Welcome to Electric Road’s ‘Top 5 Medium-size Electric Cars’ Summer 2023 in association with Xcite Car Leasing.
At Electric Road, our key objective is to be as useful as we possibly can be for those considering their first or next electric car and related products & services. Finding the right electric car is clearly the most important part of the process! In an ever-growing market there are many considerations (budget-aside) such as should you buy new or used and how you are actually going to use the car.
Just so you know, we only consider a particular make & model when we’ve received a minimum of 20 Top 5 EV Surveys for the vehicle. For the ‘Medium-size Electric Car’ category, we base it on cars with a length of between 4,101mm to 4,500mm.
Owner Ratings
Based on the 5-bolt rating system from over 4,000 Top 5 EV Surveys received up to and including 30th June 2023, Electric Road has extracted the top 5 highest-rated medium-size electric cars. Within the review forms, owners have to provide an overall bolt rating out of 5 on their current car. We’ve then worked out the average rating for each make & model as shown below.
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We hope this summary of EV owners’ opinions will help you make the right decision when the time comes to purchase your first or next electric car. Given how quickly the electric vehicle market is growing, the ‘Top 5 Medium-size Electric Cars’ will be updated each quarter ensuring you have the latest owner feedback from Electric Road.
Top 5 Medium-size Electric Cars
1. KIA Soul EV (4.83)
The KIA Soul EV remains on top spot for Summer 2023. Owners love the KIA Soul EV for the levels of spec they have, good practicality and excellent value for money.
Here’s what some of our owners think about their KIA Soul EV:
‘Offers best space for our family with 3 of us 6ft+, good value for money & got a good trade-in deal. The vehicle is well-equipped with heated seats & heated steering wheel. A good sound system too. Efficient heating and cooling using a heat pump and a very reasonable overall usable range. Sufficiently comfortable to travel longer distances and sensibly priced as we were able to take advantage of the Government subsidy. The dealer also supplied our previous vehicle (a Renault Zoe) and deals with both Renault & Kia, so offered the best deal.’
Soul EV 64kWh 2021, Adrian Hilton. Read the full Owner Review here
‘We looked at many different EVs before deciding on the KIA. We were in a fortunate position of not having to rush into a new purchase, so spent many, many weekends, test driving various different EVs. After narrowing the choice down to a MG ZS EV, a Hyundai IONIQ 5, a Vauxhall Mokka-e and the KIA Soul EV, our choice was easy. The Soul EV is extremely well equipped as standard and had everything we wanted on it.
The range was important to us. We travel a lot and do around 25,000 miles a year. Although I was not afraid to use public charge points, I wanted something where we wouldn’t be stopping every 5 minutes. We tried a Soul EV and at 285 (claimed) mile range, it sounded perfect. We test drove one in the Summer of 2022 and it did indeed, get that range quite happily. The quality level inside was only matched by the IONIQ 5, whereas the others I have mentioned felt a bit cheap and nasty. Not what we wanted when spending around £35,000 on a car. The KIA Soul EV drove great and in Sport mode, it was fabulous!’
Soul EV Maxx 64kWh 2022, Laurence Tippett. Read the full Owner Review here
‘I had the 1st gen Soul EV 30kWh 2017-19. It was a very well-equipped & comfortable car. Its only negatives were its range, 140 miles in summer, 110 miles in winter and restricted luggage. The current 64kWh addressed these plus adding even more toys (HUD, Harman Kardon hi-fi + an app) and ex-demo models were within my budget.’
Soul EV First Edition 64kWh 2020, Martin O. Read the full Owner Review here
What are the standout technological features of the car?
- ‘Heads Up Display – good to have information right in the eyeline
- auto-dimming headlights – absolutely rock solid
- sport mode – drive it like you stole it!
- eco mode – best range
- level 3 regen is very close to Nissan ‘one pedal’ driving.’
Soul EV 64kWh 2020, Mick Wilson. Read the full Owner Review here
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2nd. KIA e-Niro (4.73)
The KIA e-Niro has moved up from third to second place for Summer 2023. It still ticks a lot of boxes for owners, namely value for money, efficiency & practicality.
Here’s what some of our owners think about their KIA e-Niro:
‘The KIA e-Niro was in my top three shortlist, alongside the Hyundai Kona and Tesla Model 3. I chose the e-Niro based on best value for money overall, taking into account range and cost. Other key considerations were cabin & boot space (excellent) and build quality (excellent). It’s a good-looking car too and in the realms of ‘normal’ i.e. it just looks like a car. Short lead times played a factor too. I had never even seen a Kia e-Niro in the metal before I put down my deposit, never mind had a test drive or even sat in one. I knew the drive experience would be superb, having driven many electric cars. Delighted with my choice.’
