The leading contenders for an sub-S$200k mainstream electric car/EV in Singapore: Kia, Hyundai, MG and more

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SINGAPORE 

Welcome back to another instalment of CarBuyer.com.sg Best Of, a regularly updated guide series where we pick the best cars in each segment to buy here in Singapore.

We’ve done a Best Of guide for Electric Vehicles (EVs) previously, but since then, the number of EV offerings in Singapore have grown pretty substantially. In fact in the first half of 2021, the growth of electrified cars here has already outstripped that of the whole of 2020.

As such, we’ve decided to differentiate the EV guide into mainstream and luxury models, as they would cater to a different range of customers.

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How do we decide which EVs are mainstream and which are luxury though?

Ordinarily it could have been simply split along the lines of their COE categories, but EVs don’t play by the old rules – 130hp in an EV, for instance, is really not very much.

We reckon then that the easier dividing line would be price, and as such we consider mainstream EVs to be those that retail for under S$200,000, including COE. Yes, eventually they will, but they still haven’t come close to the mainstream S$100k+ price range of normal gasoline cars.

It’s quite a clear differentiator too, as we have EVs from the likes of Kia, Hyundai and MG below this threshold, while EVs from BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz all sit above the S$200k mark.

We’ll do an Best Of guide for luxury EVs soon, but for now we’ll focus on the mainstream models, as these are the ones that are likely to appeal to a greater number of car buyers, and their competitive price points will go a long way towards encouraging EV adoption among the mass market audience.

Many of the current mainstream EVs take the form of SUVs or crossovers, partly due to the immense popularity of such cars today. But as well, the shape and design of SUVs, with their elevated ride height, make them more conducive to accommodating an EV’s batteries and electric drivetrain. There are non-SUV mainstream EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq and Nissan Leaf, but they are comparatively less popular than the SUV-shaped EVs.

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With the mainstream EV segment set to grow in the years ahead, we take a look at what are the leading contenders in this market to consider right now. If you’re looking for an affordable entry into electric motoring in Singapore, here are the recommendations from the team at CarBuyer.com.sg.

(Models are listed in alphabetical order, not by merit)

Continue to Page 2 for the long and short of Hyundai’s crossover EV

• Page 2 – Hyundai Kona Electric
• Page 3 – Kia Niro Electric
• Page 4 – MG ZS Electric

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