We’ve bought numerous electric vehicles over the years, tested many back to back and spent more hours charging in grocery store parking lots than we care to admit. That’s why we put together this buying guide to help you determine how to choose the best EV, and we are also sharing our Top Picks, which we think are the best EVs in their class.

If you’re reading this prior to Sept. 30, 2025, you need to make your purchase or lease ASAP because that’s when the $7,500 federal tax credit expires. Our advice below still applies regardless of your purchase date, however. Compared with a gas-powered car, you’ll have to consider how far you can travel before needing to recharge, as well as how to “refuel” an EV, including possible home improvements to support EV charging, how long it takes to charge and where to charge publicly. Not all EVs are created equal in their charging capabilities.

Electric cars can be expensive, too, as many come from luxury automakers, and those that don’t often command premium prices, though dealer or manufacturer incentives can help if the car and buyer qualify. The purpose of this buying guide is to supply you with the information to help find the best EV for you.

For those who decide an EV is the right move, we took out the guesswork by driving and testing just about every new EV out there, and our team of experts agree these are the best:

How Much Range Do You Need?

Key Takeaways:

• Consider how many miles you drive daily, the weather where you live, your driving style and your ability to charge an EV at home.

• There is no “magic number” for rated range.

• To prolong battery life, it’s best to charge the battery to 80%-90% and not dip below 10%, so total range can also be misleading.

It’s difficult to say just how much range you need. You might not need as much as you think, or you might need more range than you think. Ideally, your home becomes the “gas” station, so every night you plug in and recharge the car to start the day with range replenished. Recent data suggest the average driver travels approximately 40 miles per day, so with adequate home charging, you’d be in good shape with almost any EV without much variation in daily driving habits, especially as more and more EVs offer at least 300 miles of EPA-estimated total range.

The 2025 EV with the lowest EPA-rated driving range is the Fiat 500e with 141 miles (priced from $32,495, including destination), and the EV with the longest range is the Lucid Air Grand Touring with 512 miles of range (that version is currently priced at $116,400). Most EVs priced between $35,000 and $60,000 have between 200-300 miles of range, but models with more than 350 miles of range may cost significantly more.

Being able to charge daily (without which you should reconsider EV ownership) also doesn’t account for worst-case scenarios like being away from home when range is falling fast. According to a 2025 study by Recurrent, modern EVs temporarily lose an average of 20% of their range when temperatures drop from “ideal” (68-74 degrees Fahrenheit) to 32 degrees. This is attributed to battery capacity loss at colder temperatures and the need for heating the cabin, which robs range. Modern EVs tend to have heat pumps, which are more efficient than resistance heaters in older EVs — so older EVs could be more adversely affected by colder weather. Based on an overall 40% decrease in range, an EV with a rated range of 250 miles could have only 150 miles of range when it’s 32 degrees outside, if only temporarily. In addition, some reports show EV batteries lose 5%-10% of overall capacity over the span of five years, so, worst-case scenario, that 250-mile range might get you only 125 miles in cold weather after five years of ownership. There’s a reason why EVs have been so popular in warm-weather states like California. Our experiences with our former long-term Tesla Model Y during subzero temperatures in January 2024 and later during a cold-weather range test provide some insight into how cold weather can affect the EV ownership experience.

How much range you need depends on how far you drive, in what conditions, and your access to public and home charging. It also depends on how you drive: EVs are less efficient at highway speeds and more efficient at lower speeds, and the EPA gives a glimpse with usage-specific mpg-equivalent ratings: The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6, in its long-range, rear-wheel-drive configuration with 18-inch wheels, is rated at 144 mpg-e in the city and 370 miles of range, 120 mpg-e on the highway and 308 miles of range, and 132 mpg-e combined with 342 miles of range.

If all conditions are favorable, you might not need as much range as you think, but if you have a deficiency in any of the above, it may make sense to pad your range with a higher-range model or version. Sometimes range diminishes on higher-cost versions because they often include all-wheel drive or performance upgrades with the same battery but higher-output motors, which use more power and lower overall range; because of that, sometimes the standard range is also the longest range, but it varies from car to car.

Home and On-the-Road Charging Differences

Key Takeaways:

• Charging is affected by many factors, only some of which can be controlled.

• An EV cannot accept more charge than its rated charging rate; charging at a “faster” charging station may not be any faster, depending on the vehicle.

• Just plugging into a normal 120-volt home outlet may not be enough to effectively charge at home.

• Public DC fast charging is improving, especially with the increased adoption of NACS, but it can still be expensive and impact the long-term health of the battery.