Brand

Brand Mar-26 Feb-26 Mar-25 MoM
change YoY
change Acura $49,505 $49,968 $52,525 -0.9% -5.7% Audi $62,942 $64,334 $63,067 -2.2% -0.2% BMW $73,226 $73,635 $72,750 -0.6% 0.7% Buick $36,888 $37,351 $35,733 -1.2% 3.2% Cadillac $84,139 $81,667 $75,360 3.0% 11.6% Chevrolet $48,798 $48,979 $47,199 -0.4% 3.4% Chrysler $47,484 $48,215 $48,539 -1.5% -2.2% Dodge $50,628 $51,376 $52,904 -1.5% -4.3% Ford $56,482 $56,619 $53,532 -0.2% 5.5% Genesis $65,415 $64,696 $64,536 1.1% 1.4% GMC $64,649 $63,501 $65,506 1.8% -1.3% Honda $38,033 $38,346 $37,686 -0.8% 0.9% Hyundai $37,072 $38,280 $37,231 -3.2% -0.4% Infiniti $66,925 $69,269 $69,488 -3.4% -3.7% Jeep $52,502 $51,885 $49,289 1.2% 6.5% Kia $38,295 $37,891 $36,756 1.1% 4.2% Land Rover $106,837 $104,602 $107,224 2.1% -0.4% Lexus $62,717 $64,189 $61,256 -2.3% 2.4% Lincoln $69,678 $70,269 $68,265 -0.8% 2.1% Mazda $36,229 $36,068 $36,160 0.4% 0.2% Mercedes-Benz $75,886 $76,904 $78,592 -1.3% -3.4% MINI $42,166 $41,668 $41,253 1.2% 2.2% Mitsubishi $32,511 $33,750 $31,801 -3.7% 2.2% Nissan $34,845 $35,661 $32,807 -2.3% 6.2% Porsche $128,447 $125,440 $114,256 2.4% 12.4% Ram $65,754 $65,208 $62,288 0.8% 5.6% Subaru $36,673 $37,323 $35,058 -1.7% 4.6% Tesla $53,142 $53,798 $54,573 -1.2% -2.6% Toyota $43,684 $43,711 $42,164 -0.1% 3.6% Volkswagen $39,939 $39,703 $37,225 0.6% 7.3% Volvo $61,376 $60,018 $59,625 2.3% 2.9%

Average Transaction Price By Segment

Segment Mar-26 Feb-26 Mar-25 MoM
change YoY
change Compact Car $27,469 $27,336 $27,168 0.5% 1.1% Compact SUV/Crossover $37,055 $36,808 $36,296 0.7% 2.1% Entry-level Luxury Car $59,281 $58,111 $56,404 2.0% 5.1% Full-size Pickup Truck $65,964 $66,141 $64,167 -0.3% 2.8% Full-size SUV/Crossover $79,500 $79,473 $75,757 0.0% 4.9% High Performance Car $129,076 $134,010 $113,379 -3.7% 13.8% High-end Luxury Car $122,083 $125,088 $121,405 -2.4% 0.6% Luxury Car $61,791 $60,929 $58,252 1.4% 6.1% Luxury Compact SUV/Crossover $51,670 $52,081 $52,384 -0.8% -1.4% Luxury Full-size Pickup Truck $92,747 $99,698 $89,020 -7.0% 4.2% Luxury Full-size SUV/Crossover $104,580 $104,301 $101,121 0.3% 3.4% Luxury Mid-size SUV/Crossover $73,835 $74,046 $74,182 -0.3% -0.5% Lux. Subcompact SUV/Crossover $41,157 $40,001 $39,126 2.9% 5.2% Mid-size Car $33,974 $33,830 $33,591 0.4% 1.1% Mid-size SUV/Crossover $49,853 $50,154 $48,475 -0.6% 2.8% Minivan $47,757 $48,058 $47,952 -0.6% -0.4% Small/Mid-size Pickup Truck $43,042 $43,328 $41,766 -0.7% 3.1% Sports Car $47,244 $47,295 $48,445 -0.1% -2.5% Subcompact Car $26,479 $24,948 $23,314 6.1% 13.6% Subcompact SUV/Crossover $30,612 $30,832 $29,957 -0.7% 2.2% Van $60,485 $60,754 $59,075 -0.4% 2.4% Industry Average $49,275 $49,329 $47,606 -0.1% 3.5%

Cox Automotive/KBB, Images Hyundai/Porsche

Context:

Automakers are losing nearly $8,000 per EV sale through heavy incentives to close the price gap with gas cars.

