The cost of running a vehicle has rocketed in recent years, and that goes for electric cars as well as petrol and diesel cars. As of April 2022, the cost per kWh of domestic electricity in the UK jumped to an average of 28p per kilowatt hour (kWh), from under 19p in 2021, and it’s remained at a similar level ever since.
Even with that price jump, most EVs that are charged at home will still cost around half (or less) of what it costs to fuel an average diesel or petrol car – you’re looking at around 7-9p per mile in the average plug-in battery electric vehicle (or BEV), as opposed to roughly 15-20p per mile for most combustion-engined cars. However, if you’re making regular use of public rapid chargers, which are much, much more expensive, then you could well be paying just as much to fuel your EV as you would with a combustion-engined car - maybe even more.
That’s why it’s important to maximise the return you get from the fuel you put in your car, and that means buying one that’s as efficient as possible. In a combustion-engined car, you'd do this by choosing a car with a high miles-per-gallon (mpg) figure, but with an electric car, it’s a high miles-per-kilowatt-hour (m/kWh) that you want.
The caveat here is that, while most electric car manufacturers publish figures for the range (measured in miles) or the battery capacity (measured in kWh) of their cars, many don’t always publish an official WLTP m/kWh efficiency figure.
So the question is, what are the most efficient electric vehicles that will cost you the least in energy bills? We’ve researched figures from evdatabase.org, designed to give you a real-world idea of an electric car’s range and efficiency abilities, and filtered them by efficiency to bring you what that website calculates to be the 10 most efficient electric cars available today on the new car market. We’ve then used those figures to calculate a cost-per-mile figure, so that you know precisely what costs to expect. As you’ll see, the cars on this list aren’t necessarily the ones with the longest ranges - you can find a list of those here - but they are the ones that give you the biggest return on the amount of electricity you put in.
Most Efficient Electric Cars 2024:
- 1. Tesla Model 3 57.5kWh
- 2. Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range 2WD
- 3. Vauxhall Corsa Electric 51kWh
- 4. Dacia Spring Electric 45
- 5. Fiat 500e 24 kWh
- 6. BMW i4 eDrive40
- 7. Peugeot e-208 51kWh
- 8. MINI Cooper Electric E 37kWh
- 9. Renault Megane E-Tech EV60 220hp
- 10. Skoda Enyaq Coupe 85
- FAQs
1. Tesla Model 3 57.5kWh
EVDB consumption: 4.52m/kWh
EVDB range: 260 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 6.18p
The Tesla Model 3 has long been the poster-child for the mainstream EV movement: perhaps it was the car’s Model S and Model X stablemates that made electric motoring cool and desirable, but it was the Model 3 (along with the Tesla Model Y) that made that desirability affordable. And beneath all that hype lies a car of real substance. It’s enjoyable to drive, it goes like stink, and it has the kind of gadgetry - not least in the infotainment department - that will have tech-fans coming back for more time after time. The 57.5kWh Model 3 in question may not have the longest range in the Tesla line-up, but it’s worth noting that even the Long Range Dual Motor AWD version is still efficient enough to beat the second-placed car on our list, with a figure of 4.13m/kWh, and that version has a range of 310 miles according to evdatabase.org.
Tesla Model 3 Review
Search for a Tesla Model 3 on CarGurus
2. Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range 2WD
EVDB consumption: 4.12m/kWh
EVDB range: 305 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 6.80p
Few car companies have been as proactive in the mainstream EV market in the last few years as Hyundai, and not only has the Korean firm come up with a broad choice of models, but they’ve also been some of the most eye-catching and interesting offerings on the market. And the Ioniq 6 is perhaps the most interesting of the lot. It uses the same platform and running gear underneath as the smaller, boxier Ioniq 5 - and the Kia EV6, for that matter - but its aerodynamic ‘Streamliner’ shape helps it shine on the efficiency front, as its inclusion here shows. It even manages to beat the considerably smaller Hyundai Kona Electric onto this list, which is super-impressive. The ride is rather firm and the interior is short on quality in a few places, but the Ioniq 6 is much roomier than it looks and comes packed with tech.
