Electric cars might be clean and inexpensive to run, but they’re not generally cheap to buy. That hasn’t stopped people paying big money for Teslas, Audis and the odd posh Mercedes, but there are cheaper options if you look. We cracked open the data files to see if cheap electric cars really exist and see if they offer good value.

Let’s start with a trio of electric cars that are the most affordable, if not the most practical for everyone.

The first is Citroen’s heroically ugly Ami electric city car, which looks like a pregnant Dalek without the sink plungers. This plastic urbanite has a 44 mile range and costs £7,695 in its most basic form.

Another not-here-yet electric city vehicle is the Microlino, which is likely to sell for about £10k. This is a homage to the 1950s-launched BMW Isetta bubble car. Entry to the Microlino is through a single front door - as in, the whole front of the car. Top speed is 56mph and range about 77 miles, not far enough to get it from its Italian factory to Britain, but it will be fun to see it here when right hand drive versions are built.

Add around another £8,000 to the Microlino’s price and we come to the Dacia Spring, a proper five-door car about the size of a Hyundai i10. We reckon for non-motorway driving, this little car would make lot of sense. It has an eight year/100,000 mile battery warranty and a 140 miles range. We’d love to see it on British roads and again we've been told its likely to come here.

Slightly more sensible but a lot more expensive is the Smart EQ Fortwo. It's the perfect car for city driving but the limited range will be an issue if you need to do longer journeys. The price - from £22,225 - will raise an eyebrow though, and the car will be killed off imminently. 

The Microlino - a door, a bubble. And adorable.

Still on the compact side - but a whole lot better in almost every way - is the Fiat 500e. It has four seats and is even available as a convertible, but not if you choose the  a 24kWh  version with a claimed 118 mile range. This is a fun, nicely detailed little car and still one of the most stylish baby hatchbacks around but the starting price of £28.195 means it's hardly a bargain. Look out for deals though - Fiat is currently lopping £3,000 off the price.

That money will buy you the current best value electric car we know of - the MG4. It has a starting price of £26,995 for the SE version with a 51kWh battery, which gives a claimed 218 mile range. It's a proper family-sized car too and is good to drive.

The 500e is great, but is quickly foiled by a set of steps

Shall we include the Vauxhall Corsa Electric? We can hear you screaming; “but it’s not cheap! The entry level one is £34,000” Well, gentle reader, that’s the official version, but we’ve seen dealers regularly knocking £5k from that, so how do you fancy an electric Corsa for £29k? What you’d get is a car that looks and drives in an ordinary way, has standard charging up to 100kW and will keep going for 200 miles between top ups.

You can’t buy an MG5 estate for less than £30,995, so on paper it isn’t a cheap car either, but in the metal for money stakes the MG5 is a bargain. We think real world drivers, from mini cabbers to families, appreciate the kit (Bluetooth and reversing camera are standard) space and the seven year warranty. Range? Officially 250 miles.

Mazda’s oddball MX-30 electric sport utility costs from £31,250 which is only a bit more expensive than the MG, but has cloudier affordability credentials. For a start is only has a 124 mile range, thanks to smaller batteries. You get re-cycled cork lined centre consoles, and odd, tiny back-to-front rear side doors and their associated blind spots. Until the juice runs out it’s nice enough to drive, but it might suit a narrow niche of drivers who fancy sitting up high in cities and plug in at night.

The Volkswagen ID.3 might not appear to hail from the bargain basement, costing from £36,000. This is hardly people’s car money for a car VW hopes will repeat the sales success of the Golf and Beetle. However, there are some deals to be done especially if you are buying on finance. 

If you'd like similar space without the price tag (and don't mind a daft slogan on the back of your car, how about a BYD Dolphin? BYD’s entry-level model has the potential to be a real game-changer thanks to its clever cabin and sector-best range figure. Pricing hasn't been confirmed yet, but we expect it to be around £27,000.

If that's a bit too crazy-looking or you just prefer to stick to a brand you know, Nissan's Leaf is still plodding along and looks great value too. Prices start at £28,995 and its still a practical, fun-to-drive, no compromise family hatchback with decent tech.

Have we missed anything? Let us know!

The Dolphin is a car with a porpoise