Best Electric Car 2021: Comfort and convenience

When spending up to $70,000 on a new car you should expect a deep box of goodies fitted as standard.

However, the fact is that elements of EV technology, particularly the battery pack, are expensive and as a result most of our eight contenders for carsales’ Best Electric Car 2021 reflect that premium in their sticker price.

At the same time, they carry little more in terms of comfort and convenience features you’d see in an equivalent combustion-engined model costing much, much less.

It’s worth noting the wide price variation here. The most affordable car on test is the MG ZS EV at $44,990 drive-away – a position that makes it Australia’s cheapest new mass-market electric vehicle by a long shot – while we need to climb to $54,010 (plus on-road costs) for the next model in the queue, the Hyundai IONIQ Electric Premium.

The most expensive vehicle on test is Kia Niro EV Sport, priced at $65,990 plus ORCs.

This entrée to the EV market is nothing if not democratic – a wide variety of body styles are represented, ranging from the small four-seater MINI three-door hatch and the roomier Nissan LEAF and Hyundai IONIQ five-door hatchbacks to the mid-size Tesla Model 3 sedan and a bevy of SUVs.

The latter are all small SUVs: Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro, Mazda MX-30 and MG ZS.

All the EVs here are shod with alloy wheels in either 17-inch or 18-inch diameter, with all but the MINI Cooper SE Yours and Nissan LEAF e+ coming with a tyre repair kit. The MINI has run-flat tyres, while the Nissan has a temporary-use spare tyre.

Only the Hyundai IONIQ, Hyundai Kona Electric Highlander and the Nissan LEAF have rear privacy glass, while all but the Kia Niro and the LEAF are fitted standard with a glass sunroof. (The Kona loses its sunroof if the no-cost two-tone paint option is ticked.)

The location of an EV’s charge port can make a difference in terms of owner convenience, depending on where the vehicle is being charged. The majority on test favour having the port in the nose of the EV, with four here – the Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro, MG ZS and Nissan LEAF – with their charging port found behind a section of the grille or nosecone.

The Hyundai IONIQ and Tesla Model 3 each have their charging port located behind a flap at the left-rear of the car, while the Mazda MX-30 and MINI Cooper have their charge port access at the right-rear.

Elsewhere, steering-mounted paddle shifters – not to change gears with as in a conventional vehicle, but to adjust the regenerative braking and therefore the off-throttle deceleration level – is offered only by the Hyundai IONIQ, Hyundai Kona and Kia Niro.

All the EVs on test have dusk-sensing headlights and automatic high-beam, while almost all are fitted with rain-sensing windscreen wipers. The exception is the MG ZS, which oddly misses out on this basic feature.

The MG ZS also lacks an auto-dimming interior rear-vision mirror as fitted to all other models on test.

Power and heated auto-fold exterior mirrors are fitted to all eight EVs, but only the Hyundai IONIQ and Mazda MX-30 offer an auto-tilt function when in reverse.

Leather seat upholstery, whether synthetic or genuine, is found in all but the Mazda MX-30 Electric Astina, which has ‘Maztex’ vinyl and cloth seat trim.

All but the Kia Niro have heated front seats, while the (leather-clad) steering wheel in the Hyundai IONIQ, Hyundai Kona and Mazda MX-30 also has a heating function.

Only the MINI Cooper and Nissan LEAF miss out on an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, while only the Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro and Tesla Model 3 have power adjustment for the front passenger seat.

Climate control is a single-zone type in all but the dual-zone MINI Cooper and three-zone Tesla Model 3. Only the Hyundai IONIQ, Kia Niro and Tesla Model 3 have face-level rear air-vents.

Just the two Hyundai EVs, the Kia and the Mazda have a rear centre arm rest.

Only the MINI Cooper and Tesla Model 3 have park assist, while a power-operated boot is only standard for the Tesla Model 3.

As for the convenience a large boot affords, the MINI is the least capacious with 211 litres of cargo capacity (with the rear seats in place), while the Kia Niro offers the biggest boot volume in seats-up form, with 451L.

In all eight models the load area accessed via a hatch or tailgate – except the Model 3 which has its sedan boot (accessible via split/folding rear seats) and a small front boot (aka frunk).

While the EV has long been touted for its environmental credentials – usually signified by splashes of green on the vehicle – some are now giving hints of sportiness instead. For example, the Hyundai IONIQ and Kia Niro come with sporty alloy pedals.

Others, such as MINI, offer a no-cost, pick-and-play coterie of paint colours for various components such as door mirrors and the roof, along with different wheel design options.

Others, like the Hyundai Kona, have a more simple option of a no-cost gloss black roof, which as already mentioned comes at the cost of the otherwise standard sunroof.

Best Electric Car 2021 contenders:
Hyundai IONIQ Electric Premium
Hyundai Kona Electric Extended Range Highlander
Kia Niro EV Sport
Mazda MX-30 Electric Astina
MG ZS EV
MINI Cooper SE Yours
Nissan LEAF e+
Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus

Related: All the latest EV info is at www.carsales.com.au/electric