Cheapest electric cars in the UK – 2025

As economies of scale and improved production methods continue to bring down the cost of EVs, and manufacturer’s original investments finally pay off, the cheap electric car market is growing at rapid pace – with many new models now available at identical prices to their internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalents. With the UK recently launching a consultation to bring forward the ban on new pure petrol and diesel cars from 2035 to 2030, cheaper electric cars will be crucial for encouraging the early mainstream to adopt such vehicles over the next five years. There’s always the used market for first time buyers too, which offers some more incredible discounts to find the cheapest electric cars.

Here are our picks of both the cheapest electric cars, and best value for money EVs available in the UK this year:

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Renault 5 – Leapmotor T03 – Citroen e-C3 – Citroen Ami – Vauxhall Corsa Electric – Volvo EX30

Renault 5

With Renault opening UK order books for its new mass market EV in January, the 5 is expected to be a sales hit. Despite its relatively low starting price of £22,995, its desirable looks hint at it being a hit across a wide demographic of customers – much like Fiat managed to achieve with the rebirth of the 500, back in 2007. It’s already been received well by journalists, with the Renault 5 and its performance cousin, the Alpine A290, jointly receiving the 2025 Car of the Year Award.

Renault are explicitly marketing this as a car that happens to have an electric drivetrain, rather than as an EV specifically. Future sales will show whether this strategy is a success for the OEM, and whether other brands could follow this sales strategy.

Leapmotor T03

While the Dacia Spring still exists as the cheapest four-door EV you can buy in the country, starting at £14,995, it’s now got some new competition, in the form of the Stellantis-backed Leapmotor T03: Which starts at a similarly low £15,995.

Despite its small size and price, the T03 is still a capable machine – with a range of up to 165 miles and an 81mph, this city car can still take on the task of longer journeys. It also comes with premium equipment such as adaptive cruise control, and an all-digital instrument cluster and ten-inch touchscreen infotainment as standard.

Citroen e-C3

Another newcomer to the list is the Citroen e-C3, one of the cheapest EVs so far from the wider Stellantis conglomerate. Starting at £21,990 in ‘Plus’ trim level, you can benefit from a range of 199 miles, and standard equipment such as wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto.

The e-C3 also won the Car of the Year award from Auto Express, in 2024.

Citroen Ami

While not technically an electric car, instead being a quadricycle, Citroen’s standout Ami is one of the cheapest four-wheeled EVs you can buy new in the UK right now, starting at £7,695. With its ultra-compact form and top speed of 28mph, it’s ideal for driving through urban areas, but for carrying passengers or venturing outside the city you’ll want to look elsewhere. Its quadricycle classification also means it can be driven on a moped license, allowing 16 year olds to get behind the wheel too.

Vauxhall Corsa Electric

The all-electric Vauxhall Corsa also offers great value compared to EVs like the BYD Dolphin and Volkswagen ID.3, with a starting price of £26,170 in the entry level ‘#YES’ trim. For this, you get a 50kWh battery with an estimated range of 220 miles. It’s got a fair amount of acceleration for a cheap EV too, with a 134 horsepower motor delivering 0-62mph in 8.7 seconds – faster than some of Vauxhall’s hot hatchbacks from the 1990s.

Standard equipment includes a ten-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, LED headlights, and cruise control.

Volvo EX30

Whilst not as cheap as the other cars on this list, Volvo’s recent price drop on the EX30 means the compact electric SUV now starts at £32,850, for the Single Motor version, which offers tremendous value for what is a premium car.

In this spec, the EX30 still offers a range of 209 miles, along with 272 horsepower. This still comes loaded with tech, including adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera, automatic LED headlights, and a Google-based 12.3-inch touchscreen.