Context:

This unsustainable pricing strategy could reshape the entire automotive industry's profitability and EV adoption rates.

Context:

The EV-gas car price gap has shrunk to just $5,800, the smallest difference ever recorded in the US market.

Battery electric car registrations reached 86,120 in March, up 24.2 per cent on the same period last year and setting a new record. Plug-in hybrid registrations also surged by 46.9 per cent year-on-year, while hybrid electric vehicles climbed by 7.3 per cent.

The figures emerge against a backdrop of spiralling oil and gas prices driven by turmoil in the Middle East. This has hammered drivers at the forecourt, with the SMMT indicating it could be fuelling greater appetite for electric vehicles (EVs), which run partly or entirely on batteries.

Average unleaded petrol prices have risen by roughly 18 per cent since the Iran conflict intensified at the end of February, now standing at 157p per litre, the latest RAC figures show. Diesel prices have seen an even sharper increase, jumping by a third to an average of 189p per litre.

Despite the squeeze on fuel expenses, the broader new car market expanded by 6.6 per cent in March compared with last year, with 380,627 new vehicles registered, the SMMT reported. This represented the strongest monthly sales performance since 2019, before the pandemic struck.

March traditionally sees the highest volume of new car registrations annually, as many purchasers choose to wait until the number plate refresh. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, noted that "much of March's performance will be from orders placed before the start of the Iran conflict" while warning that the war "threatens to raise the cost of living, undermining consumer confidence".

However, Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at vehicle marketplace Autotrader, reported a significant spike in enquiries for new EVs during the previous month.

"Interest has picked up sharply as fuel prices rise, with new EV inquiries on our platform surging between February and March – the equivalent of one every minute last month," he said. "If that online intent converts into sales, progress will follow.

"With a wave of new models, deeper discounts and lower running costs, more buyers are starting to see EVs as a way to take control of their energy costs. The market may well be fast approaching an EV affordability tipping point."

Yet the SMMT expressed concerns that while electric vehicle demand appears to be strengthening, EVs accounted for roughly 22 per cent of total car sales last month. This falls considerably short of the Government's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which requires at least 33 per cent of each manufacturer's car sales this year to be zero-emission vehicles, typically meaning fully battery-electric models.

Mr Hawes called for an "urgent review of the transition" to electric vehicles, stressing that recent geopolitical events had made this even more pressing.

A Government Department for Transport spokesperson said it was committed to helping businesses make the shift to electric, pouring money into areas such as EV manufacturing and expanding the UK's charging infrastructure. The Government has also recently increased the grant available to those without a driveway, such as renters looking to install an EV charger, raising it from £350 to £500.

"Our Electric Car Grant is making EVs cheaper and more accessible than ever," they said. "Over 85,000 drivers have already saved up to £3,750 when buying a new EV, and we're saving renters £500 off the cost of installing home chargers unlocking cheaper charging rates for residents – and with global price fluctuations at the petrol pumps, making the switch has never made more sense."

Context:

EV sales hit record highs as fuel costs soar, suggesting the market may be reaching an affordability tipping point.

Context:

Rising fuel prices from Middle East conflict are accelerating the shift to electric vehicles among cost-conscious driver

Context:

Government increased EV charger grants for renters from £350 to £500 to boost adoption among non-homeowners.

Charging for electric car mileage will be with us by 2029, thanks to the UK Government’s proposed new eVED system. How this will work is an important consideration for the automotive industry – and indeed for the British public.

While I support the principle of a mileage-based system, there are key issues of fairness, administration and user-confidence yet to be addressed in the proposals. To work properly, the final legislation will need to create a simple, transparent and cost-effective system that aligns with the real-world behaviour of drivers and car dealers.

