EVs with the cheapest horsepower in Singapore
PHOTO: sgCarMart
PUBLISHED ONOctober 15, 2023 10:15 AMByGoh Zhi Xuan
Among the flurry of information on a car's spec sheet, a few prominent numbers stand out from the others. These include the price, fuel economy, acceleration, and of course, the most important one — Horsepower.
While high horsepower doesn't guarantee performance (many other factors such as the weight of the vehicle, handling dynamics, torque and others affect the overall performance of a car), it is a widely accepted metric to determine a car's ability to go fast — at least in a straight line.
In the past, horsepower was difficult to come by — you'll need a large-capacity engine with a supercharger, or turbocharger, or multiple of them in order to produce large amounts of horsepower. However, attending the recent launch of the BYD Seal made one thing very clear: At a sub $300,000 price point, you can get an EV that produces over 500bhp — it seems like horsepower is much easier to come by these days.
However, no thanks to the insane COE prices, cars are much costlier as well — while the Octavia RS 245 topped the list as the car with the cheapest horsepower back in 2018, a brand new Octavia RS will cost you $264,900 while producing 241bhp, resulting in a cost per bhp of $1,099.
So, with this as a point of comparison, I've come up with a list of EVs that offer the cheapest horsepower (below $1,000/bhp) that you can buy today — remember, these 16 EVs offer horsepower at a lower cost than the Octavia RS, which is quite the value champion when it comes to performance cars!
1. BYD Seal Electric Performance
Cost per bhp: $537
Price: $280,888
Power: 523bhp
Torque: 670Nm
0-100km/h: 3.8s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
2. Tesla Model 3 Electric Performance AWD
Cost per bhp: $595
Price: $301,258 (Cat B COE of $146,002)
Power: 506bhp
Torque: 660Nm
0-100km/h: 3.3s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
3. Tesla Model Y Electric Performance AWD
Cost per bhp: $628
Price: $331,101 (Cat B COE of $146,002)
Power: 527bhp
0-100km/h: 3.7s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
4. Polestar 2 Electric Long Range Dual Motor Performance Pack
Cost per bhp: $733
Price: $344,000
Power: 469bhp
Torque: 740Nm
0-100km/h: 4.2s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
5. Volvo C40 Electric Recharge Twin Ultimate
Cost per bhp: $799
Price: $321,000
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 660Nm
0-100km/h: 4.7s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
6. BYD Seal Electric Premium
Cost per bhp: $808
Price: $248,888
Power: 308bhp
Torque: 360Nm
0-100km/h: 5.9s
Drivetrain: Single motor, rear-wheel drive
7. Hyundai Ioniq 5 Electric Inspiration
Cost per bhp: $884
Price: $283,800
Power: 321bhp
Torque: 605Nm
0-100km/h: 5.1s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
8. Hyundai Ioniq 6 Electric AWD
Cost per bhp: $884
Price: $283,888
Power: 321bhp
Torque: 605Nm
0-100km/h: 5.1s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
9. Tesla Model 3 Electric RWD
Cost per bhp: $900
Price: $250,972 (Cat B COE of $146,002)
Power: 279bhp
Torque: 420Nm
0-100km/h: 6.1s
Drivetrain: Single motor, rear-wheel drive
10. Mercedes-Benz EQC Electric EQC400 4MATIC Sport (Parallel Import)
Cost per bhp: $900
Price: $362,000
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
0-100km/h: 5.1s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
11. BMW i4 M50 Gran Coupe Electric
Cost per bhp: $903
Price: $483,888
Power: 536bhp
Torque: 795Nm
0-100km/h: 3.9s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
12. Tesla Model Y Electric RWD
Cost per bhp: $945
Price: $278,838 (Cat B COE of $146,002)
Power: 295bhp
0-100km/h: 6.9s
Drivetrain: Single motor, rear-wheel drive
13. Mercedes-Benz EQE Electric EQE 53 4MATIC
Cost per bhp: $950
Price: $642,888
Power: 677bhp
Torque: 1,000Nm
0-100km/h: 3.5s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
14. BMW iX1 electric xDrive30 M Sports Package (Parallel Import)
Cost per bhp: $971
Price: $299,000
Power: 308bhp
0-100km/h: 5.6s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
15. MG 4 EV Trophy Sport LR
Cost per bhp: $975
Price: $195,888
Power: 201bhp
Torque: 250Nm
0-100km/h: 7.9s
Drivetrain: Single motor, rear-wheel drive
16. Kia EV6 Electric GT-Line
Cost per bhp: $988
Price: $316,999
Power: 321
Torque: 605Nm
0-100km/h: 5.2s
Drivetrain: Dual motor, all-wheel drive
Not convinced that EVs are the best bang for buck when it comes to power?
When we sought out the cars that offered the cheapest horsepower back in 2018, the star in the article was the Octavia RS 245, which offered a cost per bhp of $539 back then.
Today, even with the increase in car prices, the BYD Seal Performance puts out 523bhp at just $527 each despite the insane COE prices, clearly beating the value champion of the past.
Meanwhile, a typical internal combustion engine car such as the Tucson Hybrid has a cost per bhp of $1,040, and a sportier option that offers great value, such as the Subaru WRX, will still cost you $977 per bhp. It is pretty clear that if horsepower figure is what you seek, EVs are the clear choice in the current climate.