Cut-price fast EVs | Six of the Best

Yes, we’ve been here before. But with the volatility around new car sales going nowhere, and thousands of used electric cars in the classifieds at outrageously discounted prices, who could blame us for returning to the subject? Those with good memories might recall that an EQE featured last time around, but this is no ordinary Mercedes electric fastback. It’s a 53 AMG, which means more than 600hp and the usual raft of upgrades throughout. ‘As a piece of engineering, it’s bloody impressive’ was the PH verdict in 2022. Maybe not an AMG classic, but there’s a lot to be said for this much speed, serenity, composure and comfort. Especially when it’s half price: note that this EQE has the 21-inch ‘Y-spoke light alloy wheels’; on the configurator right now, they’re only available as part of a £7,995 AMG Performance Package, which brings the price of a new one to £113,990 without any other options. This 2024 car, after just 2,000 miles is £54,998. Still a lot of money, yes, but it won’t lose that much again. Enjoy that cruise home from Dundee…  

There’s a lot to like about the Eletre. The interior is beautifully appointed (it really is one of the very nicest cabins on sale), it’s obviously very fast (as well as being very fast charging), it’s super refined and it looks like nothing else on the road. But it was always going to be a struggle to sell it as a Lotus; those who bought the old sports cars probably wouldn’t want a 2.5-tonne EV, and those in the market for a luxury SUV might be wary of the badge – because Lotus only made sports cars until the Eletre. Combine that buyer caution with middling efficiency and the Eletre hasn’t exactly been the roaring success it needed to be – perhaps the new ‘super-hybrid’ powertrain will help its cause. Until then, there are tens of thousands off basically brand-new cars, and then this one: the first Eletre we’ve seen at less than £60,000. The spec is good, the condition is great, and it is nothing if not eye-opening. Just best not think what it might be worth in another three years…

Sadly, the half-price Hyundai Ioniq 5 N doesn’t exist just yet. But as proof of just how unfavourable conditions are right now, here’s a multi-award-winning car, one good enough to convert die-hard enthusiasts, from a reputable maker, at a sizeable discount. A brand-new Ioniq 5N is £66k, and this thousand-miler is £53k before any negotiation – that’s basically 20 per cent off. And if a car like the Hyundai isn’t immune from the ravages of EV depreciation – a car very much pitched at private rather than fleet buyers – which hasn’t been oversupplied (though arguably it was overpriced), then perhaps nothing is safe. For those who can accommodate its less-than-stellar efficiency and range, it’s hard to think of a better battery-powered family car that’s nearly new for £50k. It’s rapid, massive, it looks cool and it’s huge fun to drive. Which sounds pretty good, does it not? 

Good cars, the Audi e-tron GTs. Really, really good cars. Which is to be expected, really, given they’re built on the same ‘J1’ architecture as the Taycan. And while Porsche made an EV that was perhaps ever so slightly crisper to drive (or at least steer), there wasn’t very much in it, and the Audi could counter with its considerable style. Even a few years after launch, with plenty on the road and even with a facelift version available, the original remains a sleek GT, handsome and cool in a way that the Porsche isn’t. Furthermore, while the latest performance-spec cars can claim the best part of a thousand horsepower, nobody is going to feel shortchanged with the original RS and its overboosted 646hp. Especially at a whole lot less than half price after 42,000 miles: this would have been at least a £110,000 car new, and now it’s on offer at £45k.

You’ll be doing very well to have recalled the BST, Polestar’s limited edition, more driver-focused iteration of the 2. Just 40 came to the UK with an asking price of £68,990, kitted out with bespoke Ohlins dampers, stiffer springs, forged wheels, a strut brace and model-specific Pirellis. With, notably, exactly the same amount of horsepower as any other top-of-the-range 2. The BST overhaul was about improving the driving experience, and that it did: the changes made for a car that cornered more keenly, rode in a more sophisticated fashion, and generally gave more back to the keen driver. Up to and including endless fiddling with gorgeous dampers. The BST was a tasteful set of tweaks rather than a total transformation, though, and therefore hard to justify for all but the most dedicated Polestarists. Maybe why two of the 40 are for sale – both with more than £30,000 off after fewer than 30,000 miles…

Truth be told, the M60 is not the most compelling variant of BMW’s divisive electric SUV. The iX is all about effortless, soothing progress, insulated from the rest of the world and cocooned in a beautiful BMW interior. The weirdness of the outside ceases to matter too much from within (thankfully). The M60, with its Hans Zimmer soundtrack and ability to bludgeon its way to 62mph in less than four seconds, didn’t have soothing progress as its USP. But if speed matters more than anything else, then there’s little better. And you wouldn’t have to drive it like an M car the whole time, or any of the time for that matter, instead content in a great cabin with more than ample performance when required. The test car we called ‘stupendously fast, immensely plush, and fearsomely capable well enough to earn it flagship status’ was optioned to £121,495; this 2022 car sneaks in under £50k…