I agree that a mileage-linked duty is logical. However, it may be seen as unfair because it disadvantages drivers of smaller cars, which damage the road less than heavy SUVs. A better option would be to have a tiered structure that reflects vehicle kerb weight.

Estimates ‘vulnerable to manipulation’

My major concern, though, is the government’s suggestion that motorists will have to estimate their annual mileage for the year ahead. Such a system would clearly be vulnerable to error and manipulation. Instead, in BDO’s response, we have recommended fees based on the previous year’s mileage as being clear, verifiable and easily understandable.

For new car owners with no historic mileage, national average assumptions might be used. These could then be corrected once verified personal mileage data becomes available.

Clearly, garages that perform MOTs and car servicing will become accredited mileage-check providers. Extending this reporting to service bookings for new electric cars (which aren’t due an MOT for the first three years) could be integrated into existing systems without much difficulty.

For the longer-term, technology-based solutions are the obvious answer. Data from EV charging points, smart-meter-style integrations and domestic charger apps could eventually support accurate monthly billing. However, the mandatory adoption of such solutions should only occur once the technology is proven, which is unlikely until the mid-2030s.

Until then, annual mileage verification by accredited providers will remain necessary. This will also provide confidence for drivers, as they can see a paper trail.

If the government is fixed on an estimated mileage approach, this will probably have to come with a differential pricing structure to discourage frequent under-estimation. For example, a higher rate could be applied to any additional miles if the final certified figure is more than 20 percent higher than the driver’s estimated mileage.

Also, to retain flexibility for life events that could alter driving habits (the car’s owner starting a new job, for instance) such a system should allow motorists to update their estimated mileage during the year. No doubt, HMRC will insist on some form of penalty regime to address misuse, yet this all seems rather like overkill compared to a previous-year mileage approach.

The problem of taxing leased vehicles

Regardless of which system is adopted, providing drivers with an online eVED account with the DVLA will be important to help them manage payments and other vehicle information efficiently.

For leasing businesses, variable eVED charges may introduce new complexities, particularly where the lessor currently pays the car tax. Annual mileage accreditation would require data sharing between motorists, leasing companies and the DVLA.

To mitigate these challenges, BDO has suggested fixed mileage charges for three years, based on annual mileage averages, for electric cars that are leased. Options such as mileage banding could also be explored for fairness.

I really hope the government doesn’t go down the in-year mileage estimation route. Unless the eVED charge, due in 2029, is simple to use and perceived as fair by all parties, it could hit future sales and leasing uptake for electric cars. And that would be a bad outcome for us all.

ALSO READ:

10 affordable used EVs to beat fuel price rises

After success in the US, Bring a Trailer auctions have arrived here

Your EV questions answered on Motoring Electric

Context:

Estimating future mileage for EV road tax is prone to errors and manipulation, making it unfair for drivers.

Context:

This flawed system could discourage EV adoption just when the UK needs more electric vehicles on roads.

Context:

The proposed mileage-based eVED tax system is set to launch by 2029 across the United Kingdom.

In an interview with Autocar India, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna told the publication that EVs can accelerate at such a powerful rate that "sometimes it’s disturbing our brain," so the automaker reached out to experts. It conducted medical studies in addition to working with NASA.  

According to Vigna, the automaker wanted to find out, "What is the level of acceleration that is disturbing to people?" Too much acceleration isn’t necessarily a good thing, and he added that it just makes you wait "for the time to stop the acceleration." 

Despite consulting NASA and other medical experts, the Ferrari Luce will be quick.  

Luce Performance Details

Ferrari’s slow rollout of its first EV has already revealed some preliminary information about the model. Back in October, the automaker claimed the EV would make over 986 horsepower and sprint from zero to 62 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds with a top speed of 192 mph.  

It will have four electric motors and a 122.0-kilowatt-hour battery. It will have independent rear-wheel steering and the active suspension system from the Purosangue and F80.  

We have already seen the interior, which has physical buttons and switches. We expect Luce to debut sometime this year. 

Motor1’s Take: Electric vehicles are known for their quick acceleration. It doesn't sound like Ferrari is afraid of being too quick, but instead, wants to offer an engaging driving experience that goes beyond pure power. We will have to see if NASA's assistance helped or hindered the vehicle when it goes on sale. 

