There’s a common misconception about electric cars that one has to spend truckloads of cash to afford them. While many are certainly more expensive than the cheapest gas cars these days, that’s not true for all of them. As time and technology progresses, auto manufacturers are improving their range-topping models while cutting down on their lower-end models at the same time. Nissan might be struggling at the moment, but its has not abandoned the cheaper cars that some new buyers rely on.
Think of it like TVs; at one time, they were such an investment you had to talk to a salesperson at the store and have a giant hunk of metal and plastic delivered to your house, but now you can just order a cheap flatscreen online. We can’t say much about the current state of the economy – ridiculous and unnecessary tariffs, and other outside factors affecting the prices of new cars – but we know one thing for sure: the cheapest electric car, and those adjacent, are worth a test drive.
This list looks at the cheapest electric cars available as new in 2025; we rank them from the highest MSRP to lowest, which is the manufacturer suggested retail price excluding options and destination fees.
2025 Nissan Ariya Engage FWD Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
214 hp | 221 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-wheel Drive
Max Range
216 miles
The first model on our list of affordable electric cars is the latest Nissan Ariya. Nissan is the champion of this list, but we’ll get to its cheapest model at the end. At the time of writing, the tenth-cheapest electric vehicle you can buy in the United States is the Ariya. It’s available in either front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive, and you can choose between three main trim levels. The Engage FWD is the least expensive option, so it makes sense that it’s the weakest and has a relatively low range. If you can stretch your budget, the Engage+ trim comes with AWD, more power, and longer range.
“There’s nothing sporty about Ariya. In fact, it seems to try hard not to deliver excitement. Mashing the throttle results in golf cart level acceleration, as Nissan’s engineers told us they didn’t want passengers feeling sick from being pinned to their seats. “
– Jared Rosenholts, Editor-At-Large, CarBuzz (2023 Nissan Ariya First Drive Review)
2025 Kia Niro EV Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
201 hp | 188 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-wheel Drive
Max Range
253 miles
Kia makes the list of cheap electric cars with its Niro EV Wind. The Kia EV4 is on the horizon with an estimated starting price of just under the Niro EV’s, but that’s not confirmed yet. With that being said, the Niro EV exists and anyone can buy it today, so we chose to include it here. There are only two trims available: the Wind and the Wave. Both versions carry the same powertrain with the same power outputs, drivetrain (front-wheel drive), and the same maximum range. The Wave starts at $5k higher than the Wind, since it comes with more standard comfort features inside.
2025 Subaru Solterra Premium Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
215 hp | 249 lb-ft
Drivetrain
All-wheel Drive
Max Range
227 miles
One of the most affordable electric car models happens to be the only EV that Subaru makes: the Solterra. It’s essentially the same under the skin as the Toyota bZ4X, but we’ll get to that one later. Subaru keeps its trims simple. You can buy the Solterra in any of four trims, including the Premium, Limited, Touring, and Touring Onyx Edition. While they all have the same powertrain and standard all-wheel drive, the base model gets the best range by five miles, and slightly better fuel economy than the rest, at 114 MPGe in the city and 94 MPGe on the highway. Next year’s Solterra marks a new generation, and will come with a host of welcome changes.
2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E Select Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
264 hp | 387 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Rear-wheel Drive
Max Range
260 miles (RWD)
Performance in the Ford Mustang Mach-E varies greatly from trim to trim, and battery type and drivetrain options affect your experience as well. The cheapest way to get behind the wheel of a new Mach-E is in the Select trim with the standard range battery and rear-wheel-drive. The Select is also available with all-wheel drive that bumps the power outputs up, but costs a few thousand dollars more. We were lucky enough to drive last year’s Mach-E GT, which comes with 480 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque, and our driver found it more than quick enough with a 3.3-second 0-60 mph sprint.
“the Mustang Mach-E remains one of the more entertaining EVs at its price point thanks to eager steering and a well-tuned chassis. We wish Ford would have expanded the availability of its MagneRide Dampening system, but it’s still limited to the GT.”
– Jared Rosenholtz, Editor-At-Large, CarBuzz (2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E First Drive Review)
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 SE Standard Range Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
149 hp | 258 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Rear-wheel Drive
Max Range
240 miles
One of Hyundai’s cheapest electric cars is the Ioniq 6, which starts at $37,850 before destination, taxes, options, and other fees. The Ioniq 6 is a fine electric vehicle for the price, but it’s fairly under-powered for its curb weight. If you care more about speed in your driving experience, there are other trims available. All three trims above the SE Standard Range, including the SE, SEL, and Limited, have an optional AWD layout that increases the car’s power output to 320 horsepower. The 2026 model year is set to bring some cosmetic changes to the interior and exterior, and an all-new N performance trim.
