Advert
The electric SUV is now the default new car for most British families. New data from national leasing broker First Vehicle Leasing, based on more than a year of customer enquiries, reveals the five electric SUVs UK drivers have asked about most in 2026 — and confirms that the market has shifted decisively in favour of some manufacturers over others.
Every enquiry submitted to First Vehicle Leasing across 2026 — through its website, its online configurators, its phone lines and its business leasing team — has been aggregated to identify which electric vehicles are drawing the highest level of interest from British drivers. When that dataset is filtered down to SUVs only, the five cars below are the ones UK buyers are asking about most, in order of enquiry volume.
Two headline observations stand out. First, Kia takes two of the top three slots — a remarkable performance for any single manufacturer in any segment. Second, the five SUVs on the list span a wide range of size and price, from compact urban crossovers under £30,000 list to long-range family SUVs comfortably north of £45,000, and yet all five are drawing strong demand. The electric SUV is no longer a single body style competing for a single buyer; it is now a whole market.
160 kW / 214 PS · 81.4 kWh battery · 313 mile WLTP range · 0-62 mph in 8.4 seconds
Kia’s mid-sized electric SUV is the most in-demand electric SUV of 2026, according to First Vehicle Leasing’s enquiry data — and it’s not difficult to see why. The EV5 slots between the smaller EV3 (which appears further down this list) and the seven-seat EV9, giving Kia a five-seat family SUV at exactly the size and price point most British buyers are now looking for.
The GT-Line S model driving the bulk of enquiries pairs a front-mounted 214 PS motor with an 81.4 kWh battery. WLTP range is 313 miles. 0-62 mph takes 8.4 seconds. DC charging is rated at up to 141 kW, giving a 10-80% top-up in around 30 minutes — not class-leading, because Kia has chosen a 400V rather than 800V architecture for the EV5, but acceptable.
The equipment list is what has pushed the EV5 to the top of the SUV rankings. GT-Line S is the range-topping trim and includes adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, full ADAS, heated and ventilated front seats and a panoramic dual-screen dashboard. Add Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty and the value proposition is genuinely difficult to fault.
160kW GT-Line S 81.4kWh 5dr Auto
Lease length 48 months
Annual mileage 5,000 miles
Initial rental 12 months
View Kia EV5 deal on First Vehicle Leasing →
210 kW / 286 PS · 77 kWh battery · 374 mile WLTP range · 0-62 mph in 6.4 seconds
The Ford Explorer is built on Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform — the same architecture that underpins the ID.4 further down this list. But Ford has spent a reported $2 billion converting its Cologne plant to build the car and it genuinely drives like a Ford, not like a rebadged ID.4. That distinction has translated into strong demand: the Explorer sits comfortably in second place across the year.
The Select 77 kWh model that has drawn most interest uses a 286 PS rear-mounted motor and the larger extended-range battery. WLTP range is 374 miles, the highest figure in the top five. 0-62 mph takes 6.4 seconds. DC charging is rated at up to 185 kW, giving a 10-80% top-up in 26 minutes.
The interior is where the Explorer separates itself from its German cousin. The tilting 14.6-inch SYNC Move touchscreen is the largest display Ford has ever fitted to a passenger car, and the lockable ‘My Private Locker’ compartment hidden behind it is a genuinely useful original touch. Cargo space is 470 litres with the rear seats up. A heat pump is, disappointingly, an extra-cost option.
210kW Select 77kWh 5dr Auto
Lease length 48 months
Annual mileage 5,000 miles
Initial rental 12 months
View Ford Explorer deal on First Vehicle Leasing →
150 kW / 201 PS · 81.4 kWh battery · 347 mile WLTP range · 0-62 mph in 7.7 seconds
The Kia EV3 is the second Kia in the top three, which gives some sense of how strongly the brand is performing across the UK electric SUV market in 2026. Where the EV5 above it targets the family SUV mainstream, the EV3 is smaller and pitched lower. Rivals include the Volvo EX30, Ford Puma Gen-E and Vauxhall Frontera Electric.
The GT-Line variant that has drawn most interest uses the larger 81.4 kWh battery, delivering a WLTP range of 347 miles. That is the longest range figure of any compact electric SUV in the FVL database, comfortably ahead of every direct rival. 0-62 mph takes 7.7 seconds from the 201 PS front motor. DC charging is up to 128 kW.
Cabin space is genuinely impressive for the footprint. The i-Pedal one-pedal driving mode is one of the most refined in the segment. And the styling — a deliberate echo of the EV9’s boxy stance — has been one of the surprise hits of the year. As with all Kia EVs, the seven-year warranty is standard.
148kW GT-Line 81.4kWh 5dr Auto
Lease length 24 months
Annual mileage 5,000 miles
Initial rental 12 months
View Kia EV3 deal on First Vehicle Leasing →
155 kW / 204 PS · 61.1 kWh battery · 248 mile WLTP range · 0-62 mph in 7.5 seconds
Jaecoo is one of three Chery-owned brands now targeting the UK market, and the Jaecoo 5 — sold in electric form as the E5 — is the brand’s compact SUV entry. At 4.38 metres long it sits in the same footprint as a Hyundai Kona Electric or Kia EV3, but undercuts both on price. Its fourth-place finish, against established European and Korean rivals, is one of the most notable stories in the FVL data for 2026.
The Luxury 61 kWh model pairs a 204 PS front motor with a 61.1 kWh LFP battery, delivering 248 miles of WLTP range and 0-62 mph in 7.5 seconds. The headline limitation is DC charging speed, which tops out at 80 kW — a 10-80% top-up takes around 40 minutes, noticeably slower than rivals like the Kia EV3 or the Ford Explorer. For drivers who do most of their charging at home overnight, this matters less than it sounds.
The cabin is the real story. A Range Rover Evoque-inspired interior treatment. A portrait-orientated 13.2-inch touchscreen. Standard Sony audio, a panoramic glass roof and genuine soft-touch materials throughout. For a brand that didn’t exist in the UK at the start of 2025, a top-five finish is a remarkable result.
155kW Luxury 61kWh 5dr Auto
Lease length 48 months
Annual mileage 5,000 miles
Initial rental 12 months
View Jaecoo E5 deal on First Vehicle Leasing →
210 kW / 286 PS · 77 kWh battery · 351 mile WLTP range · 0-62 mph in 6.7 seconds
The ID.4 has been in production since 2020 and remains the foundational car in Volkswagen’s electric line-up. The Match Pro 77 kWh model driving enquiries throughout 2026 is the rear-wheel-drive single-motor version with the larger of the two batteries on offer. Fifth place reflects exactly the role this car now plays in the British market — the default, established electric SUV that many buyers use as the benchmark against which every other car on this list is compared.
The numbers are middle-of-the-road in 2026 terms. 286 PS, 351 miles of WLTP range, 0-62 mph in 6.7 seconds. DC charging is rated at 175 kW. None of these figures will set any benchmark records.
What the ID.4 does well is the sum of its parts. The chassis is properly engineered. Motorway refinement is excellent. The boot is 543 litres. And, critically, the on-board software has improved meaningfully through repeated updates, addressing the criticism the car received at launch. Match Pro adds a heat pump, 19-inch wheels, matrix LED headlights, adaptive cruise control and a heated steering wheel as standard. It is the safe, sensible, sane choice in the top five — and the consistent flow of enquiries through 2026 suggests UK drivers still want exactly that.
210kW Match Pro 77kWh 5dr Auto
Lease length 48 months
Annual mileage 5,000 miles
Initial rental 12 months
View Volkswagen ID.4 deal on First Vehicle Leasing →
