The best electric cars, according to hackers
40 electric cars were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 7 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The three most recommended electric cars with the badge. Each figure is 10 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Low price, cheap to run
Affordable, well-equipped EVs that many see as matching pricier rivals, though they're blocked or tariffed in the US and critics question parts availability and build quality.
Cheap to buy and run
A practical, inexpensive electric car with decent range and cheap home charging, often bought used. Critics most often cite the touchscreen and on-screen climate controls.
Striking, iconic design
Praised for looks, character and price; the most common caveat is tight rear legroom.
All 40 electric cars, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla vehicles | 209 | 411 | 34% | 13 | 6 yrs24 owners | — |
| 2 | BYD electric cars | 157 | 53 | 75% | 12 | 1 yr3 owners | Approved |
| 3 | Ferrari Luce | 140 | 319 | 31% | 7 | — | — |
| 4 | Tesla Model 3 | 128 | 115 | 53% | 13 | 6 yrs32 owners | — |
| 5 | Rivian electric vehicle | 73 | 54 | 57% | 12 | — | — |
| 6 | Nissan Leaf | 62 | 49 | 56% | 12 | 5 yrs15 owners | — |
| 7 | Chevrolet Bolt | 40 | 16 | 71% | 11 | 3 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| 8 | Renault 5 Electric | 37 | 2 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 9 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 28 | 16 | 64% | 12 | 1 yr3 owners | — |
| 10 | BMW i3 | 26 | 17 | 60% | 9 | 8 yrs5 owners | — |
| 11 | Carice TC2 | 21 | 14 | 60% | 1 | — | — |
| 12 | Hyundai Kona Electric | 18 | 5 | 78% | 8 | 3 yrs5 owners | Approved |
| 13 | Ford Mustang Mach-E | 16 | 15 | 52% | 5 | — | — |
| 14 | Dacia Spring | 14 | 1 | 93% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Tied 15 | Polestar electric car | 13 | 7 | 65% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 15 | Porsche Taycan | 13 | 10 | 57% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 15 | Volkswagen ID.Polo | 13 | 4 | 76% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 18 | Fiat 500e | 11 | 3 | 79% | 7 | 2 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Tied 18 | Hyundai Ioniq | 11 | 6 | 65% | 7 | — | — |
| 20 | Tesla Model 3 and Model Y | 10 | 7 | 59% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 21 | BMW i4 | 9 | 2 | 82% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 21 | Volkswagen ID.3 | 9 | 10 | 47% | 5 | — | — |
| 23 | Renault Zoe | 8 | 2 | 80% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 24 | Polestar 2 | 7 | 5 | 58% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 24 | BYD Dolphin | 7 | 3 | 70% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | BYD Atto 1 | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Volvo EX30 | 6 | 7 | 46% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Toyota bZ | 6 | 1 | 86% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | Honda e | 6 | 7 | 46% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 26 | BYD Seagull | 6 | 1 | 86% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Volkswagen e-Up | 5 | 1 | 83% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Kia EV | 5 | 3 | 63% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | MG4 electric car | 5 | 2 | 71% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | BMW iX3 | 5 | 3 | 63% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Tesla Model S and Model X | 5 | 20 | 20% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Skoda Elroq | 5 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Zeekr | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Denza Z9 GT | 5 | 3 | 63% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Citroen Ami | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 31 | Subaru Trailseeker | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same electric car in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to electric cars that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.