The bargain EV battle is getting serious – and that’s great news for buyers
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For years, the electric car market has had one rather awkward problem: too many of the most appealing cars have also been too expensive.
Yes, we’ve had brilliant high-end EVs, fast EVs, luxury EVs, seven-seat EVs and more than enough electric SUVs that cost more than some people paid for their first flat. But the small, affordable electric car – the sort of car that could genuinely tempt buyers out of a Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Polo, Vauxhall Corsa or Renault Clio – has taken rather longer to arrive.
That is starting to change. And the next 12 months could be when the electric car market gets properly interesting for normal car buyers.
The magic number seems to be around £25,000. That still isn’t cheap, of course, but in new car terms it’s where things start to feel a bit more realistic. Especially when you remember that a fairly ordinary petrol supermini can now easily cost north of £20,000, and a well-specced one can push well beyond that.
The Renault 5 has already shown what can happen when a car company remembers that small cars are allowed to be desirable. It looks great, has a lovely bit of retro charm, comes with a sensible electric range and starts from just over £21,000 with a bit of help from the government’s Electric Car Grant.
More importantly, the 5 doesn’t feel like a budget EV with the interesting bits taken out. It feels like a car people might actually want, rather than one they buy only because the maths says they should.
Now the competition is arriving.
Volkswagen is preparing its ID. Polo, which is exactly the sort of car many buyers have been waiting for. The Polo name still means something in Britain: solid, sensible, easy to recommend and easy to live with. VW has been talking about a European starting price of €24,995, which points to a likely UK price somewhere in the mid-£20,000s when it arrives here. That puts it directly in the path of the Renault 5.
This isn’t just a city car with a tiny battery and a very optimistic range figure. The ID. Polo is expected to offer up to around 280 miles, depending on battery and specification, which is the sort of number that starts to make EV ownership feel a lot less compromised. For many drivers, that’s more than enough for the weekly commute, school runs, shopping trips and a weekend away without becoming obsessed with charging.
However, important though the ID. Polo is, it’ll probably be outsold by the ID. Cross – a more upright, SUV-like model that won’t cost a whole lot more and shares much with the Skoda Epiq. That’s another small, more affordable model that I’ve already sampled in prototype form.
Then there’s the Cupra Raval, which should bring a bit more attitude to the affordable end of the market. Cupra has built its brand on looking a little sportier and feeling a little more interesting than the mainstream alternatives, and the Raval is aimed squarely at the Renault 5. Prices start at £23,785, putting down a marker for the Polo. That means the Raval could be one of the more tempting small EVs if it delivers the right mix of style, range and finance deals.
Hyundai is also getting involved with the Ioniq 3, a compact electric hatchback that should sit below the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Hyundai has been very good at making EVs feel grown-up, efficient and easy to live with, and the Ioniq 3 could be a very important car if it lands at the right price. Early indications suggest a range of up to 308 miles, which would be impressive for a smaller family EV.
And that’s before you get to cars like the Citroen e-C3, Fiat Grande Panda, Vauxhall Frontera, Kia EV2 and the new Renault Twingo, which is expected to arrive in the UK in early 2027 with a price below £20,000. The Dacia Spring and Leapmotor T03 are already showing how low prices can go, although both come with compromises that won’t suit everyone.
For electric cars to move beyond early adopters, company car drivers and people with driveways and solar panels, they need to become easier to understand and easier to afford. Range will still matter, but perhaps not as much as people think. A small EV with 200 to 250 real-world miles will be more than enough for many households, especially as a second car. Charging speed matters too, but so does efficiency, because a small, light EV should use less electricity and cost less to run.
The other big question is finance. A £25,000 list price is useful, but monthly payments are what most buyers really look at. If car makers can make these smaller EVs genuinely competitive on PCP or lease deals, the market could shift quickly.
That’s why this new wave feels significant. We’re moving away from the idea that EVs have to be expensive tech statements and towards something much more useful: small, stylish, clever cars that just happen to be electric.
For years, the question has been when affordable EVs would really arrive. In 2026 and 2027, we may finally get the answer.
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