Electric cars

NEW NISSAN LEAF £189 per month, £6624 deposit, 25 months BMW i3s £203 per month, £6773 deposit, 48 months RENAULT ZOE £199 per month, £11,803 deposit, 60 months

Range anxiety will be enough to put many buyers off a battery-powered electric car but, if you drive only short journeys and can easily fit a recharger at home or make use of one at work, running out of juice and being stranded by the side of the road simply needn’t be a concern.

Nissan offers its outgoing first-generation Leaf EV for £189 per month over 25 months with an affordable £6624 deposit, which demonstrates that going electric doesn’t have to be an expensive business. The Leaf will manage around 120 miles between charges, which will be adequate for most urban commutes but not much use at all if you have to take to the motorway for longer journeys from time to time. Around town, though, the Leaf is whisper-quiet and comfortable.

Nissan’s electric hatchback doesn’t exactly ooze character and charm, though, which is precisely what BMW’S i3 does do.

In i3s spec, it’s also very brisk, clocking 62mph in a hot-hatch-baiting 6.9sec. The S model even gets a reworked chassis that, BMW says, makes it more fun to drive than the standard i3. We drive it later this month. With a £6773 deposit and monthly payments of £203, the BMW isn’t much more expensive than the Nissan, although you will be signing up to a four-year agreement.

The appeal of Nissan’s Leaf is limited somewhat by its modest 120-mile driving range from a fully charged battery, which means the Renault Zoe – which should cover 250 miles on a single charge, according to its maker – would seem to make much more sense. You will pay for that extra driving range on a PCP, though, because you’ll have to put down almost £12,000 up front and sign up to a five-year contract. The Zoe is an attractively styled little hatchback with a well-appointed cabin, although the

ride is a touch leaden.