In Europe, electric vehicle sales have long been tied to policies and subsidies: when these are withdrawn, they go into reverse. But these nifty motors have now become a bargain in their own right. With petrol costs rising on the back of the Iran war, uptake is accelerating: in the first four months of 2026, a fifth of all the cars sold in Europe were battery electric, up 4 percentage points compared to the same period in 2025.
In part, that reflects the fact that there are lots more cheap and cheerful EVs on offer than there used to be. Chinese manufacturers have led the way. And European carmakers, which started off selling electric drive trains only on their premium models, have gone down the value route: Renault’s new electric Twingo will apparently retail in the UK for less than £20,000. While a model’s electric version still tends to cost more than its traditional equivalent, the release of inexpensive city cars lowered the average cost of BEVs by 4 per cent in 2025, according to Transport & Environment.