Best Value for Money EVs — Compacts (C Segment)

November 13, 20241 month ago José Pontes 0 Comments

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This is the third of a five-part series of articles (you can check the first part here and the second part here), where I look at the best affordable EVs in each size category. See the background for this series in those articles as well.

C Segment — Compacts

Having restricted the price for the C-segment category to 40,000 euros, as that can be considered a reasonable price for a compact (a petrol Peugeot 308 Allure can cost 38,000 euros), there was a good mix of models on offer. While some were left out of the pot — namely, the hot Kia EV3 Long Range (with a whopping 605 km range, but starting at 41,500 euros … which is still one heck of a deal, just a little above the price cap) — there is still a good choice of affordable EVs to choose from.

I have chosen the Lynk & Co 02, the Cupra Born 59 kWh, and the MG4 64 kWh.

Besides excluding the Kia EV3, there were a couple of other competitive EVs that I had to leave out, like the Skoda Elroq (the crossover lost to the Cupra Born because of its slightly smaller range) and the BYD Dolphin (which was let down by a slow 88 kW DC charging rate).

Lynk & Co 02

This is the last compact crossover to land from Geely’s never-ending model furnace, the second Lynk & Co model to land in Europe, its first BEV, and a cousin of the Zeekr X, Volvo EX30, Smart #1, Smart #3, and maybe some others that I might be forgetting.

As such, we have 445 km of range (or 375 km real world) coming from a 66 kWh NMC battery, a powerful 272 hp motor driving the rear wheels, allowing a very quick 0–100 km/h time of 5.5 sec, and a competitive 150 kW DC charging rate (11kW AC charging) — so it’s all the standard Geely SAE2 compact platform here.

Thanks to a striking design, making this SUV-coupé look longer than it really is (4.46 meters), vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities (too bad it’s a NMC battery), and a low(ish) price of 36,000 euros, the 02 looks more interesting from a value-for-money point of view than its platform cousins.

On the inside, the trunk is okay (410 liters), and it has a small frunk with 15 liters of storage, which should be enough to place cables. The wheelbase is generous, at 2.76 meters. Regarding warranty, Lynk & Co provides a general four-year warranty and the standard eight years for the battery.

All in all, this is an EV that shines when it comes to charging speed (and outright speed, too), while also not being too shabby when it comes to range, especially when considering the price.

Cupra Born 59 kWh

The VW ID.3’s sportier cousin is also more interesting when it comes to value for money. For 37,500 euros, you get a 59 kWh NMC battery allowing 427 km of range (360 km real world) and a powerful 231 hp motor allowing a 0–100 km/h time of 6.7 seconds, all while offering one of the best charging speeds in its class (165 kW DC charging and 11 kW AC charging).

It does not allow V2L, but on the other hand, it has Plug&Charge (P&C) capabilities. The wheelbase is a good 2.77 meters, but the trunk could be better, at just 380 liters.

One strong point that does work well for urban environments (and mountain roads) is its compact size (4.32 meters) and class-leading turning radius, just 10.2 meters. That’s better than most B-segment cars….

Who said electric hot hatches were too expensive?

MG4 64 kWh

A success story in Europe, especially until the start of the new made-in-China tariffs, the compact MG sales pitch is based on its value for money ratio. It offers competitive pricing (it starts at 32,300 euros) and generous specs, with the selected 64 kWh version (62 kWh usable) offering 450 km of range (375 km real world) and 142 kW of DC charging (6.6 kW AC charging). All this for 36,000 euros.

And while it does not have hot hatch pretensions, it is still quite fast, thanks to a 204 hp motor allowing a 0–100 km/h sprint in a not too shabby 7.9 seconds. Another plus point is the V2L capability, while the 7-year general warranty is one of the best in the market (the NMC battery has the standard 8 years).

With 4.29 meters in length, 2.71 meters of wheelbase, and 363 liters of space in the trunk, this is not an especially spacious EV, but the competitive pricing, strong EV powertrain, and class leading warranty allows it to be among the best in class.