There’s a full run-down of the best new Ford cars coming soon on our dedicated page…
Honda Prelude
After an absence of more than two decades, the Honda Prelude is making a comeback. The new sixth-generation model will be a sleek two-door coupe featuring hybrid technology, which it’s likely to borrow from the Civic hatchback. We’ve already spotted a prototype testing, but aren’t expecting the first examples to hit the streets until 2026.
Hyundai Inster
The Hyundai Inster is the brand’s new, quirky but frankly adorable entry into the small, affordable electric car market. It’s smaller than superminis like the Skoda Fabia or Renault Clio, but still has a 280-litre boot, which expands to 351 litres when the rear seats are slid forward, or you can actually fold all four seats down completely flat. It offers up to 220 miles of range, and has a starting price of £23,495.
Hyundai Ioniq 9
As well as its smallest electric car yet, Hyundai is also preparing to launch its largest EV: the seven-seat Ioniq 9. The futuristic-looking, zero-emissions alternative to the Hyundai Santa Fe will sit on the same platform, and is likely to feature the same motor/battery combinations, as the award-winning Kia EV9. Every EV9 sold here is powered by a 99.8kWh battery that allows for a range of up to 349 miles, so expect similar figures or better from the Ioniq 9.
IM Motors L6
IM Motors is MG’s upmarket sister brand and will be introduced to the UK in 2025. Its first offering will be the IM L6: a premium zero-emission saloon that the company expects to rival the hugely popular Tesla Model 3. It claims the L6 can hit 62mph in less than three seconds and charge at speeds well over 300kW – similar to a Porsche Taycan.
Jaguar GT flagship
A new era of Jaguar is about to commence. The British brand is moving upmarket, and is planning to launch three brand-new electric cars, starting with a four-door GT that’ll have a £100,000 price tag. The as-yet-unnamed GT will arrive in 2025, sit on a bespoke EV platform called Jaguar Electrified Architecture and offer up to 435 miles of range. It will also be capable of adding around 200 miles of range in 15 minutes of rapid charging.
Jeep Recon
Jeep only launched its first electric car, the Avenger, in 2023, but it’s far from the only EV the brand has in the works. The one we’re most excited for is a beefy 4×4 called the Recon. This Wrangler-sized EV will adopt a chunky design and the EV-specific STLA Large platform from parent company Stellantis, which is also being used to underpin Jeep’s new Wagoneer S flagship SUV.
Kia EV3
As its name suggests, the EV3 is the baby brother of the EV6 and EV9, and the Korean brand’s latest addition to its rosters of excellent electric cars. Prices for the compact electric SUV start from £32,995 – more than £4,000 cheaper than Kia’s Niro EV – and there are two battery options, with the larger unit providing 372 miles of range. Every model also gets a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a suite of advanced driver-assistance systems.
Land Rover Defender Octa
With a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds, 626bhp and a price tag of £160,800 in Edition 1 guise, the Octa is undoubtedly the ultimate iteration of the Land Rover Defender. Its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 is the most powerful engine fitted to a Defender, but Land Rover says the 4×4’s chassis has been extensively reworked to cope with the extra output. It should still perform off-road too, thanks to improved approach, breakaway and departure angles over the regular Defender 110’s, thanks to redesigned bumpers.
Lotus mid-size SUV
While Lotus built its reputation on lightweight sports cars, the brand has evolved rapidly into a maker of premium EVs, starting with the Eletre hyper-SUV and the Emeya GT. But Lotus is hoping to broaden its appeal beyond luxury car owners and corporate executives with a mid-size SUV that’ll take on the new Porsche Macan Electric. Lotus is targeting a starting price of around $70,000 (£55,000) for the Type 134, as it’s known internally, significantly undercutting the Macan.
Lotus electric sports car
SUVs and saloons will make up the bulk of Lotus sales soon, but it’s not about to abandon its 76 years of sports car-making heritage. In 2027, the company will launch its first-ever fully electric sports car that will serve as the replacement for the petrol-powered Emira. Codenamed the Type 135, it will be built at Lotus’s Hethel base in Norfolk and use a bespoke architecture, while the design is expected to borrow heavily from the Lotus Theory 1 concept (pictured above) that was revealed earlier this year.
McLaren W1
First there was the F1, then the P1, and now the W1 has arrived to show the world what Woking is capable of. A direct rival to the Ferrari F80 we mentioned earlier, the W1 features a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 hybrid powertrain that sends all its 1,258bhp to the rear wheels only. To stop it taking off, the “Formula One-inspired ground-effect aerodynamics” can create 1,000kg of downforce at 174mph.
Mercedes G 580 with EQ Technology
Mercedes’ iconic 4×4 has been given the EV treatment. The G 580 with EQ Technology will be an uncompromising off-roader, just like the regular G-Class. As such, it uses the tough ladder-frame chassis from the petrol and diesel-powered models, just with a battery and four individual electric motors – one for each wheel – crammed into it. Its party piece is the ‘G-Turn’, when the wheels on the left and right-hand sides of the car rotate in opposite directions so it can spin on the spot just like a tracked vehicle.
