Electrical automobiles within the UK – what’s on sale and what’s coming in 2023?

A host of new electric cars arrived on the UK market in the past year – despite challenging times for manufacturers with issues including the continued shortage of semiconductors and more fall-out from the recent Covid pandemic forcing delays in the release of some new models.

The rise of the EV shows little sign of abating – the 12% share of the UK market that battery-electric vehicles held at the end of 2021 had jumped more than 40% a year later to 17%, with more than 267,000 cars registered – and the pace is increasing with December registrations 50% higher than in the same month a year earlier (thanks largely to a huge month from Tesla).

Manufacturers are responding not only to customer demand but also the looming Government deadline of 2030 when sales of new petrol and diesel cars are due to be banned. There is an ever-widening choice of new EVs, the launch of cars delayed from last year added to a host of models that were always planned to reach the market in 2023.

So, what electric vehicles does your favourite car brand offer? Our annual guide reveals what’s already in the showroom, and what’s on the way over the coming year.

Existing brands

Most of the car companies you already know are currently shifting from fossil-fuel vehicles to electric ones. Here’s what they already have on the market and what they’ll be bringing to showrooms over the next 12 months.

Abarth

The Fiat sub-brand renowned for making go-faster versions of the lifestyle-heavy 500 supermini has finally got around to joining the electric market – the Abarth 500e was unveiled at the end of 2022.

Arriving this spring, the Abarth version boasts several upgrades over the stock Fiat 500e, including better weight distribution, more widely spaced wheels to improve handling and more potent torque. Weirdly, it also has a sound generator that will reproduce the essential petrol engine roar of a performance car…

Alfa Romeo

A brand increasingly being left behind by electrification – while Alfa Romeo claims it will offer a fully electric model range by 2027, there are still no full EVs on offer yet. The first are likely to be SUVs and a replacement for the Giulia mid-sized saloon, which it is said will have a range close to 500 miles between charges.

Currently the only Alfa with any electricity is the Tonale, a plug-in hybrid launching in March. There will be an all-new sports car based on the Maserati MC20 unveiled later this year, which may include an electric version.

Aston Martin

Aston Martin will launch its first EV in 2025, and by 2026, according to chairman Lawrence Stroll, will be “fully electrified” – so far, that’s all we know. The company is working with a range of investors that could give it access to EV technology from the likes of Mercedes-Benz and McLaren – the smart money says that the first mainstream EV will be a version of the DBX SUV.

Audi

Audi will attempt to untangle a confusion in its electric range this year. The brand’s original EV was a large SUV called the e-tron, which was subsequently joined by the completey unrelated e-tron GT saloon.

Now the original e-tron has been updated and will henceforth be known as the Q8 e-tron, a sensible move identifying it as the company’s flagship electric SUV and bringing it into line with the smaller Q4 e-tron SUV and other Q models in the family. Unfortunately, Audi already has a completely unrelated petrol SUV flagship called the Q8, so it has simply moved from one confusion to another…

Other than a revised name, the main changes are to the drivetrain, including range increases to more than 340 miles (depending on model). The range includes a Sportback variant and will be on UK roads in April.

Expected a bit later in 2023 is the Audi Q6 e-tron, which as you might guess is another SUV sized midway between the Q4 and Q8 and taking on the likes of the BMW iX3 and Tesla Model Y. It will also get a Sportback version, but don’t expect to see this on the roads until 2024.

Bentley

It’s more than a year since Bentley announced plans to launch its first full EV in 2025 and follow this up with a new all-electric model each year until 2030, and the plans do not seem to have changed. The British luxury brand does say its entire range will be electrified by 2025, but they will all be hybrids of some form. Some reports even suggest that the first EV, expected to be a smaller SUV to go alongside the highly successful Bentayga, might not appear until 2026.

