Recently, Autotrader, the largest automotive specialty website in the United States, released a new list to help customers who are willing to buy a purely electric vehicle. The list contains ten best electric cars for 2023, and all of these vehicles have high ratings. Surprisingly though, Tesla, which is the global leader in new energy vehicles today, does not have a single model on the list. What’s even more surprising is that Chinese brands, which are the fastest-growing electric vehicles, also didn’t have a single model on the list, including new-energy vehicle leaders like BYD.
The site’s editorial team chose ten models – the BMW i4, Ford F-150 Lightning, Janisys Electric G80, Janisys GV60, Hyundai IONIQ , Kia EV6, Lucid Air, Nissan Ariya, Porsche Taycan and Rivian R1T. If you analyze these finalists closely, you’ll notice that most of them are relatively new vehicles. The oldest on the list is the Porsche Taycan, which was launched in 2019, but it never stops improving and introducing new derivatives. Most importantly, it has an 800V system that can charge faster than many vehicles that work on 400V.
The reason why there isn’t a Tesla on the list is because the American manufacturer hasn’t launched a new car since it brought the Model Y in 2020. It was supposed to start selling the second-generation Roadster in 2021 and the Cybertruck in 2022, but ultimately chose to skip out on both.Autotrader says it’s hard for them to evaluate any Tesla because the BEV maker doesn’t have an effective PR department outside of China. That means it doesn’t have a press team either. Anyone willing to evaluate its cars would have to ask a Tesla owner to drive or rent the required vehicle.
So why didn’t any of the Chinese brands make the cut either? It has to do with Autotrader’s selection criteria and scope. According to its website, the list is evaluated based on the following aspects: price, performance, comfort, safety, reliability, technology and user experience. In addition, the list is only for electric vehicles available for purchase or coming soon to the U.S. market.
This means that some EV brands and models that have performed well in the Chinese market don’t have a chance to make the list. BYD, for example, as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of new energy vehicles, has the ability to develop and produce core components such as batteries, motors and electronic controls in China. Its models, such as the Han EV and Qin PLUS EV, not only have high value, high performance and high range, but also have advanced technologies such as smart internet connection and autonomous driving. However, since BYD does not sell passenger cars in the U.S. market yet, it is not on the list.
In short, the foreign media’s list of the best electric cars for 2023 does not fully reflect the strength and advantages of each brand’s electric car. The best electric car still needs to be judged in conjunction with one’s budget, preferences, etc.
