Future cars that will define an era: 2025-2030

As we approach the mid-point in the 2020s, one thing has become very clear: the future of the industry is in electric cars.

Historic names including Alfa Romeo and Jaguar plan to go electric-only well before the end of the decade, joining a dizzying array of new start-ups in contending for a slice of the market.

Welcome to our guide to some of the most exciting cars hitting the market between 2025 and 2030, covering everything from cute city cars like the revived Renault Twingo to extravagant supercars including a new Audi R8.

If 2025 is too long to wait, why not consult our guide to all the new cars coming in 2024?

Aehra SUV

The first model to come from Italian EV start-up Aehra will be a £155,000 coupé-SUV designed to carry four NBA basketball players in comfort. It will be powered by a three-motor powertrain outputting 794bhp.

Everything we know about the Aehra SUV

Aehra Sedan

The Aehra Sedan is a sleeker foil to the Aehra SUV, with a more aerodynamic body that will supposedly allow a range of 497 miles between charges. Nailing the “basic physics” is the priority for the saloon according to engineering chief Franco Cimatti, who was previously responsible for developing Lotus’s EPA platform. 

Everything we know about the Aehra Sedan

Alfa Romeo 4E

The Alfa Romeo 4E will serve as a brand-building halo model amid the brand’s shift to offering solely electric cars. Product boss Daniel Guzzafame said a new Alfa Spider would become “within reach” once the brand has five EVs in its line-up, suggesting it won’t arrive until after 2027.

Everything we know about the Alfa Romeo 4E

Alfa Romeo Giulia

The Giulia saloon will move onto Alfa parent firm Stellantis’s radical new STLA Medium platform as it goes electric. It will retain its sporting character, though, with the Giulia Quadrifoglio sports saloon promised to offer outputs of up to 1000bhp.

Everything we know about the next Alfa Romeo Giulia

Alfa Romeo GTV successor

Alfa design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos has confirmed that design work on a new coupé, inspired by the famed SZ, continues behind the scenes. He hinted that it could make production if the brand’s fortunes continue to improve under Stellantis stewardship and that it would likely be a variant of the Giulia (above). 

Everything we know about Alfa Romeo’s SZ-inspired coupé

Alfa Romeo large electric saloon

Alfa will launch a BMW 5 Series rival around 2027, aiming it primarily at the Chinese and North American markets. It will sit above the Giulia in the brand’s line-up, prioritising range and passenger space while retaining the performance expected of an Alfa. 

Everything we know about Alfa Romeo’s new large saloon

Alpine A110 

The electric follow-up to one of the past decade’s most celebrated sports cars will use a bespoke platform, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo confirmed after Alpine and Lotus ended talks to co-develop an electric sports car. The Alpine É-Ternite concept provides a first look at what we can expect from the electric A110, offering a single 239bhp motor and enough batteries to drive 261 miles between charges. It’s 258kg heavier than the current A110, at 1378kg in total.

Everything we know about the electric Alpine A110

Alpine A310

The rakish Alpine A310 of the ’70s will be reborn as an electric GT, as part of the French brand’s expansion to a seven-car line-up. It will be based on the same Alpine Performance Platform (APP) as the next A110, due in 2027, but offer more practical 2+2 seating – loosely mirroring the relationship between the Porsche 718 Cayman and the Porsche 911.

Everything we know about the new Alpine A310

Alpine electric SUVs

As part of Alpine’s push into new ‘lifestyle’ segments it will launch D- and E-segment electric SUVs, aiming to translate the A110’s dynamic appeal into more family-friendly packages. This will require “various technical solutions”, according to the brand’s head of design, Antony Villain, such as torque vectoring and four-wheel steering. “We want something high-performance, sporty and energised,” said Villain. “We don’t want something that just goes in straight lines super-quickly.”

