THE BEST BEVS of the year
Meet the finalists in our battery electric vehicle category
Our AA DRIVEN Car of the Year coverage continues with the three finalists in the battery electric vehicle (BEV) category.
BEVS are arguably the purest kind of electrified vehicle: they don’t burn fossil fuel of any kind and rely solely on battery power — which means they have much bigger packs and take longer to charge, hence the huge advances being made in charging speed for many models (with the right DC station of course).
BEV
The BYD Atto 3 is a new SUV from a newto-new Zealand brand, BYD. The company claims that stands for “Build Your Dreams”, by the way; it’s written across the back of every Atto 3.
The Atto 3 is selling in huge numbers (it was the number one BEV for October) and deservedly so. It’s something of a landmark model for NZ because it brings BEV technology to market at price that’s really no more than an equivalent petrol or diesel SUV — especially when you consider the power and standard equipment on offer. More to the point, the Atto 3 is a genuinely good-to-drive car, with impressive build quality inside and out — even if the gymthemed interior architecture isn’t to all tastes.
Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 was a contender for the big award last year. Launched just too late to be included for 2021 was the Kia EV6, a sister model to the Hyundai — more family fastback than the SUV style of the Ioniq 5, but same basic platform and high-tech battery systems, including the ability to charge at more than 220kw on a compatible DC station. In a comparison test of the flagship models earlier this year, we decided the EV6 Gt-line just pipped the Ioniq 5 Limited for driver appeal and range, so it’s a worthy addition here. As an aside — we’re judging the EV6 on the current lineup of mainstream RWD and AWD models, but another that’s eagerly awaited is the GT — 0-100km/h in an incredible 3.5 seconds.
Another 2021-latecomer that claims a place this year is the Polestar 2 — the first production model from the new brand coowned by Volvo and parent company Geely. It’s a sedan-cum-liftback-cum-suv that ignores traditional segments and market position, serving up minimalist style and high quality with a variety of powertrains options, encompassing FWD/AWD with standard and long-range battery packs.
Like the latest Volvo products (the new C40 BEV is based on the same platform), the Polestar 2 is also “live” with a fully integrated Google operating system, meaning users have access to Google Assistant and mapping, as well as their personal information (calendars, for example) if they are signed into the car. Polestar also takes sustainability pretty seriously: it’s transparent about the traceability of key battery materials including mica and cobalt, and there are vegan interior trim elements.
■ Vote in People’s Choice to win $5000 of petrol or charge at Driven.co.nz/vote.