If you’re a city dweller who has no issues about range anxiety. And you’re looking in the market for EV that you could potentially buy. Plus, if you’re into better efficiency and easier manoeuvring around corners and roundabouts. One last ‘if’, if you’re into easier parking spot (I know, Kancil or Kelisa comes to your mind). This guide is here to help you to answer what is the best small EV that would suit your city driving in Malaysia. Do note, I will never recommend these cars to make road trips.
In no particular order, let’s start with the leaf.
Nissan Leaf
| Nissan Leaf EV Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Price | MYR 145k |
| Power | 110kW 150 PS |
| NEDC* range | 311km |
| Standout Features | A more established brand, less worries on your warranties and servicing |
| Not So Welcoming Features | CHAdeMO comes with the car is not the common charger that you can find in Malaysia |
Hyundai Kona EV
| Hyundai Kona EV Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Price | MYR 149k |
| Power | 100kW 136 PS |
| WLTP Range | 305km |
| Standout Features | Proven real world range that could rival bigger EV. You can actually attempt a road trip on the Hyundai Kona EV. |
| Not So Welcoming Features | The design is akin to mid 2010s design, dated. |
Mini Electric
| Mini Electric EV Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Price | MYR 178k |
| Power | 135kW 184 PS |
| WLTP Range | 225km |
| Standout Features | Attractive design with the strongest power output + fashion statement (if that's important for you) |
| Not So Welcoming Features | Expensive and only comes with 2 years warranty. |
Thoughts on the best city drive EV
You can’t go wrong on any of these 3 options. Each has its own strength that I have listed and broken down respectively above. Personally, I would prefer the Hyundai Kona EV. It’s one of the cheapest on this list and it offers range that could rival bigger EV like the Hyundai Ioniq 5. I don’t need the bells and whistles when all I need was only a point A to point B for Kuala Lumpur city drive, which typically means for work purpose and for shopping/leisure.
Last but not least, you don’t need a DC fast charging for a city-bound EV. Why so? A typical city from one end to another spans as much as 30-40km. EV’s in this list could easily accomplish that. Moreover, DC fast charging is expensive! (at least in Malaysia). And what I suggest would be to have a wall AC charger fixed at your home for your convenience. You’d have a full tank EV on a daily basis. And never have range anxiety at any point of time during massive jam during peak hours. And you’ll never have to look for any DC or AC chargers in the city.
For more information regarding WLTP range, please refer to this article What Is the WLTP for an EV Car Means
Note :
*NEDC range is less strict than WLTP. Do expect somewhere 20-40% less range than an equivalent WLTP range number.