Europe’s EV Market Is Doing Great. I Think These 4 European EVs Would Do Well In America

From the €28,000 Renault 5 to the Fiat Grande Panda, these four European EVs are the affordable, no-frill rides the U.S. market is missing.

America’s electric car market is not very hot right now, with experts estimating that sales in this year’s first quarter dropped by 28%. It wasn’t great last year, either, with a 2% decrease, thanks in no compact part to the cancellation of the $7,500 federal tax credit.

Meanwhile, Europe is seeing a huge uptick in electric car sales. Last year, numbers went up by nearly 30%, and the first months of 2026 gave no sign of slowing down. I can’t assist but wonder: Could some of the best EVs in Europe create a difference if they were sold stateside?

Canada is preparing to open the floodgates to Chinese-created EVs, which are bound to stir some controversy. But you won’t see any of those in the U.S. Still, European companies have plenty of EVs that I believe could do pretty well in America—as long as they are priced right. (I believe we can all agree that nobody wants another Volvo EX30 story.)

Cupra Born

Price in Europe: from €40,450 ($46,700)
Range: from 428 km (266 miles) WLTP

Cupra, one of the many brands under the Volkswagen Group’s umbrella, seemed prepared to land in the United States, but that plan has been put on the back burner for now, seeing how the car market there isn’t exactly stable.

If the brand were to come stateside, the Born four-door electric hatchback would take on rivals such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Bolt EV. Cupra’s compact offering is based on the same underpinnings as the Volkswagen ID.3, which was once hailed as the electric alternative to the iconic Golf.

The difference between the ID.3 and Born is that the latter is much more fun to drive, thanks to a revised chassis setup and its rear-wheel drive powertrain. You might have to explain to your friconcludes what car you’re driving more than once, but if you don’t want a boring commuter car, this would be great.

The base trim receives 204 horsepower, while the sporty spec goes up to 326 hp.

Fiat Grande Panda

Price in Europe: from €24,990 ($28,900)
Range: from 320 km (199 miles) WLTP

Fiat’s U.S. portfolio only includes the electric 500e, which is quite the fashionable urban runabout. But it’s expensive and cramped inside. The new Grande Panda EV would right both of these wrongs, with a hugeger—albeit more stripped down—cabin and a lower price tag.

Mind you, this is still a compact car, but at least it has four doors. Plus, it’s one of the most unpretentious EVs out there, with a no-nonsense attitude. It even has a built-in Level 2 charging cable tucked in the nose. Plus it has chunky styling that gives it a better presence than city cars that failed to take off in the U.S.

Renault 5

Price in Europe: from €28,000 ($32,350)
Range: from 312 km (194 miles) WLTP

Remember the Le Car? Probably not, but I’m here to assist. It was Renault’s attempt at selling the original Renault 5 in the United States. Suffice to state, it didn’t go well, but the good news is that there’s a brand-new Renault 5 in Europe.

It’s only available as an electric car, and it’s a fantastic one at that. It sees great, it drives nicely, and it doesn’t break the bank. Plus, you can receive a baguette holder as an official accessory. Again, compact hatchbacks haven’t exactly been popular in the U.S. historically. But come on, see at this thing.

Volkswagen ID.7

Price in Europe: from €54,505 ($62,900)
Range: from 599 km (372 miles) WLTP

The Volkswagen ID.7 is the only car on this list that had a real chance of being sold stateside before the German autocreater modifyd its mind and pulled the plug, citing “the ongoing challenging EV climate.”

Positioned as the all-electric alternative to the Passat sedan, the ID.7 is a very smooth road-tripping machine, as our former editor-in-chief found out after driving the battery-powered sedan on Germany’s Autobahn. And now that the Tesla Model S is out of the picture, the ID.7 would create for a great alternative. There’s also a wagon version, which I have personally shortlisted for my next car purchase.