These are the Electric Cars you Actually Want to Own

“I’d like to say the Taycan Cross Turismo (because wagon), but I’ll never be able to afford one of those so I gotta say the Hyundai Ioniq 5—the cyberpunk-ish hatchback thing that childhood-me would likely have been obsessed with.

“If I were shopping for an EV this would be top of my list.”

I think “cyberpunk-ish hatchback” is a great way to describe the styling on Hyundai’s best EV efforts. A great place to start, and one of our top rated EVs.

Suggested by: foolio

“The F-150 Lightning, hands down. I currently have a ‘13 F-150 that works perfectly for my work and home life. I got to drive a Demo Lightning over the weekend and it only solidified my want for that truck. It’s absurdly fast (for a full size truck), it’s a nice easy transition from what I have now, and my 4yr old absolutely loved the power that thing has.

“If only I could get over that pesky 80k price tag (I gotta have that 15.5" screen in a Lariat) and the 5k-10k to have the charge panel installed in my house. So, it’s definitely just a ‘want’ and a LONG ways off from a ‘have’.

If you’re gonna replace an F-150 with something with battery power, then why not sub it out for the Lightning? All the practicalities of a pickup truck with none of the tailpipe emissions. The dream.

Suggested by: lotus2891

“The Honda e is the only EV that has enough personality for me to want. It’s a tiny RWD hatch with crazy turning radius and a simple but fun interior. I can definitely see myself daily driving one.”

Sure, it’s range isn’t quite what you might like, but I can’t help but love the cutesy little Honda e. It would also be near the top of my EV shopping list, good choice.

Suggested by: Scott Pilgrim (Facebook)

“While I no longer have a need for a commuter (WFH), the Cooper SE most closely matches my desires for an electric car.

“Electric cars are best suited as a second (but primary) car, and the Cooper SE fits that mold quite well. Since range is largely dependent on battery size, and battery size is the primary factor in vehicle cost, I don’t want to buy a bunch of range that I don’t need 95% of the time.

“The Mini’s ~140 mile range is more than adequate for a typical day, offering plenty of margin for an extra trip to the store, or if I forget to plug it in one night.

“Generally, if I am driving more than 50 miles in a day, I am driving more than 500 miles that day. I’m either driving locally or several states away. There is seldom a time when I need 300 miles of range where 300 miles of range would be enough.

“When the range of a Cooper SE is insufficient for me, so too would be the range of any other electric car.

“Something like a Leaf or a Bolt would also suffice, but I prefer the Mini. I liked the Fiat 500e, but it has been discontinued.”

Another case of taking a classic and making it electric. The Mini Cooper SE starts at $34,225 and for that you get 110 miles of range, a stylish interior and that iconic exterior styling.

Suggested by: smalleyxb122

“Wuling EV, 100km in range, $6,900 in price.

“Hoping for slightly longer ver with four door and 150km range for less than $9,000.

“I don’t need fancy smancy tech, Ineed it practical and cheap.”

For anyone wondering, 100 kilometers are just 62 miles. But if you just want a little car to runaround town in, do you really need anything more than the Wuling EV? Well, maybe a convertible option.

Suggested by: r31ya

“The Hyundai Prophecy... concept car. The one that would look at home in Tron. The production version is atrocious.”

This feels like one of those “Instagram vs Reality” moments, which one do you prefer?

Suggested by: Andrew Law (Facebook)

“I know it’s not really a Mustang, it’s too tall for that. And I know there are other electric cars that have a bit more flair, but since they were introduced I’ve been in the mood for a tall vanilla Mach-E auto.”

Say what you want about it not being a ‘real’ Mustang, but the Mach-E still looks great out on the road – especially in that Cyber Orange finish.

Suggested by: dugdeep

“Normal, logical answer is I want an ID. Buzz. An EV minivan would suit my wife and I nicely, and as much as it’ll likely be stupidly expensive, by the time it hits the North American market, we’ll have dropped our stupidly expensive daycare bill, so why not replace it with a stupidly expensive car payment (assuming interest rates don’t go through the roof like it’s being forecasted right now and we’re juggling stupidly expensive mortgage payments)? Other than that, I like the Kia EV6, although I think my wife would be less sold on that.

“But really, I want an EV1. It’s still the future to me, even if it’s a 25 year old future, and owning one’s impossible.”

It’s 26 years since the doomed EV1 first came into our lives, how do you remember it? Would you say it was a car ahead of its time, or was it just a bit crap?

Suggested by: maymar

“First choice, Taycan. But unless I win the lottery, that’s not going to happen. So realistically, probably a Mach-E (don’t care what anyone says, it’s not a Mustang) or a Ioniq 5. I do kind of like the Polestar 2 though.”

