Most Affordable Electric Vehicles

If you're wondering which electric car to buy, you've come to the right place. Car and Driver's rankings are based on our extensive instrument testing of hundreds of vehicles every year and the subjective feelings of professional editors when driving in real life. We ranked the best electric cars, trucks and SUVs based on approximately 200 data points, covering acceleration performance, handling, comfort, storage space, energy efficiency, value for money, and driving pleasure. We take rankings very seriously because we want you to know the vehicles you are interested in.

The ranking of Car and Driver combines two factors: first, the large amount of instrument test data we conduct on hundreds of models every year, and the second, the subjective feelings formed by our professional editors in real driving. When selecting the cheapest electric vehicle, we use the manufacturer's recommended retail price (MSRP) of each model as the basis and rate each vehicle based on approximately 200 data points, covering acceleration performance, handling, comfort, and cargo space., fuel efficiency, cost performance and driving pleasure. The selected electric cars, hatchbacks, SUVs and pickup trucks all start at less than $50,000.