The Most Attractive Electric Cars

The Concept One is an all electric 2 seater car that pitches itself as one of the fastest production cars in the country, putting aside the likes of the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari and best of it all it appears to have come out of nowhere… The car will do 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds thanks to a reported 1,088 horsepower - and a price of $980,000. The Concept One will be the safety car in upcoming Formula E events. The bodywork is entirely carbon fibre and the car comes with a massive 82kwh battery which means it is good for up to 310miles on one charge.

The problem most electric cars are facing is that they look like electric cars. While consumers may like the savings and perks of owning an EV, not everyone wants everyone to know they’re driving a futuristic gadget. People like to fit in. The Model S is not revolutionary in its exterior design by any stretch of the imagination. The Model S follows the basic outline of a saloon, with smart lines down the sides and even a mock front-grille. There’s nothing too drastic with the exterior of the Model S, but that’s what makes it a success. It is smart and subtle.

The Nissan Leaf is a properly good car, especially with the new model offering up to 155 miles on one full charge. What it isn’t, is a particularly attractive car. The Leaf does have an odd looking rear end and was originally sold in soft colours like white, pale blue, silver etc… Now, though, the black edition, with black paint, black bodywork, black alloys and much meaner personality. It’s about time that fighting climate change got a bit cooler.

 Read our full review of the Nissan Leaf here

The new Golf is as good looking as every other golf before it, which is praise in my opinion but probably criticism in the opinion of others. Golfs have always been pretty good looking things, they might not shout about it but you rarely, if ever, hear someone say ‘that new Golf is ugly!’ The E-Golf is based on the current Mark7 Golf but has a gorgeous LED strip on the front splitter, acting as daytime running lights. The front grille is filled in with a shiny black panel which also adds to the exterior.

Unveiled at the 2016 Paris Motorshow, this concept car from Renault uses ‘warm, simple, sensual lines and Renault design cues’ to make a large 2 seater grand tourer EV. Figures released say the Trezor will zip off to 60mph in under 4 seconds with a total electric output equalling 350bhp. This is Renault’s first technological advancement toward the target of having completely safe ‘hands off / eyes off’ driving beyond the year 2020.

The SLS has been and gone now; goodbye massive 6.2litre V8, goodbye gullwing doors. There is a more sensible AMG GTS in its place now with a 4.0litre turbocharged engine instead. One thing we’ll really miss about the SLS, doors and engine aside, is the Electric Drive version. This was essentially a practice exercise by the guys at Mercedes - just to see what is possible. The car was released in a number of vibrant and eye-catching colours to attract as much attention as possible, and it was just 0.3 seconds slower to 60mph than the full-blown Black Series model.

Alright, it’s not going to beat the lap record at the Nurburgring, but the ZOE from Renault serves a purpose in society. It is small, affordable, easy to drive and best of all, it looks no different to most other superminis on the market. There is an obsession with designing weird extra-terrestrial inspired pods when it comes to electric vehicles because apparently, that’s what consumers want the future to look like. In reality, motorists just want something that can do everything their current car does but using electricity instead of petrol. Well done Renault, for creating a smart, unassuming car which looks happy from all angles and is accessible to the general public.

Read our full review of the Renault Zoe here.

OK, this one is actually a hybrid, but I promised I’d write a ‘top 8’ and it turns out there aren’t that many fully electric cars on the market that actually look good. There’s a few, but not 8. Instead, have a dribble over the incredible i8, with its scissor doors and jagged lines, the i8 is a real eye catcher. It is a car that looks like no other ever created, but it looks just like what you’d imagine a hybrid supercar should look like. Emitting just 49g/km of CO2 and returning 134.5mpg, this is a car for the frugal petrol head in all of us.

Read our full review of the BMW i8 here.