Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

For electric vehicles, the two biggest selling points are the much lower running costs compared to a combustion-powered car, as well as the increased performance you get as standard. With charging your car typically costing less than what you’d spend on gas, and with fewer moving parts aiming to improve reliability, going for an EV makes perfect sense, depending on how often and where you drive. On the other hand, these cars tend to come with higher upfront price tags due to how much they cost to produce. If something were to go wrong, it could be trickier to repair than a standard gas-powered car.

Only models like the 2026 Nissan Leaf comfortably sit below $35,000 on today’s market. Due to factors like the upfront costs, buyers are still a little hesitant to invest in the technology, leading to steep depreciation for some nameplates. What this also means, though, is that plenty of EVs can be picked up for well under $35,000, even those that make the most of their powertrains to offer blistering acceleration that’s usually reserved for the triple-figure supercars.

Throughout the 2020s, Polestar has been working towards being one of the leading manufacturers in the premium EV segment. It’s still definitely a niche brand, as are many of the best EV-only brands on the market, but it does a great job of holding its own against more established competition with higher production rates. The car that Polestar used to break into the mass market in 2020 was the Polestar 2, which still serves as the flagship model despite the 3 and 4 models now bolstering production.

As a luxury-focused EV brand, the Polestar 2 has never exactly been cheap. But because EVs depreciate, some older models come in under $35,000. Opt for the 2022 model, and you can pick a Polestar 2 up for an average used price of $23,997 for the Long Range Dual Motor trim, according to KBB. Going for this model does mean that you lose the performance upgrades that were rolled out for the 2024 model year, but the 2022 Polestar 2 is still a very capable machine off the line. 

Off the line, the 2022 Polestar 2 can go from 0 to 60 MPH in 4.5 seconds. The Polestar 2 isn’t very small and weighs upwards of 4,000 pounds, so this number allows luxury and performance to merge at a highly enticing price point.

Teddyleung/Getty Images

One of the direct rivals to the Polestar 2 is the Hyundai Ioniq 5. More recently, the Ioniq 5 N has been heavily pushed by the brand to showcase what the electric SUV is capable of, but it’s still in its first model year and has an MSRP of $66,200. The N trim is certainly the standard for electrified performance from the Korean manufacturer, but thanks to its instantaneous power delivery, the standard Ioniq 5 in its higher-specs can be ultra-competitive for acceleration.

As another EV that leans towards luxury, you’ll have to go back a few model years to stay under $35,000. With the Ioniq 5, though, the 2023 model year stays well below that even in its best guise. According to KBB, a 2023 Ioniq 5 Limited can be picked up for around $26,424, down from its MSRP of $53,935. Power comes from two electric motors providing all-wheel drive, allowing the EV to reach 60 MPH in 4.4 seconds, as tested by MotorTrend. Its powertrain produces a solid 320 horsepower and 446 pound-feet of torque, which is lower than the likes of the Polestar 2, but enough to keep it ahead of the pack. 

Moving over to the American automotive industry, the Ford Mustang Mach-E has been one of the leading performance SUVs in the electrified scene and has been on the market long enough to establish itself as a Mustang, despite the controversy surrounding its release. Today, the Mustang Mach-E has a wide array of trims to choose from, all geared towards different conditions and disciplines. For the newest 2026 base trim for the SUV, it comes in just above $35,000, at $37,995. However, the performance can’t be considered close to supercar territory. Those sorts of numbers start with the GT trim, which starts at $54,495 for the brand new model.

However, the 2023 model has depreciated enough for that year’s GT trim to sit at an average price of $30,134, according to KBB. The architecture for the Mustang Mach-E also hasn’t changed in a major way since 2023, meaning you get the same output as the 2026 model. Powered by two electric motors (one on each axle), the 2023 Mach-E GT produces 480 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque, rocketing the compact SUV from 0 to 60 MPH in 3.6 seconds.

Following suit with other performance-oriented electric SUVs, Kia’s entry into the fold follows a sportback-esque design. The EV6 was released onto the American market for the 2022 model year to rival the likes of the Mustang Mach-E, making its mark and then some. The year after its release, the EV6 picked up its fair share of awards, notably with the top-spec GT trim. Picking accolades such as World Performance Car of the Year, the EV6 GT quickly became one of the most enticing electric vehicles on the market. 

As you might expect by now, going back to previous model years can help you save a large chunk of money compared to the modern car. For the 2025 model, the EV6 GT’s larger battery meant that it got a sizable boost in power, and you have to go back to the 2023 model to get a deal consistently under $35,000. At the same time, the newest models come with 641 horsepower, while the prior years sit at 576 horsepower. Still, that’s more than the three previous SUVs on this list, and you can get one for an average price of $26,750, according to KBB. As for its acceleration, the 2023 EV6 GT can go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.2 seconds, a number achieved by multiple testers.

Finally deviating from the SUVs on this list, the Tesla Model S is arguably the most influential electric car ever produced. It wasn’t Tesla’s first car; that was the Roadster sports car. However, in 2012, the startup demonstrated the potential of electric-only power for everyday cars. Today, the Model S is still a core model in the lineup, but being a luxury car, the Model 3 and Model Y sell far better. To get a 2026 Model S, you’ll need to spend at least $94,990 for the all-wheel drive trim. With a base price that high, you’ll need to go a decent way back to get below the maximum budget here.

Before the Plaid trim was released in 2021, the top-spec Model S was the Performance. The Plaid may get below the two-second mark when it comes to acceleration, but the 2020 Model S Performance isn’t actually far behind that at all. At almost six years old, the EV can go from 0 to 60 MPH in just 2.4 seconds, as revealed by Car and Driver‘s testing. Using two electric motors to provide all-wheel drive, the Model S Performance produces 778 horsepower, keeping up with the latest supercars on pure power as well. Unfortunately for the Model S, though, it’s one of the worst-depreciating cars on the road, leading to an average used price of $33,476 for the 2020 Performance trim.