Best Electric Cars for under €20,000

Published on 26 May, 2026

How to pick up a second-hand, zero-emission bargain, with our preferred choices of EVs.

Overview

There’s a section of automotive society that believes you should avoid used electric vehicles (EVs), due to concerns about the efficacy of their batteries after several years of use – but we, and plenty of other people, don’t subscribe to that view.

Instead, you should be viewing the second-hand EV market as a great way to pick up a zero-emission bargain. Here’s a selection of our favourites that you can grab for less than €20,000.

BMW i3
This is going to be regarded as a car which was well ahead of its time. Although the BMW i3 is now out of production, it still looks like one of the most futuristic EVs out there, and it drives brilliantly too. Better still, for anything from about €16,500, you can get into later 2018 and ’19 examples of the i3, which come with the larger 33- or 42kWh battery packs (often badged as ‘94Ah’ and ‘120Ah’ respectively). You might even find an example or two of the sporty-looking i3s for within budget, but accept your range is going to be less than 300km to a charge in all models – this is an ideal solution for an urban end-user.

Citroen e-C4
Citroen decided, as a company, to focus on its long-held reputation for comfort by adapting its recent products to suit, and the e-C4 hatchback is no exception to this rule. Super-soft suspension and comfortable seats make this one of the nicest EVs to travel in if ride quality is your priority. Early 2022 cars start from about €16,500 and have the 50kWh battery pack, which can theoretically provide up to 350km to a charge.

Hyundai Kona and Ioniq EV
Hyundai was one of the first to get onboard with the idea of electric propulsion, so your first choice from the Korean firm is the Ioniq Electric. No, this isn’t one of the futuristic current models, but instead a sleek-looking fastback which originally came with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or fully electric power. The latter can be found for about €13,000 for 2017-on examples.

If you prefer something a little more modern, the original Kona EV is a good shout. It’s a compact SUV, and both 39kWh short-range and 64kWh long-range models can be found from roughly €16,000 on the used market. Find one of the latter cars and a range of up to 450km can be yours, for considerably less than €20,000.

Kia e-Niro and e-Soul
Like fellow Korean firm Hyundai above, Kia provided various EV options earlier than most other manufacturers – but our two choices here are both SUV-shaped. The first is the e-Niro, provided with the same 39- and 64kWh battery-pack choices as the related Hyundai Kona EV, only the Kia is a little more conventional styling. Some like the underplayed look, though, and the e-Niro can be found from €15,000 upwards for 2020-on cars.

If you want a little more distinctive body on the outside, then seek out the e-Soul instead. It’ll be harder to find than the e-Niro, but its boxy body is not a million miles away from the much-beloved Skoda Yeti when it comes to visuals, and it came only with the 64kWh battery for a 452km range when new.

Nissan Leaf
The car which democratised EVs for so many is one of the easiest used zero-emission cars you can find. And the Nissan Leaf is also ideal for those on a budget who only need a short-range car, as early 2014 and ’15 Mk1 models can be had from just €3,500-€4,000 if necessary. Those had small batteries, though, so the range when new was often around 160-200km, but if you can find a 30kWh car from 2016-on, you should get something like 250km in theory. Later Mk2 Leafs are better looking and come with 40- or 62kWh battery packs, the latter giving up to 385km to a charge, but they’ll be near the top end of this particular budget as used vehicles.

Opel Mokka-e
Those wanting a supermini could look for the Opel Corsa-e, but with the same running gear and a higher, SUV-inspired stance, it’s the more stylish Mokka-e we’d recommend. The earliest 2022 and ’23 cars come with a 50kWh battery pack and a range of 324km, while 100kW DC charging means you won’t be hanging around too long at public electric-top-up points. You’ll find the Mokka-e, later rebranded as the Mokka Electric, starting from around €17,000 in the classifieds.

Peugeot E-208
One of the best-looking EVs of any size, the Peugeot E-208 is a lovely little runaround. Like related Stellantis electric products, such as the Citroen e-C4 and Opel Mokka-e we have elsewhere on this list, the Peugeot used a 50kWh battery pack from launch to give it up to 340km of range. It’s sprightly, too, thanks to a 136hp motor that can push it from 0-100km/h in just 8.1 seconds, and while the iCockpit interior is not for all, it’s classily styled and well put-together inside. You can find 2021 E-208s from as little as €15,000 on the second-hand market, which is a bargain considering (nearly) the same vehicle is still in the new-car price lists today from €32,000.

Volkswagen ID.3
Volkswagen’s ID products feature smoothed-off styling on the outside and clean, minimalist interiors within. You have to get on with the unusual interface system inside the  ID.3 hatchback if you’re going to go with this, but if you do gel with it then you’ll find much to like with the VW EV. It’s a rear-driven machine so it’s good to drive, while the budget allows for 58kWh cars that start from about €15,000 for 2022 examples. That should give you about 420km of range to a charge.
 

Shane O'Donoghue

Shane grew up in his dad’s garage in Cork, sparking a lifelong love of cars. After studying engineering in the UK, he turned to motoring journalism in the late 1990s. He now runs CompleteCar.ie and a motoring editorial agency, writing for top outlets like CarsIreland and Carzone.