Electric car waiting times revealed

Interest in electric cars is booming, but how long will you have to wait for one once you've placed your order?...

Audi E-tron charging

Waiting times for new electric vehicles are set to be the same as for petrol and diesel models as the new car market recovers from the coronavirus crisis, according to exclusive research by Britain’s leading new car buying platform and consumer champion, What Car?.

The findings come after the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed new car registrations fell by 44.4% in March due to the effects of the coronavirus shutdown. Despite this, electric vehicle registrations rose 197.4% year-on-year in March, reflecting booming interest.

The average waiting time on a new electric car has significantly dropped in the past 12 months, with the majority of new electric vehicles now available within 12 weeks, according to What Car?’s analysis of all 26 electric models currently on sale.

Last year, lead times for some electric cars exceeded more than 12 months, making it nigh-on impossible for buyers to commit to purchasing one.

What Car?’s research has also revealed that eight manufacturers have stock of their electric cars in the UK now, meaning buyers will be able to place an order and have their vehicle delivered within two weeks.

This includes the Tesla Model 3, the winner of the Large Electric Car category at the 2020 What Car? Awards, as well as the all-new third-generation Renault Zoe and the all-new Peugeot e-208. However, both the Renault and Peugeot can take up to 12 or 16 weeks to arrive depending on the exact specification chosen.

Waiting times for the most in-demand electric cars have also fallen. Last year’s overall What Car? Car of the Year Award winner, the Kia e-Niro, had a waiting list that extended to more than a year 12 months ago. As a result of increased supply, its lead time has been halved to 26 weeks.

The longest wait is on Porsche’s first electric car, the Taycan (36 weeks), followed by the Seat Mii electric and Skoda Citigo e IV (26 weeks), though the Skoda Citigo e IV is currently on hold for orders. 

The increased competition for sales between car makers has also led to significant discounts on electric cars being available. The average discount on a new fully electric vehicle is 3.92% or £1455.

Even cars with the shortest lead times, including the all-new Peugeot e-208 and new Renault Zoe, are available with discounts, with the new Zoe reduced by up to £2609 according to exclusive What Car? data.

Some of the biggest discounts can be had on premium electric vehicles, with the Audi E-tron available with a saving of up to £3855, while the Jaguar I-Pace is discounted by up to £2233.


Waiting times for every electric car

Audi E-tron

Audi E-tron front three quarters

Waiting time 12-16 weeks

Read our review or see the latest E-tron deals


BMW i3

BMW i3 94Ah

Waiting time 20 weeks

Read our review or see the latest i3 deals


DS 3 Crossback E-tense

DS 3 Crossback front three quarters

Waiting time 1-8 weeks

Read our review or see the latest E-tense deals


Hyundai Ioniq Electric

Hyundai Ioniq front

Waiting time 18 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Ioniq Electric deals


Hyundai Kona Electric

Hyundai Kona Electric 39kWh

Waiting time 18 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Kona Electric deals


Jaguar I-Pace

Jaguar I-Pace

Waiting time 20 weeks

Read our review or see the latest I-Pace deals


Kia e-Niro

Kia e-Niro 64kWh

Waiting time 26 weeks

Read our review or see the latest e-Niro deals


Kia Soul EV

Kia Soul EV 2020 RHD front tracking

Waiting time 8 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Soul EV deals


MG ZS EV

MG ZS EV front three quarters

Waiting time 1 week

Read our review


Mercedes EQC

Used MercedesEQC 2019-present front cornering

Waiting time 15 weeks

Read our review or see the latest EQC deals


Nissan Leaf

Nissan Leaf

Waiting time 2-12 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Leaf deals


Peugeot e-208

Peugeot e-208 2020 RHD front right tracking

Waiting time 1-16 weeks depending on spec

Read our review or see the latest e-208 deals


Peugeot e-2008

Peugeot e-2008 2019 front tracking shot

Waiting time 6-12 weeks

Read our review


Porsche Taycan

Porsche Taycan 2019 LHD press front cornering

Waiting time 36 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Taycan deals


Renault Twizy

Used Renault Twizy 2012-present

Waiting time 16 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Twizy deals


Renault Zoe

Renault Zoe 2021 front cornering

Waiting time 1-12 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Zoe deals


Seat Mii Electric

Seat Mii Electric front three quarters

Waiting time 26 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Mii Electric deals


Skoda Citigo e IV

Skoda Citigo iV 2019 front tracking (press)

Waiting time 26 weeks, but on hold for orders

Read our review or see the latest Citigo e IV deals


Smart Fortwo EQ

Smart ForTwo EQ 2020 front tracking LHD

Waiting time 1 week

Read our review or see the latest Fortwo EQ deals


Smart Forfour EQ

Smart Forfour EQ

Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model 3 Performance

Waiting time 1-15 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Model 3 deals


Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S 75D

Waiting time 1-15 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Model S deals


Tesla Model X

Tesla Model X Long Range front three quarters

Waiting time 1-15 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Model X deals


Vauxhall Corsa-e

Vauxhall Corsa front - orange

Waiting time 12 weeks

Read our review or see the latest Corsa-e deals


Volkswagen e-Up

Volkswagen e-Up front

Waiting time 1-12 weeks

Read our review or see the latest e-Up deals


Volkswagen e-Golf

Volkswagen e-Golf

Waiting time 1 week

Read our review


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