The best-selling car in the UK has gone electric.

Having topped the new model sales charts for the last two years, Ford has fitted its volume-selling Puma with a battery in a bid to take over the EV registrations leaderboard too. 

From the outside – apart from a few tweaks like the three-stripe big cat headlights and closed grille – the new electric Puma Gen-E looks almost identical to its combustion-engined sibling, so it’s not going to put any noses out of joint.

But underneath the familiar bodywork is a completely revised electric drivetrain and chassis upgrades that will make it feel very different to drive to the petrol Puma we’ve come to know and love. 

The big question is, does it still have all the ingredients that has seen Britons buy more Pumas than any other car over the last 24 months?

We’ve been testing Ford’s touted ‘best ever Puma’ at the official launch in Spain to see if it will appeal to both EV converts and those still dead against owning a battery-powered car…

Petrol Puma’s best-selling credentials

Before we get into the new Puma Gen-E, it’s worth a brief reminder about the sales success of the standard car.

Ford launched the Puma in 2019, reintroducing a nameplate previously reserved for its mid-nineties, affordably-priced, two-door coupe.

This time, the Puma badge has been stamped onto the bootlid of a compact ‘crossover’ – a growing segment that is showing no sign of waning right now.

It replaced the best-selling Fiesta – on which it is mechanically based and shares a platform – as the growing demand for SUVs led Ford to substitute its iconic small car with a jacked-up alternative.

In 2023, the year Fiesta production ended, Puma became the UK’s best-selling new car.

With 49,591 registrations, it dethroned the Nissan Qashqai by 7,270 sales that year and in 2024 Ford sold a further 48,340 Pumas to take the number one spot for a second consecutive term. 

Ford says more than two in five (43 per cent) of all new cars it delivers in Britain are Pumas today.

The electric Puma: Ford’s first sub-£30k EV – what do you get for that money?

The Puma is an important moment for Ford because it’s the first time that the American brand has delivered a genuinely affordable EV to the market.

Ford has historically been the maker of attainably-priced cars, dating back to the original Model T of the early 1900s.

So, it’s somewhat surprising that it’s taken the Michigan brand four attempts in recent years to bring to market an EV that’s below that crucial £30,000 benchmark.

Its Mustang Mach-E SUV costs from £43,340, the Explorer EV from £39,285, and the Capri EV from £42,085. Not what you’d call cheap.

But Ford has felt the pressure mounting from rivals who have started to bring truly affordable EVs to market; think Renault’s £22,975 5 E-Tech, Citroen’s £22,095 e-C3 and Dacia’s budget-friendly £14,995 Spring.

Dacia has also recently announced it will add another sub-£15k EV to its arsenal, while Chinese newcomer BYD is due to bring its Dolphin Surf to the UK with a similar price tag.

Unfortunately, Ford is still no match for any of these. 

The Puma Gen-E starts from £29,995, which is still far above the reasonably-priced competition, but one bonus is that Ford has a simple line-up of just two trims: the entry-level Gen-E Select and the Gen-E Premium costs £31,995.

On top of that there are only three packs (Comfort, Winter, ADAS) and five extra spec options (19-inch alloy wheels, panoramic roof, contrast roof, two bar and all-season tyres).

Both versions are full of standard kit. This includes a 12-inch touchscreen and 12.8-inch digital instrument display, wireless smartphone connection with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear view camera, ambient lighting, pre-collision alert, auto beam headlights – the list goes on.

What’s it like to drive?

I’m fortunate enough to have already driven Ford’s three other EV models – and Puma Gen-E is the one I’ve enjoyed most form behind the wheel.

This fun hatchback is a welcome break from the smooth – though rather dull – SUVs the US brand has brought us already, and it has a petrol-esque personality.

The ride is firm (but not too harsh) and it handles its weight (200kg more than the petrol version) very well.

It’s not particularly fast. It certainly doesn’t give you that throw you back in your seats EV instant acceleration kick, though it will hit 60mph in eight seconds, which isn’t too shabby for a small crossover like this.

There’s plenty of punch for both town and country driving and it will reach 70mph on a short motorway-entry slip road so you merge at the same pace as the rest of the traffic.

Grip levels during our drive were excellent.

There’s very minimal roll in the corners and it was engaging and rewarding to drive on the winding roads of Barcelona’s wine region.

While it handled any uneven surfaces in towns well at low speeds, it can jolt and become less stable on rough tarmac and bumps when you’re travelling at pace. 

We’ll have to reserve judgement on how it performs on Britain’s pothole-ravaged highways until we test it here, rather than basing our assessment on the silky-smooth, crater-free, Spanish routes.

