Best Electric SUVs for £45k

EV Megatest!
Thinking about buying an electric SUV? You're not alone – buyers are flocking to these types of cars to take advantage of their low running costs and a fast-improving charging network. The CarGurus UK Electric SUV Megatest puts 10 new electric SUVs priced £45,000 and under head-to-head to find out which is best.

Join Ivan Aistrop and Vicky Parrott for an in-depth electric SUV comparison and find out what we rate as the ultimate CarGurus Electric SUV Champion.

The contenders:
Audi Q4 e-tron 40 Sport: £44,990

Citroen e-C4 Sense Plus: £30,895 (inclusive of PICG)

Ford Mustang Mach-E Standard Range RWD: £41,330

Kia e-Niro 3: £37,100

Lexus UX300e: £41,745

Mazda MX-30 GT Sport Tech: £30,345 (inclusive of PICG)

Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 Sport: £44,495

MG ZS EV Exclusive: £28,595 (inclusive of PICG)

Skoda Enyaq iV 80 Loft: £39,350

Volkswagen ID.4 Life Pro Performance: £41,570

(Small print: All prices correct at time of writing, but are subject to change.)

FAQs

Q: Why is there no Tesla Model Y in the test?
A: Because it hadn’t arrived in the UK when this test was conducted.

Q: Why is there no Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model 3 or Polestar 2 in the test?
A: Because this is a test of electric SUVs, and those cars are hatchbacks, not SUVs.

Q: Why is there no Jaguar i-Pace or Volvo XC40 in the test?
A: Because they’re too expensive to qualify for the £45k price cap applied to the test.

Q: Why is there no Peugeot e-2008, Vauxhall Mokka-e or Hyundai Kona Electric in the test?
A: We didn’t mention it in the video, but as well as having a maximum price threshold for our entrants, we also had a minimum size threshold. Our reasoning was that we were looking for a good ‘family’ SUV, and that being the case, we felt that the entrants should be big enough to deliver. So, we wanted our entrants to be what the motor industry calls ‘C-segment’ cars (roughly the size of a Ford Focus) or bigger, rather than ‘B-segment cars (roughly the size of a Ford Fiesta). For that reason, we set a minimum length measurement of 4.3 metres, which is why the Peugeot, Vauxhall and Hyundai didn’t quite make it, but the Mazda just crept in.

Q: Don’t those monthly BIK tax costs look a bit off?
A: Yes, they do, due to a very unfortunate typo that we didn’t spot until after we published. Where it says ‘monthly’ in relation to the BIK tax costs, it should say ‘annual’. The figures themselves are correct in the original context, but they are labelled incorrectly. For the genuine monthly cost, simply divide by 12.

▬ Contents of this video ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Intro
0:59 – Why have have we set a price cap?
01:45 – Let's meet out contenders
03:46 – Bicester Heritage
04:59 – How we will test
05:48 – Let the tests commence
11:44 – 10 become the final two
20:28 – The final two take to the road
25:14 – Fashion and Style at Lakeside
30:07 – What have we learnt so far about our cars?
32:14 – Charging infrastructure
33:33 – Crash course to charging an electric car
36:40 – And the winner is...

#ElectricSUV #electriccar #allelectric

With huge thanks to:
Mark Ireland
Claire Ireland
Chris Knapman
Andy Mackenzie

This video was filmed July 21st - 23rd 2021, after the lifting of Covid 19 restrictions

[ISuperTed]

What colour is the Q4 on the test? Looks great. Typhoon Grey?

[MiniEggs]

Exceptionally well produced. I really like the two presenters having a reasonably natural conversation works well and you get two views in the sane time. As for EVs I’m walking for the Superb Estate version of the Enayq

[cameraramblings]

I think the MG should get an extra mention based purely on price. Family’s on a budget the MG is compelling. I just paid £20k for mine, that has to be great value, yes there is a compromise, but ultimately it ticks a lot of boxes on a budget. Anyway good effort making this video. A lot of work!

[skoda]

Thank you CarGurus UK for having a look at ŠKODA ENYAQ iV too. We like to hear the feedback and videos like this one are important to us. 💚

[jonburnell]

The PCP cost on some of these is obscene! Some are a third of my income, this is the main prohibiting factor to electric cars rather than the range they can do.

[SethPinnock]

I agree with your decision 🙂.
I think the e-Niro would look better with a different color for the tiger nose outline

[drzoidbergmd]

Great work. Very informative. A nice change from carwow which is now more about tedious 'launching' with Yani and precious little real information

[paulxx]

"Capped at 45k for the real world" "very little difference in pcp payments between a 35k and 45k car" that's not pcp those finance figures are a 2nd mortgage.

[PinballGeorgio]

For me the Kia E niro is the big winner. Besides the looks and some less space, it is has the most features for the money which isn't mentioned here. With the same options in the Skoda the price of the Skoda will raise to 7.000 pounds. The Kia is also the most efficient in KW consumption. The Kia is also quicker in acceleration and has better handling in corners. The recuperation is still the best you can get these days on EV's. I have the Kia now for 1 month and my Neighbour the Skoda for 2 months. We drove in each other cars and share these thoughts. 18KW consumption on 100KM with the Skoda vs 12KW on 100KM with the Kia consumption is a big difference. My neighbour regrets buying the Skoda :)
And showing the remote app and cooling/ heating functions, also when not on a charger, even more :)

Ow, edit... I forgot to mention the 7 years warranty on the KIA :)

[themanipulator]

Glad to see journalist prioritize value and objective criteria rather than obsessing over badge snobbery. Certain journalists have an obsession with heaping unworthy praise on particularly Audi but mercedes as well.