Hyundai Ioniq 6 Review
Search for a Hyundai Ioniq 6 on CarGurus
3. Vauxhall Corsa Electric 51kWh
EVDB consumption: 4.05m/kWh
EVDB range: 195 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 6.92p
Vauxhall has offered an electric version of the Corsa for some years now, but in 2023, the car was facelifted and overhauled. This brought not only sharper looks, but also a new long-range variant featuring a new battery pack with improved cell technology, plus an extra 20 horsepower. It’s that upgraded version that features here. Among cars of its size, the Corsa feels like a very grown-up car, with a comfortable ride, good refinement (especially in electric form) and a fairly soberly-styled but well-made interior. It’s not the roomiest car of its type, nor the most enjoyable to drive, but otherwise, it is a very good all-rounder.
Vauxhall Corsa Review
Search for a Vauxhall Corsa on CarGurus
4. Dacia Spring Electric 45
EVDB consumption: 4.00m/kWh
EVDB range: 100 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 7.00p
The Dacia Spring is so new that we haven’t had a chance to drive it yet, but the Romanian firm’s new miniature electric SUV slots straight into our rundown of the EV market’s most efficient cars. The Spring looks very appealing in a variety of other ways, too. It may be small, occupying about the same amount of space on the road as a city car such as the Hyundai i10, but it has a big-car attitude with convincing SUV styling that’s as funky as it is chunky. Like with most Dacias, though, the biggest draw is likely to be the price. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’ve heard figures of about £15,000 being bandied about, which would make the Spring less than half the price of the Vauxhall Corsa Electric we were just talking about. Yikes.
Search for a Dacia on CarGurus
5. Fiat 500e 24 kWh
EVDB consumption: 3.98m/kWh
EVDB range: 85 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 7.03p
We absolutely love Fiat’s electric city car, even though there seems to be widespread befuddlement about what it’s actually called. Fiat refers to it as ‘The New 500’, but then saw fit to put a badge on the back of the car proclaiming it as the ‘500e’. We’re going with the latter, if only because it’s quicker to say. Regardless, it looks great, with a more modern reimagining of the cutesy styling of the original than that of the previous Fiat 500 of 2007, and it’s fabulous to drive in town. It’s also relatively affordable by EV standards. As far as want-one-factor goes, not many small electric cars (the Honda E aside, perhaps) can match this one.
Fiat 500e Review
Search for a Fiat 500 on CarGurus
6. BMW i4 eDrive40
EVDB consumption: 3.97m/kWh
EVDB range: 320 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 7.06p
BMW started its electric journey more than a decade ago with the i3, so it’s no surprise that, in the present day, the German firm knows a thing or two about EVs. Several electric BMWs have hit the market in recent years, and the i4 - the pure-electric counterpart to the 4 Series Gran Coupe - would appear to be the most efficient of them, probably down to its slinky four-door coupe shape. As you’d expect from any BMW, it’s fabulous to drive, with cornering fun and cruising comfort provided in equal measure from the car’s rear-wheel-drive powertrain, while the interior has all the space, quality and technology you could hope for.
BMW i4 Review
Search for a BMW i4 on CarGurus
7. Peugeot e-208 51kWh
EVDB consumption: 3.95m/kWh
EVDB range: 190 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 7.08p
Remember earlier on when we talked about the new battery tech bestowed upon the Vauxhall Corsa Electric in 2023? Well, as both Vauxhall and Peugeot are both members of the same group of brands brought together under the huge Stellantis manufacturing umbrella - and as a result are virtually the same in terms of their platform and running gear - it’s no surprise that the Peugeot e-208 received the same updates at a similar time. It’s arguably a more stylish option than the Corsa, with more flamboyant features and curvier lines, while the interior is similarly eye-catching and impressive for quality. It’s good to drive, too.