BMW

BMW has now discontinued its original EV, the i3 city car, but offers a growing range of electric cars under the i banner, comprising the iX3 small SUV, the huge iX SUV with a front end only a mother could love, and the iX1 SUV. They’ll be joined by the flagship i7 big luxury saloon (above) in the coming months.

Later in 2023, we will see the arrival of the much-awaited i5. The BMW 5 Series, the world’s best-selling executive car, moves to its eighth generation this year and gains its first all-electric variant. Exactly when is yet to be revealed by BMW, though we do know the EV will be offered in both saloon and estate form. BMW is also thought to be working on an i3 replacement as part of the next generation of the 3 Series, but we don’t expect to see this until 2025.

Citroën

The Citroën electric launch in 2022 that caused lots of excitement was of the tiny two-seat Ami, which technically is not even a car but a quadricycle. The van-based ë-Berlingo and ë-SpaceTourer MPVs, and the ë-C4 mid-sized hatch remain in the range, and the latter is gaining a crossover version called the ë-C4 X (above). Around £1,000 more expensive than its hatch sibling, the newcomer is expected on UK roads this spring.

The big Citroën news is expected towards the end of the year with the launch of the ë-C3. It will be part of a replacement of the entire C3 supermini hatchback range, which has only been on sale since 2016 but has a chassis that doesn’t make electrification easy. The new model will use the CMP platform that is already under electric models from Citroën’s partners in the huge Stellantis Group, Peugeot and Vauxhall.

Cupra

SEAT’s more sporty spin-off brand Cupra put its first all-electric car on sale in 2022 – the Cupra Born is effectively a more powerful version of the ID.3 from sister brand Volkswagen.

It doesn’t look as if there will be any new electric reveals from Cupra this year – all-electric city cars and SUVs dubbed the Urban Rebel and Tavascan are in the future plans, but not until at least 2024.

Dacia

Romanian-based and Renault-owned budget brand Dacia has been hinting for some time that it could bring its Spring, a small electric SUV sold in Europe, to the UK market. Dacia now says the car will come to the UK, but not until 2024. However, it has a serious concern over its safety, with a paltry one star score from Euro NCAP.

DS Automobiles

This time last year Citroën’s lifestyle-pitched spin-off brand DS Automobiles had just the one electric car in its range, and nothing change. What has changed is that the DS 3 Crossback E-Tense has now dropped the ‘Crossback’ bit as part of a mid-life facelift across the entire DS 3 range (above).

More importantly the new DS 3 E-Tense gets a more powerful range and a bigger battery pack, claimed to be capable of 250 miles between charges, close to 18% better than the old one. And while the car’s range is bettered by several rivals, the DS 3 will replenish its battery faster thanks to its 100kWh charging capability.

Fiat

The Fiat 500e continues to wave the only electric flag among the Italian maker’s line-up, and there is still little sign as to when the popular little supermini is going to be joined by sister EVs as part of Fiat’s long-vaunted electric offensive supposedly focused on affordability. The brand announced last July that it was now fully electrified, but that’s because most of its models are hybrids.

The big push is likely to be from 2025, with Fiat becoming a pure electric manufacturer by 2030. No clues as to what these cars will be have been released yet, but they are likely to include the Panda supermini. The next Punto family hatch, which may appear towards the end of 2023 and may not be called a Punto, is also expected to offer an EV version.

Ford

One of the most recognisable car brands in the world still only has one electric car on sale in the UK, the Mustang Mach-E. And that won’t be changing any time soon, Ford’s electric programme not really kicking in until around the end of the year.

Electric Fords will in the immediate future use Volkswagen’s MEB platform in a deal between the two huge brands. Over Christmas Ford was heavily hinting that it will reveal the first of these new models in the Spring – it will be a mid-sized crossover closely related to the Volkswagen ID.4 and will apparently carry a ‘historically significant’ Ford name.

