Today we don’t speak of electric-powered vehicles as of a future concept that is yet to enter our lives. Now that they have earned their stretch of the road, these cars are part of our everyday life. With many automakers offering a variety of EV models, from hybrids to fully battery-powered vehicles, EV’s are now becoming more and more affordable. In this blog article, we are going to talk about the 7 cheapest electric cars Canada has to offer. Note that we’ll be talking about fully electric vehicles, purchase of which may entitle you to the federal incentive program of up to $5,000 in rebates.
This FWD 4-door crossover comes with a lithium-ion polymer 64 kWh battery that lets you cover as much as 385 km on a single charge. Now add the regenerative braking system that replenishes the energy during braking, and you get a full day of worry-free travel time, with only 9.5 hours to recharge. The electric motor provides 291lb-ft of torque for immediate response. Equipped with a great set of drive-assist features, Kia Niro is a great choice for a family car starting at $44,995.
We mentioned the BMW i3 in our list of the most fuel-efficient cars earlier. Thanks to its size and the materials used, i3 is a pretty lightweight vehicle that doesn’t need more than its 33kWh battery for a 246 km electric range. The car has a lowered gravity centre for more stability and relaxed mobility, while the torque lets you accelerate to 100 km/h in 7.2 s. It also should be noted that i3 is an RWD car. Despite its size, the BMW i3 is a roomy 4-passenger car with enough cargo space. This definitely green, zero-emission vehicle can be owned starting at $44,950.
The close rival of Kia Niro, Nissan LEAF may stand more firmly on the ground with what it has to offer. Noticeably lighter, the Nissan hatchback makes great use of a smaller 40 kWh battery, only taking 6 hours of charge time. Nissan LEAF may not have as much HP, but it gives the decent 241 km range while offering significantly more passenger and cargo space. Its single-pedal driving E-Pedal technology adds to the user experience and comfort, along with some other neat features like remote access. MSRP of Nissan LEAF is $44,298.
Basically, Kia Soul uses the same technology used in the Kia Niro. It features the same capacity battery of 64 kWh, a pretty much the same range of 383 km, the same 201 horsepower, and the same torque. Just like its sibling, Kia Soul uses the regenerative braking system to recuperate energy during slow-down. Kia Soul offers a little more headroom, but slightly smaller cargo space. Other than that, it is more of an experimental attempt by Kia to provide an alternative, mostly in design, and somewhat in comfort, including a heated steering wheel on all trims, and heated rear seats on EV Limited. The price of the e-Soul is a little more appealing as it starts at $42,595.
Another fully electric hatchback among the cheapest electric cars in Canada is Hyundai IONIQ. With a more classic exterior design, IONIQ has a 38.3kWh battery and can do a good 274km range. One of the significant pros of this car is its great cargo space and relatively lightweight. Another one is its price – the MSRP is $41,499. That includes lots of drive assist and safety features for city and hi-way.
This is one of the smallest 4-passenger cars as it comes in its classic 2-door design and with limited cargo space. At the same time, with a 199 lb-ft torque and 181 horsepower Cooper MINI can do 100 km/h in just 7.3s, which is impressive. Its 32kWh is enough to get you as far as 177 km in driving range, although the charging time takes 8 hours, which seems a bit long. On the other hand, with a DC option, you can enjoy fast charging that can reach 80% in just 35 minutes. Cooper SE Electric isn’t the type of car you’d want for a big family, but it will definitely suit a younger audience in a city environment. As this car may not be the best performance-wise, the price is quite affordable starting at only $39,990, which makes Copper SE a runner-up for the cheapest EV in Canada.
The last on our list is e-Golf that seems to be the winner, and here’s why. Obviously, as the main criterion for this article is the price, Volkswagen e-Golf is technically the cheapest electric car in Canada so far with an MSRP of $37,895. The EV comes with just a 36kWh battery, but it can cover over 200 km in range. This is no wonder because e-Golf is one of the most energy-efficient cars. Another amazing thing is that the battery takes only 5.5 hours to charge, which is the lowest on our list today. With fair cargo space and a 5-passenger capacity, Volkswagen e-Golf should definitely be considered for purchase.
