Best budget electric cars: TOP 10

The ‘green’ future of the automotive industry is just around the corner. There are no manufacturers in this industry that would stay away from the process of creating an electric car. At the level of many governments, special programmes have been created to encourage those who have decided to abandon internal combustion engine cars in favour of electric power plants.

In favour of electric cars speaks a lot of advantages of this type of transport. In our review, we have collected the most popular models of electric cars from the budget segment. Meet the latest TOP of budget electric cars.

Speaking of budget electric vehicles, we immediately think of Chinese electric cars. The level of development of the Chinese car industry is really very high and in most cases their cars are little inferior to the products of European giants. At the same time, the cost of electric vehicles from the Celestial Empire is lower than that of famous European and American brands.

Chinese electric cars: pros and cons
The situation in the Chinese car industry has changed fundamentally over the past decade. From copyists, the Chinese have turned into manufacturers of original and high-quality electric cars, which have the following advantages:

Lower price. By their characteristics, Chinese electric cars can be as good as products of Japanese or European brands. At the same time, their cost will be 10000-15000 dollars lower. This is facilitated by the tax policy of the state and cheaper components, which are produced here in China.

Modern technologies. It is to China that we should be grateful for the fact that innovative technologies are becoming available to a wider and wider range of people. They are creating great competition for many big-name companies in the world. Often Chinese electric cars, even in the basic configuration, have the same equipment as the cars of foreign premium-class competitors.

Low operating costs. Components for Chinese electric cars have a lower cost than spare parts for European and American cars. The same can be said about diagnostics and maintenance.

A hatchback with a 32.2 kWh lithium-ion battery that allows you to drive up to 301 kilometres on a single charge. It takes 8 hours to recover a charge from the normal AC mains. With fast charging, a 30 to 80 per cent charge can be restored in half an hour.

The powertrain uses a 55 kW electric motor, which can accelerate the electric car to 50 km/h in 4.9 seconds. The maximum speed of the electric car is limited to 125 km/h.

Main technical specifications:

engine power – 55 kW;
battery capacity – 32.2 kWh;
range – 301 km;
maximum speed – 125 km/h;
battery charge time – 8 hours;
front-wheel drive.

The compact siticar is equipped with aluminium alloy wheels. The interior has a fairly standard set of options for this price category of cars. The electric car is equipped with an analogue dashboard, air conditioning, central locking and remote locking function. The car also has an assistant-assist for starting from a hill, brake force distribution system.

A light and nimble electric car at a modest price. Under the bonnet of the car is an electric motor with a power output of 45 hp, which is powered by a lithium battery with a capacity of 26.8 kWh. Without recharging, the electric car can be driven for about 300 kilometres, and it takes 6 seconds to accelerate it to 50 km/h.

This is one of the most affordable electric cars on the Chinese market, which at the same time looks unusually stylish and austere. The car is equipped with comfortable seats with leather inserts, which makes the interior look very expensive. An eight-inch LCD display is used as a dashboard.

Main technical characteristics:

engine power – 33 kW;
battery capacity – 26.8 kWh;
range – 300 kilometres;
maximum speed – 100 km/h;
battery charge time – 4 hours;
front-wheel drive.

Equipped with a highly efficient lithium battery and cryogenically heated charge technology. The car uses a proprietary development – N-booster, which improves braking efficiency and allows up to 99.9% of energy to be converted in the process of regeneration. The electric car is equipped with Macpherson front suspension and rear independent suspension on longitudinal arms.

The manufacturer has provided everything to make travelling in an electric car comfortable and safe. These are ABS, EBD, EPS systems, slope hold function, front airbags, auto door opening system in case of road accidents, parktronic, air conditioning, multimedia system with rear view camera. In slow charging mode, it will take up to 9 hours to restore the battery charge. When using fast charging, it will take about an hour for 100% battery recovery.

Main technical specifications:

engine power – 50 kW;
battery capacity – 30.7 kWh;
range – 301 kilometres;
maximum speed – 120 km/h;
battery charge time – 9 hours;
front-wheel drive.

An electric car designed primarily for active city dwellers. The car has rich equipment and stylish design. All this is available for very modest money. The compact crossover is designed for five people and has a clearance of 200 millimetres. The power plant is located on the front axle. Mcpherson struts are used in front, and a semidependent torsion beam is installed at the rear.

The main technical characteristics:

engine power – 140 kWh;
battery capacity – 53 kWh;
range – 310 kilometres;
maximum speed – 160 km/h;
battery charge time – 8 hours;
front-wheel drive.

In the rating of ‘the best budget electric car’ this model occupies the honourable fifth place. Leap Motor was established in 2015 with a start-up capital of $380 million. Unlike other manufacturers, Leap Motor took a different path from the beginning than blindly imitating Tesla.

This model has a 2+2 seating formula and is very close to the Mazda MX-5 in dimensions. The main innovation in the car is that the electric motor, gearbox and control electronics are located in one unit.

The car uses an electric motor with a power of 170 hp, which allows you to accelerate the car to 100 km / h in 6.9 seconds. The maximum travelling speed of this vehicle is 190 km/h. The electric car can travel 360 kilometres on a single charge.