There are more electric cars on Britain’s roads than ever before, with almost every major car company building at least one or several models. Some of these cars are SUVs, some are estates, some are hatchbacks, some are city cars, and some are actually sports cars. A selection of electric cars were available for me to test when I attended SMMT’s Test Day at Millbrook Proving Ground earlier this year.
Over the course of the day I drove seven of them, leaving them in the settings they were in when I set off and drove them around Millbrook’s alpine handling or city courses. Below, I rank them out of 10 with my favourite.
7th: Aion V - £36,450
It was hard to get a good read on the Aion V at the SMMT Test Day as it was the only car on this list that didn’t have the sticker allowing it to go on the Alpine handling course. This was a bit of a surprise given it is a medium sized SUV and not a city car. However, I was able to drive it on the city course and it definitely had grip at town speeds, and very light steering. It had an on the road price of £35,450, but I would need time with the car on other types of roads to make a more comprehensive judgement, but safe to say I was left with more questions than answers.
Rating: 4/10 (Unable to take it on the alpine handling course unlike the others.)
6th: Smart #1 - £29,960
The Smart #1 isn’t an inherently offensive proposition. It’s a small electric car with a big boot and decent range on paper of around 190 to just over 273 miles. To drive, it operates much like any other electric with quite neutral handling and an interior bedecked with a massive touchscreen. The interior is minimalistic with a range of cubby holes for various bits and bobs, but for the most part you do everything through the big touchscreen in the middle; this makes the car feel a bit dated as manufacturers increasingly realise their customers actually quite liked having buttons.
On the road is where things get interesting, and not in a good way, as whilst its perfectly placid in town; when the road gets a bit twisty it starts getting a bit funny. The car has intelligence regenerative braking that you can adjust. I left it in the setting it was set to when I was given the car and it was very useful in helping slow it down alongside the regular brakes. However, it had a habit of sometimes disengaging mid corner, an issue I raised with a Smart representative when I got back. I would come off the brakes, the regen would continue slowing the car, but mid corner it would disengage, causing the car to accelerate slightly. This, combined with the fact you didn’t seem to be able to attach the key to a keyring, left a slightly sour impression.
Rating: 5/10
5th: Jaecoo E5 - £27,505
The last time I drove a Jaecoo E5 at Goodwood’s Media Day it didn’t leave a very good impression. Yes, it was cheap, but it felt hard and stiff and cheaply made. I was left wondering why you would pay £27k for it when you could buy a nearly new BMW estate car for the same money or less. The version of the car I drove at SMMT’s test day felt much better, more refined, smoother, more neutral. It’s not particularly memorable, but compared to the car I drove earlier this year, a step up. Maybe it was the slightly fatter tyres or a different spec, but it felt more like other Chinese SUVs I’ve driven, low speed understeer, light steering, but manageable at regular speeds.
Rating: 6/10
4th: MG Cyberster - £55,245
The Cyberster is an intriguing beasty. It’s a two door electric Anglo-Chinese convertible with scissor doors that you open with a button; not many of those around. It’s almost like a retro futuristic take on convertible MGs of the past. The question is whether it evokes that same magic of top down motoring? Modern convertibles sportscars are quite rare at the moment. Although I thought the doors, and the need to open and close them with buttons, was a bit gimmicky, the car mechanically was better, and pulled well, even if it felt a bit spongy. The MG is clearly set up with bumpy British B roads in mind rather than turn one at Silverstone, you can feel the suspension bounce as you load up the outside tyres; it’s not unduly unpleasant, but if you’re expecting European stiffness, you won’t get it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it also feels pliant and I suspect would feel more comfortable and give more reassurance on potholed roads than competitors with stiffer suspension set ups.
Rating: 7/10
3rd: Nissan Micra - £21,495
The latest version of the Nissan Micra is based off the Renault 5, a car that topped the list of the best cars I drove at the Goodwood Media Day. You might think that, as the Micra is based on the same chassis as the Renault, that it would handle the same. Thank goodness it doesn’t; one of the main dangers with platform sharing is that a bunch of different cars could drive the same. I liked the fact that whilst the Micra had the same characteristics as the 5, sharp steering, great balance, it had its own tune to it too. It was a bit softer, rolled a bit more, but was no less competent.
Rating: 7.5/10
2nd: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N - £65,800
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N may not have been the most powerful car I drove at the SMMT Test Day, that goes to the Maserati Gran Turismo, but it definitely seemed the quickest. It’s an incredible piece of kit this and can best be summed up on one word, ‘Grip’. The corners on Millbrook’s handling course tend to tighten mid corner so you need a car that will respond well to that mid corner addition of extra steering. The 5 N took it in its stride and kept sticking and sticking and sticking and sticking. It was imperious in its ability to go through the corners, like driving corners on easy mode. It was stable, it was flat, it was very natural, no fuss, no understeer, no oversteer, just grip.
Rating: 8/10
1st: Kia PV5 - £32,995
The PV5 is number one on this list. The PV5 might be a people carrier, sure, but its no ordinary people carrier; a form of car making a bit of a comeback with competitors from VW also competing in this sector. I liked the interior, I liked the practicality, I like the fact that, like it’s much faster competitor above, it handled flat and true. Yes, it’s no sportscar, but it felt competent and it’s probably one of the coolest looking civilian vehicles on sale today. If I were to buy one maybe I would spec it with bigger wheels, but I look forward to seeing how this model evolves. It's a bit different, and different is no bad thing.
Rating: 8.1/10
