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The 10 best small electric cars: Which model is right for you?

A small electric car is the ideal vehicle for the city: You can get from A to B without any problems, protect the environment and find a parking space even easier. Do you have to travel longer distances from time to time or do you want to travel? Then read on anyway, because in the meantime a lot has happened in terms of range for small electric cars. We'll give you an overview of the 10 best small electric car models and tell you which one is particularly suitable for which needs.

E-car small car: You should consider these criteria when buying

As with all electric cars, one of the most important criteria is the range – and this depends largely on the battery power. However, if you mainly need the small electric car for driving in the city (perhaps only as a second car), a long range is not the top priority. So it's important that you think about how and for what you're going to use your small electric car beforehand.

You can also extend the range with a fast charging speed. Especially on longer distances, you should take regular breaks anyway. Why not charge the battery of the car and the driver at the same time?

And what about the cost of an electric car of this type of vehicle? Small cars have a reputation for being significantly cheaper than compact or mid-range electric cars. But be careful: This is not always true. So take a look at the best e-compact cars for comparison.

For now, we'll show you our top 10 small electric cars at a glance.

Citroën C-Zero

With a length of 3.47 meters, the Citroën C-Zero belongs to the category of small cars. Side effect of the brevity: The trunk is also small. But there is enough space for shopping and two pieces of luggage. A range of 80 to 130 km can be expected. Attention: Since the e-car is only available as a used car, you should check how much of it is still available before buying. Overall, it should be noted that the Citroën C-Zero is not as powerful as other models in our list. But: If the e-car is mainly used for trips in the city or shorter commutes, the little Frenchman is a good choice. And due to the small size, it is often possible to get hold of a parking space for which others are simply too large and wide.

  • Drive: Front-wheel drive, 49/67 kW/hp
  • Price from: n/a (no longer available)
  • Trunk: 166 – 860 liters
  • Consumption: 13.5 kWh
  • Range WLTP: n/a
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): n/a
  • Charging time wallbox: 5.4 hours
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent in 30 minutes
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): n/a
  • Costs/year (at 15,000 km): n/a

Dacia Spring

The Dacia Spring is the most affordable car in our list. And this applies both to the purchase of new products and to maintenance. For this low price, it offers a comparatively large amount of storage space and a decent range of 230 km. However, fast charging takes 50 minutes. Therefore, this small electric car is rather less suitable for long distances. Conclusion: The Dacia Spring is ideal as a low-cost car for city use or as a second car.

  • Drive: front-wheel drive, 7334/95 kW/hp
  • Price from: 20'990 CHF
  • Trunk: 300 – 620 liters
  • Consumption: 13.9 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 230 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): 130/180 km
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent in 50 minutes
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 16.2 tonnes
  • Cost/year (for 15,000 km): 6,425 CHF

Fiat 500e

The Fiat 500e with its retro design is chic and the ideal city car. This small electric car is available in three body variants: a two-door sedan, a folding top convertible and a three-door sedan (with the third door opening in the opposite direction compared to the front one, making it easier to get in). Compared to other models on this list, the Fiat 500e has a shorter range of around 190 km (WLTP), but is also slightly cheaper.

  • Drive: front-wheel drive, 70/95 kW/hp
  • Price from: 28'690 CHF
  • Trunk: 185 – 550 liters
  • Consumption: 13.0 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 190 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): 115/160 km
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent: n/a
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 19.8 tonnes
  • Cost/year (at 15,000 km): 7,527 CHF

Honda e

In the electric car small car type, the Honda e offers great driving pleasure. It has a special feature: instead of ordinary side mirrors, this electric car has cameras installed on both sides. This practically eliminates the blind spot. Another eye-catcher (or peep-through) is the panoramic roof, which is installed as standard. With a range of 222 km and no outstanding charging power, this electric car is particularly suitable as a practical city car.

  • Propulsion: rear-wheel drive, 100/136 kW/hp
  • Price from: 43'600 CHF
  • Trunk: 171 – 861 liters
  • Consumption: 17.2 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 222 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): 140/195 km
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent in 39 minutes
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 22.2 tonnes
  • Cost/year (for 15,000 km): 9,458 CHF

Mini Cooper SE

The Mini Cooper SE stands out from this list because it has the most power. This can be seen, for example, in the acceleration, which guarantees a lot of driving pleasure: from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.0 seconds. And with a top speed of 180 km/h, this small electric car also comes up trumps in terms of possible top speed. The range of 234 km is also impressive. If you add the decent charging power, this means that the Mini Cooper SE is ideal for anyone who, in addition to city and commuting trips, occasionally wants to cover longer distances or take one or two car trips.