Other MEB-based electric models will follow in 2024 and beyond but we are getting one more Ford EV towards the end of this year – the van-based e-Tourneo Custom MPV. Using the same EV architecture as the successful e-Transit the new people-carrier will both replace the outgoing Ford S-Max and Galaxy.

Genesis

Hyundai’s still very young upmarket sister brand Genesis upped its electric credentials significantly in 2022, not only offering electric versions of two of its launch models, the G80 large saloon and GV70 mid-sized SUV, but launching an all-new electric-only model in the GV60 mid-sized crossover (above) – basically the Kia EV6 with luxury detailing.

Currently there don’t seem to be any plans for more new EV models from Genesis in 2023 – a drop-top concept called the X Convertible was unveiled late in 2022 but with no clues as to whether it’s slated for production as part of the brand’s aim to be all-electric from 2025.

Honda

Honda is playing catch-up – while offering hybrids across its range, the only all-electric model launched so far is the Honda e, which is a two-seat city car that prioritises looks over such practical considerations as range.

That should change this year with the launch of a new small electric and as-yet-unnamed SUV. The Honda e NY1 prototype was unveiled last March, promising more space, versatility and crucially, range compared to the Honda e. It will be Honda’s first mainstream EV and is expected to become a core model in the Japanese brand’s UK line-up.

Hyundai

Hyundai is regarded as a mainstream maker of EVs, which started with the launch of the first Ioniq in 2017. Now the Ioniq 5 crossover sits alongside the Kona Electric small SUV, while the Ioniq 6 (above), a large and slippery electric saloon, has just gone on sale.

Set to join the range in 2023 is a sportier version of the Ioniq 5 under Hyundai’s ‘N’ performance brand. There are also plans for an Ioniq 7, a big flagship SUV with seven seats and effectively a sister to the Kia EV9, but we are not likely to see this until at least much later in the year and possibly not until 2024.

Jaguar

Ever since plans for a new all-electric version of the XJ saloon were consigned to the bin at a very late stage, Jaguar’s only EV offering has remained the I-Pace, promoted as a ‘performance SUV’.

That’s not likely to change in 2023 – Jaguar is developing an all-new platform to put under its future electric models as part of a grand plan to reinvigorate the brand as a whole. The platform will underpin not one but three new electric crossover models, and we won’t see the first of them until 2025.

Jeep

Jeep finally has an EV on the way to slot in alongside its range of plug-in hybrids. The Jeep Avenger will be on UK roads in the Spring and has already gained a big boost to its credibility, having just taken the much-desired European Car of the Year title for 2023.

Jeep’s smallest model of modern times, the Avenger is built on the same underpinnings as the 2008 and DS 3 from sister brands Peugeot and DS Automobiles. It’s on sale initially in front-wheel-drive form – but, being a Jeep, all-wheel-drive variants will be following soon.

Kia

Kia’s solid electric vehicle range includes the Niro EV small SUV in two motor sizes, the quirky Soul and the most recent arrival, the stylish and potent EV6 – The Car Expert’s 2022 Car of the Year.

Plans for the future include initially a shorter-range and therefore cheaper version of the Soul – dubbed the Urban and expected on the road imminently it will use a 39kWh battery giving a range of around 170 miles. Much more exciting is the Kia EV9, the Korean brand’s biggest electric model yet with seven seats, and likely to go on sale towards the end of 2023.

Land Rover

For Land Rover, read Jaguar – the 4×4 brand is undergoing the same reinvention as its sporty-imaged sister, with new hardware on the way to build its electric models on. These are set to include initially EV variants of the Defender and the Range Rover, but we are not likely to see them until 2024 at the earliest.

Lexus

Lexus continues to trade on its long-established hybrid platform rather than full electric models. An all-electric version of the UX small SUV has been on sale since 2019, but the arrival of the first model designed as an EV from the ground up has been to say the least requiring patience. We will finally see the Lexus RZ (above) in showrooms in 2023, likely in the late Spring.

