Best Electric Car 2022: Technology

Some electric car owners, and prospective buyers, would prefer their EV presents them with a familiar environment from behind the wheel and doesn’t go overboard when it comes to new tech.

But, by and large, electric cars are taking us into a new era of motoring, with some brands forging ahead with new ways of how we operate a car and connect with the wider world.

Let’s deal with the basic ingredients first.

Among the 13 models in contention for carsales’ Best Electric Car 2022, each of them allows you to pair your smartphone for calls and audio streaming.

They all offer at least two USB ports to charge devices and you can listen to an embedded AM/FM radio in each.

From there, the EVs on test are a diverse lot – some with clever, high-tech features and some missing infotainment features you’d find in many other new cars.

All new vehicles today have some kind of infotainment screen, however, bigger is generally regarded as better. And on that front, the Tesla Model 3 and the just-launched Tesla Model Y win hands down.

Both Tesla models are fitted with large portrait-mounted 15-inch touch-screens that dominate the centre of the dashboard.

There’s also no traditional instrument cluster in either Tesla model; all the information you’re used to having presented in the binnacle behind the steering wheel is housed in the central screen.

As for the other EVs on test, a relatively large 12.8-inch infotainment screen – which can rotate from portrait to landscape orientation – is found in the new BYD Atto 3 and a 12.3-inch display is provided in the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6.

From there, the Polestar 2 has an 11.2-inch portrait screen, the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV each have a 10.25-inch unit, while the MG ZS EV has a 10.1-inch ‘floating’ display.

At the smaller end of the scale, the MINI Electric has an 8.8-inch screen, the Nissan LEAF an 8.0-inch unit and both the Lexus UX 300e and Mazda MX-30 Electric make do with a 7.0-inch display.

Beyond the Tesla models’ unconventional instrumentation, fully digital instrument clusters are found on most of other contenders for Best EV. The Nissan LEAF is the obvious exception, providing an analogue speedo.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring is increasingly offered in mainstream segments, however, among this cohort of EVs only the Kia Niro offers both.

The MINI Electric and the two Tesla models offer wireless Apple CarPlay only, while the BYD Atto 3, which was unavailable with both Apple and Android phone connectivity at launch, is expected to have the omission rectified soon.

Six of the 13 models on test do not offer wireless smartphone charging either: the BYD Atto 3, Kia Niro EV S, Mazda MX-30 Electric, MG ZS EV Excite, Nissan LEAF and Polestar 2.

The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y are the only EVs in this group to offer two charging pads to wirelessly charge compatible smartphones.

Digital radio has fast become an expected standard feature in new vehicles, although it’s missing in the MG ZS EV and the Polestar 2, the latter including DAB+ in an optional audio package.

All models represented here have embedded satellite-navigation as standard, except for the BYD Atto 3 and Kia Niro. The Polestar 2 uses Google Maps app software.

An embedded SIM is installed in the BYD Atto 3, MINI Electric, Polestar 2 and the two Teslas.

In most cases, that enables high-level remote smartphone app functionality away from the vehicle, such as control of the door locks and activation of the air-conditioning and heating.

In the Polestar 2 and the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y you can even use your smartphone (loaded with the appropriate app) instead of the key fob as the vehicle’s ‘key’, which allows for remote entry and start – among other features.

With the Tesla EVs, the SIM has cellular connection for the life of the car for basic operations such as sat-nav and over-the-air updates, while a paid Premium Connectivity service (free for the first 30 days, then billed monthly at $9.99 a month) unlocks more features such as live traffic updates and internet radio.

Polestar offers free data for its system for three years, while BYD says the data SIM on the Atto 3 will be active for the life of the car to download software updates. Additional features made possible by the BYD SIM – such as streaming audio – will be operational for two years, at which time you’ll need to take out a subscription.

Most EVs lining up for carsales’ Best Electric Car 2022 have a minimum of two USB ports up front, with the Hyundai Kona and Nissan LEAF making do with just one. What’s more, these two are the only models not to offer at least one of the faster-charging USB-C ports.

The Tesla Model 3 and Model Y also have many infotainment features not seen in our other EV contenders. These include ‘Sentry Mode’, which can be set up to monitor the car with multiple cameras when parked, as well as a standard dashcam when driving.

The Model 3 and Model Y also have various ‘Easter eggs’ – novel hidden features that you’re invited to unlock – such as Emissions Testing Mode, Romance Mode, Sketchpad, Santa Mode, Mars Rover, Rainbow Road as well as others that reference Back to the Future, Monty Python, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the Rick and Morty sitcom.

What was once a unique Tesla feature in this segment – over-the-air software updates – is now not only offered in the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y in this group, but also the Polestar 2 and BYD Atto 3.

A variety of EVs in this group are fitted a high-end branded stereo system such as Bose (Hyundai IONIQ 5, Mazda MX-30 Electric and Nissan LEAF), Harman Kardon (Hyundai Kona EV), Dirac (BYD Atto 3) and Mark Levinson (Lexus UX 300e).

While the remainder don’t tout the benefits of a third-party audio unit, the Tesla Model Y has a 13-speaker system and the Polestar 2 comes standard with 250W eight-speaker sound.

Best Electric Car 2022 – Technology