Context:

Ferrari's first EV needed NASA expertise to optimize acceleration for human comfort, not just speed.

Context:

This shows even supercar makers must balance raw power with driver experience in the EV era.

Context:

The Ferrari Luce will still hit 0-62 mph in 2.5 seconds despite the human-centered tuning.

The news was confirmed by business secretary Peter Kyle, who said that the investment could allow automotive firms to operate with ‘stability and confidence’.

Of the £700m of taxpayer grants and support, the majority – £380m – has been assigned to ongoing work on JLR’s car battery plant in Somerset.

The landmark project was announced by the carmaker back in 2023 with the brand set to pour billions into development.

It was rumoured at the time that the then-Tory government had agreed to offer millions of pounds of support to the development, in order to secure the site for Britain, amid talks of it being built in Spain instead.

Labour has now confirmed what that support will look like, with building now well underway by Agratas – a construction firm that shares the same owner as JLR.

Speaking at the Bridgewater site, Kyle said: ‘In an unstable world, our modern industrial strategy is providing investors with the stability and confidence they need to plan not just for the next year but for the next ten years and beyond.

‘It will help ensure advanced manufacturing remains a thriving sector in the UK for decades to come.’

Of the remaining money, £90m is being provided to both JLR and Nissan to support EV research and development (R&D).

Elsewhere, The Times reports that £100m has been assigned to ‘tooling-up and training staff in the future electric vehicle supply chain’.

There will also be an additional £47m for R&D in other smaller battery innovation projects, with other funding on offer to help smaller firms adopt digital technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics.

Ministers also want to spend money on providing skills training in sixth forms and higher education, in order to secure the long-term security of the industry.

Writing for The Times, business secretary Kyle added that ‘Britain is done hesitating on the future of automotive’.

Competition for automotive investment is intensifying at speed, with major economies committing vast sums to secure manufacturing, batteries and supply chains for the long term. Against that backdrop, certainty and stability are decisive,’ he said.

‘So, we are going further than previous governments to make big commitments to British industry, so we can support a thriving private sector that is better protected to deliver the jobs and opportunities people need.

‘That is why delivering our modern industrial strategy matters so much.

‘By setting a clear, long-term direction — backing British manufacturing, strengthening supply chains and supporting the transition to electric — it gives investors and industry the confidence to commit capital, create jobs and build here in the UK.

‘In a volatile world, policy certainty is not a slogan; it is a competitive advantage.’

Pictured (via PA Images): Peter Kyle on a visit to the site of the upcoming JLR gigafactory in Somerset yesterday (Apr 9). 

• Join our breaking news WhatsApp group
• Sign up for daily email Car Dealer news bulletins
• Listen to the latest Car Dealer Podcast
• Read the latest digital issue of Car Dealer Magazine

Context:

The £700m investment aims to secure UK's position in the global EV manufacturing race.

Context:

This funding could determine whether Britain remains competitive as countries pour billions into electric vehicle produc

Context:

JLR's Somerset gigafactory was nearly built in Spain before UK government intervention secured the project.

Everything else around that number is less clean.

Tesla: the win and the questions

As InsideEVs reports, BYD's Q1 dip was driven substantially by external factors rather than competitive weakness. Chinese New Year falls in Q1 and consistently depresses domestic EV volumes. On top of that, the Chinese government ended full EV purchase tax exemptions at the start of 2026, replacing them with a 5 percent levy, which added meaningful cost to domestic purchases at precisely the wrong moment. BYD's overseas business, by contrast, is accelerating hard: March alone saw 120,083 export shipments, a 65 percent year on year increase, with roughly 40 percent of monthly sales now coming from outside China for the first time. The 2025 full year numbers remain stark: BYD delivered 2,254,714 BEVs last year to Tesla's 1,636,129. A quarterly swing in Q1 does not change that gap.

Tesla's own quarter had real problems underneath the headline. The company produced 408,386 vehicles but delivered only 358,023, adding over 50,000 units to inventory in a single period. That production to delivery gap is the largest in the company's history. The 358,023 figure itself missed Wall Street's consensus of 365,645 by around 7,600 vehicles, and Tesla's stock fell more than 5 percent on the day the numbers were released. The company has now shed roughly 20 percent of its market value since January.

