In the accumulated of the year, these vehicles doubled their deliveries, to 177,379 units. For the passenger car market, they grew 100% in the first seven months, to 169,330 units. As such, in this period the best-selling electric vehicles have been the Kia niro, the Volkswagen ID4, the Hyundai Kona, the Renault Zoe and the Fiat 500.
While the market leading plug-in hybrids have been the Peugeot 3008, the Kia XCeed, the Volvo XC40, the Mercedes A-Class and the Hyundai Tucson.
Considerations to take into account
It’s true. Finding a quality electric car is relatively easy if you are on a high budget. The proposals of brands such as Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz are characterized by the excellence of its finishes. However, this is not always the case, as there are some ‘premium’ electrics with improvable adjustments and materials.
So is it harder to find affordable or electric cars? If what we are looking for is something quality, yes, it is something more difficult. This is because there are more and more proposals on the market, some with clear gaps in this section, and others better resolved but very expensive in relation to what they offer.
However, there are also a number of considerations to take into account in this regard. And, as we mentioned, getting an electrified vehicle from good performance, quality and characteristics It is a mission that manufacturers are opting for because proposals appear to each more interesting.
We see a specific case with Citroën or Renault, among others, who have such representative samples as the C-4, a very good performance SUV, or the same e-208 from the house of the lion, who has been seen in the top 5 of the best-selling electrified in Spain and Europe. And although many of its segment are in the same vein, you have to pay attention to some points:
- Battery capacity. It is measured in kWh, the unit of energy measure equivalent to 1 kilowatt (1 kW) of sustained power for 1 hour. The higher the number of kWh, the larger the battery and the more energy it can store. Currently, this capacity ranges between 35 kWh in small cars.
- Consumption. The lower the consumption, the less money we will spend to travel the same distance. Tesla’s Long Range Model 3 certifies 560 km of range, resulting in an average consumption of 13 kWh / 100 km. Meanwhile, a 2.5-ton Mercedes EQC 400 certifies a combined cycle current consumption between 22.5-25.3 kWh / 100 km.
- Autonomies. We can find electric cars on the market with autonomies of between 200 and 600 kilometers. As a general rule, more autonomy requires a larger battery, and this in turn leads to larger and more expensive cars.
- Load power. The charging power will give us a hint of how fast the car can be recharged. At the same battery capacity, the higher the charging power, the less time it takes to recharge it.
- Car power. An advantage of electric cars, also cheap ones, is that it is easier to achieve high power figures with relatively small engines.
Types and models
Likewise, and as something very favorable and very much to consider, is that, in addition to 100% pure electric cars, there are plug-in hybrids. A type of model that continues to consolidate as the more accessible entrance for the user to electrification. For these next few months, the sector trusts the implementation of the regional MOVES III plans, which is already underway, to further increase the rate of registration of electrified vehicles.
We must also assess aspects such as the report of the European organization Transport & Environment, which predicts that in 2027 the price of these will equal that of combustion models and, there will even be models of electric cars that will be cheaper.
Until then, the price will continue to be a recurring argument among those who do not see that electric mobility is as valid a mobility option as any other. Anyway, within these, there are three types which, depending on our taste or our preferences, can be made more convenient.
- Pure electric (EV): This is the basic setting. Powered solely by one or more electric motors, they obtain the energy stored in their rechargeable batteries by connecting to the electrical network. Today this type of configuration is growing, finding a multitude of models on the market. The most common are the electric Hyundai Kona, Nissan LEAF, Renault ZOE, Tesla Model S, BMW i3, VW e-Golf, Kia Soul EV, Peugeot e-208 …
- Plug-in hybrid (PHEV): They are hybrid models but they can be connected to the electrical network to recharge their battery. They travel distances of between 5 and 80 km using only electric traction, having the combustion engine to charge the battery when necessary, or to start working when the driver decides. Among the most popular plug-ins are the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, BMW i8, Ford Kuga, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, Peugeot 508 …
- Electrical extended autonomy (EREV): With the same characteristics as battery electric vehicles, they also have a combustion engine that acts as a generator, charging the battery linearly by means of an electric generator when it is discharged, so it goes into operation without the battery itself. driver determines it. This combustion engine is extremely small. When the range extender comes into operation they are able to do more than 450 km with a tank. Some models are the Fisker Karm, the BMW i3 REx version or the Opel Ampera.
For them and for those who are convinced of their potential and are looking for an electric vehicle with a low price, we find a very appealing selection.