Starting at $87,000, the Taycan is on the pricier side of the EV scale. But with looks like this, some excellent color options and THE best factory wheels out there, why would you dream about driving home anything else?

Suggested by: @jdel_9 (Twitter)

“It’s just a Superformance Shelby Daytona replica with an EV conversion, and I have no idea if they ever left the prototype phase, but that’s the kind of EV I want. Just a fast, sexy coupe with no semi-autonomous systems or gaming iPads or any other worthless crap like that.”

This electric Shelby from the people at Renovo is absolutely stunning. The firm launched in 2010 but stayed on the down-low until unveiling this phenomenal looking car at the 2014 Pebble Beach Concourse, what do you think?

Suggested by: garland137

“After 270K trouble free miles on my Prius and Rav4 hybrid over the last seven years, I’d like an electric Toyota with better range and fast charging than the bZ4X, so probably a KIA EV6.”

With our sensible hats back on, the EV6 is obviously a great choice for anyone looking for a new electric car.

Suggested by: Vince La Luz (Facebook)

“The Rivian R1T ticks nearly every single box for me.

“The only reason that it’s an EV that I want to own instead of an EV that I actually own, is the price. Especially after my desired configuration jumped by over 20% with the price hikes.

“I hear it’s still worth every penny... And I believe that. But that’s still a lot of pennies. Not like many of our wages are jumping up at the same rate as EV prices!”

With deliveries now under way, we were just starting to see Rivian R1Ts crop up on the street from time to time. Well, until the firm issued a recall that was.

Suggested by: shanepj13

“Factory – Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor, perfect for a daily, and has some of better qualities of modern Volvos

“Restomod – Jeep Cherokee XJ, always liked them and would love one that wouldn’t cost me the earth to run over here.”

With several firms offering electric conversions for the Land Rover Defender, I’m surprised someone isn’t doing the same for the Jeep. But anyways, until that happens the Polestar 2 is a lovely backup.

Suggested by: Alan Gordon Gentleman (Facebook)

“Since it will probably be the only possible way to keep her on the road in the long term, I d love to convert my Fulvia Coupe into an electric Restomod a la Totem GT. I would desperately miss the angry and lovely 4 banger under her hood, but better than not being able to drive her at all.

“Actually, the only thing stopping me right now with high octane fuel at such insane prices is the cost. I already contacted a local company with a good reputation for classic car EV conversion for a cost evaluation two years ago... They wanted 60 fucking k for it. LOL what nah.”

Would you rather have your lovely, lovely Lancia converted to run on electricity or drive around in a Tesla Model Y? I know which one I’d rather pick.

Suggested by: felixthegrumpycat

“Am I weird to still want a Chevy Bolt? That bulbous boy speaks to me.”

Nothing weird about liking the Bolt, it’s a solid little car that is now the cheapest EV you can buy in America.

Suggested by: @Orangetiki (Twitter)

“Placed a deposit on a Model 3 on the first day. The $35k model didn’t materialize, so I got my money back. Put a deposit on an F150 Lightning. Was notified a few weeks ago that I wasn’t getting a 2022, so I got my money back.

“Purchased a used 2018 Model 3 two weeks ago. Makes me wish I’d swallowed my pride on my initial deposit and just bought one.

“My commute each day cost roughly $20 in my wife’s car (Lincoln MKX, the most fuel efficient car I have). Now it’s $3 in the Model 3.

“Side benefit: no morning surprise of a car with an empty tank.

“Yes the screen takes some getting used to. However, the only thing you care about is speed. Everything else is something that is in you center-stack anyways.

“Regret not buying sooner.”

I guess if you absolutely must have a Tesla, this is probably the one to go for.

Suggested by: soloyosh

“BMW i4 is a real sleeper. Drives like a Bimmer should, 301-mile range, priced not far beyond top-level Hyundai/Kia, and no dealer markups showing in my area.”

With BMW confirming that its internal combustion-engined cars are on the way out, the i4 could offer a glimpse into its electrically-powered future. And what a future that could be!

Suggested by: David Fluhrer (Facebook)

“If you’re going to dream, dream big. Therefore, my pick is the upcoming Rolls-Royce Spectre. It’ll be interesting to see Rolls’ take on an already effortlessly silent and torquey powertrain category. I can’t wait.

“Of course, according to Rolls-Royce, ‘It Does Not Exist’.”

If you’re gonna go for an electric car, why not go for the actual Rolls Royce of electric cars? That’s exactly what the Spectre promises to be when it launches in 2023.

Suggested by: kyree