Everything we know about Alpine’s upcoming electric SUVs

Ariel Hipercar

The Ariel Hipercar certainly lives up to its name, packing four electric motors which combined to output a mammoth 1180bhp. It justifies its jet-fighter looks, too, with a gas-turbine range-extender that helps to keep its 62kWh battery topped up.

Ariel Hipercar review

Ariel Nomad EV

Ariel and three partners have secured around £300,000 in funding from the UK’s Niche Vehicle Network (NVN) to develop a production-ready electric variant of its Nomad buggy. Autocar understands that a battery-powered prototype has already been built.

Everything we know about the electric Ariel Nomad

Aston Martin electric SUV

Aston Martin’s first electric car will be a rapid SUV powered by battery and motor technologies from Lucid. The nascent American EV brand claims its current-generation drive outputs are capable of outputting up to 670bhp while weighing slightly less than 74kg apiece.

Everything we know about Aston Martin’s first electric car

Audi A3 successor

The current Audi A3 will be replaced by an all-new model based on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform later this decade. It may be sold in parallel with a heavily-updated ICE model – similar to the A4, A6 and Q5.

Everything we know about the electric Audi A3

Audi R8 successor

Audi is set to base its follow-up to the R8 atop a bespoke EV platform that it’s co-developing with Porsche. Work is said to be well under way on the new supercar, tipped to offer a greater power output than any other car in Audi’s line-up.

Everything we know about the electric Audi R8 successor 

Audi electric 4×4

Audi bosses are plotting a new go-anywhere 4×4 to rival the Land Rover Defender. It could borrow its underpinnings from new sibling brand Scout’s upcoming SUV and pick-up truck, offering steep departure angles and the ground clearance needed to traverse tricky terrain.

Everything we know about Audi’s electric 4×4

Bentley EV

Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark previously confirmed that its future EVs could offer double the power of its famed W12 petrol engine and ranges on a par with its current models. The electric line-up will mirror today’s cars – Flying Spur, Bentayga, Continental GT and Continental GTC – and add a brand-new model into the mix. 

Everything we know about Bentley’s first electric car

BMW 3 Series Neue Klasse

The BMW Vision Neue Klasse concept unveiled at the Munich motor show is our first look at the future of the 3 Series. The radical saloon will be the first in a new crop of electric cars promised to offer a generational leap in technologies, with 30% more range, 30% faster charging and 25% greater efficiency.

Everything we know about BMW’s Neue Klasse revolution

BMW M3 Neue Klasse

The Neue Klasse 3 Series is also set to spawn the first electric M3, premiering a “crazy” new ‘Heart of Joy’ chassis control computer. This is said to enable dynamic performance superlative to today’s petrol-engined model.

Everything we know about the electric BMW M3

BMW iX3 Neue Klasse

BMW’s Neue Klasse revolution won’t be limited to saloons; a new iX3 SUV has already been spotted testing on public roads ahead of its introduction later this decade. It’s set to provide the same leaps in performance as the 3 Series but with greater interior space.

 

Everything we know about the Neue Klasse BMW iX3

Caterham Project V

Caterham stunned crowds at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed with its vision of an electric sports car: three seats, 1190kg, 249 miles of range and a price tag of less than £80,000. It could hit production as soon as 2026, at a rate of around 2000 cars per year.

Everything we know about the Caterham Project V

Citroën ë-C3 Aircross

The Citroën C3 Aircross will become an electric seven-seater as it enters its second generation. Autocar understands that it will use the new Smart Car platform that underpins the new ë-C3, but stretched significantly to offer sufficient room for seven occupants.

Everything we know about the next Citroën C3 Aircross

Cupra Raval

Seat’s sporting sibling brand will launch a fun-focused version of the Volkswagen ID 2 later this decade. Inspired by the formerly UrbanRebel concept, the Raval is an electric hatchback that offer a range of 273 miles for around £25,000.

