Which EV should you buy for under $60,000?

Just five years ago, there weren’t many electric vehicles (EVs) you could buy new for under $60,000.

You could get the stalwart Nissan Leaf, the popular Tesla Model 3, and a handful of other vehicles from Hyundai, Mini and Polestar. There were just 10 nameplates all up, with the MG ZS EV being the only Chinese option apart from some low-volume fare from BYD before it became a serious contender here.

Well, that’s all changed.

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There’s now more than triple the number of nameplates available, and it’s not just the Chinese brands that have flooded the zone – though there are plenty of those too, including BYD, Chery, GAC, Geely, GWM, Leapmotor and Zeekr.

More familiar brands such as Kia, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo now offer EVs for under $60,000 before on-road costs, too.

Sure, a lot of these models are fairly humdrum small-to-medium SUVs. Still, it’s an embarrassment of riches for new-vehicle buyers who want to make the jump to an EV but don’t want to spend too much to do it.

Below, the members of the CarExpert editorial team have shared which EVs they’d pick for under $60k.

Alborz Fallah: BYD Atto 1

I would buy a BYD Atto 1 for $24,000 and be happy.

For me the point of an EV is to do the super-regular short commutes in suburbia, like the school drop-off, the drive to work, and the Coles run.

A car like that for under $25k is an absolute steal with all the tech inside, and 220km of range is more than enough for me – I barely drive that in a week.

It’s the perfect second car for most families and a fantastic introduction to EV ownership at a very reasonable price.

MORE: Explore the BYD Atto 1 showroom

Marton Pettendy: MG 4 Excite 51

If I had $60k to spend on an EV it’d be the entry-level MG 4 Excite 51, because it would be a second vehicle to run into town in from my semi-rural abode, and for $37,990 drive-away it offers unrivalled value – so I’d spend the change on a home solar/battery system to charge it.

For $5000 less, this practical electric hatch is down only 25kW on the mid-range MG 4 Essence 64, yet still offers a decent 350km range from its 51kWh battery.

Even a runabout should be fun, and the added bonus here is the base MG 4 steers and handles well because it’s one of the few rear-drive EVs available at this end of the market.

MORE: Explore the MG 4 showroom

Ben Zachariah: Skoda Elroq

This is the type of answer that will change depending on my mood and the day of the week (as opposed to every other answer I give…?).

The run-out deals on the pre-facelift Hyundai Ioniq 6 are crazy, saving buyers $35k on a car with big power and all-wheel drive. It’s hard to walk past, even with the… styling challenges, shall we say. But while it’s technically a new car, those discounts are for MY23 vehicles. Yeesh.

The pragmatist in me says the Toyota bZ4X. You know it’ll last, you know the resale value will be decent, and it’s just a solid commuter car that’s executed well. But I prefer driving cool cars, and the Fiat 500e is about as cool and unpretentious as it gets. But I’m not that cool or unpretentious. Maybe if I looked as stylish wearing tweed as JWo…?

Then there’s the Volkswagen ID.4, which is practical and certainly has an element of style, especially in black. Solid choice. It’s definitely cool. But call me Bela Fleck, because I’m also into things that are a little bit left of cool – the unobvious choice – or at least I am troday.

Which brings me to Skoda’s smallest electric SUV, the Elroq.

It’s smaller than the Enyaq, has a better name, still looks sharp without being super wild and advertising that you’re in an EV, and comes with that rad grey cloth interior that feels sophisticated and modern.

It’s also rear-wheel drive with 210kW and 545Nm, allowing for a sub-seven-second 0-100km/h sprint time, and has 500-plus kilometres of driving range. Plus, it has real buttons on the steering wheel – none of that haptic junk as seen in the ID.4.

So, today, my choice is the Skoda Elroq.

Ask me again tomorrow.

MORE: Explore the Skoda Elroq showroom

Sean Lander: Kia EV5

After thinking about the hundreds of cars I drive in a year, I’ve come to a conclusion: EVs are like salad. When you’re young, you can avoid eating it and there’s no real harm. But eventually you get older, start thinking about the future and your desire to keep living the life you want to live, and you realise you’re going to have to eat salad whether you like it or not.

Eventually, I’m going to have to buy an EV. It’s a shame, because after about five minutes in most electric vehicles I drive, I’ve explored all the gadgets and gizmos and they just become uninteresting. Obviously this is only my opinion, but it’s an opinion formed after 15 years of working in the automotive industry, watching V8s all but die out and sports cars go from tiny two-door tin-tops to two-ton tanks.