[ikarustigger]

I startet 2016 with a Model 3 reservation, then bought a used Kia e-Soul in 02/2018 (couldnt wait any longer for a BEV) and then actually switched to the e-Niro in 08/2020 and canceled the Model 3 reservation. The Enyak also came late into my shortlist - but the e-Niro still was the better choice because its a bit more compact for every day driving - and for family holidays with 4 people I put a 600 Liter Thule Roofbox on it, which still doesnot increase the consumption too much: Below 20kWh/100km on Autobahn with roofbox in the e-Niro in summer and 22, 5kWh/100km in winter. The Enyak draws a lot more kWh in that case, when I look at consumption tests.

[Vxvx]

Excellent video. I wish that there are 3 or 4 finalist instead of 2. Please keep doing EV comparison like this every year, thanks!!

[murfmac]

Your figures for monthly company car tax are all a complete nonsense! The monthly BIK in 2021 for the Mustang for example is £41330 X 1% BIK = £413.30 X tax bracket say 40% = £413.30 X 40% = £165.20 over the full year or £13.77 a month! Next year when the bracket moves to 2% it’ll be double! Not sure where you arrived at those tax costs!

[snoopycharlie]

Very ambitious and great info. :) Only critique would be to audibly mention the name of each car when introduced (when the graphic appears on screen showing the car name) before giving the impressions/ spec etc. for those of us who can't watch in full, only listen on the go 👍🏻 Still, great job :)

[mikekyffin]

A great video presentation and review. Being an early adopter things have come a long way in a short period of time. A vehicle to suit a growing number of needs. Loved the quirky tests and overall picks and results. Both presented well. Be good to see this format in the future as the choices expand.

[jethomas]

Ordered an Enyaq iv80, last week. Skoda dealer handed one over for the afternoon, said " see what you think" came back and ordered one. Only downside, delivery 18+ weeks.

[loris]

Greetings from Bordeaux France, a great informative video and it makes me feel much better about my choice as we have just ordered a new skoda enyaq 80 to replace our Tesla model 3 which we absolutely love but unfortunately it's too small for our needs right now.
After trying every electric Suv available in France we just felt that the skoda ticked all the boxes especially with its amazing cargo space and it's presence on the road.
Once again thanks for such a informative video with so many car's.

[frankcorry]

I love Skoda, you could say I'm a bit of a Skoda geek!! Many years ago I worked within a Skoda dealership and I always wish them well, from motorsport to practicality, they seem to be well established within the premiership of the car industry and firmly going nowhere, well done Skoda, AGAIN!!!
Glad to see your on the same page as whatcar, and also great that you actually turned the Enyaq's only negative into a positive (50kw standard to 125kw upgrade) by saying it's probably the most attractive extra at 400 quid or so that its STILL great value!!!
Enjoyed it thoroughly and was expecting a top 3 here rubbing my hands together about to watch it, but coming top you made me smile once more, brilliant video!!! Shared to the facebook Enyaq page too 4 u.

[christopherd]

A very interesting and extremely well-presented test.

FWIW I've owned an ICE Skoda Octavia for nigh on ten years but [without driving it] ruled out the Enyaq because (a) I didn't like the interior and (b) my wife would find it too big.
Instead I was cajoled by the boss (who incidentally has zero interest in cars) into buying a used Kia e-Niro 4 - in a colour I've always said I would never buy (silver) - so I was initially worried that it would be a very expensive mistake that I would have to live with for years to come, but the more I drive it the more I like it!

We've only had it for some six weeks but it is very easy to drive - especially downhill and on wiggly roads because of the very effective regernative braking - and the interior looks and feels like a 'standard' high spec vehicle, not a futuristic concept car with an iPad Pro for a dashboard.

My main reason for commenting though is from a road safety perspective...

I hate it when reviewers and journalists of any complexion talk to camera whilst driving. Any live commentary is going to distract the driver from [what should be] the main task in hand - driving the car - but it's what we the audience want to hear, so done with care it's arguably a necessary evil. What is unacceptable, however, is the natural and understandable instinct of the reporter to maintain eye contact with the audience by looking directly at the camera (or indeed for any driver to face his passenger when conversing...). Ivan is a particular culprit here and can be seen travelling significant distances without his eyes on the road ahead, let alone actually observing what he sees. His mind is already distracted by thinking of what he wants to say (in the same way that hands-free telephone conversations can [at best] cause one to miss a turning, for example), but he should at least be looking ahead all the time he is speaking.

Come on guys - do try and set an example to us lesser mortals and keep yourself safe into the bargain!

[rogerevans]

You ask someone who is interested in style to review the finalists and she says she'd like the Skoda exterior with the KIA interior, and then decides it must be the Skoda. I agree, but would have gone the other way because it is inside the car where I would be sitting.