Lotus

Lotus plans don’t tend to happen as quickly as they are announced. So the all-electric Evija, a 2,000hp hypercar due in 2022, is actually arriving in 2023 but the delay doesn’t really matter as only 130 are being built, at more than £2 million each, and they’re all sold out.

The more sensible Lotus Eletre (above), the brand’s first SUV, will also be with us in 2023, though the first of three versions with the equivalent of 595hp on tap will cost from £89,500. Expect to spot one on the roads from around the middle of the year.

Maserati

Maserati’s EV-free model line-up should change in 2023, though not until towards the end of the year with the arrival of the first cars dubbed ‘Folgore’ – the badge the brand is applying to its electric models and Italian for lightning.

The first Folgore is expected to be the GranTurismo coupe (above), which will launch in the autumn a few months after the latest petrol-propelled versions. It will be followed by and electric version of the Grecale mid-sized SUV and, maybe before the end of 2023, the Grancabrio Folgore, the drop-top a rare thing in the electric market.

An electric version of the stunning Maserati MC20 has also been on the cards for a while, and is now expected to launch in 2024.

Mazda

Mazda continues to plough its own furrow, and this theory has even rubbed off on the brand’s first proper EV, the MX-30. It features a notably smaller battery than most similar small SUVs, resulting in an improved driving experience but very limited driving range.

To this end, the company has announced a new lease of life for its fabled rotary petrol engine, only this time to be used as a range-extending electricity generator for the MX-30 – effectively an alternative to a conventional plug-in hybrid.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz has become a prime advocate of electric power in recent years. The company groups its EVs under the EQ banner and its current range includes the EQA small crossover, EQB seven-seat SUV, the EQC (a larger SUV), the EQE and EQS luxury saloons, and the EQV (a large MPV based on the Vito delivery van).

Joining the line-up this year are a clutch of new models, and just to confuse matters one of them is the EQS, but this time as a luxury SUV (above). Then there is the EQE, effectively a smaller sibling to the EQS and yes offered in both saloon and SUV form. Finally there’s the EQT, another van-based EV people-carrier, but not as big as the EQV…

MG

Before 2022 MG’s electric credentials focused on the MG 5 estate and two EV versions of the ZS small SUV. And then along came the MG 4 (above), a family hatch designed from the ground up as an EV and surprising everyone who got in it with its combination of practical performance and affordability – several have followed, with more likely during 2023.

It’s likely to be a quiet year for MG in terms of new models, although we do expect a more potent all-wheel-drive version of the MG 4 towards the end of the year. More exciting is a proposed new electric two-seat roadster known as the Cyberster, a model that would reconnect the brand to its affordable sports car heritage. We likely won’t see it in the UK until 2024, which just happens to be MG’s centenary…

Mini

The currently available and anything but memorable electric version of the Mini will be consigned to history in 2023, as the new Mini hatch range arrives, with an electric version part of the line-up and designed from the ground up as an EV – though controversially the new electric model is being built in China and not Cowley, Oxfordshire which has always been the home of the BMW Mini.

We don’t expect to be shown the new car until right at the end of the year, and you likely won’t see one on the roads until 2024. More electric versions are likely to follow, including the Countryman SUV and a five-seater with a Top Gun-like name, the Aceman.

Nissan

Having long relied on the pioneering Leaf for its EV credentials, Nissan finally added a second mainstream electric model to its range in 2022 with the Ariya (above), a mid-sized SUV of similar size to the Qashqai. It was held up for a couple of years by Covid but finally reached showrooms this year, with plenty of positive reviews and awards (including The Car Expert’s Best Medium SUV award for 2022) along the way.

Nissan also killed off its woeful e-NV200 Combi van-based electric people carrier in 2022, which held the dubious honour of the worst-rated new car on our Expert Rating Index. The all-new Nissan Townstar replaces it for 2023 – it’s still a van-based people carrier but a vast improvement. Other than that, 2023 looks to be a quiet year for the Nissan’s EV progress before things ramp up in 2024 with new models, including a new electric Micra supermini.