Europe was the bleakest market. Cars24 reports that Tesla's European sales fell 49 percent year on year, squeezed by competition from both legacy manufacturers and Chinese brands expanding on the continent. The Shanghai plant remains the company's engine room, contributing nearly 60 percent of global volume at 213,398 units.

Like this? Get the app: iOS | Android

The Cybertruck was the one unambiguous bright spot, surging 111 percent year on year to 38,500 deliveries. The Model S and Model X have been discontinued to free up factory capacity for the Optimus humanoid robot and Cybercab robotaxi projects. Elon Musk's pivot away from conventional cars toward autonomous vehicles and robotics is now operational rather than rhetorical.

The question the quarter leaves open is whether Tesla's core business has genuine demand behind it or whether the inventory build signals a ceiling. Beating Q1 2025 looks less impressive when you note that Q1 2025 was Tesla's worst quarter in years, depressed by simultaneous production shutdowns across all four factories for the Model Y refresh. Beating a trough is not the same as demonstrating recovery.

As Jalopnik's Morning Shift put it, Tesla retook the EV selling crown as everyone seems to forget the sins of its very recent past. The brand damage in Europe from Musk's political activities, the customer boycotts, the collapsed sales figures across multiple markets: those are not ancient history. They are Q1 2026.

Audi: the deal that may not hold

Audi struck what it called an "Agreement for the Future" with its works council in March 2025, committing to cut 7,500 jobs in Germany by 2029 while extending job protection guarantees until the end of 2033. The deal was presented as a settled framework.

It is not settled. Automotive News reports that labour representatives are now warning CEO Gernot Döllner to hold to the existing plan after he signalled that further efficiency measures may be necessary on top of what was already agreed. Döllner's public position has been consistent: Audi must become faster, more agile and more efficient, and that cannot be achieved without personnel adjustments. Workers at the Neckarsulm plant, where the future of the site remains formally unresolved despite €250 million in promised transformation funding, are particularly exposed to whatever comes next.

The broader VW Group context makes Audi's position harder. Volkswagen confirmed more than 35,000 job cuts across its German operations late last year. Porsche is cutting 1,900 positions. The combined reduction across the group runs to more than 40,000 roles. Audi has already shed around 9,500 jobs since 2019. The question its workers are now asking is whether the March 2025 agreement was a floor or a ceiling.

Two very different stories. One company trying to convince the market its recovery is real. Another trying to convince its workforce that the restructuring is finished.

Sources:

• InsideEVs — Tesla No.1 EV maker Q1 2026
• The Next Web — Tesla reclaims the quarterly EV crown from BYD
• Cars24 — Tesla retakes global EV crown as BYD slips in Q1 2026
• Autoblog — Tesla Reclaims Global EV Sales Crown From BYD
• Jalopnik — Tesla Reclaims Top Spot As World's Largest EV Maker While BYD Falters
• Automotive News — Labor tensions at Audi intensify as CEO signals possible cuts
• Electrive — Audi cuts 7,500 jobs; remains committed to German sites

• Honda faces product drought in North America after cancelling multiple EV programs.
• No major redesigns expected until the new CR-V SUV arrives sometime around 2027.
• Losses mount while rivals push ahead with fresher lineups and faster development.

Honda slammed the brakes on its EV push, and now it faces the prospect of being stuck at a development red light with not much new to show customers. After canceling several electric models, the company is staring down a product gap in North America that could stretch into 2027 and far beyond.

That’s a problem in a market where newness sells. Analysts say there may be no fully redesigned core models arriving next year, leaving Honda to rely on cars that are starting to feel a little long in the tooth.

More: Honda Went To China, Saw The Future, And Reached Back To The 1960s

The irony is that only a couple of months ago, Honda dealers were preparing for a massive influx of exciting new metal. Honda had gone all in on EVs, shifting engineers and resources away from traditional development. Then demand softened, policies shifted, and suddenly those future models didn’t make financial sense anymore.

