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Two different batteries are offered; 75kWh and 100kWh. Range from the 100kWh model is a claimed 348 miles, and during our testing the indicated range was 323 miles.
The ride quality is top notch. The five-link suspension with hydraulic dampers help it deal with sudden torque demands, which is useful when you have close to 500bhp on tap.
Read our Nio ET5 review
Nio ET7
The ET7 is Nio’s 5.1m-long all-singing all-bonging flagship designed to take on the Mercedes EQS and BMW i7.
The company is offering up the ET7 with a semi-solid-state battery in China, theoretically capable of up to 600 miles of zero-emissions driving. This hasn’t been confirmed for these shores yet, but we will get 75kWh and 100kWh options capable of 276 or 360 miles respectively.
Twin electric motors insure an overindulgence of power - 644bhp total with a split of 241bhp at the front and 402bhp for the rear. The 0-62 sprint is completed in less than 4.0sec in bombastic flat-out mode. But in its most efficient setting, which essentially turns off the rear motor, the same test takes around 13.0sec.
The interior is brimming with soft-touch materials and a whopping great 12.3-inch touchscreen, as well as a letterbox-shaped display behind the steering wheel.
Standard fit air suspension completes the premium feeling. It uses a camera feed and sensors to ‘see’ the road ahead and make adjustments. It feels serene and befitting of something that goes toe-to-toe with Mercedes and BMW flagships.
Read our Nio ET7 review
Xpeng P7
China’s answer to the Tesla Model 3 is from a company that quietly expanded into Europe in 2021, with plans to enter the UK in the near future.
The P7 borrows heavily from the Palo Alto playbook. So it’s a saloon with rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive variants, and comes with different battery sizes and power options. Top banana is the Performance version with 466bhp and a range of 358 miles.
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It’s not just about the numbers, though. The steering has fluency that some newer car brands lack and the hammer of electric torque makes for easy progress.
Interior space - especially in the rear - is more than ample and the infotainment’s software is up there with the best in the business.
Read ourXpeng P7 review
Zeekr X
Built in China, engineered in Sweden and designed by a German. The Zeekr X is, as you’d imagine, a crossover.
It comes in two variants; 268bhp single motor rear-wheel drive and 422bhp dual motor four-wheel drive. Sound familiar? Yes, it uses Geely’s SEA EV platform. So it has the same building blocks as the Volvo EX30.
Like the Volvo, it’s blisteringly quick in a straight line, but its laid back gate makes it better suited to town driving. And like with the Volvo, nearly everything is on the 14.6in touchscreen.
It’s hugely frustrating if you like physical controls for virtually anything. But good rear seat space and a decent sized (362 litres) boot makes it appropriate family transport.
Read our Zeekr X review
MG 5
There aren’t many electric estates around. Sure, Porsche will sell you a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, but they’re knocking on for six figures and the firm would prefer it if you didn’t call it an estate anyway.
And the Nio ET5 (above) is en route - but still not here yet. So the MG 5 sits in a class of its own, for now. And it certainly fits the bill for sensible, practical and no-nonsense motoring thanks to a 479-litre boot and an official 249-mile range in Long Range spec.
It constantly finds itself in and out of the best-selling car charts and you’ll struggle to walk around central London without seeing an Uber driver making use of its efficiency and value for money.
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Read ourMG 5 review
BYD Atto 3
Your parents might not have heard of BYD (Build Your Dreams). But anyone au fait with the internet probably has.
The company tops the charts for innovation and sales, but it has only recently entered the UK.
The Atto 3 is the firm’s first car over here. Social media users were dazzled by its infotainment, which switches from portrait to landscape at the awkward prod of a touchscreen, as well as its guitar string speakers, which, to be frank, don'twork very well.
Look beyond the gimmicks and you’ll find a spacious, well-thought-out electric SUV. It will easily cover 200 miles in the real world, and its four-year/74,500-mile warranty and separate eight-year/124,000-mile battery warranty is reassuring.
Read ourBYD Atto 3 review
Aiways U5
Another brand you might not have heard of. But Aiways has come on leaps and bounds since starting out in 2017.
The company prides itself on its ‘clean sheet’ approach to car making and,we have to admit, it is refreshingly simple.
For instance, it doesn’t come with an in-built sat-nav. It offers phone mirroring instead, because of course your smartphone has the best software built in.
To drive, it is relaxing, if a little unremarkable. Its softly sprung suspension deals with roadimperfections well, but its 201bhp isn’t going to get Tesla fans out of their Model Ys.
Read ourAiways U5 review
BYD Dolphin
BYD is hopingits second car in the UK will make a big splash (sorry) in the electric hatchback market.
In terms of size, it sits between the Vauxhall Corsa Electric and Volkswagen ID 3, but it’s usefully cheaper than both.
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