Not all electric cars spell doom for performance and fun – these cars are all approved by Top Gear and all bring something great to the table
This isn’t a list of the best upcoming EVs it’s a list of the best EVs you can actually buy in 2023, with a couple of caveats.
Thanks to Top Gear’s YouTube channel and the Top Gear Electric Awards 2023 video, there are more reasons to choose electric cars over their gasoline counterparts than ever before.
It isn’t always easy to get excited about battery-powered vehicles for many reasons but some of the cars on the list will inspire newfound hope for the naysayers, or at least provide 15 minutes of entertaining content to watch.
The Best Electric Vehicles To Buy In 2023
The aforementioned caveat is that some of the cars aren’t available to buy, including Citroen’s Oli. That is a shame because this electric concept car is possibly one of the most forward-thinking, sustainable and interesting EV ideas out there. With cardboard panels, efficient manufacturing and near-100% recyclable parts, this car has the potential to be more climate-friendly than any existing EV. It is still a concept and its looks are divisive, but it is one to watch.
Top Gear’s first EV listed is actually a hybrid performance car, so another caveat here, but it is true that the Lamborghini Revuelto is a trailblazer of a supercar. It is the first electrified car of its kind with a V12 and three motors that will provide effortless performance and inspire the next generation of Lambos. It’s also not out yet.
Following the Revuelto, is Top Gear’s luxury EV winner: the BMW i7. This premium, executive sedan is the full-EV version of the 7-Series, full of tech and capable of a 4.5-second 0-60 mph time. In this US it lists for a cool $120,000 – marginally more than the gasoline-powered 7-Series and very nearly as fast to 60 mph.
Top Gear continue their brief overview of the best EVs as they count down the winners of the Electric Award with the Range Champion. Tesla’s Model 3 wins, with an impressive 1200 miles driven of the main arterial ring road (M25) around London over 24 hours, beating out the competition, though followed very, very closely by the Polestar 2 which was only 3 miles behind.
Tesla’s Model 3 retails from $45,000 while the Swedish newcomer lists from around $55,000.
The best grand-touring EV is the Maserati Gran Turismo Folgore and the best ‘go anywhere’ EV is the GMC Hummer EV; perhaps not the kind of vehicles the average working class customer could afford, but they are impressive nonetheless. Finally, the best electric city car is the Jeep Avenger. Jeep’s upcoming compact EV features familiar rugged good looks and is the brand’s first EV.
It is smaller than the Renegade and only destined for Europe where smaller vehicles generally have a higher yield. There are arguably many vehicles Top Gear could have given a shout-out to in its awards video, but in an increasingly-crowded playing field, it helps to know who is out there, even if some of the EVs featured are for those with a considerable amount of cash at the ready.