Best small electric car for no-holds-barred design and practicality and pricing
Pros: stylish yet practical, bursting with details, comfortable around town, cheaper than all rivals
Cons: Not as roomy in the back as we were hoping, some driving range concerns
Hot on the heals of the new Renault 5 is the 2025 Fiat Grande Panda. First in a whole new family of Panda models, it too trades on design heritage. But rather than simply replicating a previous model in EV-guise, here the design team have really been let off the leash. There are clear hallmarks of the 1980 original – including some useful practicality features inside, such as the dashboard shelf – but otherwise this is wild and pure Italian modernism in automotive form.
Just look at those crazy shapes around the cabin, the transparent yellow Perspex, the blue (sustainably sourced) plastics, the exterior detailing. It even has a captive charging cable hiding behind the front grille. Based on the same budget platform as the Citroen e-C3, it’s not super-sharp to drive. And we do have some reservations about the claimed efficiency – we got nowhere near 199 miles WLTP during the initial launch. But with a starting price of just £20,975, it’s a genuine bargain that feels like the right product at the right price.
For a more in-depth look read our Fiat Grande Panda review
Citroen e-C3
Best small electric car for comfort
Pros: Great value, spacious rear seats, very comfortable
Cons: Roly-poly handling, awkward-shape boot
Few small electric cars are able to tick as many boxes as the new Citroen e-C3. It’s a compact EV that still offers plenty of scope for longer trips, with its claimed 199-mile range and speedy 100kW rapid charging speeds. Rear-seat space is also comparable with many cars from the class above.
Priced from £21,990, the e-C3 undercuts many of its electric supermini rivals by several thousand pounds, yet still comes with a smart and modern interior with plenty of on-board equipment and tech. The e-C3’s soft and comfortable ride is ideal for Britain’s potholed roads, though just be mindful that it does result in quite roly-poly handling if you’re driving more enthusiastically.
Fiat 500 Electric
Best small electric car for style and image
Pros: Stylish, good to drive, nicely put together
Cons: Cramped, short range with cheaper model
The Fiat 500 Electric shares its retro-chic styling vibe with the old internal combustion engine (ICE) car, but it’s completely different under the skin. The small petrol engines have been banished, replaced by a battery pack and an electric motor driving the front wheels. The standard version comes in a cheaper 24kWh / 94bhp combo capable of a claimed 118 miles of driving range, or as a more powerful 42kWh / 116bhp variant with a claimed 199-mile range.
The 500e is cool to look at, decent to drive and perfectly suited to tight city streets with its dinky size and excellent turning circle. There’s plenty of tech crammed into such a small package, though with prices starting from £24,995 for the smaller battery and £27,995 for the larger battery, it’s quite expensive by small EV standards these days.
For a more in-depth look read our Fiat 500 Electric review
