By now you’ve probably read the news that dogs seem to feel more comfortable in electric cars, as established by the CarGurus Dogs and Electric Cars study we carried out in conjunction with the University of Lincoln.
As a result, if you’re a dog owner, you might be thinking about swapping into an electric car. Trouble is, with so many electric vehicles on the market, you might be wondering which one is going to suit your furry friend best.
Wonder no longer. With our extensive knowledge of the car market, we’re here to help you understand which zero-emissions cars will suit your dog – and you, of course – best of all. Here’s our run-down of the very best electric cars for dogs you can buy today.
Best Electric Cars for Dogs 2024
- Best Electric Car for Big Dogs: Volkswagen ID.Buzz
- Best Electric Car for Small Dogs: Kia Soul EV
- Best Electric Car for Older Dogs: Citroen e-Berlingo
- Best Electric Car for Muddy Walks: Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Best Electric Car for Longer Journeys: Skoda Enyaq iV
- Best Electric Car on a Budget: MG5 EV
- Best Electric Car for Car-Sick Dogs: Audi Q8 E-Tron
- Best Electric Car for Luxury: Genesis Electrified GV70
- Best Used Electric Car: Nissan Leaf
Best Electric Car for Big Dogs: Volkswagen ID.Buzz
When the Volkswagen ID.Buzz was revealed, some people were disappointed to discover that, despite looks heavily influenced by the original Volkswagen Bus and Camper, it only has five seats (to begin with, at least). However, large breed owners should be glad, because behind the second row sits a simply vast load area with 1,121 litres of boot space, which is unhampered by an extra set of seats, and that means there’s plenty of space for even the biggest of big dogs, or even two at once, while still retaining the use of the rear bench. What’s more, the low boot floor and wide aperture make it easy for your four-legged friend to climb aboard, and once there, the high boot sides give dogs that are nervous travellers a safe, enclosed-feeling interior space in which to lie down.
VW ID.Buzz Review
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Best Electric Car for Small Dogs: Kia Soul EV
Small dogs don’t need quite such a big boot, of course, but they do need easy access, which is why the low load lip of the Kia Soul makes it ideal. What’s more, the Soul has an adjustable boot floor, which means it can be set higher so that it’s flush with the lip itself, again helping smaller dogs to judge their ‘entry leap’.
And if that’s a little too much for your pampered pooch, that adjustable floor will put less strain on your back if you’re giving them a helping hand by carrying them in.
The Soul is a very good electric car in other ways, too, with a long range and a well laid out interior. What’s more, Kia’s long warranty means you shouldn’t have too many repair bills to think about on top of vets’ bills.
Kia Soul EV Review
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Best Electric Car for Older Dogs: Citroen e-Berlingo
A boot with a low loading lip becomes all the more important if you’ve got an older dog, who’ll find it harder to jump aboard. If that’s the case, the Citroen e-Berlingo is a great bet.
It’s based on Citroen’s Berlingo van, so at the back you get a huge barn-door boot lid that opens to reveal a very low bumper, which should be an easy step up rather than a vast leap for an older dog.
What’s more, while the e-Berlingo’s interior materials are a little on the cheap side, they are robust and easy to clean, so they should be better able to cope with an older dog that might be a bit more prone to having accidents while on the move. And, being based on a van, the car generally has plenty of room throughout and really impressive practicality.
Best Electric Car for Muddy Walks: Ford Mustang Mach-E
If you and your canine companion are wont to head off into the wilderness for long hikes along muddy trails, the Mustang Mach-E is worth a look. Not only does Ford’s electric SUV have a reasonably large boot, but there’s more storage beneath the bonnet too – and crucially, this hard plastic cubby comes with an automatic drainer, which means you can use it to stash muddy wellies, leads, towels, and so on and so forth, and then simply rinse it out with a hose pipe when you get home.
What’s more, the Mach-E can be had with four-wheel drive, which makes it ideal for getting to harder-to-reach dog walking locations, perhaps off-road, along rutted trails or up slippery hillsides.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Review
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Best Electric Car for Longer Journeys: Skoda Enyaq iV
Avoid the Sportline models with their bigger wheels, and the Enyaq has an effortlessly smooth ride, and is one of the quietest electric cars out there. That makes it a great choice if you’re a man (or woman) that regularly undertakes longer trips with his (or her) best friend. For one thing, you’ll arrive more relaxed at the end of those longer drives. But choosing the Enyaq won’t benefit just you. One idea the scientists behind the CarGurus Dogs and Electric Cars study suggested was that the lack of noise and vibration in an electric car might be what keeps dogs better settled. So, the logic goes that if you can keep the noise and vibration to a minimum, with a quiet, comfortable car like the Enyaq, your dog will feel happier for longer.
