Electric vehicles have moved from a niche purchase to a mainstream shortlist, and the question now is not whether to go electric but which powertrain fits your mileage, your parking and your budget. This page gathers our coverage in one place: the battery technology setting the timelines, the performance cars rewriting what an EV can do, the hybrids still doing the sensible work, and the alternatives to a plug now reaching showrooms.
What we mean by electric vehicles
We use the term broadly: battery-electric cars, plug-in hybrids and the hydrogen fuel-cell models some manufacturers are still betting on. Between them they answer different questions — charging at home, towing, long motorway runs and whole-life running costs.
Battery technology and the solid-state timeline
Nothing shapes an electric car more than its battery. Solid-state cells promise faster charging, better energy density and a lower fire risk, and after years of laboratory promises the first manufacturing breakthroughs are landing. Our explainer sets out who is close to production, and what it means for the cars you can order.
Performance EVs: the fast end of the market
Electric drivetrains make speed cheap, and the quickest metal is no longer the low-slung stuff. Porsche’s fastest SUV now out-accelerates the 911 Turbo S.
Hybrids: the practical middle ground
For plenty of UK drivers a plug-in hybrid still makes more sense than a full EV, particularly where home charging is difficult or the car has to tow. Volvo’s next XC90 and XC60 show how the powertrains and range figures are shifting.
Hydrogen and pickups
Hydrogen has been ten years away for twenty, but Toyota keeps pushing it into the commercial end of the market, where payload and refuelling time matter. A Hilux fuel-cell pickup is now confirmed.
How to use this page
If you are buying in the next year, start with the solid-state piece to understand what is coming and when, then read the hybrid and hydrogen articles if a charger on your drive is not realistic.