So the company pulled the plug. That included the wild looking 0 Saloon, the 0 SUV, and even Acura’s planned RSX revival. Cool ideas, all gone, along with billions in investment. What’s left is the hangover. Development pipelines for gas powered cars have slowed, and the company is left trying to rebuild momentum while competitors keep rolling out fresh vehicles. Its first fresh vehicle will be a redesigned CR-V due in 2027, Nikkei Asia reports.

Rivals More Efficient

It’s not just about product timing either. Honda’s development efficiency has been under scrutiny for years, and the gap versus rivals like Toyota isn’t helping. Pricing pressure is another concern. In the US, Honda is already offering bigger incentives than some rivals to keep cars moving. If newer competitors arrive while Honda’s lineup stays largely unchanged, those discounts may have to climb even higher.

No New Cars But Plenty Of Bills

Financially, things don’t look much rosier. The EV retreat is expected to trigger massive losses, and not just in wasted development time and money. Nikkei Asia says the automaker could have to pay $10 billion to suppliers who were all geared up and ready to build parts for the cancelled electric cars. And there’s growing chatter that dividends could come under pressure if earnings don’t recover soon.

Honda insists it’s stabilizing things and focusing on hybrids while reorganizing development to speed things up again, and there’s even talk of potential collaboration with Nissan in North America. But nothing concrete has emerged yet, so don’t expect many new-model fireworks for a couple of years.

Context:

Honda's EV cancellation leaves it with no major new models until 2027 while rivals advance with fresh lineups.

Context:

This product drought threatens Honda's competitiveness in a market where consumers demand the latest technology.

Context:

The automaker faces $10 billion in supplier penalties from the cancelled electric vehicle programs.

Electric vehicles don't run on gasoline, which makes them very bad if you're a gas company or a politician in the pocket of oil and gas lobbyists. Most Americans, however, are not oil execs or Republican politicians, and turns out, when you make everything else super expensive, many of us are more than willing to abandon the internal combustion engine in favor of saving money. As the Financial Times reports, recent jumps in gas prices have led to a big boost in used EV sales. 

In the first quarter of 2026, used EV sales jumped 17% compared to the previous quarter and increased 12% year-over-year. Those increases stand in stark contrast to new EVs, which have seen U.S. sales fall 28% on the year. Of course, much of the drop in new EV sales can be attributed to Republicans killing the federal EV tax credit, but that doesn't necessarily explain the jump in used EV sales. According to the Financial Times, rising gas prices are pushing more buyers to consider giving up on gas altogether, but the real key has been their low resale value compared to internal combustion cars. 

Buyers looking to save money might be willing to pay a small premium to get a car that costs significantly less to fill up, but if it's too high, why bother switching from what you know? Over the last year, the average price of a used EV has fallen 8.5%. And while we were previously looking at a typical price difference of $4,923 between the average used EV and the average used ICE car, that difference has now fallen to only $1,334. Meanwhile, by the end of the year, Experian says it expects used EVs to increase from 7.7% of all off-lease vehicles in the U.S. to 15%. That could spell massive losses for car companies who own those leases, but it could mean savings for car shoppers willing to make the leap into electrons.

Polestar

While electric cars are almost as old as the car itself, modern EV technology is still relatively new, and that's going to come with higher prices. But when Democrats created the federal EV tax credit, it didn't just boost interest in a beneficial technology that we wanted to see succeed long-term. It also allowed dealers to sometimes lease EVs for less than their ICE alternatives. For example, the Financial Times pointed to the Chevrolet Blazer, which could be leased as an EV for $515 a month with an MSRP of $44,600, while the ICE version leased for $586, even though its MSRP was only $35,600. As new ICE car prices are rising, more people are being forced into the used market, making EVs and even more attractive, affordable option. 

Those leases are now landing back on the used market with low resale value compared to many ICE cars. As Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' head of insights, said used car buyers checking out those cheap off-lease EVs are likely finding much more tempting choices than they had if they last looked at used EVs back after Putin invaded Ukraine and sent gas prices through the roof. "In 2022, the last time we saw a gas price spike, they would have been looking at vehicles from around 2019, when EVs weren't quite there yet," Caldwell told the Financial Times.

