Future electric cars: Upcoming battery-powered cars that will be on the roads within the next 5 years

Electric cars are already a mainstay on Britain's roads, with a growing number of all-electric models being available to buy right now. The electric effect is now in full force, with established brands committing to offering a wider range of pure electric cars in the future, while those who depend heavily on diesel are seeing sales falter.


Prices are falling, models are diversifying and it's all going hand-in-hand with increased investment and roll-out of charging networks.


But what electric cars are coming? Let take a closer look at what you can expect to see hitting the roads in the next few years.

Lotus Evija

The Lotus Type 130 or Evija as it is called, is an all-electric hypercar limited to just 130 models, but paving the way for future production cars from Lotus. It has been designed for maximum performance, with 2000PS and a 70kWh battery that aims to give 250 miles of range. However, the car will offer blistering acceleration, and while Lotus hasn't given final figures, it'll hit 186mph in under 9 seconds. This car will cost £2 million pounds and preorders are open, asking for a £250,000 deposit.

Ford Mustang electric

Ford announced at the Detroit Motor Show 2018 that it will invest $11 billion in electric vehicles, and plans to have 40 electrified vehicles on the road by 2022, 16 of which will be fully electric, while the rest will be plug-in hybrids. There has been a lot of talk Ford using VW's electric platform which will help kickstart a move into EVs.


There's a new team - Ford Team Edison - looking at the electric future and an "electric Mustang-inspired utility" is one of the vehicles in development. Ford went as far as teasing the Mustang during the launch of the Tesla Model Y and through a neat leak to CNBC, we're slowly learning details.

Lightyear One

The Lightyear One is a luxury saloon that adds solar panels to the roof and bonnet of the car, aiming to give the owner a boost from the sun all the time - even when driving. While much of the car is conventional for an EV, the additional solar panels will give a 12km range boost per hour (in good light). That might mean free charging while parked at the beach - although in winter you'll have to charge it more. However, the asking price for the limited-run Lightyear One will be €119,000, so going solar comes at a price.

Peugeot e-208

Peugeot's hot-selling city car was a big star of the Geneva 2019 show. Riffing off the style of the '80s 205 that's beloved of motoring journalists, Peugeot's put the cat amongst the pigeons by offering a 50kWh electric battery version, from launch.

Tesla Model Y

We all know that Tesla wanted to launch another car and the Model Y slips into the space between the Model 3 and the Model X, a compact SUV. The interior leans towards the Model 3, while the range offers 242 miles with a 0-60mph time of 5.9 seconds, on the most affordable model. It will seat seven, come with long-range and performance versions and be hitting the road in 2020.

Audi Q4 Concept

The Q4 e-tron does two things. It previews a more "sporty", coupe body style version of the Q3 SUV (in the same way a Q8 relates to a Q7) and shows Audi's big push towards fully electric cars. It was previewed at Geneva 2019 but looks very much like the final thing. Expect a production version to follow, soon.

Seat El-Born

Seat is joining the electric car movement with the E-Born, named after a region of Barcelona. The car sits on VW's MEB platform and is due to arrive in 2020, getting its first appearance at the Geneva International Motorshow in 2019 as a concept. Seat is looking at a 420km range (260 miles), with a 0-62kpm time of 7.5 seconds. There will be 204PS from the 150kW motor and a 62kWh battery. 

Polestar 2

Polestar - formerly the performance arm of Volvo - was spun out by owners Geely and has announced its second car, the Polestar 2. This five-door fastback EV will be offering 500km (310 miles) from an 87kWh battery, with 408bph and all-wheel drive, while showing many hallmarks of Scandinavian design. It's also the first car to launch running Android natively, with a huge 11-inch tablet in the centre to control your navigation from Google Maps and your entertainment.

Reservations are currently open for the car which has a guide starting price of €39,900, although the launch edition (with lots of spec additions) will be available for €59,900. There's no confirmation of UK pricing, but it's going to widely available across Europe and in the US.