The Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV was China’s most popular electric car in 2021.
And it’s price might have something to do with it: The car starts at around $4,000.
It can go a little more than 100 miles on a charge, seat four (technically), and hit 62 mph.
The Hong Guang Mini is the tiny EV so nice we had to include it twice. The brand launched a convertible version — the Cabrio — in September.
The two-seater promises 174 miles of range and will run you a little over $14,000 at current exchange rates.
Honda doesn’t sell an electric car in the US yet, but you can get one elsewhere in the form of the Honda e.
It’s an adorable, retro-themed city car with a range of 137 miles — more than enough to get around town.
Part of its sleek look comes from a lack of side-view mirrors, which are replaced with a system of cameras and interior screens.
China’s BYD is the second-biggest seller of electric cars in the world — behind Tesla of course.
Its flagship car, the Han, starts at the equivalent of roughly $33,000 in China and claims a range of 376 miles.
The Tesla Model 3 competitor features an upscale-looking interior with a 15.6-inch touchscreen.
If you’re sensing a theme here, it’s that the rest of the world gets way more small, cheap electric cars than the US.
Here’s another data point: The Nissan Sakura.
The teeny-tiny EV seats four, has a top speed of 80 mph, and can drive 112 miles on a charge, according to Nissan. Pricing starts at $17,000.
Why buy something boring-sounding like a Camry or an Outback when you can own a Funky Cat. And yes, that’s actually what it’s called.
The quirky, retro hatchback from China’s Great Wall Motors promises 193 miles of range and a starting price of around $39,000 in the UK.
If you want an electric Mercedes in the states, it’ll have to be a relatively large sedan or SUV.
There’s a handful of Chinese EV startups trying to challenge Tesla with premium, techy cars. One of them is Xpeng, which launched in 2015 and now sells four models.
Its sleek P7 sedan can go 438 miles on a full charge and hit 62 mph in 4.5 seconds, the company says. There’s also a limited-edition Wing version with Lamborghini-style scissor doors.
The roughly $47,000 ET5 is Chinese startup Nio’s shot at the wildly popular Tesla Model 3 sedan.
It boasts soft-close doors, a minimalist interior made from recycled plastic, and a cute virtual assistant mounted to the dashboard.
What really sets Nio apart is its battery-swapping tech. Pull into a Nio battery-swapping station and you can be back on the road with a full charge in minutes.