BEST EVs
Electric Vehicles are the next big thing, and they’re gaining traction fast, following past government incentives. Admittedly, there’s a lot of hype in this segment - but these EVs actually make solid sense right now from known brands.
Review Summary
Reviews in brief
Hyundai Kona Electric
The Kona Electric arrived in Australia with bold, retro-themed yet futuristic styling and is the ideal option for semi-regional driving without leaving nearby fast chargers in capital cities.
It’s a reasonably compact run-around vehicle for shopping, school drop-offs and with heaps of driving range for a typical week’s worth of commuting before charging from a home power point over the weekend.
Kona Electric offers more legroom, luggage space and head/shoulder wriggle room. So it’ll be a great option for small families, or as a second town-based car where an SUV might be the vehicle of choice for weekend sports games, camping or long-distance roadtrips.
This new generation has been designed as an EV first and adapted to fit the combustion powertrain, unlike the old Kona which was the other way around. This means Kona Electric is, dynamically, a hoot to drive.
MG4
All-new MG4 promises to be the small, simple, affordable electric vehicle consumers have wanted for years.
It should do what the Toyota Corolla did for combustion cars, being able to do a great deal of short journeys in relatively good-enough comfort while being modest in how well equipped it is.
A small battery is what’s been missing from the majority of electric vehicles, and the bigger it is, the higher the price. This battery is gonna be capable of being recharged at home in a matter of hours because the 64kWh battery is small enough to get the day’s driving done before topping up overnight.
At $48,000 before on-road costs for the Essence, it’s a compelling value proposition and hugely appealing for those who don’t love filling up with fuel and trying to get the smell off their hands afterward.
Hyundai Inster
Being small isn’t always a disadvantage.
When it comes to offering a small SUV with perfect potential as the family runabout, the Inster is as damn-near perfect as you’re going to get.
It plays compact EV like an extreme sport, with more inherent safety-related benefits owed to being heavier than the combustion-equivalent rivals it shares proportions with (like Suzuki Swift or Mazda 2).
If you completely fill an Inster’s small boot, and the footwells and also put shopping on the seats, then you’re using 100 per cent of its cargo potential, which means you’re actually using all the vehicle you paid for. Seldom does this happen in bigger SUVs costing similar or more.
If you need a family SUV that will outgun Mr Bean’s Mini Cooper while offering all the manouverability, agility, ease-of-parking and modern features and functionality, the Hyundai Inster is pint-sized genius.
Kia EV3
The Kia EV3 is basically the Kona Electric underneath, but with a different look and specification. It’s the size and quality of a Mazda CX-30 SUV, or like a fat hatch, basically.
It’s something of a quiet achiever, not getting nearly the same media attention, but is absolutely worth your consideration in the current market of EVs. For the quality, affordability and daily practicality envelope it offers, EV3 is great value.
Where an MG ZS EV feels like a lower-end EV on the quality front, the EV3 feels distinctly premium, which is good for you and certainly you won’t have to be seen as a cult member unlike some brands. You also get extremely useful vehicle-to-load capability to charge and power appliances.
Kia sits comfortably inside the top 10 car importers in this country, and its commitment to customer support is among the best in the market.
MG ZS EV
Maximum electric vehicle value at the compromise of the quality and luxury of other brands. Essence trim is arguably the most affordable, best value EV money can buy at $30K cheaper than a Tesla Model Y.
A small-midsize SUV package with ample luggage space, and decent cabin appointments without going full Ioniq 5 level.
Handling is compromised due to the combustion platform the heavier battery and motor sit on, but it’s tolerable to save tens of thousands to get a 50kWh battery capable of a claimed 320km of range (280-300 real-world).
There’s also a ‘Long Ranger’ version which has a bigger 72.6 kW-hr battery good for 440km of claimed range and wants about $58K.
ZS is ever so slightly bigger than a Kona Electric, but feels more like a previous generation Toyota RAV4 in terms of size, quality and design.
Subaru Trailseeker
Subaru Trailseeker is the brand’s newest, legitimate all-electric SUV, meaning it’s effectively just an Outback with battery and motor instead of a Boxer engine and CVT.
Trailseeker still offers all-wheel drive and Subaru’s excellent traction control system calibration for soft-roading conditions. The terrain it can conquer - without being a fully hardcore 4X4 - will surprise you.
There’s heaps of bootspace thanks to its wagon profile, ample legroom and you get proper ground clearance to make camping, touring and steep driveways easy fare.
In the current crop of homogenous blog EVs that lack character, the Subaru Trailseeker brings plenty and more.
All-electric vehicles to avoid
Nissan Ariya: Successor to the Leaf, also a poorly designed EV, the Ariya does have internal active thermal management unlike it predecessor. but you’re still dealing with Nissan Australia whose customer support culture, historically, has been sub-standard even for Leaf owners.
Volkswagen ID.4: This thing has been ‘almost here’ for years, only it does actually exist, but you have to deal with the customer care and reliability of VW Group, meaning you’ll have to endure expensive parts, poor tech support and obfuscation in the event of a proper warranty claim issue.
BYD Atto3: There are quality issues regarding rust with this car which requires further investigating. As for the servicing and dealer network, it’s online purchasing and BYD relies on MyCar retail servicing outlets, which is hardly a sound commercial structure, long-term. Too many unknowns.
LDV eT60: Don’t be convinced the build quality is there with LDV. The Timothy Rigby rusty T60 case suggests an underlying problem. The battery range in eT60 will be terrible as soon as you start adding weight; don’t fall for all the pro-EV hype from vested media on this vehicle.
Tesla Model 3: It might be the Electric Jesus halo car, but Tesla’s build quality is renowned for being poor, the tech is not particularly special and the agency-style business model means you can’t negotiate on price. The customer service experience is a mixed bag of results, too.
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The Kia EV3 is the brand’s entry-level fully electric model and when you take into account its price and the level of equipment, the astounding build quality and segment-leading refinement it offers compelling value. If you want affordable luxury with the daily dependability of an EV, you might be on a winner here…