  • Drive: Front-wheel drive, 135/184 kW/hp
  • Price from: 41'820 CHF
  • Trunk: 211 – 731 liters
  • Consumption: 15.2 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 234 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): 150/210 km
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent in 29 minutes
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 21.7 tonnes
  • Kosten/Jahr (bei 15’000 km): 9’482 CHF

Opel Corsa-e

The Opel Corsa-e offers the best value for money in terms of space and range. Because: Due to its range of 359 km and an impressive fast-charging performance (from 10 to 80 percent within 26 minutes), the car is suitable for longer journeys. Together with the Peugeot e-208, this electric car also has the largest trunk among the models on our list. This makes the Opel Corsa-e particularly suitable for drivers who like to travel and do not want to compromise on comfort or environmental protection.

  • Drive: front-wheel drive, 100/136 kW/hp
  • Price from: 33'760 CHF
  • Trunk: 265 – 1,106 liters
  • Consumption: 15.6 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 359 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): 240/330 km
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent in 26 minutes
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 23.7 tonnes
  • Cost/year (for 15,000 km): 8,883 CHF

Peugeot e-208

The Peugeot e-208 also offers good value for money and competes strongly with the Opel Corsa-e in terms of the overall performance package. With a range of 362 km and a maximum charging power of 100 kW, the car is also ideal for travelling. The trunk also offers enough space. The conclusion is therefore: perfect small electric car for the city as well as longer car journeys – for example to his home country of France.

  • Drive: front-wheel drive, 100/136 kW/hp
  • Price from: 34'750 CHF
  • Trunk: 265 – 1,106 liters
  • Consumption: 15.8 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 362 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): 240/330 km
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent in 26 minutes
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 23.7 tonnes
  • Cost/year (at 15,000 km): 8,617 CHF

Renault Zoe

If you are looking for a particularly good price-performance ratio, you should take a closer look at this small electric car. The Renault Zoe offers an impressive range of 335 to 440 km (depending on the built-in battery) and is therefore suitable for longer distances. However, since the maximum charging power is rather low, charging at fast charging stations takes longer. This electric car is therefore only suitable for longer distances or journeys if longer breaks or overnight stopovers are possible. In addition, you should not want to travel with too much luggage, as the trunk is comparatively small. The Renault Zoe is therefore ideal for everyday urban use (for commuting, for example) and also for driving one or the other slightly longer distance if you are not in a hurry.

  • Drive: front-wheel drive, 100/136 kW/hp
  • Price from: 34'300 CHF
  • Trunk: 38 – 1,225 liters
  • Consumption: 17.7 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 335 – 440 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): 260/355 km
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent in 60 minutes
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 26.8 tonnes
  • Cost/year (for 15,000 km): 9,185 CHF

Seat Mii Electric

Like the Citroën C-Zero, the Seat Mii Electric is only available as a used car. The low new price is now also reflected in the second-hand offers. This small electric car has a rather small trunk, but offers enough space in the interior. If you take a look at the key data, you can see that the Seat Mii Electric is ideal as a small, practical city car.

  • Drive: front-wheel drive, 61/83 kW/hp
  • Price from: n/a (no longer available)
  • Trunk: 251 – 923 liters
  • Consumption: 14.6 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 260 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): n/a
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent: n/a
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): n/a
  • Costs/year (at 15,000 km): n/a

VW e-Up

The VW e-Up is one of the cheaper electric cars on our list. In terms of performance package, it is similar to the Seat Mii Electric. This makes this small electric car ideal for everyday urban use.

  • Drive: front-wheel drive, 61/83 kW/hp
  • Price from: 27'850 CHF
  • Trunk: 251 – 923 liters
  • Consumption: 14.6 kWh
  • Range WLTP: 260 km
  • Forecast of actual range (winter/summer): n/a
  • DC charging 10 – 80 percent: n/a
  • Total emissions (at 200,000 km): 19.2 tonnes
  • Cost/year (for 15,000 km): 7,676 CHF