► The finest electric SUVs on sale today
► Boxy 4x4s and sleek coupe-SUVs galore
► Find out which best fits your EV needs
If you are in the market for the best electric car to suit your life, you may well be looking at an electric SUV. Fortunately, almost every car manufacturer now has an electric SUV on their fleet, so your options aren’t limited.
These crossover and 4×4 electric cars remain popular amongst buyers and their taller ride heights and larger bodies make them well-suited to electrification; for example, they have enough spare room in their platforms to put a battery pack and a couple of electric motors without reducing passenger space.
The question is, though, which is the best electric SUV? We’ve reviewed them all and pieced together this list of ten great options to help you decide which best suits your lifestyle. We haven’t just focused on the fast, expensive stuff, either – our regularly updated round-up includes everything from affordable family runabouts to budget-busting, warp-speed flag carriers.
Scroll down for our list of the best electric SUVs available. Then, if you’re still grappling about whether EV ownership is right for you, click around our website for advice pages covering what life with an electric car is really like, guidance on the cost of charging, and our rundown of the cheapest electric cars around.
Fancy something smaller? Check out our list of the best small electric cars instead.
The best electric SUVs on sale in the UK in 2023
BMW iX3
Price: from £64,165
The BMW iX3 is an electric version of the conventional X3 and it does all the basics very well. Its modest 285bhp output means it isn’t face-alteringly fast, but it handles well, there’s loads of room inside and it has an official range of 285 miles. Its brakes are particularly good, too. Other EVs tend to be optimised for maximum regeneration when you step on the brake pedal, which feels a bit mushy and tarnishes the experience. Not so in the iX3, as it offers great pedal feel and responsive brakes.
Read the full BMW iX3 review
MG ZS EV
Price: from £30,495
As this list will show, electric cars are quite expensive. Their batteries are packed with pricey rare earth materials, so manufacturers shove the cars to the top of their line-ups and load them with enough premium kit to allow them to turn a healthy profit. Not MG: the ZS EV is an electric SUV for the average driver. It has a modest amount of equipment, a reasonable range of 273 miles and enough space to handle whatever family life throws at it. Oh, yeah, and prices start from around £30,000.
Read the full MG ZS EV review
Tesla Model Y
Price: from £44,990
The Model Y isn’t as revolutionary as some of the brand’s other cars (it’s basically a jacked-up version of the Model 3), but that doesn’t sully its merits. The most basic version has a maximum range of 283 miles, while the leggiest Long Range variant can cover up to 331 miles. Every version is fast and every version is spacious – and Tesla has just slashed thousands off the price, which means the Model Y is now more accessible than ever. And, usefully, you also get access to Tesla’s Supercharger network.
Read the full Tesla Model Y review
Genesis GV60
Price: from £53,905
Genesis is the new kid on the block. The company is to Hyundai what Lexus is to Toyota – and the GV60 is the brand’s first go at a dedicated electric car. It’s a good one, too. That swoopy bodywork hides the same platform and powertrains as the excellent Kia EV6, which means you get strong performance across the line-up and a maximum electric range of 321 miles. Thanks to its 800V electrical system, charge speeds are also lightning fast. Find a 350kW charger and it’ll surge from 10–80% in 18 minutes.
Read the full Genesis GV60 review
Mercedes-Benz EQB
Price: from £55,310
Yes, we know it looks a bit dull – but don’t drop out just yet, because the EQB is a clever bit of kit. Despite its comparatively compact footprint, for starters, there’s room inside for seven people. You can admittedly only have it with all-wheel drive, but both powertrain options have an official maximum range of 260 miles. That’s respectible, especially when you consider that both feature a rather small 66.5kWh battery. And, because it’s based on the same platform as the combustion-engined GLB, it retains a lot of that car’s selling points, such as its swanky dashboard and dual-screen infotainment system.
Read the full Mercedes-Benz EQB review
Audi Q8 E-Tron SUV
Price: from £67,085
The Audi E-Tron SUV was, at its launch in 2018, the car that heralded the start of the brand’s transition into electric power. It was a convincing effort, too, but a wealth of competitors soon followed, offering increased range and capabilities. This, the Q8 E-Tron, is a subtle evolution of the original E-Tron and benefits from a host of improvements – including a range of up to 330 miles. Altogether, it’s a competitive, refined, subtle and easy-to-live-with electric premium SUV.
