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Best new small electric cars coming to the UK in 2025

A close look at the new small electric cars to get excited about this year

By Ben Welham

Last updated: 27 August 2025


New small electric cars are all the rage, with them making up a big slice of the electric vehicle (EV) sales pie in the UK.  

Almost all big brands in this space are striving to make the best small EVs they can, and 2025 has a whole host of exciting new ones to get excited about.  

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What new small electric cars are coming to the UK in 2025?

New arrivals in 2025

  • Alpine A290

  • Hyundai INSTER 

  • Renault 5 E-Tech 

On their way

  • Fiat Grande Panda - arriving towards the end of 2025

  • Renault 4 E-Tech - orders opened 15 July 2025, so expected on roads soon

Delayed until 2026

  • CUPRA Raval - pushed back to 2026

  • Renault Twingo E-Tech - set to go on sale in 2026

  • Volkswagen ID.2 - now expected in 2026

Best small electric cars releasing in 2025 and 2026

Watch our new Alpine A290 review

Alpine A290 

Arrived Summer 2025

Following the hype of the Renault 5, the company’s performance arm, Alpine, decided to launch a spruced-up, sportier version called the A290. 

This electric hot hatch brings a load more power at 220hp, the perfect amount for staying within the law while still enjoying back roads, which is what Alpines are all about. 

And thanks to the battery technology from Renault, you can expect up to 236 miles of range. 

Hyundai Inster

Hyundai INSTER 

Arrived in 2025

Hyundai isn’t new to making a small car, just look at the i10 and i20, but now it’s coming out with an all-electric one called the INSTER. 

With its quirky looks and strong backing (we all know how good its big brother, the IONIQ 5 N, is), it’s a surefire way for the brand to succeed in this space. 

It won’t be particularly powerful (95hp and 112hp) but will have the perfect range (between 160 and 220 miles) for darting around the city. 

yellow Renault 5 review

Renault 5 E-Tech 

Arrived in 2025 

Yes, yes, the Renault 5 is back, and it’s back with a bang. You’ve already heard us rave about it in our 2024 Car of the Year Awards. 

Unveiled in late 2024, it instantly gained the love of car people and non-car people around the world. 

With a 250-mile range and a quirky nature, it’s one of the most exciting cars to launch in recent years. 

Yellow Renault 5

Two generations of Fiat Panda side-by-side with a person standing in the middle – text reads 'Tough enough?'

Fiat Grande Panda 

Arriving late 2025

Fiat has taken its popular Panda and bulked it up slightly, calling it the Fiat Grande Panda, although it’s still actually city car-sized. 

Available as an electric or hybrid, it will appeal to a wider range of people, and with pricing from £20,975 for the EV, it’s really compelling. 

Plus, with a 199-mile range, it’s going to be ideal for city dwellers. 

light blue Renault 4 E-Tech

Renault 4 E-Tech 

Orders opened 15 July 2025 - arriving on UK roads soon

To sit alongside the R5, Renault has brought back the ‘4’ as a Fiat Panda 4x4-like mini crossover. 

Competing with the Kia EV3, Citroën e-C3 and smart #1, it has to be good – and Renault’s recent smash-hits show it probably will be. thanks to its clever onboard batteries, it’ll return up to 249 miles on a charge. 

Thanks to its clever batteries returning up to 249 on a charge and a low price of less than £30,000, it should be a great buy. 

CUPRA Raval

CUPRA Raval 

Expected in 2026

The CUPRA Born has been such a successful car for the Spanish brand, it decided to make a model to sit below it, offering a cheaper price and (we think) cooler looks. 

Power figures will probably be similar to the Alpine A290, with around 200hp from a 56kWh battery pack. 

Official figures are yet to be announced but we can expect around 270 miles of range. 

green Renault Twingo E-Tech

Renault Twingo E-Tech 

Expected in 2026

And the award for the cutest car ever made goes to the newly revived Renault Twingo E-Tech. 

As you can see from its design, it shares many of its design cues with the original car from the 1990s, but now it’s fully electric. 

Not only that, but Renault says it’ll be priced from less than £17,000. As you can see, we love Renault’s lineup of little electric cars. 

Read our Renault Twingo review

Blue VW ID.2

Volkswagen ID.2 

Expected in 2026

VW is ready to expand its ‘ID’ range with the ID.2 hatchback, which will share many of its parts with other similar cars from Škoda, CUPRA and SEAT. 

It’s expected to cost around £17,000, have a 280-mile range – and, most importantly to us, a GTI version is due with big power. 

Discover best new small electric cars

There’s a lot to be excited about this year when it comes to new small electric cars in 2025 and 2026. 

From Alpine all the way to Volkswagen, this year has a lot in store. But if you can’t wait for these new models to drop, there are plenty of used electric cars to snap up for a bargain now. 

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