I drove seven electric cars at SMMT's Test Day at Millbrook Proving Ground, ranking everything from the Kia PV5 people carrier to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N performance SUV — here's how they fared12:49, 11 Jun 2026Electric cars are more common on Britain's roads than ever, with virtually every major manufacturer producing at least one model, if not several. These range from SUVs and estates to hatchbacks, city cars, and even sports cars.‌A selection of electric vehicles were made available for me to test when I attended SMMT's Test Day at Millbrook Proving Ground earlier this year.‌Over the course of the day, I got behind the wheel of seven electric cars, leaving each car in its default settings before taking them around Millbrook's alpine handling or city courses. Below, I rank them out of 10, starting with my least favourite.‌7th: Aion V - £36,450It was difficult to get a proper feel for the Aion V at the SMMT Test Day, as it was the only car on this list that lacked the sticker permitting access to the alpine handling course. This came as something of a surprise, given it's a mid-sized SUV rather than a compact city car.That said, I was able to put it through its paces on the city course, where it demonstrated solid grip at urban speeds and notably light steering.‌It carries an on-the-road price of £35,450, though I'd need considerably more time with the car across a variety of road types to form a fuller opinion — suffice to say, it left me with more questions than answers.Rating: 4/10**Unable to take it on the alpine handling course unlike the others.‌6th: Smart #1 - £29,960The Smart #1 isn't an inherently objectionable offering. It's a compact electric car boasting a generous boot and a respectable claimed range of around 190 to just over 273 miles.Behind the wheel, it behaves much like any other electric vehicle, with fairly neutral handling and a cabin dominated by an enormous touchscreen.‌The interior adopts a minimalist approach, featuring various cubby holes for odds and ends, though the vast majority of functions are handled through the large central touchscreen. This makes the car feel somewhat behind the times, as carmakers increasingly acknowledge that their customers actually rather liked having physical buttons.Out on the road is where things become interesting — and not in a positive sense. While it's perfectly composed in town, things start to feel a little odd when the roads begin to wind.The car features intelligent regenerative braking that can be adjusted. Leaving it in the default setting proved genuinely useful in supplementing the conventional brakes to scrub off speed.‌However, it had an annoying tendency to occasionally disengage mid-corner — an issue I raised with a Smart representative upon returning the vehicle. Coming off the brakes, the regenerative system would continue decelerating the car, only to suddenly cut out mid-corner, causing a slight and unsettling surge of acceleration.This, coupled with the apparent inability to attach the key to a keyring, left a rather disappointing impression.Rating: 5/10‌5th: Jaecoo E5 - £27,505The last time I got behind the wheel of a Jaecoo E5 at Goodwood's Media Day, it failed to impress. Granted, it was cheap, but it felt harsh, rigid and poorly constructed.‌I questioned why anyone would part with £27k for it when a nearly new BMW estate could be had for the same money or less.However, the version I tested at SMMT's event felt considerably improved — more polished, smoother and better balanced. It's not particularly memorable, but compared to the model I sampled earlier this year, it's a noticeable improvement.Perhaps it was the slightly wider tyres or a different specification, but it felt more akin to other Chinese SUVs I've experienced, with low-speed understeer, light steering, yet manageable at normal speeds.‌Rating: 6/104th: MG Cyberster - £55,245The Cyberster is a fascinating proposition. It's a two-door electric Anglo-Chinese convertible with scissor doors operated by a button — not exactly commonplace.‌It almost feels like a retro-futuristic interpretation of convertible MGs from yesteryear. The question remains whether it captures that same magic of open-top motoring?Modern convertible sports cars are fairly scarce these days. Although I found the doors, and the requirement to operate them via buttons, somewhat gimmicky, the car's mechanical performance was superior, pulling strongly, even if it felt slightly spongy.The MG is clearly tuned with bumpy British B-roads in mind rather than the first corner at Silverstone — you can feel the suspension bounce as you load up the outside tyres. It's not particularly unpleasant, but if you're expecting European firmness, you won't find it here.‌This isn't necessarily a drawback, as it also feels supple, and would likely prove more comfortable and reassuring on potholed roads than rivals with stiffer suspension setups.Rating: 7/10‌3rd: Nissan Micra - £21,495The latest incarnation of the Nissan Micra is based on the Renault 5, a car that topped my list of the finest vehicles I drove at the Goodwood Media Day. You might assume that, since the Micra shares its underpinnings with the Renault, it would drive identically.Thankfully it doesn't — one of the greatest pitfalls of platform sharing is that a collection of different cars could end up feeling identical. I appreciated the fact that while the Micra shared the same characteristics as the 5 — sharp steering and superb balance — it had its own distinct character.It was slightly softer, rolled a touch more, but was no less capable.‌Rating: 7.5/102nd: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N - £65,800The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N may not have been the most powerful car I drove at the SMMT Test Day — that honour belongs to the Maserati Gran Turismo — but it unquestionably felt the quickest. This is a remarkable piece of machinery, and it can best be summed up in a single word: 'Grip'.‌The corners on Millbrook's handling course tend to tighten mid-corner, so you need a car that responds well to that additional steering input mid-bend.The 5 N rose to the challenge effortlessly, gripping and gripping and gripping and gripping. It was commanding in its ability to navigate corners — like tackling bends on easy mode.It was stable, flat, and utterly natural; no fuss, no understeer, no oversteer, just grip.‌Rating: 8/101st: Kia PV5 - £32,995The Kia PV5 takes the top spot on this list. It may well be a people carrier, but it's no ordinary one — a type of vehicle staging something of a comeback, with rivals from VW also entering this growing segment.Article continues belowThe interior impressed, the practicality won me over, and much like its considerably faster rival above, it handled flat and true. It's certainly no sports car, but it felt thoroughly capable and is arguably one of the most striking everyday vehicles currently on sale.If I were buying one, I'd perhaps opt for larger wheels, but I'm genuinely curious to see how this model develops. It's a little different — and different is no bad thing.Rating: 8.1/10