There are so many great electric and hybrid cars to choose to from, so it can be hard to decide on a Top 3 Shortlist. And even harder to choose “The One”. In this guide we’ll try to give you some useful tips on how you can whittle down your choices, before taking your shortlist for a test drive.

The main thing is to decide what criteria is most important to you. What one or two things feel essential to you? Or motivate you most? The process you should take is to consider 1) what you need, and 2) what you can afford, and then 3) what you want, in order to come up with a solid shortlist of choices. Then compare these choices by looking at their credentials such as range and rapid charge time, and do a test drive for each one.

What you need

Start with what you need the car to offer. How many passengers will you be driving around? How much storage space will you need? What type of driving will you be doing?  This will determine the body type and size of car you will choose.

If you’re unsure, visit our guide…

Electric or hybrid?

This depends on how much driving you do each week, and whether it’s generally short local trips, or longer distances. And if you can charge at home, or easily fit a charge point. And of course, your budget.

If you’d like an all-electric and can charge from home, then for local commutes a low range works well and can be quite affordable. If you do regular motorway driving you’ll need a bigger range, and this comes at more cost. However, if your budget is tighter, or you can’t easily charge at home, or you do longer trips and like the idea of having a petrol or diesel engine that’s assisted by a battery, then hybrid is the way to go.

If you want to know more, visit our guide…

Your budget

A lot of your decision will boil down to your budget: choosing the car you like most, that fits within your means.

With this in mind, it’s best to err on the side of caution. And consider the whole cost of the car e.g. insurance, tax (if it applies), servicing and charging or fuel costs. However, keep in mind that if you buy an electric or hybrid car, that the running costs will be much lower, and usually cancel out or surpass the extra upfront cost. So you may be able to pay more upfront or monthly, if you’ll be paying a lot less to run the car.

Want to know more? Visit our guide…

What you want

Now onto the fun stuff. What do you want? What excites you? Try to pick one or two key wants to narrow down your choices. These can be anything, from body type (I want an SUV), to fuel type (I want a PHEV), to brand (I’ve always wanted a BMW) to design (but I love the look of the new Volvos) to interior (I want it to look plush and elegant inside, yet nonchalantly understated with a touch of je ne sais quoi…).

Unfortunately, you may not be able to get everything you want, especially with the high cost of the most alluring electric cars on the market. But you should try and get as much as you can, within reason. If you make a list of needs, and a list of wants, and search according to these then you will be able to create a shortlist (that may begin as a long list) and then it’s a case of deciding what’s most important to you, and removing what’s least important to you, one by one, to eliminate the choices that don’t quite make the grade.

Does brand matter?

If you’re most motivated by buying from a certain marque then feel free to stick to what entices you most. On Green.Car you can search by brand, which makes it easy to explore their electric and hybrid models, and if you feel like sticking to a brand you love then it usually makes it much easier to create a short shortlist of their relevant models.

But do explore other brands too, to compare key stats and costs. Just so you’re totally sure that the brand that you like most is right for you in reality, and offers you exactly what you need. If you’re not sure, then test drive other makes and models to compare.

Design

In car buying surveys the top reason people buy is usually reported as design. Once rational decisions about whether you’ll go electric or hybrid, and what body type you want, and range you want, then it’s usually comes down to what the car looks like.

You’ll be looking at the car every day, and showing it off to family or friends, so it’s important that you like the look and feel of the car. It’s no use buying a brand that you like, if the exterior or interior feels somehow clunky to you, and puts you off.

You need to be happy with the badge, and the way it looks on the inside and outside. So take time to explore your choices thoroughly online and in showrooms once you make your shortlist.

The little things

Sometimes it’s the little things that make you fall in love with a car. The design of the lights, the interior console, the infotainment system, or the wheels. Once you make a shortlist based on your needs and wants, then book a test drive to see how they feel.

Explore the interior and boot, and all the trim options to see what you like most, and if any particular detail grabs you by the heartstrings and won’t let go.

Trim and colour

As you draw ever-closer towards your final choice, if you’ve found the brand(s) and model(s) you’re most interested in, then you’ll need to think about what trim level you would go for, on any of your key contenders.

Do you want the base model at the lowest price, so you can just about afford a certain model? Or do you want a higher spec choice, with better tech and interior (or exterior) touches?

We would generally recommend to avoid the base model, which are fine options, but which can lack the practical details that help, or the design touches that make the car feel a little special. For both your own satisfaction, and for resale, it can help to have a nice trim level.

When you compare your final choices, try to do so using the trim and spec you would go for, so you can be clear on the final price.

We can make a shortlist for you

Our ‘Find your electric car’ tool lets you put in your preferences for body type, electric or hybrid, and brand preferences, to generate a list of cars that will meet your needs and wants. You can then apply filters to whittle the list down if you wish, and on each model you can see key stats of cost, range, rapid charge time and more, to help you decide which ones are best for you.

Test drive and get a great deal

Use our search tools to find the cars you like, and then book a test drive and get a quote through us. Just select the make and model you like, and add in your details, and we can facilitate a test drive of any car, and get you the latest prices, best deals, and any current special offers.