Read the full Audi Q8 E-Tron review
Jaguar I-Pace
Price: from £69,995
The I-Pace has been around since 2018 and newcomers like the Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y have since trounced it in the range race. However, we like the I-Pace for its unapologetic focus on the driver. It’s still one of the sharpest electric cars on sale, with an impressively balanced chassis and steering that feels every bit as responsive as a petrol Jag. It’s quick too, boasting 395bhp and 513lb ft of torque, which is enough to grant a 0–62mph time of 4.8 seconds.
Read the full Jaguar I-Pace review
Skoda Enyaq
Price: from £38,970
The Enyaq isn’t particularly fun to drive, but it’s a great family car because the interior is huge and you get 640 litres of luggage space. A word to wise, though – don’t be sucked in by the promises of the quickest vRS variant, because it isn’t any quicker than the middling 80x variant in the real world. The smart choice is to stick with the 201bhp single-motor 80 model and spend your money on the biggest 77kWh battery. That way, you’ll have enough performance and a range of more than 300 miles.
Read the full Skoda Enyaq review
BMW iX
Price: from £69,995
The BMW iX is a technological tour de force. It’s the latest bespoke electric vehicle in the company’s range and features an exotic carbon fibre body, a battery pack with a capacity of up to a staggering 111.5kWh, and as much as 610bhp. In short, if you go for the flagship version, you can get a terrifically capable electric SUV that’s ferociously quick and long-legged. All this clever technology means it’s expensive, though; prices start at around £70,000 but, if you want the quickest M60 model, you can shell out north of £120,000 on an iX.
Read the full BMW iX review
Kia EV6
Price: from £45,245
The EV6 is the most well-rounded electric SUV on sale today. You want practicality? It has a 490-litre boot and enough space inside for five adults. Need an EV with a long range? Buy an EV6 with a 77.4kWh battery pack and you’ll be able to drive around 300 miles between charging stops. Want something fast? The EV6 GT produces 572bhp and will sprint from 0–62mph in a supercar-baiting 3.5 seconds. It even goes around corners well. If you want the best, here it is.
Read the full Kia EV6 review
Why are there so many electric SUVs?
Look at some of the best EVs you can buy in 2023 and you’ll find that a good percentage of them are SUVs or crossovers. This sector marks the sweet spot where practicality, packaging and pricing meet.
Most dedicated electric cars use a ‘skateboard’ construction, like the one below. Basically, it’s a board of batteries with a pair of wheels at either end – and they allow manufacturers to squeeze as many cells into their EVs as possible, while improving space inside for passengers.
SUVs, with their tall bodies, high floors and long wheelbases have more space underneath for batteries, while higher pricing makes it easier to swallow the cost of the EV hardware. The upshot is you (generally) get an EV with a longer range and more equipment if you opt for an SUV than you would if you went for a hatchback.
The figures tell the story. Something like the city-focused Honda E hatchback can drives a claimed 137 miles on its tiny 35.5kWh battery, whereas the BMW iX can travel a massive 380 miles thanks to its its larger 105kWh battery. Generally speaking, bigger cars feature higher-capacity batteries and can drive further as a result – although efficiency is also a big factor, when it comes to range.
Electric cars also tend to have larger interiors than their petrol and diesel counterparts. Electric motors are smaller than engines, and the free space can be used to house other components and create more interior space.
There’s also no need for an exhaust or a propshaft bisecting the cabin, which often removes the hump in the middle of the cabin, making it roomier. This means, as a rough rule, electric cars offer the interior space from the class above, which makes them well suited to family life.
The downsides? As this list shows, they’re not cheap. And while detractors will claim an SUV of any kind is inherently less efficient than other automotive form factors, all the examples listed above promise impressive efficiency and remarkably nimble handling.
Future electric SUVs coming soon
There are more and more electric SUVs coming to showrooms near you as we march closer to the looming ICE ban later this decade. Most manufacturers are developing e-SUVs, so look out for these models arriving soon – from mainstream and premium brands alike.
Examples of future electric SUVs include:
- Porsche Macan: The next model will be EV only
- Rivian R1S: A new name for a new type of tough, rough electric outdoors vehicles
- Volvo EX90: The next big SUV from Sweden will have an all-electric option