Best Used EVs for less than £15,000

It’s not controversial to say that new electric cars can look pretty expensive; compared to a petrol or diesel car, a similarly sized EV can have a list price thousands more. But the modern EV era – which began with the first Nissan Leaf, broadly speaking – is more than a decade old now. That means there’s a vibrant and varied market for used EVs, and for less than £15,000 you can pick up something spacious, modern, and with more than enough battery range for everyday use. You won’t get the sort of headline-grabbing 300-mile-plus range that you see from recently released EVs, because battery capacities are swelling all the time, but the sheer value of a good used electric car makes them super appealing.
So here are five brilliant used EVs you can get for about the price of a new Kia Picanto.

Nissan Leaf

The popularity of the Nissan Leaf means there are absolutely loads of used examples around, which is good because it means you can be picky. For less than £15,000 you’ll easily be able to find something that’s less than five years old and with fewer than 30,000 miles on the clock. The 40kWh battery still looks a decent size – it’s still on sale new, albeit there’s a 62kWh version too – and should give you 150 miles between charges. Look for N-Connecta or Tekna trims, which are upper spec cars that get plenty of kit.
Find Nissan Leaf for sale on Auto Trader.

MG ZS

Even as a new car, the MG ZS represents amazing value for money, so as a used buy it’s an absolute steal. It’s a high-quality and comfortable family SUV, and while it might not feel like the most cutting-edge car from the inside, you just won’t get more space per pound from any other EV. For this money you’ll get a three-year-old car with low mileage (well under 20,000), which means you’ll still have more than half of the seven-year manufacturer warranty left. The battery capacity was improved with a 2021 facelift, but a 2020 car will still get you around 140 miles from a single charge.
Find MG ZS for sale on Auto Trader.

Vauxhall Corsa-e

The Corsa-e has been around since 2020, so there’s plenty of three-year-old models coming onto the used market now, many of which have dropped to well under half their original list price. Again, the amount of choice means you can be selective about spec, colour and mileage – we’d go for a sportier SRi Nav model, with the lowest mileage you can find. In any case, though, the Corse-e is a hugely appealing five-door electric runabout. Vauxhall designed it to be as ‘ordinary’ as possible, and so it feels just like a petrol Corsa – same interior space, dashboard and boot size – except it’s quicker and quieter because of electric power. And if you drive it carefully, its 50kWh battery will give you a good 200 miles of single-charge range.
Find Vauxhall Corsa-e for sale on Auto Trader.

Volkswagen e-Golf

The Volkswagen Golf wasn’t designed to be an EV from the outset, and so Volkswagen had to shoehorn an electric drivetrain into a car designed for petrol and diesel. It did a good job – the e-Golf is lovely to drive and has a decent enough battery range at 180-odd miles – but boot space is compromised a little, and it’s not as quick as you might expect. All that said, as a used buy it’s looking fantastic value these days. It’s still a Golf, after all, so the quality and refinement are outstanding. For a shade under £15,000, a 2019-year zero-emissions Golf feels like a very good deal.
Find Volkswagen e-Golf for sale on Auto Trader.

Kia Soul

The Kia Soul hasn’t really been the success story it probably should have been. The original 2008 car was spacious, fun and uniquely styled – and arguably ahead of its time by virtue of being a small crossover-SUV, two years before the Nissan Juke came out and ‘created’ the segment. Anyways, these days it makes for an unusual, practical and highly enjoyable EV. Around £13,000 should get you a low mileage 2018-2019 model with a 42kWh battery good for a 171-mile quoted range. As per all the best small crossovers, it has a high driving position, feels really suited to town driving, and should be very cheap to run.
Find Kia Soul for sale on Auto Trader.