It’s that time of year again – the latest registration plate, this time the coveted “261” emblem, has landed and car buyers are looking to get into the latest metal.
But you don’t have to break the bank to get into something shiny and fresh. Here are some of our favourite cars on sale right now, which also happen to represent great value-for-money choices in the new-car market.
Cupra Born VZ
Spanish performance and electric firm Cupra is gearing up to launch its newest, most-compact and most-affordable model yet in the form of the Raval supermini, which should come in at around €26,000. But don’t discount the bigger Born hatchback, the pioneering EV from Cupra. It’s still a great-handling and stylish electric runaround that’s sold at a reasonable price – and, indeed, this is one of the few instances where aiming higher in the line-up makes more sense. There’s not enough of a price gap between the 231hp EBoost model and the 326hp VZ, and as both use the same 79kWh battery then you can still expect up to 570km of range from this Iberian machine. With its excellent Cup front seats and eye-catching 20-inch alloys, the Cupra Born VZ is an excellent choice for new-car buyers on the lookout for a bargain.
Dacia Bigster
Dacia is a budget brand in ethos, so every vehicle it sells represents a lot of car for not a lot of cash. But the Bigster is, as its name suggests, a large machine that is as good to look at, inside and out, as many far more expensive SUVs of similar type. Throw in some excellent equipment levels, plus the choice of mild-hybrid and full-hybrid powertrains, and the fact the Bigster starts as less than €30,000 is really quite astounding.
Renault Megane
All the current gushing headlines for a zero-emission Renault product are currently being aimed at the 5 E-Tech, and rightly so – it’s a brilliant, charismatic little thing. However, don’t discount the bigger Megane E-Tech in the rush to get at the 5. This is a more practical, family-sized hatch with a powerful electric motor and enough battery capacity to do the best part of 500km to a charge. With chunky, SUV-inspired looks in a hatchback body and a really high-class interior, this is a fantastic car.
Kia Sportage
Korean firm Kia is on a big EV offensive right now, launching the EV3, EV4 and EV5 to go with the existing EV6 and EV9 models, and also readying an EV2 for those on a budget. But what if an EV doesn’t quite suit your lifestyle as yet? Then you could do a lot worse than the brilliant Sportage family SUV. This midsized five-seat vehicle offers a choice of diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. There’s loads of kit on all models in the range and the Sportage not only drives well, but it also looks really sharp outside and in.
Hyundai Ioniq 6
People might immediately default to the more practical and hatchback-shaped Ioniq 5 EV from Hyundai, but don’t discount the Ioniq 6 out of hand. Its streamliner, coupe-like looks are interesting and unlike any other car out there of a similar class, and the Korean firm has just updated the 6’s appearance with ultra-slim headlights too. Power comes from a 228hp motor, but of more importance is that the 84kWh battery pack allows for a range of up to 624km. And the best news is, it costs from less than €45,000 in either of its two generously equipped specifications.
Hyundai Kona Electric
Cyberpunk exterior styling and a spacious, well-equipped and nicely finished interior are the hallmarks of another brilliant-value Hyundai EV, the latest Kona Electric crossover. It’s offered with a choice of two battery packs, with even the smaller of the pair capable of providing almost 400km of range – but most will want the larger 65kWh unit, which’ll take you more than 500km in one hit if you so desire. Every model of the Kona Electric is, at the time of writing, less than €40,000, which is what makes this car such a bargain new EV on the 261 plate.
Polestar 2
The Polestar 2 is not the Swedish firm’s newest product by a long chalk, but it is a brilliant premium EV that laid the groundwork for other Polestar cars to build from. With every model capable of something between 550- and 660km of range, the Polestar 2 is a long-range electric fastback with a top-quality interior and plenty of straight-line performance to go with it. It also looks good on the outside, with its chunky, angular appearance, while prices stand at between €45,000 and less than €58,000 too – which means it won’t break the bank to purchase, despite its upmarket status.