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Game for a laugh

Autocar UK

February 26, 2025

Zero-emissions motoring doesn't have to be boring, but which of the latest fun-to-drive EVS gets our road testers' vote? Let the judging begin

It's 18 months since we first collected a field of affordable electric cars together along with a similar number of Autocar road testers. The aim was to perform some proper back-to-back testing and decide if any - or perhaps how many of the former could be considered genuinely good fun to drive.

Back in 2023, then out of a field of six cars, we found several that were enjoyable to drive, but only one or two of those felt like they existed primarily for the purpose of driver entertainment. Our winner then was a car that would go on to scoop other Autocar group test honours and, in revised form, is likely to set a stiff pace even for this one: the Cupra Born.

Now look how the electric car landscape has changed. Over the past 12 months alone, the market for affordable electric cars really has burst into bloom. Leading powers in the mainstream EV market, names such as Hyundai, Kia and Volkswagen, have launched new EV performance sub-brands, while the likes of Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Ford and Alpine are showing that the 'legacy brands' can also cater to enthusiasts' tastes with their zero-emissions offerings.

This second running of Autocar's Best Fun EV test takes in no fewer than three special performance derivatives of both new and wellestablished compact electric cars. The hotly anticipated and all-new Alpine A290 - tested in top-of-the-line GTS form - is foremost among them, but alongside it is Alfa Romeo's first EV, the Junior Elettrica Veloce, as well as Cupra's performance-tuned Born, the VZ.

The second-generation electric Mini, the Cooper SE, should give those cars a stern test for energetic driver appeal, while the MG 4a car that has been rated by our testers among the best-handling affordable EVs since its first appearance in 2022 - rounds out our line-up, appearing here in Extended Range trim.

Read on, then, to discover the most entertaining way to spend sensible money on a new electric car in 2025.