Ginny Buckley
5 Aug 2024There are now almost 10 million pet dogs in the UK, so it's no surprise that the Electrifying team are often asked is: "What's the best electric car for my dog?"
As a group of dog lovers ourselves, we've decided to put together a list of our favourites to help you make the right choice for you, your family and your furry friend. Here's our rundown of the best electric cars for travelling with dogs.
The MG 5 is a great choice for dogs that like to ride in the boot of a car. It has one of the lowest load lips on the electric market, meaning it's easier for even the smallest dogs to jump into the boot. Not only that, but the 578-litres of boot space gives your pet plenty of space, with the height of the boot suitable for up to medium-sized doggos.
In fact, animal charities say that the height of the boot is more important than the overall space in your boot for dogs. This is because your pooch should be able to sit up comfortably in the boot while travelling, so you might want to take a tape measure along when you're choosing your new family car. Don't forget that if you do prefer your pooch to travel in the boot of a vehicle, you should fit a dog guard for both their safety and yours while travelling.
Another reason for choosing the MG 5 is how calming the car is to drive. The suspension and regenerative braking are set so that the ride is incredibly smooth, which could help prevent your dog from getting travel sick. Of course, another way to help is to make sure you don't feed your pet for a couple of hours before travelling.
If you need a bit more space for your family or your dog prefers to travel in a crate, the Skoda Enyaq iV could be the best choice for you. At 585 litres, the boot's large enough for small crates even without dropping the seats, but if you do fold them down, the 1,710 litres of space allows for much larger crates. Of course, you do need to double check that your crate is small enough to pass through either the rear door or the boot.
If you have crate-trained your dog and they feel safe in one, using one to transport them in the car could decrease their anxiety. It also doubles up as a safety feature, keeping both you and your pet safe while driving. You will need to find a way to secure it to the car however, especially if you are using it with the rear seats folded.
The other great reason to choose an Enyaq iV is the range. With well over 300 miles on a charge, you are able to travel that bit further away to find new and interesting places to walk together without the added extra consideration of finding a public charge point on the way.
Of course you love your dog, but you're important too. With the spacious interior and suite of driver tech available, it's a nice place to be for both you and your pet.
If you want a cheaper car for shorter, urban journeys, the Mazda MX-30 is actually a good option for buyers who need a little more space. With big discounts and great finance deals, the MX-30 is one of the cheapest electric cars you can buy, and it has a surprisingly spacious boot that's great for small- to mid-sized dogs.
It is only really useful if you are happy for your dog to travel while attached with a harness or behind a dog guard, as there's no way a crate will fit in through the tiny rear door holes. But this is the genius part: Those strange rear-hinged back doors make loads of sense for dogs that are eager to run out past you as soon as you have unhooked their seatbelt, because you can kind of pen the dog in.
While we're talking about seatbelts for dogs, you should always sit your furry friends in the rear seat. If you had an accident, the passenger seat airbags could cause your pet severe injury if they went off.
Of course the Mazda's range isn't particularly impressive, but if you mostly travel short distances and you need more space than a FIAT 500e will give you, the MX-30 could be ideal. Mind you, with new, affordable electric cars like the Dacia Spring, Hyundai INSTER and Citroen e-C3 arriving in 2024, the MX-30's days as one of the cheapest five-door electric cars in the UK are numbered...
This one is a bit of a group suggestion, largely because the feature we like is fitted on all Tesla models; the Dog Mode!
Yes, all Teslas have a mode you can set and control via your phone app or the car's screen to keep the climate inside your vehicle at a steady temperature when you leave your pet in the car for a short period of time. While you're away from the vehicle, the main screen displays a message to reassure passers-by that the climate control is on, and that your dog is comfortable.
If the battery goes below 20%, a notification is sent to your phone to prompt you to get back to your car. Of course, this feature is only meant to be used for a very short amount of time, despite how wonderful it is. Have a gander at our reviews of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, with the latter being a better bet if you want the convenience of Dog Mode and a very sizeable boot...
We know you're happy to see this one in the list. It's one of the most searched cars on Electrifying.com and we can understand why. Nothing can compare to its charging speeds in this price range, which is important when you have a furry companion to keep occupied at public charge points.
Our main reason for including it is the EV6's low load height, which makes it easier for smaller dogs to jump into the boot. There's also a reasonable amount of space inside, making it a good option for families with small or medium dogs.
The EV6 is also great if you're new to electric cars, as it has a suite of technology that makes driving easier without taking away the fun. The car will adjust the amount of brake regeneration depending on the distance you are away from other traffic, your speed, hills and curves, choosing the best way to use energy.
Still on the Kia range, the EV9 is one of the finest dog-wagons that you can buy. But you'll need a lot of money to buy it... If you've got the cash, and you want a big, long range electric car that'll comfortably accommodate even a big dog, the Kia is a fantastic option. It'll cover up to 349 miles in between charges, and the huge, seven-seat interior makes it a brilliantly versatile family car as it can comfortably seat seven adults. However, it's not about the people here; it's all about the dogs, and with the third row of seats folded you get over 800-litres of boot space.
You also get air-con vents in the boot area, so that you can easily keep the dogs cool on a hot day.
Another option with a low load lip and a lot of boot space for your pooch to jump in and travel comfortably in the boot. It also has a decent range of 285 miles, but it is more expensive than some of the others in the list.
The iX3 is also great to drive, with responsive steering, hardly any roll and a suite of driver assistance systems. Its luxurious feel will be welcomed by both your family and your dog.
Another option with a long range and large boot is the Audi Q6 e-Tron. The official WLTP range of 381-miles makes this one of the longer range cars on sale, and the 526-litre boot will give your pooch room to spread out, or should be big enough for most dog crates.
It's also lovely to drive with a wealth of technology, and enough space for the entire family.
Ok, so it's not the most stylish way for you and your dog to get around, but sometimes you just need more space. A lot of our recommendations are great for dogs up to a medium size, but what if you have a huge dog yet don't have a huge budget?
The van-like Citroen e-Berlingo has so much space and height in the back that even the largest dog can travel in comfort. It allows you to drive in relative comfort too, with a decent infotainment system, steering mounted controls and air-conditioning as standard. It also has a wealth of driver assistance systems, including rear cameras and radar sensors.
If you're looking for a mid-size SUV, then the Explorer could be a good option for you. At 4.45-metres long it's usefully shorter than alternatives like the Skoda Enyaq, so is a bit easier to squeeze into awkward car parks, yet it gets a very healthy 470-litres of boot space. The range is very good, too, and goes up to 374-miles if you go for the bigger battery model. There are also some good finance deals and savings already popping up on the Explorer, so you may find it more affordable than the brochure price suggests...
The Peugeot E-5008 is a practical, seven-seat electric SUV that has one of the biggest boots of any electric car. It gets more than 900-litres of space! That's properly huge, so you definitely want to look at this one if you're catering for a Great Dane, Newfoundland or any of those other big, slobbery bundles of fun. It also rides comfortably, and you can carry seven people in decent comfort when you haven't got a boot full of canine.
Not only that - you can get the E-5008 with big battery for a very impressive range of up to 410 miles, but it makes more sense with the smaller battery, when it's also very decent value yet still manages a decent WLTP range of 311 miles.
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