Best of

Used Car of the Year Awards: Electric SUVs

With living costs on the rise, getting a good deal on your next car is more important than ever. That's where our Used Car Awards come in. These are our favourite electric SUVs

Used Electric SUV of the Year

BMW iX3

Read used review Find used cars for sale

White BMW iX3 front quarter with What Car? logo

Price from £17,000 Our pick M Sport Pro

You know the phrase ‘work smarter, not harder’? BMW does, as was evidenced by the launch of the BMW iX3 back in 2021. While premium rivals were trying to part the seas and move mountains with clean-sheet electric SUV designs (such as the Audi E-tron and Jaguar I-Pace), BMW took an easier route. And to say it paid off is an understatement.

scroll for more

You see, as its name suggests, that original iX3 used the bones of the excellent combustion- engined BMW X3 premium SUV. And happily, its talents were largely undiluted with the transition to electric power, its standout skill being the way it drives.

Used BMW iX3 2021-2025 front seats

Tested back to back with the I-Pace – itself no blancmange in corners – the rear-wheel-drive iX3 felt noticeably more agile, with remarkably little body lean for such a hefty car, plus precise steering that gave the driver real confidence to attack bends. While the ride proved firmer than the I-Pace’s, it wasn’t to the point of feeling brittle. Plus, the iX3’s composure along undulating roads promised to make it popular among passengers prone to motion sickness.

List price

£35,160

Leasing

0-62 mph

5.7 sec

Top speed

112 mph

Range

209 miles

Insurance group

33E

Naturally, the iX3 also inherited the X3’s superb interior. In true BMW style, when your fingers roam around, they’ll usually land on pleasingly soft plastics, while metal details add visual interest. The iX3 has the edge on the I-Pace in this regard, and it pulverises that rival when it comes to the usability of its infotainment system.

scroll for more

Used BMW iX3 2021-2025 rear cornering white

Frankly, the iX3’s was the best system on the market at launch, and it still holds up well today, with a clear 10.3in touchscreen, logical menus and crisp, easy-to-read graphics. What’s more, it can be operated via a handy rotary controller mounted between the front seats; once you’re used to it (which doesn’t take long), it’s a far easier and less distracting way of interacting with the infotainment on the move than jabbing at the touchscreen.

Despite all these strengths, the iX3 is surprisingly attainable; an early example can be had for around £17,000. Nor is it likely to be an ownership liability. Its 288-mile official range is respectable, and although it didn’t appear in this year’s What Car? Reliability Survey, the iX3 has made a good account of itself in previous surveys, beating the E-tron and I-Pace last year.

Also consider...

Best nearly new option

Volvo EX30 (2024-present)

Volvo EX30 country driving

Price from £20,000 Our pick Single Motor Extended Range

scroll for more

If you fell asleep in 1996, and you finally drew back the duvet and rubbed your eyes in 2026, there’s no way you’d believe the EX30 was a Volvo. Its sleek, futuristic looks seem wildly dissonant from the perpendicular Swedes of old, and the fact that even the entry-level version manages 0-62mph in just 5.7sec means it’s anything but sedate. Step inside, though, and relief will wash over you.

A feeling of solidity has always been a Volvo trait, and that’s present and correct in the Volvo EX30. Of course, this small SUV is nowhere near as practical as the BMW iX3, but the materials feel simultaneously plush and made to last. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the EX30 is agile and fun to drive (it edges the Smart #1 in this regard), yet it’s also quiet and comfy at a cruise.

Our pick is the Single Motor Extended Range, which has an official range of 295 miles. You can now get a pristine one-year-old example for as little as £20,000 – a saving of about £18k on its price when new, and not a lot more than an older iX3. If you don’t really need the iX3’s extra space, a used EX30 is one of this year’s biggest bargains.

scroll for more

Read our full used Volvo EX30 review >>

Find a used Volvo EX30 for sale >>

Best for value

Kia e-Niro (2019-2022)

Kia e-Niro front driving

Price from £10,000 Our pick 64kWh 3

Today, Kia’s model range is abrim with radical-looking – and very good – electric cars across a broad spectrum of price points. And when you look back to 2019 and the launch of the Kia e-Niro, you could regard that model as a statement of intent. This spin-off of the Niro family SUV was good enough to be the first electric vehicle to earn our overall Car of the Year award.

How so? Well, it’s composed to drive, compliant over bumps, spacious, practical and well equipped. The big-battery (64kWh) version covered a respectable 253 miles in our real-world range test, and its 6.5sec 0-62mph time is nippy by any standard.

So, if your budget won’t stretch to the bigger, more upmarket BMW iX3, the e-Niro is no booby prize. You can get one for just £10,000, and many examples will still have some of Kia’s generous seven-year warranty remaining. Mind you, given its excellent (96.1%) score in our latest Reliability Survey, that warranty is probably academic.

scroll for more

Read our full used Kia e-Niro review >>

Find a used Kia e-Niro for sale >>

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here