With its regenerative braking, the initial bite of stopping power is quite sharp. This, however, can be adjusted with a button the steering wheel stalk between D (regular drive mode) and L (not quite full one pedal drive) which applies tweaked regen performance across Puma Gen-E’s four driving modes.

Elsewhere, the infotainment system is by no means my favourite of the recent systems I’ve tested, but the hassle of trying to tailor (by which I mean turn off!) driver assistance features – like the drowsiness alert and intelligent speed assistance – really is a headache at best and dangerous at worst.

While the steering wheel is about half the size of my 5ft3 frame, which makes little sense in a car of this size, it could be easily adjusted along with the very comfortable and not over-cladded seats to create a perfect driving position. 

And the steering itself is very responsive and thoroughly enjoyable to thread around tight mountain turns.

In summary, this is an EV with spirit. I could even go so far as to say it’s a bit of a ‘driver’s’ small electric car, which could make it a genuine rival to the Renault 5 E-Tech.

Battery, range and charging costs

The Puma Gen-E is available only with a 43kWh battery, though the two trims levels have slightly different ranges; the Select does 233 miles on a single charge while the Premium can cover just 226.

In real life, we found it fell short of this with a real-world range of less than 200 miles (Ford gives the Gen-E an efficiency figure of 4.5kmi/kWh but it’s more like 4.2mi/kWh in reality).

While this will still be more than enough for the average British driver’s weekly travel requirements, its not as impressive as some rivals with cheaper price tags.

Charging times are around 23 minutes for 10 to 80 per cent charge on 100kW speeds and around seven hours on a 7kW wallbox home charger.

But it’s the charging costs that add to the affordability tag. 

Ford calculated (as of 19 March) that a full Gen-E charge costs £3.23 (based on Intelligent Octopus Go tariff) while the total cost to fill up a petrol Puma is £12.64.

It also currently has a deal on offer where all new EV purchases come with a free home charger, including the cost of installation. 

Storage space: The Puma Gen E’s boot keeps on giving

The Gen-E is a nice, small EV to cover miles in.

There’s lots of storage throughout the cabin – the raised centre console gives additional storage – and it’s very comfortable during long-distance treks.

The cabin feels light and airy, especially with the panoramic roof that opens up, and it’s generally an upbeat interior, which helps draw attention away from a few of the cheaper materials dotted around.

The dash divided my peers on the launch, but I think it looks neat enough if not actively exciting. The B&O soundbar on top – only available in the Premium trim – adds dimension as well as much improved acoustics.

However, Ford’s SYNC4 infotainment system with Alexa is definitely not winning points from me: it’s a pain to use and the navigation has a longer lag time than a tortoise doing the 100 metre sprint.

Another pitfall is the rear seats and lack of head room. It’s definitely not suitable for six footers on long trips, but then it is a pretty small car with a sloping roof. 

But we forgive and forget those bugbears (not least because you can just wireless connect Apple CarPlay and that problem goes away) because Ford has managed to give a small crossover 523 litres of boot space.

We’ll repeat that: 523 litres.

That’s more than the Explorer, Mach-E and only (two litres) shy of the Capri – all of them far bigger motors. 

It also puts EV models from bigger body segments, like Vauxhall’s Mokka-e (310 litres), Volvo EX30 (318 litres) and VW ID.3 (385 litres) to shame. Even a much larger Tesla Model Y SUV has only 554 litres.

How? Because Ford’s has managed to install the ‘Gigabox’ boot feature (available in the petrol Puma), which provides masses of underfloor storage.

This is particularly useful for those who are nervous about leaving items in the boot, with your goods tucked way out of sight. It’s also waterproof and has a plug in it so you can use it for electrical appliances.

Bolstering the luggage capacity is a small froot (front boot) measuring 43 litres in total. However, you’re likely to keep the charging cable here, so much of the storage area is used.

The total space throughout the car is 574-litres of storage space – that’s lot for a little vehicle.

Ford Puma Gen-E: The Cars and Motoring verdict 

Ford’s no stranger to the best-sellers list. 

In the 54 years that registrations have officially been tracked, a model with the blue oval badge has topped the charts an astonishing 51 times.

And we think the arrival of the Gen-E will help Puma cement the position for a 52nd time.

I would go as far as saying this is the volume-selling EV the market has been begging for from Ford for years.

It’s a bit let down by the range, but now Ford’s joined the sub-£30k EV party with a spacious, good-to-drive and comfortable small car, you can somewhat overlook this one issue.

And many people will feel most comfortable buying an electric equivalent to a car they’re already familiar with or driving. 

So, considering an awful lot of UK drivers already drive a Puma – or intend to buy one – then the electric version should be a no-brainer for those considering a more eco-conscious option.

For those not yet ready to make the switch, the ‘mild hybrid’ petrol Puma remains on sale today with a start price of £26,580.