So that's is then? Woke leftist Donald J. Trump pretended he was going to kill the EV industry only to secretly engineer a plot to save it? Not necessarily. We still haven't quite solved the whole "getting people to buy new EVs" problem yet, and new demand for the relatively limited number of used EVs available could soon drive those prices higher, until they're no longer the tempting deals you see advertised today. But I'm certainly not going to complain about renewed interest in EVs and the possibility of actually seeing them go mainstream in the U.S.

Context:

Rising gas prices and falling used EV prices are finally making electric cars attractive to budget-conscious Americans.

Context:

This shift could accelerate EV adoption and reduce transportation emissions as mainstream buyers enter the market.

Context:

Used EV prices dropped 8.5% last year while the price gap with gas cars narrowed to just $1,334.

In the post, a motoring expert claimed it is a myth that 'EVs can run out of charge in long traffic jams.' For a video shared on Facebook, the RAC invited James, Business Director at Zapmap, to share advice for customers.

The RAC wrote: "Worried your EV might run out of charge in long traffic jams? James, Business Director at Zapmap, breaks down the facts and sets the record straight." The video was titled: "EV myth busting."

In the clip, James told viewers: "Using things like the radio, heating, air conditioning, takes very little battery energy compared to, say, accelerating the car up to 70 miles an hour. An EV can power those things for a very long time if you're stuck in a traffic jam."

Consumer experts at Which? have also tackled the 'myth' for drivers. In a video shared on Facebook last year, the team at Which? responded to a question about traffic jams. It read: "If all cars were electric and they got caught in the traffic jam, air con blasting, radio on, wouldn't they all run out of charge?"

To answer the question, Which? asked a driver named Adrian to simulate a traffic jam. For the test, Adrian sat in a fully electric SUV for 80 minutes with the aircon up, heated seats on, music streaming, and a film playing.

Later in the day, the Which? team caught up with Adrian to check on the results of the 'ridiculously energy-sapping traffic jam.' The presenter asked: "What's the damage, Adrian?" He replied: "I've been sitting here for about an hour and twenty minutes. Heated seats are still going. The air con is still going. As you can see, I've lost a grand total of 2%."

The presenter said: "So not exactly fatal to your car." Adrian agreed: "No, not at all. Now, the car thinks I have lost about eight miles of range while I've been sat here, but I think the best thing to do is take it for a drive and see how long the car thinks I have before I need to charge."

Adrian continued: "I've been driving around for a little bit, and I'd say myth busted. It just goes to show that the car really does use quite a small amount of power while you're stationary, even if you do have your heated seats, your air con, a movie going on the tablet, and streaming through to Android Auto.

"What could make a difference in the future is the weather. Batteries don't like the cold. So if it was a winter's day, if it was close to freezing, then it's quite possible the car would have used a bit more energy."

Context:

RAC and Which? tests prove EVs use minimal battery power during traffic jams, losing only 2% charge in 80 minutes.

Context:

This debunks a major barrier preventing drivers from switching to electric vehicles due to range anxiety concerns.

Context:

Cold weather can increase battery drain, but stationary EVs still use far less power than when accelerating to highway s

The current combustion-engined SUV will bow out in just a few months after 24 years on sale as the firm focuses on higher-volume and lower-cost models.

However, Sander said there remains a gap in the market for upmarket cars that don't carry a premium badge – which the Touareg and Phaeton saloon (discontinued in 2016) were designed to serve.

Sander said: "We are the brand for the people, and that's what our name stands for." He added that the firm's "top priority" would remain "creating great vehicles" that are affordable to a wide range of consumers.

However, he also said: "Touareg is not huge business, but it's got its place and this is why we are looking into opportunities for a next generation.

"This market is somewhere between the volume and premium market and is for customers who want a vehicle with great design and space, and a very high level of quality and sophistication but, for whatever reason, do not want to be associated with a premium brand.

"This is the Touareg target group and we're looking into possibilities to serve these customers with a future product."

Sander said Touareg buyers "are very down-to-earth people who are affluent", adding: "They run businesses but are low-key. They don't want to show off. It's not appropriate to pull up in front of their customers or at the construction site with something like a Porsche Macan."