Citroën AMI
The Citroën Ami is one of the cheapest electric cars on the market, if not the most. It is a newcomer to this segment. It stands out for its symmetrical design and its asymmetric door opening system. It has room for two passengers and a little cargo. Its maximum is practicality, hence the interior is very austere and renounces much of the technologies that other models on this list do have.
But remember: what matters here is the price. It is equipped with a small electric motor powered by a 5.5 kWh lithium-ion battery that offers a maximum autonomy of 70 kilometers on a single charge. The vehicle can be recharged easily via an electric cable located next to the door on the passenger side. Its full recharge can be done in 3 hours. It has a price of 5,800 euros.
Dacia spring
This Dacia Spring is the first electric car of the Romanian subsidiary of the Renault Group, but the claims of this urban SUV go much further since it was born with the purpose of breaking into the market as the model zero emissions cheaper.
Presented in October 2020 in its production version, this Urban electric SUV It transfers the philosophy of the firm to offer practical products and away from the premium boasts, in this case, to popularize electric mobility, in the words of the brand.
It mounts an electric motor of 33 kW (the equivalent of 44 hp) and 125 Nm that is associated with a lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 27.4 kWh. With it, Dacia announces a range of 230 km for mixed driving. Its price starts at 18,615 euros, but applying the launch discount of the brand goes down to 17,350 euros, or 16,550 euros if financing is contracted. Applying the maximum discount of the MOVES III Plan, the final price would be 9,550 euros.
Electric Seat Mii
In 2019, it became the first of the 100% cheap electric cars of the Spanish brand. Derived from the Mii, the electric Seat Mii urbanite has the same dimensions as the thermal version (it is just 3.56 meters long, 1.65 meters wide and 1.48 meters high).
It has a lithium-ion battery of 32.3 kWh capacity, located in the same position where the combustion Mii carried the fuel tank. At the front, the combustion engine has been removed and in its place a 61 kW or 83 hp electric motor with a single speed transmission has been fitted.
It may not seem like a lot of power, but the interesting data in this regard is found in the torque of 212 Nm, which allows you to accelerate from 0 to 50 km / h in just 3.9 seconds, although up to 100 km / h they have to spend 12.3 seconds. The maximum speed for its part is limited to 130 km / h. It has a price of 11,800 euros.
Citroën C-Zero
The Citroën C-Zero is one of the oldest electric vehicles on the Spanish market. Based on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the French model refuses to die. Its price and its limited autonomy have limited its use to the fleet market for private and public entities.
All in all, it equips a permanent magnet synchronous motor that provides 47 kW (64CV) between 3,500 and 8,000 rpm. Taking into account the characteristics of this electric motor, the implementation of a gearbox with several ratios is not necessary either.
The engine is powered by state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries, located in the center of the vehicle. The useful capacity of the battery is around 16 kWh and the power is supplied at 330V. Its price is 20,000 euros, what makes it one of the cheapest electric cars of the moment.
Opel Corsa-e
One of the best-looking models on this list has a lot to do, meanwhile, with this Opel Corsa-e that has a fully electrified configuration and that results from the more interesting samples that we can find in these moments, and that it continues to be a vehicle of good dimensions.
We are talking about an Opel Corsa-e, which is Made in SpainWith a seating capacity of five, it is 406 cm long and accentuates its sporty appearance thanks to the coupe-style roof line and a 28 mm lowering of the ground clearance.
With an interior identical to that of the diesel and gasoline Corsa, its electric motor with a power of 136 hp and up to 337 km of autonomy thanks to 50 kWh batteries, it has arguments to be a great city car. Currently we can find it on the market for a price of 15,000 / 18,000 euros.
Renault zoe
In this case, and surely the one that has been seen the most when choosing one vehicle or another, we have this Renault Zoe that is one of the great value for money. In fact, not for nothing has he looked like the best-selling model in Spain in the last times.
In this way, it sneaks into this ranking threefold. The French brand has opted for continuous improvement, which has gone from having 22 kWh and 88 hp in its launch version in 2013 to 52 kWh and 136 hp in the latest update. It is currently for sale with two battery capacities: 41 kWh and 52 kWh.
With the first, it equips a 109 hp engine. With the second, you can equip it with 109 or 135 hp. The range is 300 kilometers in the version with battery and small engine and 386 kilometers in the version with battery and large engine. It has a base price of 25,000 euros.