Four-wheel drive electric

Benefits of driving a 4x4 electric car

The biggest benefit most people will associate with driving an electric car is cheaper running costs – charging a Polestar 3’s 111kWh battery could cost less than £8 on a cheap off-peak rate at home (7p/kWh).

There’s also the driving experience – because most EVs have one single forward gear, you won’t feel any gear changes, making for smooth and effortless acceleration. The four-wheel-drive system also helps with seamless power delivery in slippery conditions.

Electric motors’ instant throttle response is particularly fun for performance fans, with 0-62mph times in 4x4 electric cars for sale usually verging on the faster side thanks to the powerful motors and endless grip.

Types of 4x4 electric cars

Electric cars tend to have a large battery between the front and rear wheels, and anywhere from one to four motors – most used 4x4 electric cars for sale usually have two.

Just because an EV has four-wheel drive, doesn’t mean it’s an SUV. These powerful cars can come in all shapes and sizes, including hatchbacks, saloons, estates and of course that popular British favourite, the SUV.

What affects driving range?

Electric car range can vary a lot more than you might be used to with petrol or diesel power, but the power is stored in a battery measured in kilowatt-hour (kWh) – the bigger the battery, the more energy is stored.

The type and size of car has one of the biggest effects – saloons tend to be more aerodynamic than heavier SUVs, which means they can typically travel further per kWh.

You’ll also need to consider weather conditions, because colder temperatures make batteries less efficient. On top of that, you’ll want to heat the cabin more, which uses a lot of energy.

Top tip – look for a 4x4 electric car for sale with a heat pump. This offers a more efficient way to heat up the cabin. Heated seats and steering wheels also use less energy than the blowers.

Thankfully, you can access rapid chargers with support for up to 350kW up and down the UK, which more often than not plug in via a CCS connector.

This is way quicker than charging at home with your Type 2 connector, which is usually limited to 7kW or 11kW, so if you’re heading on a long journey, don’t panic – most EVs offer a 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes.

4x4 electric car technology

There’s plenty of tech inside EVs as well as within them – we’ve already covered regenerative braking, which passes otherwise wasted energy back through the motor to recharge the battery when you’re slowing down or going down hill.

The best part about owning most EVs is that you can connect to them via an app, and warm them up or de-ice them ready for your morning commute before you even get out of bed.

A lot of electric cars these days also come with feature-packed touchscreen infotainment systems that can handle over-the-air (OTA) updates, often adding new features. Tesla is best known for this – a free OTA update added adaptive high beams to many models.

4x4 electric cars can be more spacious than other 4x4s because they use a small motor on each axle to deliver the power, so there’s not always a need for a bulky transmission tunnel.

Who are 4x4 electric cars suitable for?

Electric cars are perfect for drivers who spend a lot of time around town, because this is where they’re most efficient. Where conventional cars would slow down using brake pads, electric vehicles (EVs) can use regenerative braking to put energy back into the battery.

You might specifically want to consider a used 4x4 electric car for sale over any other EV if you need extra power – all-wheel-drive models tend to have the most powerful motors, making them great for performance, but equally as dependable for towing or off-roading.