Which leads me to the Kia EV5. Invasive and poorly calibrated speed sign recognition aside, it’s one of the most car-like electric vehicles you can buy for under $60,000. It has lots of space, reasonable range, interesting looks and it feels familiar. It doesn’t have a cinema screen Blu-Tacked to the dash and it comes with a great warranty and a big dealer network.

It’s not without frustrations though. The aforementioned speed sign recognition, the charge port being in the wrong place (all EVs should have charge ports at the rear), and if you don’t turn off the silly sounds it, well, makes silly sounds.

It’s a reasonably inoffensive car that I wouldn’t sigh at every time I had to get into it. It’s not going to ever get me excited about driving either, but it would be tolerable when the day comes that I have to actually start eating salad.

MORE: Explore the Kia EV5 showroom

William Stopford: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Epiq

There’s genuinely a bevy of EV options for under $60,000.

Rule out anything with a ride too wallowy or too stiff, however, and the herd thins. Don’t want poorly calibrated driver assist systems? The number of options shrinks further. I’m also not a fan of front-wheel drive EVs for the most part, so what was at one point a long list is now a short one.

Hyundai can’t seem to give away Ioniq 6s, and the flagship dual-motor all-wheel drive Epiq is being offered for $59,990 drive-away. That’s over $34,000 cheaper (!) than its original price, with the caveat being this is still leftover MY23 (!!) stock.

Yes it’s ugly (!!!) and yes the depreciation will probably be brutal, but that’s a lot of car for the money. See if you can haggle the price down any further.

I’d also consider a BYD Seal or Volkswagen ID.4, but alas I’m yet to drive either.

MORE: Explore the Hyundai Ioniq 6 showroom

James Wong: MG 4 Essence 64

In the absence of the excellent Cupra Born being on sale in Australia, the mid-spec MG 4 Essence 64 is a strong second pick for me in the EV segment under $60,000.

Rear-drive balance, a compact hatch body, more than 400km of range and plenty of premium features still make the MG incredible value in 2026 – it’s currently priced around $42,500 drive-away.

Even after yo-yo-ing prices and an increasing amount of competition in the market, I reckon the MG 4 is still one of the best affordable EVs you can buy in Australia.

Close runner-up is the Kia EV3 Air Long Range, which is one of few electric vehicles that offers over 600km of range for less than $60,000.

MORE: Explore the MG 4 showroom

Damion Smy: Skoda Elroq 85 Select

There are a lot of EVs priced below $60k and for my personal circumstances the BYD Atto 1 – at $23,990 before on-road costs – would do the trick. But in the spirit of what I might stump up the cash for if a bigger EV was needed, I’d go for the Skoda Elroq 85 Select for two core reasons: the design and the design.

I also like the look of the Volvo EX30 ($59,990 before on-roads), but don’t love the way it drives, and while the base Zeekr 7X ($57,990 before on-roads) is impressive, I’m not a fan of the door buttons and some of the features buried in the centre touchscreen menus.

So instead, for something more substantial than a city car, I’d go for the Elroq 85 Select ($54,990 before on-road) in Velvet Red (another $770) because it has a stylishly brilliant if somewhat space-limited cabin, a punchy 210kW/545Nm powertrain, a 6.6-second claimed 0-100km/h sprint time, 540km of range, and $195 servicing.

Again, its unique flavour is what sways me over from other Volkswagen Group products, but still you’d have to give me a damn good reason why I personally need more than an Atto 1 and more than $30k in cash left over…

MORE: Explore the Skoda Elroq showroom

Max Davies: BYD Seal Premium

Having recently spent some time with the base Dynamic, I’m confident in saying the BYD Seal would be my first choice for a sub-$60k EV.

I found the Dynamic enjoyable to drive, thanks to adequate performance and livelier on-road behaviour than most other new EVs, thanks to its rear-drive setup.

But I’d climb one rung higher and spring for the Premium at $52,990 before on-roads, or about $57,000 drive-away in Victoria. It has all the same fundamentals including a simple, functional interior and rear-wheel drive, but packs considerably more power and – most importantly – a much more usable WLTP driving range of 570km.

I wouldn’t need much more than that. Plus, it earns brownie points for being a sedan in a market dominated by boring SUVs.

MORE: Explore the BYD Seal showroom