The big test: small electric SUVs

Things are looking bright with the arrival of the latest electric Volvo but the existing crop of electric crossovers has something to say too

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Let me introduce you to the Volvo EX30. I think you might get on. Swift, desirable, beautifully finished and it costs less than £34k. Initially I just couldn’t work out how Volvo had done it for the money. Later, I’d work it out.

But here’s where we’re going to start: value. Electric cars have received a kicking for not being affordable enough, but now we’re starting to see prices coming down. Not quite to MG4 levels, but far enough to make you sit up and pay attention. As you can see they all start from around £35,000. Put a six-grand deposit down and you can have a Smart One for £280 a month over three years. That’s not bad at all. In fact it’s not a bad car all round, as I’ll come on to.

This is the core of the electric market, this is where future growth will likely come from. Because crossover. Not necessarily these four cars alone, as they’re splashing around in a deep pool of talent that extends from lifted hatches such as the Renault Megane E-Tech to new incomers from China – think BYD Atto. Interested in how those all fit together? So were we, so in parallel to this test we actually shot a 10 car film. Dig it out on YouTube or at topgear.com.