Everything we know about the Cupra Raval

Dacia Sandero

Dacia CEO Denis Le Vot recently revealed that the Sandero supermini will adopt electric power in 2027 or 2028. It will keep the same value ethos as the brand’s current cars, with a shorter range and longer charge times than rivals to keep prices low.

Everything we know about the electric Dacia Sandero

Fisker Alaska

The Fisker Alaska is effectively a pick-up variant of the Ocean SUV, underpinned by an extended version of the firm’s FT31 architecture. It features several practicality-boosting innovations including a so-called ‘Houdini divider’, which drops the bulkhead to connect the cabin directly to the load bay. The entry-level 75kWh model will offer a range of 230 miles for a price of around $45,000 (£35,000).

Everything we know about the Fisker Alaska

Fisker Pear

The Fisker Pear will be the most affordable model in the American brand’s line-up when it arrives in 2025, priced from $29,900 (around £24,000). The hatchback will offer a range of 198 miles in entry specification, but a larger battery yielding 348 miles will also be available.

Everything we know about the Fisker Pear

Fisker Ronin

Every brand worth its salt needs a halo car, and here’s Fisker’s: a convertible claimed (perhaps optimistically) to have a range of more than 600 miles and more than 1000bhp. Development will take place at Fisker’s new Magic Works facility in the UK, with the start of production earmarked for the end of 2025.

Everything we know about the Fisker Ronin

GMA T33

The second supercar from Gordon Murray Automotive is pitched as a “more practical” alternative to the three-seat T50. It drops the T50’s fan-assisted aerodynamics in favour of a more simple passive set-up. Its 3.9-litre Cosworth V12 has also been adapted to improve low-speed torque, with a reduced rev limit of 11,100rpm (down from 12,000rpm). “If you can have only one supercar,” said GMA founder and boss Gordon Murray, “the T33 is designed to be the one you should have.”

Everything we know abotu the GMA T33 and T33 Spider

Honda Prelude

Honda confirmed at the 2023 Tokyo motor show that it will revive the Prelude, bringing it back as a sleek hybrid-engined coupé. Honda president and CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, urged the public to “keep your expectations high”. 

Everything we know about the new Honda Prelude

Ineos electric 4×4

Ineos will follow the Grenadier with a smaller electric 4×4 that’s set to arrive in 2026. It will be developed and built by Magna Steyr – which currently builds the Jaguar I-Pace and BMW Z4, among several other models – in Austria.

Everything we know about Ineos’s small electric 4×4

Jaguar electric GT

Jaguar’s electric rebirth will begin with a radical four-door GT based on the all-new JEA platform. It will be unveiled in 2024 and go in sale in 2025 at a starting price north of £100,000. 

Everything we know about Jaguar’s electric GT

Jaguar electric limousine

Autocar exclusively uncovered the news that Jaguar is working on an electric limousine to serve as an indirect replacement to the XJ. Early details suggest it will output more than 450bhp, sprint from 0-62mph in between 3.0sec and 3.8sec, top out at 155mph and offer a range of at least 385 miles.

Everything we know about Jaguar’s large electric limo

Jaguar electric SUV

Joining the Jaguar GT and limousine will be a Bentley Bentayga-sized luxury SUV. It will be based on the same JEA platform, with a similar divergent design language and long range.

Kia EV2

Kia will launch a European-focused small crossover in 2026, trading the long range and rapid charging speed of its stablemates for a more affordable price tag of around £25,000. 

Everything we know about the Kia EV2

Kia EV4

The spiritual successor to the Kia Stinger will be a high-tech electric saloon designed to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and interior space. It’s set to go on sale alongside the EV2. 

Everything we know about the Kia EV4

Kia EV5

The Kia EV5 will be an electric alternative to the popular Sportage SUV, with a family-friendly interior design. The rear seat can fold fully flat, for example, and there’s a storage compartment in the boot capable of keeping food and beverages hot or cold. Pricing is expected to open around £40,000.

