Top 10 best family electric cars 2022

Open gallery Close News by Illya Verpraet 14 mins read 25 October 2022 Follow @illyaverpraet Share

Full-size, daily-usable electric vehicles have been a long time in rising to prominence, but they’ve now well and truly arrived, with more options available to buyers than ever before.

Because the battery pack is usually hidden in the floor, many are SUVs, but there are some hatchbacks, saloons and crossovers to choose from also.

Battery technology has come a long way here, bringing down prices of new EVs and also making range anxiety much less of a problem than it used to be.

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Charging infrastructure still leaves much to be desired, but if you can charge at home and dont travel long distances frequently, you may never need to visit a public charger.

Add in the fact that EVs let you travel in silence and produce zero emissions, are exempt from road tax and the London Congestion Charge and qualify for low benefit-in-kind taxes as fleet options and they start to become truly viable family-transport picks.

While we have yet to see many true driver’s cars with electric power, the instant, uninterrupted, silent punch that even fairly basic EVs offer will surprise and delight many drivers used to conventional powertrains.

This is a list of our top 10 electric cars for families, compiled considering factors such as range, usability, driving dynamics and value for money. Some EVs are still subject to relatively high prices compared with combustion-engined cars, but their premiums can be offset against lower running costs.

1. Hyundai Ioniq 5

Twenty years ago, it would have been surprising to see a list like this dominated by Korean car makers Hyundai and Kia, but the duo have not only managed to build a range of impressive mainstream cars, they were also quick out of the gate with electric versions of regular cars.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the start of one of them getting truly serious about EVs, and it’s built on a bespoke EV model platform with 800V electrical architecture. An 800V system allows for much faster charging, and the only others doing something similar are the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-tron GT, plus the closely related Kia models. Pretty good company.

It’s not just a technical exercise. The Ioniq 5 draws attention with its distinctive retro-futuristic design and modern, high-quality interior.

Despite its size and weight, the Hyundai suprisingly engaging to drive, with strong performance, decent grip and just enough adjustability to keep things interesting. It’s also a lovely, relaxing cruiser, with good noise suppression, a comfortable ride and a really convincing luxury aura that suits an electric car perfectly. Good packaging means that space in the back is more than generous, with a usable boot.

The long-range, rear-wheel-drive version (the dual-motor, four-wheel-drive model has been dropped from the range for now) narrowly saw off the Skoda Enyaq iV in a recent group test, proving a more engaging drive and winning over our tester with its more daring design.

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The range starts from £39,400 for a 168bhp rear-wheel drive car with a 240-mile range, rising to at least £44,400 for a 281-mile, 214bhp version.

Do you need more encouragement? If so, there’s a hot N-badged version in the pipeline.

Save money on new Ioniq 5 deals on What Car?

2. Skoda Enyaq iV

Skoda often takes Volkswagen Group mechanicals and wraps them up in an even more sensible, spacious package that’s better value to boot. So too with the Skoda Enyaq iV. It uses the same MEB ‘skateboard’ platform that underpins the Volkswagen ID 3, Volkswagen ID 4 and Audi Q4 E-tron. Clever design choices ensure it hits a sweet spot in the electric SUV market, though.

It impresses with a roomy and cleverly thought-out cabin that’s a match for the Audi’s on tangible quality and personalisation. The chassis set-up proved very mature during our road test: it won’t appeal to keen drivers but feels medium-firm and fairly tightly controlled to inspire confidence without any meaningful detriment to the range.

The 201bhp 80-badged version we tested showed performance that should satisfy most drivers, and the 333-mile range makes the Enyaq very usable on longer journeys, too.

For the more budget-conscious, Skoda offers a 60 model with a 58kWh battery pack that yields a 250-mile range. An even smaller 50 exists but isn’t available over here at the moment. The 80X Sportline adds a front motor for extra power and four-wheel drive. And a 302bhp vRS model, complete with bespoke sporty styling cues, will be in a showroom near you soon.

Only the added character of the Ioniq 5 and a handful of awkward design decisions, some slightly annoying active safety features and a slightly mean standard equipment tally keep the Enyaq from finishing at the very top of this list.

Save money on new Skoda Enyaq iV deals on What Car?

3. Kia EV6

Kia has come closer than anyone so far to bringing real driver appeal to the market for usable, affordably priced, ‘normal’ electric cars. With the EV6, sister car to our class champion the Ioniq 5, it has taken a state-of-the-art EV-specific platform, clothed it in a handsome body, thrown in a good-size cabin and finished the package with keen-feeling ride and handling delivered by a natively rear-wheel-drive chassis that’s significantly more interesting and involving to drive than so many EVs’ thus far.