Will Charging Stations Ever Achieve Real Price Transparency and Simple Price Comparison? Here’s What We Expect!
Charging an electric car should be uncomplicated and intuitive. The price comparison simple. Why is this often not the case? Read more!
The Cheapest Electric Cars Under £20,000 in 2025
Cheap electric cars mean only one thing: the manufacturer has cut costs somewhere. Your goal is to see what’s been left out and decide whether the missing features are crucial for you or if you can do without them in exchange for a lower price.
Fortunately, there are still solid options that offer good value for money. We've put together a selection of EVs under £20,000 and outlined the pros and cons of each.
Check them out to find the best deal for your budget.
An Overview of the Cheapest EVs under £20,000
Cheapest EVs under £20,000 | ||
|---|---|---|
EV model | Price | Manufacturer's site |
Dacia Spring Electric | from £14,995 | Dacia |
Microlino | from £17.990 | Microline |
Citroën Ami | from £7.695 | Citroën |
1. Dacia Spring Electric
What's good about it
What's not so good about it
It turns out you can buy a new electric car for under £20,000 that falls into the "small SUV" category. Even with the upgrade to the Dacia Spring Extreme Electric for better performance, it still costs less than £20,000.
The basic version includes a 10-inch touchscreen on the centre console, supporting smartphone mirroring via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. All the essential information for the driver is displayed on a 7-inch instrument cluster as standard. The steering wheel is height-adjustable, which might be crucial for your comfort. When it comes to storage space, the boot offers 290 litres of storage, which can be increased to 1,100 litres by folding down the rear seats.
Performance-wise, the basic electric Dacia accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 19.1 seconds. If you upgrade to the Expression or Extreme version, that time drops to 13.7 seconds. The top speed for all versions is 78 mph, meaning you will feel pretty comfortable driving on a motorway.
The maximum AC charging speed of 3.7 kW isn’t the fastest, but if you have a home wallbox, charging time won’t be a problem. Simply plug it into our go-e Charger Gemini 2.0 overnight and you’ll wake up to a fully charged battery. Opting for a higher trim, like the Expression or Extreme, means you can also use DC fast charging at up to 30 kW.
Our Recommendation
Suitable for:
Might not be suitable for:
2. Microlino
What's good about it
What's not so good about it
Let us introduce you to the Microlino, an EV that is just 2.52 metres long, making parking easy even for beginners. This electric car under 20.000 pounds is so small that you can fit into spaces where normal vehicles wouldn’t stand a chance. For example, instead of parallel parking, you can just drive straight in like a scooter.
The Microlino comes with two seats. Inside, it looks simple, featuring a digital display and touchscreen controls. In contrast to most microcars, this one can reach around 55 mph, so you won’t feel like an obstacle on faster roads. The 230-litre boot means you will have plenty of space for groceries. But if you’re planning a big IKEA shopping trip, you may have to rethink it as there’s some space, but not for huge boxes.
You can charge the Microlino using a wallbox and a type 2 charging cable. Alternatively, you can use a simple charging cable that connects the type 2 car socket directly to a normal 230 V socket. Since the charging power is very low, the second option does not pose any danger, like in the case of regular electric cars. Whether you use a socket or an AC wallbox, charging takes about 4-5 hours.
Speaking of drawbacks, while the Microlino is fun and functional for short city trips, you might feel the lack of some comfort essentials. For example, there’s no air conditioning and safety features like airbags and ESP are absent since they’re not required in its L7e category. The ride can also feel a bit bumpy, and at higher speeds, it gets noisy.
Still, if your daily life is mostly running quick errands or you just want to be able to get from A to B without the hassle of parking, the Microlino can make things easier. By the way, it is ideal as a second or third vehicle.
Our Recommendation
Suitable for:
Might not be suitable for:
3. Citroën Ami
What's not good about it
What's good about it
The Citroën Ami is an electric vehicle under 20,000 pounds built for urban life. It comes with a compact design and requires only a scooter license for driving. If you have children, this could be a great way for them to learn to drive in a safe way, as they can’t go faster than 27.9 mph with this EV. While the Citroën Ami is advertised as the perfect fit for young people without a driving license and seniors, it can also be used for daily commuting. If you want to get to work with minimum expenses but going by e-scooter is too casual, this small EV might be just the right choice.
The vehicle can be parked in places where even the Fiat 500 would struggle to squeeze in. Its 46-mile range is enough to get you through your daily city errands without having to worry about running out of charge.
Despite its small size, the Citroën Ami feels surprisingly spacious inside. It’s designed for two people. While the interior is minimal, there’s room to store small items behind the seats and in nets on the doors. The panoramic roof makes driving more exciting. Ordering your car is fun because you have four design options to choose from.
