► CAR’s list of best electric family cars
► Practical EVs with a long range
► We rank the best for any budget
Electric cars have gone from being a small niche to a big market, as well as a great option for families. As time progresses, more truly useful electric family cars are going on sale and more budgets are being catered for. And some of these family cars are among the best electric cars on the market right now.
While EVs can still be pricey, more and more options are being launched for those looking for something for the family. Electric cars are, in some cases, more practical and spacious than cars with engines due to how they’re constructed, allowing more rear space or a more easily accessible boot area for instance.
To help you out as your choose your family’s next electric car, we’ve built a list of EVs that we think are the best in their segment, designed to suit a range of family budgets.
Best electric family cars in 2023
What’s the best family electric car in the UK right now? Depends what kind of family car you’re after. Are you a small family looking for a sharp-looking baby crossover SUV? Are you a bigger family more focused on fitting seven inside? Or do you want one electric car to rule them all, being your sharp-steering performance car as much as an EV for loading up?
We’ve listed the best family EVs from smallest to biggest to help you out.
Peugeot e-2008
Pros: Sharp design, practical for its size
Cons: Small range, not everyone will like the i-Cockpit interior
Why are we recommending the Peugeot e-2008 when a facelifted one has just been announced? Because the current one is still a good car, suiting the needs of small families looking for a little crossover style. The boot is larger than its Mokka Electric sibling, and it drives sweetly. Current range claims top out at 214 miles on a charge.
You’ll be able to find a good amount of used ones on the market if you want one now or, if you hold on, the latest e-2008 boasts an increased claimed range over this already-good outgoing one.
Read our Peugeot e-2008 review
MG 4
Pros: Sharp looks, good to drive, roomy and efficient
Cons: Plasticky interior, iffy infotainment software
One of the greatest value EVs on sale right now? Quite possibly. MG’s 4 hatchback rivals the likes of the VW ID.3 and Cupra Born, as well as the Megane E-Tech, but manages to drive better than all of them while undercutting them on price. Space is good inside, with properly usable rear seats and boot space, and it claims up to 281 miles from the Long Range version.
Read our MG 4 review
Tesla Model 3
Pros: Sharp to drive, loaded with tech, access to Tesla Superchargers
Cons: Love/hate interior, not the best aftersales setup
It wouldn’t be a best electric car list without the Tesla Model 3 in it. Why? Because it’s a very good EV. Tesla still tops the charts for battery efficiency and still boasts high range claims compared to rivals. It’s also a sharp-handling thing, so it’ll keep the enthusiast in you satisfied.
What’s more, owning a Tesla gives you access to Tesla Superchargers, and its cars get regular software updates that unlock new features. The saloon-like boot might not be as accessible as some on this list overall space is good for family buyers.
Read our Tesla Model 3 review
Kia Niro EV
Pros: Futuristic looks, sweet ride, roomy, efficient
Cons: Plain to drive, not as cheap as it used to be
How to go from dowdy to radical in one generation. The previous Niro was a commendable car, but looked as exciting as a bowl of rice pudding. Now, it’s a properly good looking car with a high-quality interior to match that’s filled with neat features (like Quiet Mode for a quick switching-off of the rear audio speakers when the kids are napping).
The not-quite-hatchback, not-quite-SUV shape also means headroom for adults in the second row and a big boot. It may be a bit boring to drive, but it’s smooth and manages good e-range claims.
Read our Kia Niro EV review
Skoda Enyaq
Pros: Practical, smooth to drive, good value
Cons: Bland to drive, infotainment sometimes fiddly
It wouldn’t be a family car list without a Skoda in it. Naturally, Skoda’s done its EV properly and feels like a step up in terms of quality for the brand, too. Rear space is good (provided you go for the regular Enyaq, and not the Coupe with its more sloped roofline) and the boot is big. Plus, the Enyaq comes with all the usual Simply Clever tricks Skoda’s have always had.
While not the most thilling thing to drive, it’s a better overall package (with a slightly, but only slightly, less frustrating infotainment system) than its VW ID.4 compatriot. And there’s even a vRS version (pictured above) if you fancy some extra punch.
Read our Skoda Enyaq review
Hyundai Ioniq 5
Pros: Looks fantastic, high quality and spacious interior, good e-range
Cons: Shallow boot, bigger than it looks
When Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 launched, we were immediately hooked. Hyundai managed to make an electric family car look like it’s truly from the future. But the goodness is more than skin deep, with a spacious interior (that can even be had with domestic power sockets and full recliner front seats) and a platform that feels good to drive, too.
The powertrain options are flexible, allowing for thrifty long-range versions or properly fast ones. And that’s before the Ioniq 5 N arrives later in 2023. An EV we love at CAR.
Read our Hyundai Ioniq 5 review
Mercedes-Benz EQB
Pros: Seven seats, impressive ride, efficient
Cons: Creaky interior, gets expensive fast
Merc’s baby SUV, the EQB, almost gets an entrance into this list by default for one reason: it has seven seats. There are so few seven-seat electric cars out there that, even now, the EQB has an interesting niche almost carved out for itself. True, even Merc says the rearmost seats are for kids only, but they’re still useful.
It also helps that it’s very smooth to drive and manages to be efficient on the move helps, too. So much so that the EQB recently won a CAR group test versus the BMW iX1 and Tesla’s Model Y.
Read our Mercedes EQB review
Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo
Pros: One of the best handling EVs on sale, fast, big range
Cons: Rear space is cosy, expensive (obviously)
Our best family electric cars list is topped off with a pretty tasty car all around. We love the Taycan at CAR – it proved that electric cars could be exciting to drive, and proved that Porsche could make an EV that still handled like a Porsche.
Then the brand introduced the Sport Turismo estate, boosting the car’s practicality credentials to no end. While rear space may still be a smidge on the tight side for adults, the added boot room (and the wider, hatchback aperture), made an already good, sporty EV a practical one, too.
Read our Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo review
VW ID.Buzz
Pros: Retro looks, spacious, drives like a car
Cons: Long waiting list, a seven-seat option isn’t here yet, pricey
If you want ultimate space for long journeys, or if you and your family enjoy a lot of outdoor hobbies, there are few cars that can carry quite so much stuff as the Buzz. It’s designed to look very much like the VW Microbus from generations ago, and features the same MEB platform as the Enyaq on this list (as well as countless other VW Group products). And, despite it looking very much like a van, it drives very much like a car. Albeit a tall one.
You may be waiting a while if you order one now, and you may be waiting just as long for the incoming seven-seat option, but you’ll get a funky family car that’ll turn heads and take you and the family on plenty of adventures.
Read our VW ID.Buzz review
Why buy an electric family car?
Because there are more family electric car options than ever before as brands electrify. Developing EVs as family cars has meant, in terms of packaging and interior practicality, that many can be as spacious inside as cars with combustion engines. Electric cars usually feature a flat floor, allowing for more space for passengers, as well as more opportunities for storage. Certain EVs, like the Ioniq 5 and Niro EV on this list, can be specified with domestic power sockets, meaning family members can power external devices like laptops straight from the car – handy for longer journeys.
And, speaking of longer journeys, EV ranges and charging speeds are slowly increasing. The UK’s EV charging infrastructure is slowly improving, too. The SMMT (Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders) says that, in 2023, the average battery range for an electric car is closing in on 300 miles (up from 210 miles in 2020) and it agrees that almost every segment of the car market has an electric option.