Electric power suits the hot hatch brief.
They're fast versions of normal cars, with beefed up motors to give impressive performance. And don’t forget electric cars unleash all their power from the word go, so these cars are rapid from 0-62mph.
What’s more, if you can charge at home these cars really give you everything – including cheap running costs. A full charge of an EV’s battery costs a fraction of a full tank of super unleaded. Fun without the thirst.
1. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
Kicking things off is a 2.2-tonne, 4.7-metre crossover. What gives? The Ioniq 5 N should be everything a hot hatch isn’t, but a mere look at the stats shows that Hyundai is serious about creating an electric performance car with a hatchback shape.
We could talk about its 650hp, or its frankly insane 3.4-second 0-62mph sprint. But it’s actually a load of fake stuff that gives the Ioniq 5 N its immense character. There are simulated gear shifts, ‘exhaust’ noise, a torque-splitting function and even a drift mode. And somehow, it all works, making the first electric N car one of the most fun EVs available right now.
Shop used Hyundai Ioniq 5 cars for sale or read our Hyundai Ioniq 5 review
2. Cupra Born VZ
The Cupra Born is a spicier version of the Volkswagen ID.3, with racy styling as standard. But there was always the feeling that the Born could do with more power. Enter the VZ range-topper, which not only gains a power boost but also a stronger accelerator response. Cupra has also toyed with the Born’s steering, making it more engaging, and fitted Sabelt bucket seats to support you in fast corners.
As the top model in the Born lineup, the VZ additionally gets the biggest battery available – for the longest range of any Born, provided you can resist the urge to use all the performance – and fancy adaptive suspension, which gives a broader range of comfort and firmness than the standard car.
Shop used Cupra Born cars for sale or read our Cupra Born review
3. Kia EV6 GT
A close relation to the Ioniq 5 N, the Kia EV6 GT is another crossover interloper. But with 577hp, lime green accents and a searing 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds, we’ll forgive it. Its dimensions mean it’s one of the more practical cars on this list, which is also part of a hot hatch’s repertoire, let’s not forget. While the Ioniq 5 N is all about the gimmicks and gizmos, the EV6 GT is more grown up and more suited to cross-country blasts than racetrack thrills.
Shop used Kia EV6 cars for sale or read our Kia EV6 review
4. Mini John Cooper Works
The last Mini Electric was a hoot to drive. Now Mini has levelled up its electric offering with the first-ever battery-powered JCW model. For a small car, its 258hp output and sub-six-second 0-62mph sprint is plenty, while more careful driving can result in up to 250 miles between charges. There’s also the 218hp Cooper SE, available in three trim levels, which is nearly as fast and as fun as the JCW but cheaper.
Shop used Mini Cooper cars for sale or read our Mini Cooper review
5. MG4 XPower
With pointy styling and a big spoiler as standard, the MG4 looks fast standing still. You’ll have to look for the orange brake callipers to spot an XPower version – or you might be able to spot one when it pins the accelerator. For this humble hatch boasts a whopping 435hp and 0-62mph in 3.8. A bit of context – it accelerates as fast from 0-62mph as a Lamborghini Urus. A 239-mile range is decent if not outstanding, while the MG4 also impresses with a long warranty and a modern interior.
Shop used MG4 cars for sale or read our MG4 review
6. Volkswagen ID.3 GTX
While it shares most parts with the Cupra Born above, the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX is a more subtle hot hatch. Besides slightly different wheels, scrunched side skirts and barely noticeable GTX badges, it looks broadly the same as any other ID.3. The GTX gets the same power boost as the Born, now up to 326hp, as well as the adaptive suspension that makes it the most comfortable ID.3 model. Compared to a standard ID.3, it’s both quicker off the line and in the mid-range, making it even easier to sweep up to motorway speeds.
Shop used Volkswagen ID.3 cars for sale or read our Volkswagen ID.3 GTX review
7. Alpine A290
Being a warmed-up version of the fantastic Renault 5 EV, the Alpine A290 is off to a cracking start. Like the classic hot hatches that the Alpine is partly inspired by, the focus is more on the chassis than the performance – which is decent, but can’t hold a candle to the faster and more expensive cars on this list. But the standard Renault 5 offers largely the same for less. In the Alpine’s favour is a muscly body kit and the daytime running lights in an X motif (a nod to Alpine’s historic racing cars), giving it a sportier look than the 5.
8. Smart #1 Brabus
Back to the overpowered stuff. The Smart #1 Brabus might look like a rollerskate but it’s packing a 427hp, dual-motor powertrain for a sub-four-second 0-62mph. Talk about a pocket rocket. Red accents and new nostrils make the Brabus look as mean as its stats, while the interior gets a similar makeover.
9. Abarth 500e
There’s a slight feeling that the Abarth 500e has jumped the shark in going all-electric. Yes, we want hot hatches to make noise, but the 500e has a blaring, floor-mounted speaker that makes a right racket. Passers-by will look, and might laugh if they expect to see a supercar but there’s a cutesy little 500 making all that noise instead. Abarth has never been about straight-line performance, and the 500e carries on that tradition, but the first electric Abarth retains the agility and chuckability that gave the old petrol one its character.
10. BMW i3S
The BMW i3S is a hot hatch in the lightest possible sense. Its 184hp is only 14hp up on the standard i3, the 0-62mph time only down 0.4 seconds, top speed 99mph. But the i3S feels a little faster and a little more nimble than the standard car, so it’s still an improvement of sorts. The i3 has a minimalist and surprisingly airy interior, plus interesting materials and that quirky backwards rear door layout. It’s perfectly suited to the city, where its immediate power makes light work of traffic lights and tight streets.
Shop used BMW i3 cars for sale or read our BMW i3 review