Peugeot 208 Review
Search for a Peugeot 208 on CarGurus
8. MINI Cooper Electric E 37kWh
EVDB consumption: 3.92m/kWh
EVDB range: 145 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 7.14p
The forthcoming MINI Electric - all-new for 2024 - is another car that’s too new for us to have driven yet, but it looks to follow the formula that’s made previous versions of the modern MINI such a rip-roaring success. The styling is a more modern interpretation of the original Mini’s retro look, with more smoothness at the front and more sharpness at the back than previous incarnations. The interior looks to have all the quality and technology that customers will demand, and it’s hard to imagine that the car won’t have MINI’s trademark seat-of-the-pants driving experience, even though the car has been developed in conjunction with Chinese company Great Wall Motors, who make the Ora 3, previously known as the Funky Cat.
Search for a MINI on CarGurus
9. Renault Megane E-Tech EV60 220hp
EVDB consumption: 3.92m/kWh
EVDB range: 235 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 7.14p
The Renault Megane E-Tech is a very surprising car in a variety of different ways. As an electric Renault, you might expect it to have the same old-school technology as the now-dated Renault Zoe hatchback. Not a bit of it. The tech on board - most notably the cutting-edge Google infotainment system - is completely on-point. With its SUV styling, you might expect The E-Tech to feel clumsier in the corners than its rivals. Not so. It’s sharper and more enjoyable to drive than the vast majority of them. That bulky shape might also lead you to believe that the E-Tech wouldn’t be all that efficient. Well, its inclusion here proves that not to be the case. Chuck in a roomy cabin and robust build quality, and you have a very appealing package.
Renault Megane E-Tech Review
Search for a Renault Megane E-Tech on CarGurus
10. Skoda Enyaq Coupe 85
EVDB consumption: 3.89m/kWh
EVDB range: 300 miles
Cost per mile[^1]: 7.20p
We’ve been banging on and on about the virtues of the Skoda Enyaq ever since 2021 when, shortly after its release, it beat competition from no fewer than nine direct rivals to claim first place in our huge ‘Electric SUV Megatest’, a 40-minute video extravaganza brought to you by CarGurus UK. It’s built on the same electric underpinnings as the Volkswagen ID cars, along with other electric offerings from Audi and Cupra, some of which were included in the same test. The reason for the Skoda’s victory was largely because the Enyaq delivers a combination of space, quality, equipment, range, comfort, refinement, driving polish, value and general family-friendliness that no rival can match. Okay, so the since-released Coupe version doesn’t quite have the practicality of the regular SUV, but it isn’t far behind and it has all those other abilities in equal measure. And importantly for the purposes of this rundown, the Coupe’s more slippery shape helps give it a little more EV efficiency.
Skoda Enyaq Review
Search for a Skoda Enyaq on CarGurus
FAQs
Whats the most efficient electric car?
When this article was last updated, the most efficient electric car available to buy in the UK was the Tesla Model 3, with an average consumpton of 4.52 miles per kilowatt hour. This was followed by the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric.
Are electric SUVs efficient?
It’s worth noting that the same factors that affect miles per gallon in petrol or diesel cars also affect the energy efficiency of zero emissions models. That’s why you’ll find plenty of small, compact cars in this list of the most efficient EVs, but only a handful of bigger ones – there’s no Jaguar I-Pace, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Mercedes EQC, BMW iX, Audi e-tron, Toyota bZ4X, Nissan Ariya, Genesis GV70 Electric, Volvo EX90 or Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo for example, as these are all large, luxurious and heavy SUVs, and therefore relatively inefficient compared with smaller and lighter EVs.
How much should I be paying for electricity to charge my electric car at home?
If you are serious about saving money on the mileage you do in your all-electric car, don’t forget to shop around for those electricity tariffs that offer low-cost overnight charging. That way, you can cut electricity costs to as little as 7p/kWh, and this could save you up to 75% on the costs we’ve stated below (which all assume a cost of 28p/kWh on a home charger – still cheaper than rapid charging at public charging stations). And of course, this will bring you a far greater – and safer – financial saving than any amount of time spent drafting lorries while wearing a woolly hat rather than turning the heater on.
[^1]: Calculated using the evdatabase.org effiency figure, assuming electricity cost of 28p/kWh