Which Electric Vehicle is Right For You?

EV Choices

If you have decided that you want to join the electric vehicle movement, the odds are good that you have a specific vehicle in mind. With more and more automakers jumping into the EV fray, many major companies have plug-in offerings, making it easier for brand-loyal buyers to pick their new car or SUV. However, those drivers looking to get into their first electric vehicle without any sort of brand preference may have a hard time deciding which battery-powered car is right for them.

If you are one of those prospective EV buyers who isn’t sure which models to consider, we are here to help. We have put together a simple electric vehicle buyer’s guide that looks at the key criteria and the best options for various types of drivers, taking budget concerns into consideration.

Key Criteria in Choosing an Electric Vehicle

Before you start shopping for a new electric vehicle, you need to ask yourself several simple questions. What kind of vehicle do you need? Do you want a compact car that offers the most range for the smallest price, or do you want something bigger and roomier, like a large sedan or a crossover?

What Can I Afford?

How much money can you really afford to spend on your new electric vehicle? While the least expensive EVs in North America have prices starting around $30,000 (USD), many of the larger models are quite a bit more expensive, so budget makes a big difference here. The Tesla Model 3 is one of the least expensive and one of the bestselling EVs on the market, but it starts in the mid-$40k range and the price quickly rises as you add options.

Ready To Move Forward?

Once you know exactly what kind of vehicle you want and how much money you can realistically spend, you are ready to start looking at those vehicles which fit into your budget while meeting your needs. In the following slides, we have arranged our advice by vehicle type, then looked at range and cost.

Shopping for a Small Electric Car - Under $30K

If you are working with a smaller budget, the small car segment has more vehicles that fit into your search criteria. This is where you will find one of the least expensive EVs in the North American market, with the Mini Cooper Electric starting under $30,000. That is also one of the smallest EVs in this market and, more importantly, it only has a range of 114 miles for the 2022 model year.

Shopping for a Small Electric Car - Under $40K

If you want a little more space, you should consider the Nissan Leaf, the Hyundai Ioniq and the Chevy Bolt. The Leaf starts at $32,620 with 149 miles of range while the Leaf Plus will go 226 miles with a price starting at $33,375. The Ioniq 170 miles with a starting price of $34,250 and the Bolt will go 259 miles with a starting price of $37,495.

Shopping for a Small Electric Car - Above $40K

Finally, if you are interested in spending a bit more money for a more luxurious brand, the BMW i3 offers 153 miles of range with a starting price of $44,450. That is obviously on the low end of the range spectrum, but if you want to drive a BMW rather than a Nissan, Mini Cooper, Chevy or Hyundai, the i3 is a nice – albeit expensive – option. Of course, the Tesla Model 3 would also fit into the small car category, offering 272 miles of range for $43,990, but like the BMW, it is dramatically more expensive than the other smaller EVs.

As you can see, in the sub-$40,000 range, there are several options, but if you drive more than 200 miles a day and you want to drive a smaller car, you will need to focus on the Chevy Bolt and the Nissan Leaf Plus. It should also be noted that the Bolt, while being one of the more expensive options on the small EV list, it is also the quickest aside from the Tesla, sprinting from 0 to 60 in just 6.3 seconds.

Stepping Up to a Crossover - Under $40K

If you need more passenger and cargo space in your new electric vehicle, you encounter a wider spread of vehicles and a huge spread in pricing. On the lower end of the price spectrum, we have the Kia Niro and the Hyundai Kona, both of which start under $40,000. The Kona will go 258 miles with a starting price of $38,575 while the Niro has a range of 239 miles and a starting price of $39,090.

Stepping Up to a Crossover - Under $50K

If you step up over the $40,000 mark, you have two of the hottest new EVs on the market – the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Ford Mustang Mach E. The ID.4 base model offers a range of 260 miles with a starting price of $41,190 while the quicker ID.4 Pro has a range of 249 miles and a starting price of $43,675. As for the Mustang Mach E, the base model rear-wheel-drive version has a range of 230 miles and a starting price of $43,995 while the similar model with all-wheel-drive starts at $45,595 with 211 miles of range.

Stepping Up to a Crossover - $50K+

If you like the Mustang Mach E, but need more range, you can opt for the California Route 1 model, which comes standard with the extended range drivetrain. This system offers 305 miles with rear-drive and 300 miles with all-wheel-drive, with pricing starting in the low $50,000 range. Also in the upper end of the $50k range is the all-wheel-drive Mach E GT, which offers 270 miles of range and the ability to sprint from a stop to 60 in the 3-second range. If you want bang-for-your-buck in a roomy, electric SUV, the Mach E is hard to beat, but again, you should expect to pay over $60,000 for one of those after fees and options.

While you are in the $50,000 range, there are a few other premium EVs to consider, including the Tesla Model Y and the Volvo XC40. The Model Y can go 326 miles with a starting price of $58,990 while the XC40 Recharge will go 223 miles for 2022 with a base price of $55,300. Step up to the $60k range and you have the Audi E-Tron and the Jaguar I-Pace. The E-Tron will go 222 miles with a price of $65,900 and the I-Pace starts at $69,900 for 234 miles of range.

Finally, if you are looking to spend over $100,000, the Tesla Model X is the best performing electric crossover on sale today, offering lightning-quick acceleration and 348 miles of all-electric driving range.

Large Sedans with Big Price Tags

If you want to drive a high performance electric vehicle with loads of luxury amenities, you have several options, but they all carry big price tags. This includes the Tesla Model S, the Porsche Taycan and the Lucid Air.

The Tesla Model S is one of the bestselling EVs in North America, having been on sale longer than most of the other nameplates on this list. For the newest model year, getting into a Model S will start at $94,990, but it will go 405 miles on a single charge and it will do so quickly, with loads of luxury features.

Large Sedans with Big Price Tags

The Porsche Taycan offers 225 miles for $82,700, or for $89,830, you can get 282 miles of range.

Large Sedans with Big Price Tags

The Lucid Air is currently only available in its loaded “Dream Edition”, which starts around $170,000 with a range of 520 miles in “Range” form with a whopping 996 horsepower. If you step up to the Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance, output rises to 1,111 horsepower while the range drops to 471 miles. The Lucid Air offers the best performance and the most range, but it also costs far more than the “base” prices of the other large electric sedans.

Buying an Electric Truck

Finally, there are no all-electric trucks available on dealer lots today, but it won’t be long before Rivian, Hummer, and Ford all have their EV pickups on the street.

The Rivian R1T is expected to have an official range of 314 miles with a starting price of $67,500.

Buying an Electric Truck

Ford does not have any official range numbers for the new Lightning F-150 just yet, but they are targeting 300 miles with their extended range battery. The electric F-150 will start around $40,000 for the commercial work-rated trim, while the consumer models will start in the mid-$50,000 range.

Buying an Electric Truck

As for the upcoming GMC Hummer EV, General Motors is targeting 350 miles of range with a price at launch of $112,595, but less expensive models will be offered in the future.