11 Cheapest Electric Cars You Can Buy

So you’ve decided to take a gamble on an electric vehicle, but you’d like to keep the ante down for getting into the game. There are lots of good reasons not to spend the kids’ college fund on the fanciest, six-figure EV — namely, sending them to college.

Related: Electric Vehicles: Understanding the Terminology

You might be just looking for an efficient second car for city use or commuting in high occupancy vehicle lanes, where it makes little sense to pay top dollar for 400 miles of range when a 200-mile EV would serve your needs. Or you might have figured out (accurately) that by the time your new EV’s lease or loan is finished, a wider selection of EVs with much improved technology will be available. Or the higher-than-expected cost to install Level 2 home charging, all but essential to owning an EV, might have shrunk your budget for the car itself.

Whatever your reasons, there are EVs available now that won’t break the bank, though they’re generally still more expensive than comparable gasoline vehicles. Note that availability can be relative for EVs. Some are sold only in certain states, while others may require a reservation for delivery weeks or months later.

Below are 11 of the cheapest EVs you can buy, listed by starting price (including destination). The list features all-electric cars only; plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell models are excluded. Prices do not include the federal government’s tax credit, nor any state or local subsidies. Of note, the federal subsidy has changed considerably as of Jan. 1, and additional guidelines for vehicle eligibility based on battery and materials sourcing were announced recently; read our latest coverage here. The IRS also provides a list of automakers and vehicles that are currently eligible for the credit.

• Starting price: $29,280
• EPA-estimated range: 149-212 miles

The 2024 Nissan Leaf is a small four-door hatchback and was one of the first fully EVs available nationwide when it rolled out in the U.S. as a 2011 model. Over the years, it has improved with more range and added safety tech. It also got a longer-range sibling, the Leaf Plus, with a bigger battery. In 2023, the Leaf got some minor styling tweaks, and its lineup was simplified to a standard-range Leaf S and longer-range Leaf SV Plus. Little changes for 2024.

The cheapest standard-range Leaf S has a 40-kilowatt-hour battery, a modest 147-horsepower electric motor and an EPA-rated 149 miles of range. The interior has few frills, but it does have a standard 8-inch touchscreen with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Leaf SV Plus, meanwhile, has a 60-kWh battery, a significant range boost to 212 miles and a more livable 214-hp motor.

• Starting price: $31,895
• EPA-estimated range: 114 miles

Once the cheapest EV in America, the Mini Cooper SE Hardtop — a two-door, four-seat hatchback — has been undercut by the Leaf. The Mini has one of the shortest ranges on this list, but its 114 EPA-rated miles are still plenty daily commuting use. With its sporty looks and driving manners, 181-hp electric motor (good for 0-60 mph in 6.9 seconds) and small size, the Cooper SE Hardtop could appeal to shoppers looking for a fun urban runabout or second car. While range is limited, Mini says the 32.6-kWh battery can be charged with 7.4 kilowatts of AC capacity in about four hours on a Level 2 home or public charger. For 2024, Mini has reintroduced the base Classic trim for the SE Hardtop with a more affordable starting price over the outgoing model. In addition to the Classic, the SE Hardtop offers two higher trim levels plus a range of personalization options.

If you like how this one looks in particular, though, you better grab one now — an all-new, all-electric version of the Mini Cooper is coming for 2025 (though it’s not official yet if it will make it stateside) with a modest bump in range and a performance-oriented John Cooper Works version.

• Starting price: $34,050
• EPA-estimated range: 200 (manufacturer-estimated)-261 miles (EPA)

This four-door subcompact SUV is mostly similar in styling and interior layout to the gasoline Hyundai Kona: It’s comfortable in front, but tight in the back seat and cargo area. Hyundai redesigned the Kona Electric for 2024, making it longer, wider and taller. The base SE trim gets a 48.6-kWh battery pack and 133-hp electric motor, while the SEL and Limited pack a 64.8-kWh battery and a 201-hp motor. Its long-range battery is good for an EPA-rated range of 261 miles, and while there isn’t an estimate out for its standard smaller battery, Hyundai claims it should be good for 200 miles of range. While sales of the Kona Electric were previously limited to certain states with required zero-emission vehicle targets, its availability was recently expanded to every state except Wyoming and South Dakota.

• Starting price: $38,650
• EPA-estimated range: 240-361 miles

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a futuristic streamlined sedan that’s also a great bang for your buck and was named Cars.com’s Best Value EV pick for 2024. It rides on state-of-the-art 800-volt battery architecture, and Hyundai claims it can go from a 10% state of charge to 80% in just 18 minutes on a 350-kW charger. To get the lowest possible price, you’ll need to select the SE Standard Range trim with single-motor RWD, which features a 240-mile range. It comes with a long list of standard equipment, ranging from driver-assist features like adaptive cruise control to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to a heated, power-adjustable driver’s seat. Aside from the SE Standard Range, each trim offers dual-motor AWD as an option for an extra $3,500, though adding that does sacrifice some range.

• Starting price: $38,999 (not including destination and handling fees, which vary by location)
• EPA-estimated range: TBA; 231-360 miles (manufacturer-estimated)

The Fisker Ocean sounds promising on paper, with a cool optional solar-panel roof that feeds the car’s battery on the fly, the extensive use of recycled materials in its construction and quirky features like console-mounted “taco trays.” The least expensive single-motor, front-wheel-drive Ocean Sport is good for 282 hp and 232 miles of range, per Fisker’s figures. However, reports of Oceans losing drive power and braking power, as well as significant problems with its software, came at a time when Fisker reported that it may not have the funds to make it through the end of 2024. At the time of writing, Fisker has paused production of the Ocean, as it had built up an inventory of roughly 4,700 unsold Oceans, per Automotive News.

