The best road trip EVs: our top 10 electric cars for motoring adventures
Rounding up the best all-electric cars for a summer road trip, from sporty two-seaters to long-distance seven-seat heroes
It’s summer, so what better time to get out and enjoy a road trip or two?
We’ve put our heads together and come up with some of the best EV-friendly road trip routes in Europe, which you can read about here. Of course, to make the most of them you’ll also need a suitable EV.
So we’ve come up with what we think are the best road trip EVs around. Some are perfect for epic continent-crossing adventures, others best suited to weekend blasts designed to test driver and machine.
MG Cyberster
Who doesn’t want a wind-in-the-hair experience on the open road? In many ways the Cyberster is the ideal road trip EV. Its big battery and 300-mile range means you can head out on long adventures, soaking up your surroundings with the roof down and your favourite co-pilot by your side. But you can also seek out some properly challenging roads and make the most of this electric roadster’s 503bhp powertrain and precise chassis.
Kia EV9
If you want to share your road trip experience with as many people as possible you’re going to need something spacious and comfortable. And EVs don’t come much more spacious and comfortable than the Kia EV9. This flagship SUV has enough room for seven grown adults across its three rows. And they’ll all be taken care of with three-zone climate control, charge ports and cupholders galore. Add in up to 300 miles of real-world range and super-fast charging and the EV9 is one of the best road trip EVs on sale.
Electrogenic MX-5
If you’d rather keep your road trip an intimate affair, Electrogenic’s restomod of one of the all-time great two-seaters could be the car for you. This smartly configured roadster blends all the thrills of an MX-5 with the smoothness and responsiveness of an EV. A small boot and even smaller battery mean it’s probably one for day trips rather than longer breaks, but you’ll have a whale of a time every time you take it out.
Electrogenic Mazda MX-5 review
Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce
Alfa’s first EV doesn’t disappoint, offering an almost unexpected level of fun and engagement in its compact SUV shape. A 276bhp motor, limited-slip differential and properly tuned chassis means this little bundle of fun will have you seeking out the best driving roads on offer and planning weekends or weeks away to exploit them. It’s virtually identical to the Abarth 600e Scorpionissima but with a very slightly softer ride, no fake sound and less in-your-face design, it’s perhaps a bit less wearing than the Abarth.
Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce review
Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer
Some road trips are about tackling thrilling roads in a lively car like the Alfa. Others are about taking it easy and enjoying the journey. And the ID.7 Tourer feels ideally suited to that. For a family holiday taking in multiple destinations, it’s practical, comfortable and massively spacious. What’s more, even basic models can cover up to 373 miles on a charge, meaning long distances hold no concerns.
Alpine A290
The Alpine A290 is helping carry the hot hatch into the electrified era and is a perfect EV successor to something like a Clio 182 or Ford Fiesta ST. With those cars you could throw a weekend bag in the boot and take off for a couple of days to explore the UK’s myriad brilliant driving roads. The Alpine offers just the same appeal. Its compact footprint, lively chassis and punchy 221bhp motor make it ideal for some B-road fun, whether in the wilds of the Highlands or depths of Derbyshire.
Volkswagen ID Buzz
Planning a long road trip? You need a van. And what more iconic road trip vehicle is there than a VW van? But this new version is a long way from the noisy, slow sweatboxes of years gone by. Now you can cross continents in silent style. Whether you go for the regular five-seat version or the extended wheelbase seven-seater, there’s enormous amounts of space for all on board to get comfortable. Touches such as seat-back tables, endless charging sockets, big windows and mutli-zone climate control make it an ideal long-distance companion.
Mercedes-Benz EQS
When you want to get to the other side of Europe but don’t want to worry about charging, a 481-mile range is what you need. Allied to that continent-crushing range is super-fast charging and the kind of ultra-luxurious, high-tech passenger experience for which Merc’s S-Class has long been famous for. And if you can afford one, you can probably afford a chauffeur too, so you can sit back and enjoy the view.
Porsche Taycan
The Taycan feels like a natural fit for long-distance whether you’re cutting along Alpine mountain passes or cruising on the autobahn. Porsche’s electric four-door debut is roomy, smart and quick as well as being great fun to drive, making it an obvious pick as one of the best road trip EVs. It offers up to 421 miles of range and some of the fastest charging in the business, too. And there’s even an estate version if you’re packing for a long trip.
Maserati GranCabrio Folgore
Maserati’s all-electric drop-top is achingly pretty, stupendously quick and surprisingly spacious. You could opt for the hard-top GranTurismo but with the cabrio you can get the roof down and fully immerse yourself in your surroundings while enjoying its performance. The GranCabrio Folgore also has a huge battery and ultra-fast charging to help munch those miles on long journeys. The boot is tiny, mind, so you might need to buy all your essentials when you reach your destination. Still, if you’ve got £200k to spend on a car, that’s probably not an issue.