e-Niro 4 64kWh 2020, Gill Nowell. Read the full Owner Review here
‘I needed an EV with at least 250 miles range as nearly all my journeys are within 150 miles of home. I also needed a vehicle that could comfortably take 3 passengers with some luggage. I looked at different options during early 2021 and the top 2 were the KIA e-Niro and the VW ID.3. I chose the e-Niro because the government subsidy rules changed and the e-Niro 2 64kW was, at the time, the only EV with 250 miles range that still attracted the subsidy.’
e-Niro 2 64kWh 2021, Nigel. Read the full Owner Review here
‘I have always loved cars and design is important to me, so slightly surprising I’m now in an e-Niro! Previously, I have only owned European cars (BMW, VW and Volvo). I’m not a huge fan of the looks but the e-Niro ticked critical boxes for me as someone who doesn’t have off-street parking and charges using a cable gulley through the pavement. Namely, a big battery and brilliant efficiency (meaning less worrying about being able to park outside my house to charge) as well as a charge port at the front rather than side (meaning less chance of the cable being knocked by other cars or pedestrians).
I also liked all the extras that you get which for me makes it very good value for money e.g. heated and ventilated seats, electric driver seat, glass sunroof, full leather, 10-inch infotainment screen, fantastic self-driving abilities etc.’
e-Niro 4+ 2021, Jesper. Read the full Owner Review here
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3= Hyundai Kona Electric (4.69)
Great to drive, full of tech and highly practical, the Hyundai Kona Electric is a solid all-rounder.
Here’s what some of our owners think about their Hyundai Kona Electric:
‘After test driving the Renault Zoe, the Vauxhall Corsa-e and a MG I was really impressed with the Kona, both with the range, ease of driving and look.’
Kona Electric 64kWh 2020, Gary. Read the full Owner Review here
‘It was time to change my car. I needed a higher car due to knee problems and I also wanted an EV. Although most of my mileage is local driving, once or twice a month I do a long journey, so I needed a car with a good range. At the time of buying, this was one of the best in my price range. I am not usually that bothered about onboard tech but this car has actually got good, useful features along with a decent sized screen.
Most of my previous cars have been Japanese made and I’ve never owned a Hyundai before. However, I do have friends who own ICE Hyundais and have been very pleased with them. Although I did not buy from my local dealer, I do use them for servicing as they came highly recommended.’
Kona Electric Premium SE 64kWh 2019, Frogletsmum. Read the full Owner Review here
‘When I initially looked at EVs, there were few to choose from. I drove all that were available in the course of my job (car auction) and found them interesting but not desirable. However, as soon as I saw the Hyundai Kona EV advert I was hooked, it was streets ahead of anything previously available, (except Tesla of course, which were prohibitively expensive).
Personal circumstances changed and I was able to buy the Kona. With the enthusiastic reviews and experience of a YouTuber ‘EV Puzzle’, I bought it online direct from Hyundai, no test drive, hadn’t even seen one in the ‘flesh’, mad I know.
When I did get it, I was not disappointed and I’ve had a smile one my face ever since. I admit that I’m not an eco warrior, that wasn’t my motivation, I’m a gadget freak and the Kona has plenty of them and is just great to own and drive. I’ve not regretted buying it even once and the savings in servicing and fuel costs has been amazing. In winter, it’ll do 240 miles and in summer over 300.’
Kona Electric 64kWh 2018, Chris. Read the full Owner Review here
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3= Hyundai IONIQ Electric (4.69)
The Hyundai IONIQ Electric is a sensible EV that ticks all the key boxes for owners.
Here’s what some of our owners think about their Hyundai IONIQ Electric:
‘It is the most efficient EV in its price bracket, is well made and great to drive.’
IONIQ 38kWh 2020, David Perriman. Read the full Owner Review here
‘It offered the best balance of value and mileage, was comfortable on a test drive and well-equipped.’
IONIQ Premium 38kWh 2020, Mr B. Read the full Owner Review here
‘I chose the car because of its price, comfort, technology & efficiency.’
IONIQ 28kWh 2018, Tony S. Read the full Owner Review here
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5. Volvo XC40 Recharge (4.68)
Volvo XC40 owners love the XC40’s style, quality, power & safety levels.
Here’s what some of our owners think about their XC40 Recharge:
‘I’ve owned Volvos for 25 years and when I was sure I wanted an EV, I obviously looked to Volvos’s first ever EV. I also looked at Tesla, KIA, Nissan, Hyundai and BMW but what I needed or wanted, I only got with the Volvo: space, quality, power, safety, room for a big dog and the feeling to be ‘at home’. I never regretted it one single day.’
XC40 Recharge 2021, Silke. Read the full Owner Review here
‘Liked the size, style and power.’
XC40 Recharge Twin 2021, Greg. Read the full Owner Review here
‘We got the car through salary sacrifice & got a decent price on the core edition, single motor. It was quite a bit cheaper than some of the other models we looked at too like the Mercedes and Audi. We’ve always wanted a Volvo, especially with having small children. The safety of the car definitely helped us in that way.’
XC40 Recharge 69kWh 2022, Brett. Read the full Owner Review here
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