How time flies! A few years ago, just a bunch of electric cars were on the market, but today, there's more competition than I could have imagined. I know the summer is right for vacations, not for buying a new car. However, I was curious to see if EVs are indeed a bad choice compared to their competition based on ICEs. What I found might be of interest to you.
First things first: let's see what models made my list. I have to warn you, though, that it's incomplete because I didn't bother to look for ultra-expensive EVs like the half-million-dollar Rolls Royce Spectre or the two-million-dollar Rimac Nevera—it's futile to talk about these cars in an objective and down-to-earth manner.
Likewise, considering companies on the brink of extinction, like Lordstown, Bollinger, or bankrupted Fisker, is of no interest. They made some buzz, and some even started selling cars, but only the fittest survive (as Darwin nicely put it) in the EV jungle, isn't that right?
Also, I intentionally omitted the models that will be launched in the second part of the year because they're not priced yet, or you'd have to wait until 2025 to get one. Basically, all the cars on this list should be available right now, depending on your preferences and trim availability, of course.
Photo: Chevrolet
Well, here is my list:
2024 Acura ZDX (starting from MSRP $64,500)
2024 Audi e-tron (starting from MSRP $106,500)
2024 Audi Q4 e-tron (starting from MSRP $55,200)
2024 Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron (starting from MSRP $58,200)
2024 Audi Q8 e-tron (starting from MSRP $74,400)
2024 Audi Q8 Sportback e-tron (starting from MSRP $77,800)
2024 Tesla Cybertruck (starting from MSRP $60,990)
2024 Toyota BZ4X (starting from MSRP $43,070)
2024 Vinfast VF8 (starting from MSRP $46,000)
2024 VinFast VF9 (starting from MSRP $69,800)
2024 Volkswagen ID.4 (starting from MSRP $39,735)
2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge (starting from MSRP $53,745)
2024 Volvo C40 Recharge (starting from MSRP $54,895)
Wow, that's not a short list, as you'd most likely expected, is it? There are 64 distinct nameplates, although some would count less. It's up to you to decide if, for instance, the Audi Q4 e-tron is the same car as the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron because the second one is basically just sort of a coupe variant of the first, but 80-90% of the car is the same.
Photo: Audi
Still, around 50 nameplates remain on this list, so I'd say you have plenty of offers to choose from if you're into a new car and considering changing your gasoline or hybrid with a fully electric one. By the way, all the trims available for all the vehicles in this list amount to several hundred – now that's what I call a serious research job! Or is it?
And the most popular type of electric car is…
Some want red cars (most of you ladies, I guess, and I'm not misogynist here!); some want a certain brand; some want a very affordable car, a very powerful one, or just a big rig. However, for most of us, the first step is to choose the type of car. Well, let's see how EPA classifies the models in this list:
I don't know about you, but I find it odd the way the EPA decided to categorize some vehicles. For instance, why is the Nissan Ariya a "small station wagon" when it competes with small SUVs like the Ford Mustang Mach-E or Tesla Model Y? I know it's all about some technical rules, but, frankly, in real life, the EPA's classification is a little off, don't you think?
Still, we have a pretty clear image of what kind of electric vehicles dominate the EV market: two-thirds of these models are small and standard SUVs. I explained in another article why the "EV" abbreviation may also come from "Elevated Vehicles" because the battery is placed beneath the car, increasing its height.
Back to my segmented list, now it's pretty easy to figure out what models to compare, depending on what kind of car you want. Of course, one cannot expect a fair comparison between the tiny 2-door Mini Cooper E (which, by the way, is more of a competitor to the Fiat 500e) and the 4-door fastback BMW i4. They're too different in terms of dimensions, style, and pricing.
Photo: Mini, BMW
Well, you're in luck because in the next part of this material, we're gonna dive into price comparison. But don't expect matters to simplify, as pricing is directly related to powertrains, batteries, and trims. I know it sounds like a mess, but we'll figure it out.
After graduating college with an automotive degree, Oraan went for a journalism career. 15 years went by and another switch turned him from a petrolhead into an electrohead, so watch his profile for insight into green tech, EVs of all kinds and alternative propulsion systems. Full profile
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