The estate car might have fallen out of favor amidst the meteoric rise of the SUV, but if you’re after a practical electric car that sits a bit lower to the ground, there’s more choice than you might expect. The electric estate car genre is growing, and there are now options covering a wide range of budgets, from affordable battery-powered wagons from marques like Chevrolet to prestige-branded picks with supercar-baiting performance.
Along with the differing performance levels and costs we’ve already spoken about, practicality also varies quite a bit. There’s also a distinction in ethos between these cars. Some are merely electric versions of existing gasoline and diesel-powered cars, which makes for a more familiar setting if you don’t want to venture out of your comfort zone for your first EV. With these, though, you’re missing out on the packaging benefits of a car built on a bespoke electric platform (including a flat interior floor), which is how the majority of the electric wagons in our best EV estates list are made.
View Price on AmazonAs an electric estate car to tick all the boxes, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron is difficult to beat. It’s not cheap, though, so for a much more down-to-earth alternative, the Chevrolet Bolt EUV looks like a brilliant, value-focused option, as does the closely related Ford Escape Electric. Keep reading to find the top 10 best electric estate cars you can buy right now.
If money’s no object, the range, comfort, and class of the A6 Avant e-tron are hard to beat. Not to be confused with the A6 Avant, the Audi A6 Avant e-tron is entirely different underneath, sitting on the same ‘PPE’ electric car platform as the Q6 e-tron and the Porsche Macan Electric. Ride comfort is its standout attribute, closely followed by the range figures. Even the standard model will cover up to 238 miles on a full charge according to the official EPA number, while the e-tron Performance boosts this to an impressive 293 miles. You shouldn’t be frequenting expensive public rapid chargers, then, but should the need arise, there’s a 170kW charging capability to lean on, making for a 10-80% top-up in less than 20 minutes if conditions are optimal.
No version of the A6 Avant e-tron is slow, with 0-60mph times ranging from 6.0 to 3.9 seconds. It won’t be quite as satisfying to drive as the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo, though, which is in certain versions even faster. Something else to bear in mind is that the A6 Avant e-tron falls short of the BMW i5 Touring in terms of practicality. Rear-seat space is surprisingly limited, and the boot space of 17.7 cubic feet lags behind the BMW’s 20.1 cubic feet. Folding the rear bench increases this to 50.1 cubic feet, compared to 59.3 cubic feet in the i5 Touring. As an all-round package, though, the A6 is the top dog of the electric estate market.
“With a long range and fast-charging capability, the A6 Avant e-tron delivers the kind of tech the Audi is famous for” - Dean Gibson, senior test editor
Source: autoexpress.co.uk