Everything we know about the Kia EV5

Lamborghini Lanzador

The four-seat Lanzador concept is our first look at Lamborghini’s first EV, set to arrive in 2028. It’s hailed as a “laboratory on wheels” and features an abundance of sustainable materials, including Merino wool, recycled plastics and carbon strands.

Everything we know about the Lamborghini Lanzador

Land Rover ‘baby’ Defender

As part of its reorganisation into a ‘House of Brands’, JLR is set to drastically expand its model offering within each of its sub-brands. Defender is expected to launch an entry-level model as a twin to the next-generation Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar and Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Everything we know about the ‘baby’ Land Rover Defender

Lexus LF-ZC and LF-ZL

Lexus unveiled its future at the Tokyo motor show with the LF-ZC and LF-ZL concepts, a pair of electric flagships premiering a new modular architecture. The production version of each car is set to offer a major increase in electric range – up to 621 miles, in the case of the LF-ZC.

Everything we know about the Lexus LF-ZC and LF-ZL

Lexus LFA successor

Lexus last year confirmed the electric follow-up to the legendary V10-engined LFA supercar will use a GT3 racing-specification chassis, new electronic steering and even a manual gearbox to boost driver engagement. 

Everything we know about the electric Lexus LFA successor 

Lotus Type 134

Lotus’s rival to the Porsche Macan is expected to utilise a variant of the EPA architecture that underpins the Eletre and Emeya, also sharing technologies with those two models. It expects the crossover to account for half of its annual sales by 2028.

Everything we know about the Lotus Type 134

Lotus Type 135

Despite its split from Alpine, Lotus continues to work on the electric follow-up to the legendary Elise. It will be built around the all-new Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture (Leva) with mid-mounted batteries, aping the weight distribution of classical mid-engined sports cars.

Everything we know about the Lotus Type 135

Mazda MX-5

The centrepiece of Mazda’s Tokyo motor show stand in 2023 provided a vision of the future for the MX-5, featuring a rotary-electric powertrain capable of delivering 370bhp. It’s expected to influence a production car arriving after 2026.

Everything we know about the electric Mazda MX-5 successor

McLaren P1 successor

The long-awaited follow-up to Mclaren’s trailblazing hybrid supercar is set to use electric power when it arrives at the end of this decade. It will be comparable weight-wise to the 750S, and “has to outperform what we do on an ICE”, according to CEO Michael Leiters.

Everything we know about the McLaren P1’s electric successor

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes is taking the fight back to Audi and BMW with the next-generation CLA, which will adopt electric power for the first time. “Pretty much everything” on the Concept CLA will translate to the production car, according to design boss Gorden Wagener, who highlighted its star-shaped daytime running lights and new light-up grille.

Everything we know about the next Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupé

The replacement for Mercedes-AMG’s high-powered GT 4-Door Coupé will be similarly brutal in a straight line, adopting an electric powertrain whose output could nudge 1000bhp. Prototypes are expected to hit the road in the coming months ahead of a 2025 launch.

Everything we know about the electric Mercedes-AMG GT63 replacement

MG Marvel R

MG will launch the successor to the Marvel R SUV in the UK after the market was snubbed for the current-generation SUV. It’s expected to be built on the same Modular Scalable Platform as the MG 4 EV hatchback, with battery sizes of up to 150kWh.

Everything we know about the next MG Marvel R

Nissan GT-R

The current Nissan GT-R has been on sale in various markets since 2007, yet it’s only now that Nissan is beginning to hint at its electric successor with the Hyper Force concept. It delivers 1341bhp through all four wheels and could become the first production car to use solid-state batteries, which Nissan has promised to introduce in 2028.

Everything we know about the Nissan GT-R’s electric future

Nissan Juke and Qashqai

Nissan has confirmed that the replacements to today’s Juke and Qashqai crossovers will go electric and that they will continue to be built in Sunderland – welcome news for the UK’s ailing car industry. 