Mercedes CLA
Mercedes is finally fighting back against the Tesla Model 3 with the next-generation CLA, which will get pure-electric power as well as hybrid petrol engines. The design should take its lead from the Concept CLA Class concept revealed in 2023, and it will be the first of what Mercedes is calling ‘entry luxury’ cars based on a new MMA architecture.
MG ZS EV successor
The latest iteration of the popular MG ZS has arrived with a full-hybrid set-up, and a pure-petrol model is coming, but there’s not going to be an electric version this time around. Instead, the out-going ZS EV will be replaced by an all-new, all-electric compact SUV. It’s already been revealed in China as the MG ES5, flaunting a clear family resemblance with the MG4, as well as the Cyberster sports car.
MINI Aceman
Designed to bridge the gap between the three-door MINI Cooper and MINI Countryman, the MINI Aceman is a compact five-door electric SUV that measures around four metres long. In fact, it has a similar footprint on the road to a Renault Clio, while the funky interior design is shared with its two siblings. Pricing starts at £31,800 for the Aceman E, while the Aceman SE gets a larger battery for a 252-mile range and starts from £36,300.
MINI John Cooper Works
The latest MINI John Cooper Works hot hatch is the first to be offered with both petrol and all-electric power. The JCW Electric specifically delivers up to 254bhp from its front-mounted e-motor, which is enough for 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds – quicker than a Hyundai i20 N. Meanwhile the traditional petrol version gets a 228bhp 2.0-litre four-pot engine. Completing the package is a sportier chassis set-up, bodykit and interior treatment.
Nissan Leaf
The pioneering Nissan Leaf is going to transform for its next generation, from a family hatchback to a sleek concept-inspired SUV – and our exclusive image shows you what it could look like. The design draws heavily from Nissan’s Chill-Out concept, revealed way back in 2021, and under the metal will be the AmpR Medium platform used by the larger Nissan Ariya and Renault Scenic.
Porsche Boxster/Cayman
Porsche’s mid-engined sports cars, the Cayman and Boxster, will soon ditch petrol power in favour of a pure-electric powertrain. Both will utilise a bespoke electric sports car platform developed by Porsche, and based on our spy shots, will have a longer wheelbase than the outgoing models. This is probably to accommodate a battery pack fitted behind the passenger cell, rather than under the floor like most EVs. This will help with weight distribution and achieving a low-slung seating position.
Porsche Macan Electric
After 10 years of the original Porsche Macan, and more than 800,000 examples sold in that time, the all-new second-generation model is finally here and it’s brought some big changes. The most seismic is the Macan now being all-electric, plus it’s the first model to sit on the brand-new EV-dedicated PPE platform. Inside, the new Macan gets a high-tech yet still driver-focused cockpit design, and of course there’s a ‘Turbo’ version capable of 0-62mph in just 3.3 seconds.
Range Rover Electric
The Range Rover is the original luxury SUV, and more than a half a century on, it’s still the king of the jungle. But for the first time in its history, there’s going to be a Range Rover Electric. JLR’s director of product engineering, Thomas Müller, has said, “We are on target to create the quietest and most refined Range Rover ever. The magic ingredients that underpin the success of Range Rover remain unchanged – now offered with zero tailpipe emissions.”
Renault 5
One of Renault’s most famous nameplates, the Renault 5 has been reborn as a retro-themed EV that’s ready and raring to give the new MINI Cooper a run for its money. The styling is nearly identical to the heart-warming concept unveiled in 2021, while the interior is inspired by that of the mid-engined Renault 5 Turbo from the eighties. Top-spec models offer up to 252 miles of range, and prices are expected to start from around £23,000.
Renault 4
Following hot on the heels of the Renault 5 is the Renault 4. The baby electric SUV has a similar boxy shape to the original R4 and measures just 4.14 metres long, yet Renault claims it’s still “spacious and versatile enough to fit everyone’s needs.” It uses the same platform that underpins the R5 hatchback, so is front-wheel drive as standard, but there’s potential for four-wheel drive to be offered as well.
Renault Twingo
The final addition to Renault’s retro-inspired EV line-up is the all-new Twingo, previewed in concept form in November 2023. Described as a “silver bullet for sustainable mobility” by Renault CEO Luca de Meo, the new Twingo is slated to go from concept to production in just two years and boast an extraordinary starting price of under 20,000 Euros – or roughly £17,000 at current exchange rates.
Rivian R2
Pioneering American EV start-up Rivian, makers of the world’s first all-electric pick-up truck, will finally enter the UK market in 2027, but not with a truck. Its first model sold in Britain will be the Rivian R2: an electric mid-size SUV that’ll rival the Tesla Model Y, among many others. We also expect the Rivian R3 hatchback and R3X hot hatch to come to our shores some time later.
Skoda
Skoda is another brand that’s had an extremely busy 2024, because several of its popular models have been updated, such as the Kamiq and Octavia. Plus this year saw the introduction of the all-new, second-generation Kodiaq and Superb – which both took home gongs at this year’s Auto Express New Car Awards. Looking ahead, though, the Czech brand will be building on the success of its Enyaq and launching electric SUVs of various sizes and prices, including one that could cost less than £20,000. Similarly, Skoda is working on a zero-emissions family estate car to sit alongside the excellent Octavia Estate and Superb Estate.
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