Peugeot

Peugeot had a quiet 2022 for electric vehicles, relying on its existing e-208 small hatch and its small SUV sister the e-2008, alongside the van-based e-Rifter and e-Traveller. The e-208 did get a range increase but there were no newcomers to attract buyers.

This should change in 2023 with firstly another and more substantial update to the e-208, which includes a larger battery. This will increase power by 20hp to just shy of 160hp and the range to close to 250 miles. The e-208 will later be joined by a big sister, the e-308 family car (above) finally going on sale in both hatch and estate variants. This uses the same electric architecture as the equally new Astra Electric from sister brand Vauxhall, promising a range of “over 248 miles…”

Polestar

The rapidly growing performance brand launched by Swedish giant Volvo has been winning praise and building a solid following with its Polestar 2 electric five-door hatch, which launched in 2020 after the limited edition Polestar 1 that introduced the brand.

The 2 was expected to be joined by an SUV, the Polestar 3 (above), at the end of 2022 but this much-anticipated new model will now arrive around the end of this year as a performance model to challenge the likes of the Audi Q8 e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace. A smaller model will follow in 2024, called, you guessed it, the Polestar 4.

Porsche

Porsche’s full-electric credentials have so far been focused on the Taycan, a model built from the start as an EV and now on sale in saloon and estate variants.

The next major electric model for the brand will be the Macan SUV, which will be sold alongside the existing combustion-engined version. This project has been much delayed – production was supposed to start in mid-2022 but the car is now set to debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November.

Renault

Renault was an early adopter of electric propulsion with its Zoe small family car, which remains on sale despite Euro NCAP giving a zero-star safety rating to the most recent version. The Mégane family car was reborn as an electric SUV in the Autumn of 2022, taking the name Mégane E-Tech Electric (above).

This year looks to be a quiet one for the French brand – we know the Scenic MPV is to be reborn as again an SUV with an all-electric powertrain based on the chassis of the Nissan Ariya, but this won’t go on sale until 2024. Perhaps the most awaited new model is the Renault 5, a iconic badge that will be attached to a new all-electric small car, though again it’s one we’ll likely not see until at least 2024.

Rolls-Royce

This year sees the arrival of the much-awaited all-electric Rolls-Royce, the Spectre, a coupe replacing the Wraith. Details of just how the Sussex-based maker of ultimate and very heavy luxury cars was going to maintain its standards but still produce an acceptable battery range were finally revealed right at the end of 2022.

Expected to start being delivered to customers with plus-£330,000 budgets at the very end of the year, the Spectre will offer all the opulence and performance of previous Rolls-Royce models, with a 580hp powertrain and a sub five-second 0-60mph time. While the battery size has not been confirmed, we are told the car will have a range of 320 miles between charges.

SEAT

SEAT is that rarity in today’s market, a mainstream brand without a full electric car ever since sales of the Mii Electric, a version of the Volkswagen e-Up! small car with a range of under 100 miles, ended in 2021. The SEAT version of the Volkswagen ID.3 was nicked by the brand’s offspring to become the Cupra Born.

Currently there appears little sign that this situation will change in 2023, with no future electric SEAT models revealed so far. Some commentators even suggest that the future of SEAT as a brand is uncertain.

Skoda

After dipping its toe in the electric pond with the Citigo small car, a version of Volkswagen’s e-Up!, Skoda went mainstream with the Enyaq SUV in 2022 and right at the end of 2022 it gained a sister model in the form of the Enyaq Coupe, as well as go-faster versions of both called the Enyaq vRS.

The brand’s big launch for 2023 will be the latest Superb large saloon but this won’t be offered an an EV. In fact we are not likely to see the next all-electric models from Skoda until at least 2026. Future plans are believed to include a new crossover, a small ‘urban’ SUV and a large SUV, as well as electric versions of the Fabia supermini and Octavia family car.

