Top 8 Cheapest Electric Cars You Can Afford
Want to own a Tesla electric vehicle but can’t afford to buy a brand new one? With Tesla Motors’ new online marketplace for used cars , now you might be able to.
Well, we have to admit that’s still not a cheap investment by any stretch of the imagination.
So we decided to put together a list of the Top 10 cheapest electric cars you can buy in 2015 to see just how many choices are out there for the average buyer. You’re welcome.
8.2015 BMW i3 - MSRP $42,400
Is it any surprise that the 2015 BMW i3 features the highest MSRP on our list of the cheapest electrics cars? Maybe not - but what we find much more intriguing is that a BMW makes it into this round-up at all.
$42,400 gets you 170 horsepower, a two-door, subcompact hatchback design, rear-wheel drive handling dynamics, and the ability to travel 80 miles on a single charge.
Topping up the BMW i3's battery from empty takes a mere half hour if you use an approved DC fast-charger, while at 240 volts you are looking at four hours of wire time.
7.2015 Fiat 500e - MSRP $32,300
The 2015 FIAT 500e takes the popular styling of the base 500 hatchback and installs a more powerful electric motor - one that's good for 111 horses and 147 lb-ft of torque. This additional grunt makes the battery-powered two-door Fiat 500e more interesting to drive than any other member of the 500 family save the Abarth series.
You'll squeeze 87 miles of driving out of the Fiat before you need to plug it into the wall, where it takes four hours before it's ready to go again.
Both of these numbers are about average when compared against similarly-sized electric rivals.
6.2015 Ford Focus Electric - MSRP $29,170
At first glance the 2015 Ford Focus Electric hatchback's more affordable price might seem to make it a more practical option than the smaller, yet costlier 500e.
A closer examination reveals, however, that the Ford Focus Electric's technology is a little behind the curve compared to the more modern Fiat, which means a shorter range (76 miles), and the heavier car boasts a less impressive sprint to 60-mph (9.6 seconds, nearly 1.5 seconds slower than the 500e).
Power is decent, however, showing as 143 horses, and the Focus Electric is similar to its gas-only counterpart in delivering responsive handling.
5.2015 Nissan Leaf - MSRP $29,010
The 2015 Nissan LEAF was the first truly affordable electric car to make it to the American market, and it places square in the middle of our list of the cheapest electric cars.
The four-door Nissan Leaf's 107 horsepower electric motor also delivers 187 lb-ft of torque, and its lithium-ion battery pack can cruise for up to 84 miles before it's tapped out.
The onboard charging system in the Nissan hatchback soaks up electricity at a quick enough rate to fill the car's battery in four hours when plugged in to a 240-volt source, although there's also a quick-charge option for the car that drops that time to a half hour for 80 percent of battery capacity.
4.2015 Volkswagen e-Golf - MSRP $27,945
The 2015 Volkswagen e-Golf is one of the newest entries into the affordable electric car sweepstakes, and it manages to preserve much of the practicality of the gas-and-diesel editions of the compact hatchback while divorcing the model from its dependence on oil.
With 115 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque on tap when the car is set to its most aggressive mode, the Volkswagen e-Golf silently makes short work of commuter traffic, and when plugged into a 240-volt wall outlet you'll be looking at under four hours to a full battery.
The VW provides 83 miles of range in between charging sessions.
3.2015 Chevrolet Spark EV - MSRP $27,645
Squeaking in at just a few hundred dollars cheaper than the e-Golf is the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV.
Like the Fiat 500e, the Chevrolet Spark EV takes a tested and true subcompact hatchback and swaps out its gas-powered innards for an all-electric drivetrain.
The transformation is startling with the Chevrolet, as 140 horsepower and 327 lb-ft of torque dramatically transform the four-door Spark's driving experience from sluggish to spirited.
Throw in 82 miles of range on a single charge and you've got an appealing urban runabout - but you'll have to install Chevrolet's quick charging system if you want the utmost in convenience, as it reduces the 240-volt charge time of seven hours down to a much more manageable 45 minutes.
2.2015 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive - MSRP $25,270
Speaking of 'urban runabouts,' it's kind of hard to consider the 2015 smart fortwo electric drive from any other perspective.
The Electric Drive only offers seating for two (hence the first part of its name), but for some that's all they need to get their errands done.
74 horsepower is the max for the Smart's little electric motor (and that's in 'burst' mode; 47 horses is the unit's nominal output), and you only get 68 miles of range from a single charge (which takes a long six hours at 240-volts).
In the automotive world, you often get what you pay for, and that seems to be the case with the second-cheapest electric car on our list.
1.2015 Mitsubishi i-MiEV - MSRP $22,295
The 2015 Mitsubishi i-Mi-EV further drives that point home.
The cheapest electric car you can buy in 2015, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV achieves its startlingly low MSRP by cutting amenities to a bare minimum and offering a small, four-passenger interior on top of its subdued driving experience.
66 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque are the Mitsubishi's listed output, and the car comes up a bit short with its 62 miles of range.
You'll also have to wait seven hours for a full battery when plugged in to a 240-volt plug with the i-MiEV.
(source:autobytel.com)
See Also: Top 10 Electric Cars With the Longest Driving Range
