Best electric cars on sale in 2020: Tesla Roadster, BMW iX3, Honda e and more

The UK government’s plan to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035 will see electric vehicles become more in-demand than ever before.

According to the New York Times, electric car sales doubled year-on-year in the United States in 2019 and in July last year EV sales in the UK rocketed by nearly 160%.

With EVs now commanding their highest-ever share of the market we take a look at the new models on sale now and the ones to look out for in 2020.

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Tesla Roadster

Release date: late 2020

Tesla’s all-new, all-electric sports car, the 2020 Roadster, is scheduled to go into production at the end of this year.

According to the company the Roadster ​will be “the quickest car in the world, with record-setting acceleration, range and performance”. It will go from 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds and have a top speed of 250mph.

Autocar reports that it should be on sale for “around £151,000” when general sales begin.

Hyundai IONIQ Electric

Release date: on sale now

Hyundai says its all-electric family car “charges faster than a smartphone”. The IONIQ Electric has a range of up to 194 miles and prices start from £29,450.

Top Gear reports the IONIQ is not an “exhilarating electric car”. But then again it doesn’t need to be. BBC’s car show continues: “It’s best around town, using the wattage for quick bursts in and out of traffic.”

Honda e

Release date: June

The Japanese manufacturer’s new EV, the Honda e, will be competitively priced at £26,160 when it goes on sale this summer. Its battery can be charged from empty to 80% in 30 minutes and the full charge can provide a range of 136 miles.

With five screens across the dash and lots of cool gimmicks, The Sun says the Honda e is a “cool, clever and cheap electric car”. The paper added: “It looks and feels as relaxing as a John Lewis lounge with comfy, sofa-like seats and lashings of wood.”

BMW iX3

Release date: August

BMW is preparing to kick off production in China of the iX3, an all-electric version of its X3 SUV, specialist news site Electrek reports.

First unveiled at the Bejing Motor Show in 2018, “the rear-wheel-drive vehicle is expected to provide 286 horsepower and a 273-mile range, according to the European test cycle”, says The New York Times. Pricing is yet to be announced, but Car Wow says it should cost around £55,000.

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Release date: late 2020

Ford’s first mass-production electric car is being developed to take on Tesla’s upcoming Model Y crossover.

The Mustang Mach-E is expected to be a 332 horsepower all-wheel-drive model, with a 459-horsepower GT version tipped to follow next year, reports tech news site CNet.

The all-electric crossover is expected to go on sale in the final quarter of 2020, with Auto Express predicting a price tag of around £40,000 for entry-level models and £60,000 for “fully equipped” First Edition cars.

Volvo XC40 Recharge

Release date: late 2020

Expected to cost around £50,000 when it hits showrooms later this year, the Volvo XC40 Recharge sees Volvo equipping its existing XC40 SUV with an electric drivetrain in order to “cut costs and time to market”, according to The New York Times.

The 408-horsepower engine reportedly provides 240 miles of range, while a high-speed commercial charger will power up the vehicle to 80% capacity in just 40 minutes.

Autocar says the car features “two 201bhp electric motors, one mounted on each axle, that combine to offer 402bhp and 487lb ft of torque”. That takes the XC40 Recharge from zero to 62mph in 4.9 seconds, with a limited top speed of 112mph.

Porsche Taycan 4S, Turbo and Turbo S

Release date: Spring 2020

Due to launch this spring, the new 4S variant of the electric Porsche Taycan sits at the pricer end of the market, at about £78,800 for the “entry level” model. The soon-to-be-shipped Turbo costs about £114,000, and the Turbo S is £140,000.

The 4S is powered by the same dual-motor system as the mid-range Taycan Turbo and range-topping Turbo S, which can deliver up to 252 miles of range on a single charge. However, the total power output of the 4S has been capped at 523bhp for a 0-62mph time of four seconds, reports Auto Express.

All the same, the reviewers are impressed, with Autocar describing the Taycan as possibly “more enjoyable to drive than any other current four-door Porsche”.

Audi E-tron Sportback

Release date: Spring 2020

A four-door coupe version of this Audi was released last spring, with the Sportback model expected to hit the market in the coming months.

The New York Times reports that the “all-wheel-drive E-tron SUV charges to 80% of its 204-mile range in 30 minutes”, while the car is designed to look and handle like a traditional Audi.

Critics were full of praise for the E-tron when the original was released, and the Sportback follow-up is expected to prove equally popular.

Prices for the entry-level E-tron kick off at £71,490, while Launch Edition models cost from £82,240. As the Daily Express reports, buyers of both qualify for a £3,500 discount in the UK, under the government grant for EV buyers.