Smart

Smart has been selling an electric version of its distinctive Fortwo for some time, a costly option for a car with only two seats. 2023 will finally see the launch of the much-awaited #1 (pronounced “Hashtag One”. Yes, really.) which is crucial to the future of the quirky brand.

Looking much more normal than we’ve been used to from Smart, the #1 (no, we’re not joking) is a small crossover of around Hyundai Kona or Kia Niro size. All of the hardware comes from Smart’s Chinese partner Geely, owner of Volvo and gives the Hashtag One a 6.7-second 0-62mph time and a range of up to 273 miles. A twin-engined Brabus model is also on the cards.

SsangYong

SsangYong launched its first electric vehicle in 2022, the Korando e-Motion a version of the brand’s compact SUV with prices ranging from just over £30,000.

In recent times the Korean brand has been most focused on paying off long-standing debts but is now moving forward with its future model plans. The first of these will be the Torres, a new and off-road looking SUV to take on the likes of the Land Rover Defender and Toyota bZ4X – there will be an electric version, but likely not until at least the end of 2023.

Subaru

Another newcomer to electric powertrains in 2022, Subaru launched the Solterra (above), a mid-sized electric SUV which is a joint project with Toyota and a sister to the Toyota bZ4X. You probably haven’t seen on on the roads yet, and there are very few reviews to date, but apparently you can go to a Subaru dealer and buy one.

The brand is planning future electric vehicles and even a factory to build them in towards the end of the decade, but few details have been released so far and we are not likely to see anything new in 2023.

Suzuki

Suzuki still has no electric vehicles in its line-up and is not very close to changing this situation, though just days before these words were penned the Japanese brand unveiled its full-electric car, the e-VX concept, at the Delhi Auto Expo in India (Suzuki has a massive slice of the Indian car market).

The e-VX is a small SUV about the size of a Suzuki S-Cross, and is said to have a range of 340 miles from its 60kWh battery, but any production version is not likely to be seen before 2025. Suzuki could also expand its agreement with Toyota, that has resulted in the Suzuki Swace and Across hybrids, to encompass full-electric models, but nothing appears imminent.

Tesla

The brand most identified with electric power, Tesla expanded its range to four in 2022, adding the Y small SUV to the 3 mid-sized car, S larger car and X large SUV.

Tesla’s 2023 plans currently appear to be focused on a surprise swathe of price cuts rather than new models. We know that work is being done on a new roadster hypercar while in October Elon Musk revealed that development of an entry-level hatchback is also underway, prices for which could start at as little as £18,000. Musk reckons the new model could eventually sell more than all Tesla’s other vehicles combined – but don’t expect to see it or the roadster in 2023.

Toyota

Having long been a standard-bearer for hybrid engines, Toyota finally joined the all-electric market in 2022 with the launch of the bZ4X (above), a RAV4-sized SUV built in a joint programme with Subaru.

The Japanese giant is promising to launch five new EVs in the next four years but we are only likely to see one of them in 2023. This will be the bZ Compact, revealed recently as a concept and effectively an electric version of the C-HR crossover, which will launch its latest version this year. After that it’s one new EV per year to 2025 and two in 2026, but what they will be, Toyota is not yet saying.

Vauxhall

Vauxhall has seen solid sales for its two mainstream electric models, the Corsa Electric (previously called the Corsa-e) supermini and Mokka Electric (you guessed it, previously the Mokka-e) SUV, as well as the Combo Electric Life and Vivaro Electric Life van-based people carriers.

