6 Electric Cars I Love, & 3 “Half Loves”

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After being criticized this week for theoretically having Tesla bias (which I don’t think I have, beyond bias for smart decisions and stronger promotion and development of clean cars), I shared some of the very positive stories we’ve written about other EVs (which we’ve also been criticized for), and then it crossed my mind to do an article about the electric cars I love.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that cars are emotional purchases, and people get emotionally charged about the models and companies they love. I haven’t been much of a tribalist in most of my life, and I honestly don’t think I have any emotional bias for or against any particular car company. If Skoda decided to go 100% electric and produced the best electric cars on the market, I’d be a huge supporter of Skoda, since it would be hastening the transition to clean cars and, thus, the tough task of stopping global warming, which is only logical.

With all that said, from the electric cars I’ve driven, 6 stand out to me as excellent consumer options, so I could say I “love” them, and 3 more stand out as cars I “half love.” Naturally, these preferences are due in part to my own aesthetic, design, and feature preferences (or biases), so I’m certainly not calling this a definitive, objective list!

6 Electric Cars I Love

1) Tesla Model X

Starting with the obvious, I think the Tesla Model X is the best vehicle on the planet. Extremely comfortable and smooth to drive, super quick, top-of-the-line Autopilot, stunning view out the front, superior access to the back seats (especially with kids), a ton of space, Supercharging, long range, and an attractive design — I have no real dislikes about this car except that it is large, but that is an obvious trade-off with interior and storage space.

2) BMW i3

I really love the BMW i3, and when I think about which car I’d rather take around town on a daily/weekly basis, the i3 even comes out ahead of the Model S for me. Naturally, the long range of the Model S, Supercharging, and more storage space make the large sedan a more practical car for me if I am going to take a few road trips a year, but purely as a daily driver, I’m more attracted to the fun, super sporty, super compact, cool-looking, easy-to-access i3 and its wide-open views, industry-leading regenerative braking, and top-ranking green cred.

3) Tesla Model S


 

The Model S is widely considered the best premium sedan in the world (it even outsells the Mercedes S-Class in the US and Western Europe), for reasons that have been explained plenty of times before, so I won’t say much more here. I’ll add, though, that I love the new nose and am happy Tesla brought back the lower-priced Model S 60.

4) Nissan LEAF

As I recently wrote, I love the Nissan LEAF. It may not be one of the high-class rockets above, but it is still a ton of fun, spacious enough for an average family’s needs, comfy, and plenty practical for most driving needs (just not long trips or edge cases where people commute a ton). Granted, I also love the look of the car, and I know not everyone is in that boat. For the price, I don’t really think you can beat this car. Unless….

5) Chevy Volt

Well, if you prefer the look of the Chevy Volt and/or have a need for a range extender once in awhile, then I think the Volt becomes the best buy in this price range — of any car, not just electrics. The interior of the 1st-gen Volt wasn’t really my thing — it was too cramped and overloaded for my tastes, and the exterior look was okay in my book, but not stellar. The 2nd-gen Volt seems to have improved on both fronts, but I haven’t seen one in person yet. With fun, real electric drive, as well as a backup range extender that maintains the long-trip convenience of a gas car, the Volt is hard to beat. I think it’s no wonder its owners were more satisfied with their cars than all other car drivers (in the US) for two years until the Model S came out and stole the title.

6) Renault Twizy

Renault Twizy Renault Twizy Back

Ah, you didn’t see this one coming, did you? The Renault Twizy was a ton of fun to drive. I’m not sure if it actually qualifies as a car, but given that I could use it as a city commuter, I’m counting it as one. Down low and locked into a small but still spacious cubby, with ridiculous turning radius, I had a blast in this thing and still remember it fondly nearly 3 years later. If you have a chance to test the Twizy out, do so!

3 Electric Cars I Half Love

BMW i8

BMW i8 Sarasota Florida 6

I think the BMW i8 is a bloody beautiful car — on the outside and from the driver’s seat. It may be the most attractive production car on the planet to my eyes. But it isn’t very practical (is basically a very tightly packed 2-seater), and the electric range is quite crappy. Furthermore, if you step on the accelerator hard, it’s just a moment until the gas engine kicks in. I honestly found the acceleration in the i3 more enjoyable than the i8. But man, it’s still a beautiful and sporty car.

Renault Zoe

Renault Zoe UK

The Renault Zoe scores on several of the points the LEAF scores on, but I found the LEAF a little bit more enjoyable to drive and nicer on the inside. It also seemed to be a little more spacious. It just didn’t quite get bumped up to the “love” category, but I still think it’s a solid buy.

Fiat 500e

Similarly, the Fiat 500e is cool, cute, sporty, and affordable, but I just couldn’t get over the lack of space. Even the driver’s legroom was a bit cramped for me with someone seated behind. Overall, because I just think the LEAF is that much better of an option, I decided to keep the 500e in the “half love” category. That said, I can see why many people choose the 500e over the LEAF.


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Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

Zachary Shahan has 7317 posts and counting. See all posts by Zachary Shahan