To help move some of that inventory, Fisker cut prices on new model-year 2023 Oceans to as low as $24,999 (excluding Fisker’s variable delivery fees) for a base Sport trim, which is less than a Nissan Leaf. We go by model-year 2024 prices for this list, but the top-trim 2023 Fisker Ocean Extreme — a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive, 564-hp version with a 360-mile range — now starts at just $37,499 (sans delivery fees), undercutting the base 2024 Ocean.

While Fisker has been addressing many of the Ocean’s software issues through over-the-air updates, we still urge caution with buying a model facing these kinds of problems amid this many doubts about the company’s future. If you’re down for the gamble, however, there are definitely deals to be had.

• Starting price: $40,380
• EPA-estimated range: TBA; 248-341 (manufacturer-estimated)

Tesla’s entry-level sedan, the Model 3, finally got a subtle styling refresh for 2024 with a more angular appearance outside and zero stalks on the steering column inside. Its blinkers are now capacitive-touch buttons on the steering wheel, and you put the car in Reverse, Park or Drive on the single large touchscreen in the center of the dashboard or via a touch-sensitive strip on the ceiling by the rearview mirror. While those might be polarizing choices, it’s undeniable that the Model 3 is one of the most affordable options for an EV.

EPA figures for the refreshed Model 3 are to be announced at the time of writing, and the company adjusted its range figures in January following customer complaints of shorter-than-advertised ranges. However, Tesla claims that its base single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Model 3 still achieves up to 272 miles of range in EPA-style tests and its dual-motor AWD Long Range model nets up to 341 miles of range. While other automakers are transitioning to the North American Charging Standard plug for access to Tesla’s Supercharger network, the Model 3 already has the charge port built in — no extra converter needed.

• Starting price: $40,975
• EPA-estimated range: 253 miles

The Kia Niro EV is part of a line of electrified-only hatchbacks that also includes hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions, all of which received a full redesign for the 2023 model year. The 2024 Niro EV uses the same architecture as its predecessor, with standard FWD, a 64.8-kWh battery pack and a 201-hp motor to achieve an estimated maximum range of 253 miles. To get the price listed above, buyers should look for the base Niro Wind; the loaded trim is the Wave.

• Starting price: $41,160
• EPA-estimated range: 206 (manufacturer-estimated)-291 miles (EPA)

Volkswagen rolled out a few notable updates to the ID.4 for 2024, and while most of them are on higher trims, there’s one important change rolling out for every variant. The ID.4 now has a more intuitive user interface with a new, slightly larger 12.9-inch touchscreen and backlit sliders that you can now see at night. Its shifter has been relocated to a more traditional stalk behind the steering wheel, and the steering wheel controls have been revised. While that doesn’t fix every issue we’ve had with the ID.4’s confusing overreliance on touch-sensitive controls, it certainly helps this otherwise comfortable, peppy EV become a bit more practical.

The least expensive option is still the base RWD Standard variant, which features a 62-kWh battery and a single 201-hp rear motor. Higher trims with the 82-kWh battery get a sizable performance bump for 2024, with new rear motors that increase output to 282 hp in RWD versions and 335 hp on AWD ID.4s.

• Starting price: $41,890
• EPA-estimated range: TBA; 230-320 (manufacturer-estimated)

Pricing of the Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV went up and down throughout 2023 as Ford and Tesla had a bit of a price war going on, and thankfully, that’s translated into a relatively low base price for the Mach-E for 2024. The 2024 model features a lighter rear motor that’s good for 264 hp and 387 pounds-feet of torque in its least expensive Select trim — a full 70 pounds-feet more than the 2023 model. Battery controls received an upgrade for faster charging speeds, as well. While the Mach-E can get pricey fast (the new off-road-oriented Rally trim starts at $61,890), the base Select RWD Standard Range clocks in at a far more frugal $41,890 and offers a not-too-shabby 250 miles of range.

• Starting price: ​​$43,175
• EPA-estimated range: 220-303 miles

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 has specs similar to the Kia EV6 (Kia and Hyundai are affiliated automakers). That includes a similar choice of standard- or long-range battery packs and either RWD or AWD, though the Ioniq 5 has both slightly higher range estimates and a lower price than the EV6. It, too, can use 350-kW DC fast charging and also includes vehicle-to-load capabilities. For 2023, the SUV got a new battery preconditioning feature, higher towing capacities for most models (up to 2,300 pounds) and increased range on its AWD models. The Ioniq 5 remains largely unchanged for 2024, adding a standard Wi-Fi hot spot and more standard safety equipment, including rear side airbags and steering-wheel haptic feedback for driver-assistance features like lane departure steering assist and blind spot monitoring.

• Starting price: $43,975
• EPA-estimated range: 218-310 miles

The Kia EV6’s Light trim is back for 2024, dropping the model’s base price by nearly $6,000 and landing it on our cheapest EVs list. That least expensive Light RWD trim is the only one that comes with the base 167-hp drivetrain, which features one motor on the rear axle, a 55.4-kWh battery and an estimated 232 miles of range, per the EPA. The EV6’s other trims use a larger 77.4-kWh battery, which comes with more powerful motors (225 hp all the way up to the EV6 GT’s 576 hp) but also with a bump in price: The Light Long Range RWD EV6 is $3,350 more, while the lowest-trim AWD model, the dual-motor Light e-AWD, is $7,250 over the base trim’s price. Headroom may be an issue for taller drivers, but we were impressed by the EV6’s comfortable ride and more traditional interior compared to the Tesla Model Y.

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