Twenty-five grand is the number most switchers mention first — high enough to leave Dacia territory, low enough that you are not shopping on leather and massage seats alone. At this price you are mostly in used EV territory, with a handful of new cars sneaking in if you catch a deal or grant.
We are not going to pretend there is a perfect £24,995 car for everyone. There is not. What there is, in 2026, is a wide used market of ex-fleet and early-adopter cars where the first owner ate the depreciation and you collect the cheap miles — if you pick carefully and charge at home.
New under £25k usually means small — city EVs, base trims, modest range. Fine if your life fits the car. Frustrating if you discover the boot is smaller than the brochure implied after you have signed.
Used opens up MG4, Kona Electric, e-Niro, Leaf 62 kWh, Zoe (check the battery lease — still out there), ID.3, and plenty of ex-company Tesla Model 3 high-mileage examples if you hunt. You are trading warranty length and unknown history for a lower sticker price and someone else’s depreciation bill.
For most UK commuters with a driveway, a two- to four-year-old mainstream hatchback EV on a remaining battery warranty beats a new city car with 180 miles of real-world winter range. Boring answer. Still true.
Not automatically. Degradation is real but often slower than fear suggests on mainstream packs. Price the risk in, check warranty remaining, and get a health readout on expensive purchases.
Leasing can work if you want warranty cover and predictable monthly costs. You do not build equity, and mileage caps can hurt high-mileage drivers. The useful check is total cost over the full term, not just the monthly figure.