That isn’t the only good reason for choosing the Enyaq, though. It also offers one of the largest boots of any electric car, and that’ll give your dog a chance to stretch out, or move around and re-settle in any position he or she chooses. And of course, if you use a divider or a dog crate instead of a simple dog guard, it also means more space for you to fit in luggage, too, making this an excellent family car.
Skoda Enyaq Review
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Best Electric Car on a Budget: MG5 EV
Of course, one of the biggest problems with switching to an electric car is that such things aren’t all that cheap to buy. Fortunately, MG does a very credible line in more affordable electric cars, and one of its models is one of the only proper electric estate car models on the market: the MG5 EV.
As a result, it offers dog lovers a huge, dog-friendly boot which, combined with its low price, generous equipment and very decent driving dynamics, makes it a great choice if you want a dog-friendly EV, but haven’t got too much to spend.
Even better news is that the 5 EV now comes with a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty, which is broadly comparable to what you get from the likes of Hyundai and Kia, so even though it’s toward the bargain end of the EV price spectrum, you still get a bit of peace-of-mind thrown in. Just don’t expect the interior quality to fool you into thinking you’ve climbed into a BMW by mistake, although it is better than you get in a Dacia.
MG5 EV Review
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Best Electric Car for Car-Sick Dogs: Audi Q8 E-Tron
The Q8 E-Tron – formerly known simply as the E-Tron – doesn’t come cheap. But what you get for your money is one of the most serene ways of getting from A-to-B.
The reasons are twofold: firstly, the Q8 E-Tron is remarkably quiet; not only is there no engine noise, but road- and wind noise are also astonishingly well isolated. It’s also incredibly smooth, thanks to the standard air suspension, which makes most of the lumps and bumps in the road feel as though they simply aren’t there.
This is particularly important if you’ve a dog that doesn’t like travelling because they suffer from car sickness. As our study showed, reducing vibration and noise can have a dramatic effect on a dog’s nausea, and given the Q8 E-Tron performs so well in these areas, it stands the best chance of giving your queasy pooch an easy ride.
Audi E-Tron Review
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Best Electric Car for Luxury: Genesis Electrified GV70
The Genesis Electrified GV70 might not be a household name in the UK, but it's a fine electric car, and one of the most luxurious options on the market in terms of interior quality and technology.
Now, your dog might not necessarily appreciate the glossy infotainment touchscreen or optional massaging seats, but it will enjoy that other trait common to all luxury cars: the quietness. Put simply, on a long motorway run, the Electrified GV70 is not all that far off a Mercedes S-Class in terms of refinement - and you can't put your dog in the boot of one of those.
Like the Q8 E-Tron, above, the Electrified GV70 also offers excellent ride comfort at both low speeds and on faster roads, which should again keep your dog calm, relaxed and happy.
Genesis GV70 Review
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Best Used Electric Car: Nissan Leaf
Of course, not all of us can stretch to a brand-new electric car, particularly given how much prices have risen in recent months and years. Fortunately, there are now certain older plug-in models that are trickling down nicely onto the used market, and they’re much more attainable.
Arguably the best of these if you need the space to carry a dog is the Nissan Leaf. OK, it’s about the size of a Volkswagen Golf hatchback, so it isn’t vast, but there’s enough room in the boot for a small to medium-sized dog, while larger dogs can be secured with a seatbelt-secured safety harness in the rear seats.
What makes the Leaf so attractive is its availability – Nissan sold loads of the things in the UK, and that means there’s plenty of choice on the market, with prices starting as low as £6,000.
Don’t expect huge range figures – 80-100 miles is about the best you can hope for from the earlier cars – but if you’re desperate for a dog-friendly EV and money is tight, the Mk1 Leaf is a smart option. Or, if your budget is a little bigger and you need more range, then big-selling alternatives such as the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y are in plentiful supply on the used car market.
Nissan Leaf Mk1 Review
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