I Drove Every EV in Australia. This One Blew My Underpants Off. Literally.

Australia’s EV market has officially grown up. Gone are the days of choosing between a soulless government-spec hatchback or a $90,000 Tesla. In 2025, we’ve finally got options.

Big ones, small ones, fast ones, weird ones, even beautiful ones. We’ve driven everything worth driving this year, and these are, in our view, the five best EVs to actually buy right now.

This isn’t about what’s the most hyped or the most expensive. It’s about what delivers the most compelling mix of design, performance, range, tech, value, and straight-up cool factor.

Lotus building a luxury electric grand tourer might sound like sacrilege, but the Emeya is nothing short of brilliant. This isn’t some rebadged parts-bin exercise. It’s a proper Lotus. Low, wide, fast, and full of intent, just with a 675kW dual-motor powertrain and more tech than the British brand has ever offered in its history.

From the outside, it’s genuinely striking. Inside, you get a 15-inch OLED display, KEF audio, four-zone climate control, and adaptive air suspension. It’s smooth, intuitive, and surprisingly refined. You feel every bit of its $200K price tag. And when you plant your foot, the Emeya R’s 0 to 100km/h time of three seconds is very real.

Range sits just under 600km, which is plenty. But more importantly, this thing feels premium. It feels designed. It feels like Lotus has finally entered the modern era and didn’t compromise who they are to get there.

The Zeekr X is the first EV in Australia that makes you do a double take. Not because it’s trying to be outrageous, but because it just looks smart. The front end is clean. The LED lighting is sharp. The door handles pop out with theatre. Everything about it feels intentionally futuristic, but still friendly.

Built by Geely (who also own Lotus, Volvo, and Polestar), the Zeekr X is about as far from a cheap Chinese car as you can get. The cabin is minimalist without feeling barren, the screens are slick and snappy, and both the rear-wheel drive and dual-motor variants offer real punch. The AWD version does zero to 100 in just 3.8 seconds.

Most impressive, though, is the value. For under $65K, you get up to 540km of range, a panoramic roof, solid safety tech, and design that stands out without shouting. In a sea of mid-size crossovers that all look the same, the Zeekr X feels genuinely refreshing.

Yes, the iX looks like a concept car that escaped from a design studio. And yes, that grille still divides opinion. But once you drive it, the design starts to make a lot more sense. The iX isn’t trying to look like a traditional SUV. That’s its strength.

Inside, the cabin is pure theatre. A floating curved display arcs across the dash, the seats are trimmed in recycled materials that feel genuinely premium, and the Sky Lounge panoramic roof turns every drive into a light show. Even the hexagonal steering wheel starts to feel normal after a few hours behind it.

Performance-wise, it delivers. The xDrive50 variant gives you 300kW, 700Nm, and a zero to 100 time of 5.1 seconds. Not hypercar territory, but plenty fast for a 2.5-tonne luxury lounge on wheels. You’ll get up to 600km of range from the 94.8kWh battery, and DC fast charging will get you from 10 to 80% in around 35 minutes.

It’s weird. It’s expensive. But it’s also incredibly complete. BMW doesn’t care what anyone thinks, and that’s exactly why it works.

This is the dark horse of the list. Leapmotor might not have the badge recognition of the others, but the C10 delivers so much car for so little money, it’s almost confusing. Starting at just under $46,000, the C10 is a full-sized, seven-seat electric SUV with proper tech and a design that doesn’t scream “budget buy.”

You get a 69.9kWh battery, up to 420km of range, a massive 14.6-inch centre display, panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, and a clean, modern interior that wouldn’t look out of place in a car twice the price. It even has vehicle-to-load (V2L), so you can run a fridge or a coffee machine off the battery if you’re that way inclined.

It’s not fast. 160kW and front-wheel drive. But it’s smooth, intuitive, and does exactly what a family SUV should do. It swallows people and gear, it’s affordable to run, and it doesn’t feel like a compromise. For under $50K, nothing comes close.

The Polestar 4 isn’t just good. It’s genre-defining. This is the car that shows what EVs can be when design and engineering actually sit at the same table. It’s low, wide, sculpted, and somehow manages to be sleek and aggressive without being try-hard. I really enjoyed this car. No cap.

You’ve probably heard about the lack of a rear window. It’s replaced by a high-mounted camera and full-width digital display. While that sounds like marketing nonsense, it actually improves rear visibility and adds to the spaceship feel. The cabin is minimalist but warm, full of soft recycled materials, a smart Google-powered OS, and some of the best seats you’ll find in any car.

The single-motor variant offers 200kW and a class-leading 620km of range. The dual-motor version doubles the power and drops the zero to 100 time to 3.8 seconds. If I was buying, it would be double motor all the way. And the Thor’s Hammer lighting, Swedish Yellow paint, and near-silent cabin? Absolutely nailed it.

This is the best-looking EV in the country. It drives beautifully. And it has the tech, range and road presence to back it all up. Right now, the Polestar 4 is the EV to beat.

Don’t forget the ev tax credit too. Get around it.

Mercedes-Benz is getting there with their EQ range just not with the G-Class EV. Shiiiiit. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is a riot, but too niche.

Audi EVs is cool but not selling much right now. So this top five has the broadest appeal and the strongest arguments for every buyer. Including those who said they would never drive an EV.

If you’re thinking about going electric in 2025, don’t follow the crowd. These are the cars that prove EVs don’t just have to be sensible they can actually be cool.