2025 Toyota bZ4X XLE Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
201 hp | 196 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-wheel Drive
Max Range
252 miles
As we mentioned in the section on the Subaru Solterra, the Toyota bZ4X is pretty similar in terms of specifications under the hood. The main difference, though, is that the Toyota version can be had with front-wheel drive, which lets the brand charge less for the XLE base model. The Solterra only has AWD across every trim – the bZ4X can also come with AWD and has nearly identical torque and horsepower in that format. With that being said, the base model BZ4X is a bargain for 252 miles of range and still over 200 hp. There’s a new generation on the horizon, though, with a simplified name and better styling.
2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV LT 1 Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
213 hp | 236 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-wheel Drive
Max Range
319 miles
As we approach some actually affordable (as opposed to the “affordability” of models in the $40k range) models, the fourth-cheapest EV you can buy this year is the Chevrolet Equinox EV. It’s almost comical to call some of the models at the top of this list “affordable” when they’re nearly touching forty thousand dollars, but the Chevy Equinox EV is actually an affordable car. The best part about it, though, is how it doesn’t feel like a cheap car. Our test driver found the interior more premium than one might expect.
“We won’t go so far as to call the interior luxurious, but it’s more premium than you’d expect for a vehicle that wears an Equinox badge. Jet Black is the only option for the 1LT trim, and stepping up to the 2LT or 3LT opens up Jet Black Evotex with Blue accents or an available Sky Cool Gray scheme.”
– Jared Rosenholtz, Editor-At-Large, CarBuzz (2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV First Drive Review)
2025 Hyundai Kona Electric SE Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
133 hp | 188 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-wheel Drive
Max Range
200 miles
The least expensive electric car Hyundai has to offer is the Kona Electric in its SE trim with front-wheel drive. Hyundai is a leader in new electric vehicle technology with some of the best EVs on the market today. Even if the Kona Electric seems a bit weak to some of you, it’s a great addition to the brand’s lineup as an affordable option with a reasonable range for its size and adequate power output. There are four trims to choose from, with the top three versions getting 201 horsepower to make the driving experience that much easier when merging on highways.
2025 Fiat 500e Inspi(RED) Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
117 hp | 162 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-wheel Drive
Max Range
149 miles (EPA est.)
The Fiat 500e was originally discontinued in 2019, but we’re happy to see its recent return since the base model, the Inspi(RED) trim, starts at $30,500. With the model’s new 2025 pricing, it drops to nearly being the cheapest electric vehicle on this list. The main differences between the 2025 and 2024 model years are the available trims; last year, you could buy any of four trims that ranged from the Inspi(RED) to the “Inspired By” Beauty, Music, or Los Angeles – all of which started at $32,500. This year, though, Fiat lists the base model as two grand cheaper, and the other two available trims are the Icona and the Giorgio Armani Collector’s Edition at $32.750 and $35,500, respectively.
2025 Nissan Leaf S FWD Performance Specs
Powertrain
Single Electric Motor
Horsepower | Torque
147 hp | 236 lb-ft
Drivetrain
Front-wheel Drive
Max Range
149 miles
Officially the cheapest new electric car you can buy in 2025, the Nissan Leaf recently dropped in price. The real kicker is that next year’s brand-new Nissan Leaf, despite starting a new generation with new styling, interior tech and features, and more, is set to remain the cheapest electric vehicle in the United States. The current model only has two trims: the S FWD and the SV Pus FWD. The S FWD is cheaper by $8,050, though, so it makes far more sense to suffer with a little less horsepower than spend that much more.
Sources: Nissan, Fiat, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Toyota, Ford, Subaru, Kia, EPA
We want to hear from you! Share your opinions in the thread below and remember to keep it respectful.
Your comment has not been saved
This thread is open for discussion.
Be the first to post your thoughts.
This Japanese hatchback is not just one of the most accessible hot hatches around, but also the most reliable in 2025.
Impressive technology developments drive this young brand’s success
Zero-carbon emissions using fossil fuel? Mazda might have just turned gasoline into green gold
They’re not all Toyota motors, either.
A car manufacturer once associated with innovation, but now quite distant from the cutting edge.
The French-built Ineos Grenadier SUV and Quartermaster truck just got a massive price cut despite a hefty US tariff on imported European models.