He confirmed the new model would remain a large SUV "because 80% of that market is SUVs" and would also be a full-electric offering.

Any 'ID Touareg' would probably arrive after the likes of the Volkswagen ID Golf on the incoming advanced SSP platform and could, as with today's Touareg, use technology from premium siblings Audi and Porsche.

Context:

VW plans electric Touareg successor to serve affluent buyers who avoid premium brands.

Context:

This fills a unique market gap between volume and luxury segments for understated wealth.

Context:

The current Touareg ends its 24-year run as VW shifts focus to higher-volume models.

Prices at the pump have soared to £1.50 a litre as Iran continues its stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, following US and Israeli-led military strikes on the country.

At the same time, energy companies have slashed electricity tariffs for overnight EV-charging at home to as low as 3.5p/Kwh.

As a result, a growing number of drivers are now looking to switch to electric vehicles.

Online car marketplace, Autotrader, said there has been a 28 per cent increase in new car EV leads and five per cent for used EVs since the Iran war began on February 28.

Despite growing calls, Labour is refusing to scrap its planned fuel duty hike which would add another £3 to the cost of a fill-up from this September. 

The RAC said the average price of a litre of diesel at UK forecourts hit 185.23p, up by 30 per cent or 43p, since the war started on February 28.

Average petrol prices have reached 154.45p per litre, a rise of 16 per cent or 22p, over the same period.

Fuel prices are shown on the pump at 299.9p per litre of diesel at the Gulf Chelsea Cloisters service station in central London on Wednesday

A growing number of drivers are now looking to switch to electric vehicles as fuel prices continue to rise

 One fuel station in Chelsea, west London, was seen selling diesel for 299.9p per litre, with the equivalent rate for petrol set at 288.9p.

Meanwhile Octopus Energy has cut its most popular EV tariff, which allows up to six hours charging overnight, from 12p/kWh to 8p/kWh.

Fraser Brown, an analyst from the automotive consultancy MotorVise, told The Times: 'It seems like a no-brainer, especially when the costs of charging are falling.'

Brown, who also runs the second-hand EV car dealership Browns of Richmond, in North Yorkshire, said that since the start of the Iran war, queues had formed outside his dealership every Saturday.

He said the economics are winning people over, with it costing about £3.50 to charge an EV overnight as opposed to more than £100 to fill an average family car.

As the Middle East conflict continues, UK drivers have been urged to consider cutting out 'non-essential journeys' because fuel prices are rising as the cost of oil soars.

Read More

Iran conflict triggers surge in EV demand - here's what to know before swapping to electric

AA president Edmund King, who issued the advice, also suggested motorists should change their driving style to be more fuel efficient and therefore save money.

Data compiled from pump price comparison website PetrolPrices.com previously showed a litre of diesel costing up to 217.0p at some forecourts in rural Scotland.

The UK's most expensive petrol was being sold for 199.9p per litre at Avenue Garage in Northwich, Cheshire.

The most expensive motorway service area for diesel was said to be Euro Garages' Rivington Services on the M61 in Bolton, Greater Manchester, where the price reached 200.9p per litre.

Welcome Break's Woodall Services on the M1 in Sheffield had the highest price for petrol, at 189.9p per litre.

The RAC Foundation estimated that rises in pump prices since the conflict began led to motorists paying an additional £544million for petrol and diesel - £409million for diesel and £135million for petrol.

The figures are based on average daily pump price rises and last year's fuel consumption rate.

Richard Smith, managing director of the Road Haulage Association, said rocketing pump prices were hurting businesses and delivery firms as well as private motorists.

He said: 'Rising fuel prices continue to be a huge challenge for HGV, coach and van businesses who already typically operate on thin margins.

'The knock-on effect will be felt through the supply chain and by households as costs are passed on.

'We're clear - scrap the fuel duty hike. This isn't an industry concern; it's a national one.'

Context:

Iran war fuel crisis drives 28% surge in EV interest as charging costs drop to 3.5p/kWh.

Context:

This shift could accelerate UK's transition to electric transport amid geopolitical instability.

Context:

Charging an EV overnight now costs £3.50 versus £100+ to fill a petrol car.