Porsche Mission X

The Porsche Mission X is a hypercar concept that previews a potential electric successor to the Carrera GT and 918 Spyder, with a possible power output of around 1500bhp. Described by Porsche boss Oliver Blume as a “technology beacon”, it aims to capture the record lap time for a road-legal car at the Nürburgring.

Everything we know about the Porsche Mission X

Porsche ‘K1’

Porsche will use the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming SSP Sport architecture for a seven-seat luxury SUV positioned above the Cayenne. It has been tipped to receive 920V electricals, with lighter-weight wiring and faster charging than PPE-based models. 

Everything we know about the Porsche ‘K1’

Porsche Boxster and Cayman

Porsche’s first electric sports car will be the next-generation Boxster and Cayman twins. Testing is currently underway, and Porsche recently confirmed that each model will be built at its Zuffenhausen, Germany, factory on a new ‘flexiline’. This will allow two different generations of the sports car, using two different powertrains, to be built side-by-side.

Everything we know about the electric Porsche Boxster and Cayman

Renault 4

The Renault 4 is scheduled to arrive in 2025, reinventing the classic family car as a trendy crossover atop the new Renault 5’s electric underpinnings. It will prioritise practicality to differentiate itself from the supermini, which will come a year earlier.

Everything we know about the new Renault 4

Renault Twingo

Renault boss Luca de Meo’s retro revolution continues with a revival of the original Twingo city car. It promises to offer “best-in-class” efficiency of 6.2mpkWh and 75% fewer CO2 emissions over its lifespan than the average ICE car currently sold in Europe. Perhaps best of all, it will be cheap, at less than £17,000. 

Everything we know about the new Renault Twingo

Skoda 7S

Skoda will launch a large seven-seat electric SUV, heavily inspired by the Vision 7S concept, in 2026. The so-called ‘Space’ model will be underpinned by the Volkswagen Group’s MEB architecture and feature a new 86kWh battery, which should deliver a range of around 300 miles.

We drive the Skoda Vision 7S concept

Tesla Model 2

Recent reports suggest that Tesla will build its long-awaited entry-level electric car, speculatively known as the Model 2, in Berlin. It’s tipped to hit the market at around £21,500, rivalling a wave of new Chinese hatchbacks, including the BYD Dolphin and MG 4 EV.

Everything we know about the Tesla Model 2

Toyota Celica

Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda has expressed his desire for the Celica to return, and it’s possible that this could take place as the petrol GR86 is phased out. Such a model would likely use Toyota’s new modular architecture, which underpins the new MR2-style FT-Se concept, with a more traditional ‘front-engine’ coupé bodystyle.

Everything we know about hte return of the Toyota Celica

Toyota FT-3e

The Toyota FT-3e introduces a new architecture and software platform that are set to transform the brand’s electric cars. The latter, dubbed Arene, will allow for conventional Toyotas to emulate the dynamic feel of some of its most divergent vehicles, such as simulating the power delivery of the old Lexus LFA’s naturally aspirated V10.

Everything we know about the Toyota FT-3e

Toyota FT-Se

The FT-Se concept is our first look at the future of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing sub-division. It’s an MR2-style electric sports car similar in proportion to today’s GR Supra and features the same Arene operating software as the FT-3e that allows its dynamic character to evolve with updates. It may also offer Toyota’s simulated manual gearbox to improve driver engagement. 

Everything we know about the Toyota FT-Se

Volkswagen ID 2 and ID GTI

This could be one of the most important electric cars arriving in the coming years. The ID 2all concept is a Polo-sized electric supermini with interior space to match the Golf, thanks to the new MEB Entry platform. It’s promised to go on sale at less than £22,000, thanks in large part to its use of a 38kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery. It could also spawn the first electric GTI, as previewed by the ID GTI concept.

Everything we know about the Volkswagen ID 2 and ID GTI