Best Electric Cars Of 2023

The electric revolution is well and truly underway, with 2023 seeing a wider range of EVs on the market than ever before and overall sales figures trending upwards. There are still some significant hurdles for electric cars to overcome before they become the default choice for buyers, with the biggest being the limited infrastructure available to drivers in many parts of the country. However, in places like California, where charging stations are more readily available, there's arguably never been a better time to switch to an electric car.

With an increasingly packed field of EVs to choose from, buyers can afford to be pickier than ever. Nonetheless, there are a few models that stand out as offering superior value, performance, or cutting-edge features, and it's these cars that should be top on the list to check out if you're looking at buying a new EV. With every major manufacturer having unveiled its lineup for the 2023 model year, these are the electric cars we think are a cut above the rest.

Elon Musk's obsession with his latest purchase, Twitter, has some Tesla fans worrying that the carmaker is about to lose its competitive edge. For now, though, the brand's cars still remain among the best EVs on the market, thanks to a combination of must-have features and the significant advantage of having access to the Supercharger network. All of Tesla's cars remain strong contenders in their respective segments, but out of the bunch, it's the Model 3 that stands out as a particular highlight.

The Model 3 Long Range recently went back on sale after a temporary hiatus with a reduced price of $47,240. That gets you a car with over 325 miles of claimed range and a 0-60 mph time of 4.2 seconds. The car's consistently high demand was what led to the halt on orders, as Tesla simply couldn't get cars out fast enough. That should tell you all you need to know about why the car gets a spot on this list -– it remains one of the best value EVs of its kind, even as the competition has gotten tougher in recent years.

The Ioniq 5's retro-modern styling is a love-it-or-hate-it affair, but we're firmly in the former camp. It's refreshing to see Hyundai taking a unique approach to its design, one which was reportedly inspired by the company's first mass-produced car, the Pony. Visuals aside, we found the hatchback Hyundai Ioniq 5 to be great to drive too, with its speedy fast charging proving a useful addition on our long-distance test route. Its interior felt suitably premium, with an impressive two-screen display on the dash and a panoramic roof that gave the whole cabin an open, airy feel.

Its starting price of $52,600 puts it among some tough competition, and there are a few small flaws –- no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto seems odd on such a futuristic-looking car, and the lack of a rear wiper can be annoying. Still, those are hardly what you'd call deal-breaking omissions, and the truth is, the Ioniq 5 gets all the important things spot on.

Expectations were high when Ford unveiled the electric version of its best-selling pickup, but it's proved to be a huge success so far. Demand has been so high that it's been tricky to even order one since launch, but at the start of June, Ford announced it was significantly ramping up production in a bid to decrease wait times. The success of the F-150 Lightning comes down to the fact that it still feels very much like an F-150 to drive, with the most noticeable differences being the extra torque and a frunk where the engine would usually be.

The interior also gets an upgrade, with a 15-inch portrait touchscreen in the dash on higher trims that are shared with the Mustang Mach-E. Towing capacity is also impressive, with up to 10,000 lb maximum capacity on offer depending on trim. There have been reports that towing any significant weight can drastically reduce range, and indeed range will likely be one of the biggest anxieties of buying one for most people. However, Ford's BlueOval Charge Network brings several of the biggest third-party charging networks under one umbrella, with one system for payment and built-in route navigation to account for charging on longer journeys. 

Clearly, that's been enough to assuage the fears of many buyers, as Ford quite literally can't make them fast enough right now.

Using the Mustang name on an electric SUV was always going to generate controversy, but if you can ignore that then the Ford Mustang Mach-E reveals itself to be a genuinely impressive EV with plenty of useful features to take advantage of. We drove one earlier in 2023 and thought its perky performance and high level of standard in-car tech made it one of the best cars in its segment, even if its 247 miles of range is far from class-leading.

Base-spec cars get 266 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque, which is more than enough for everyday driving and feels genuinely athletic when you put your foot down. There are a few downsides to consider — similarly-priced rivals can go further on a charge, sometimes a lot further, and despite all the pony badging, the Mach-E doesn't deliver the full-fat muscle car experience you might expect, at least not in base-spec trim. 

All that said, if you look past the badge then you'll find a competent all-rounder with enough EV-specific features to please more demanding enthusiasts yet enough familiarity to not scare off first-time EV owners.

The original Hummer was an infamously over-the-top celebration of excess, and now it's back for a second generation — this time in electric form. 

The Hummer EV is still as mad as ever, and in a market where so much of the conversation about EVs centers around their real-world practicalities and relative value for money, it's a refreshing change of pace. It's not built to be good value, nor is it anything remotely sensible. In fact, driving the Hummer EV is unlike being behind the wheel of any other EV on the market.

For starters, there's 1,000 horsepower and 1,200 lb-ft of torque on offer. Beefy 35-inch Goodyear tires are fitted as standard, and ride height extends to nearly 16 inches. Its party trick is the ability to crab walk diagonally, but at over 18 feet long and 7 feet wide, it's still not exactly easy to maneuver. It does claim an EPA-estimated 329 miles of range, giving it one of the longest ranges of any pickup on the market, but its massive battery pack makes it one of the least efficient vehicles out there in terms of miles-per-kWh. 

At the end of the day, the Hummer EV is huge, comically overpowered, and a bit pointless — but we're still very glad it exists.

Lucid Motors might still be a relatively fresh-faced startup, but its first car leaps straight to the front of the pack, both in terms of performance and luxury. When we drove the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance in 2022, the final verdict was clear — it was one of the best EVs of the year. 

Our tester boasted 1,050 horsepower and a 0-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds, yet it still achieved an EPA-certified 446 miles of range. Opt for a less powerful trim and that range can be extended to an unbelievable 516 miles. As you might expect, a car this powerful can reach highly illegal speeds in just a few seconds, and so we never really managed to test the limits of the Lucid Air. However, we took full advantage of the luxurious cabin, which was on par with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and the tech features, which were plentiful but not overwhelming. 

Make no mistake, there's still room for improvement here -– the door opening mechanism was slightly awkward, and the infotainment system wasn't as refined as the rest of the car –- but really, that was about it for flaws we could find. To quote our reviewer, the Lucid Air is "electric excellence" that feels like the next step in the evolution of electric cars.