In 2023, they’ll be joined by the new Vauxhall Astra Electric (above), initially as a hatchback and then followed by the estate later. What will follow these is yet to be revealed – Vauxhall has committed to making only EVs from 2028, and is converting its UK factory at Ellesmere Port into an electric powertrain plant, but is not yet giving details of the next models.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen has established an extensive EV range with its ID line which by the end of 2022 had grown to four, the ID.5 coupé SUV and ID. Buzz people-carrier joining the ID.3 mid-sized hatch and ID.4 crossover in showrooms. One departure was the e-Up, production of the city car finally discontinued.

VW recently unveiled a prototype of its next EV, the ID.7 four-door saloon that is likely to replace the venerable Passat. Described as the most aerodynamic Volkswagen ever produced, this car could go on sale this year, while also expected is a four-wheel-drive version of the throwback to the iconic Microbus, the ID. Buzz.

Volvo

Volvo’s only electric model, a version of the XC40 small SUV called the Recharge (a name also taken, confusingly, by the plug-in hybrid model), has now been joined by the C40 Recharge. This is effectively a coupé-ish version of the XC40 but only available as an EV, in either single-motor 235hp or twin-motor 405hp form – the latter is very potent, hitting 62mph in just over four seconds.

Volvo plans to make half its sales fully electric by 2025 and all of them by 2030. There will be a new model each year, and while not confirmed the 2023 arrival could be a new small SUV, to sit under the XC40 in the range. The EX90, a flagship large SUV that will replace the enduring XC90, was unveiled late last year but may not reach UK showrooms until early 2024.

New names

Part of the electric revolution is the proliferation of new car manufacturers hoping to muscle their way into the market. You may not have heard of these yet, but they’ll all be here in the UK soon. Notwithstanding the current controversies over alleged Chinese spyware in car components used by UK politicians, 2023 looks set to be the year when Chinese manufacturers invade Britain.

Aiways

Chinese brand (and easily mis-spelt) Aiways intended to launch its U5 model here in 2020 before Covid put paid to its plans.

Now the EV – a mid-sized SUV rivalling the likes of the Skoda Enyaq – is expected on sale in around the middle of the year. It has a single electric motor and a potential range between charges of 250 miles.

BYD

BYD is one of the giants of China’s automotive industry and will start selling the Atto 3 in the UK this spring. Major dealer groups Arnold Clark, Lookers, LSH and Pendragon have been signed up to represent the brand, with more to come.

The Atto 3 is an SUV, sized to take on the likes of Kia’s EV6 and the Volkswagen ID.4, and offering a range of around 260 miles. It’s expected to be priced at just over £30K and will be followed by a larger sister SUV, the Tang, and a saloon called the Han.

Fisker

Fisker is a US company set up to launch what it describes as a car focused on sustainability, extending to a “fully vegan interior” employing recycled products.

The Fisker Ocean is an all-electric SUV targeting the likes of the Audi Q4 e-tron and BMW iX3, and built in Austria. Production started in November and it’s expected on UK roads around the middle of the year.

Lucid

Lucid is an American brand with an electric model and big ambitions to take on the old guard – sound familiar? The Lucid Air is a saloon targeting not only Tesla’s finest but those from Germany, such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The Air is expected in the UK towards the end of 2023 and will be offered with power options ranging from 480 to 933hp. The biggest talking point, however, is its battery range, which Lucid claims can stretch to a massive 520 miles.

Nio

Another Chinese newcomer is Nio, whose ET5 is a mid-size family car that will go on sale towards the end of 2023. It will be followed by another small car, although Nio is yet to provide details.

One point of difference is Nio’s plan to set up a network of ‘battery swap’ stations around the UK, where owners will be able to swap out their car’s battery instead of recharging it, the whole process taking around five minutes…

Ora

Ora is a Chinese brand produced by Great Wall Motors. It aims to open a new showroom in the UK every month this year.

The company’s first model is now on sale and called the Funky Cat. Initial reviews have found it to be a spacious five-door hatch with capable performance. It also has a top five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

Both cheaper and more expensive longer-range variants are set to join the line-up, followed by a larger saloon model called the Next Cat.