See all Motoring NewsAlthough we’re transitioning from the era of internal combustion engines to electric vehicles (EVs), there have still been a lot of cars launched in the past five years that can give enthusiast drivers a thrill on the right roads. Happily, some of them have been EVs, showing that the future is bright for fans of faster machines. Here’s a look at some of our favourites.
Abarth 600e
It might be electric, and it might not have the greatest driving range, but in 280hp Scorpionissima format it’s the most powerful road-going Abarth yet seen – and one of the most fun, too. The Abarth 600e also looks mega in purple paint.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
A bit of a cheat, as the monster Giulia Quadrifoglio first launched in 2016 and was majestic from the off, courtesy of its Ferrari-derived twin-turbo V6 engine with 510hp. But a model update in 2024 fitted the Giulia with a mechanical limited-slip differential at the back, elevating what was already one of the best supersaloons of all, into the realm of the finest of its type in all history.
Alpine A110 R
Alpine’s much-vaunted revival delivered the super-sweet A110 in the last decade, but the format reached its apogee with the hardcore R of 2023. Striking motorsport looks, stripped-back cabin, 300hp and one of the most exquisite driving experiences you could hope to have. Shame the A110 R is so hard to get hold of…
Aston Martin Vanquish
We won’t labour the James Bond link, but the third-generation Vanquish is an absolute jewel of a thing that would be perfect for foiling a global supervillain’s masterplan. Powered by a ridiculous 835hp twin-turbo V12 and underpinned by a stunning chassis, there’s no better way of speeding to an international crisis in the nick of time.
Audi RS 6 GT
Despite some storming efforts from its German rivals, no one has perfected ultra-rapid estate cars as well as Audi, and the RS 6 GT is the zenith of the company’s work. Formidable 630hp V8, wondrous handling and lurid motorsport-like body graphics make the rare, limited-build GT something extra special.
BMW M2
If the ideal of a BMW M car is a relatively compact, lightweight coupe with rear-wheel drive, a manual gearbox and a straight-six petrol engine, then the latest M2 is the culmination of the Munich marque’s decades-long expertise. It’s an unmitigated joy to drive and still, just about, relatively affordable.
Cupra Formentor
The Volkswagen Group gave fledgling car company Cupra a ‘box o’ bits’ when it was creating the Formentor, which were an SUV platform, a choice of engines that had been in service for decades and a potentially annoying interface. Somehow, Cupra rustled all of these together and produced a thoroughly delicious sports crossover, that’s not even that expensive to buy.
Ferrari Purosangue
Ferrari making an SUV is such a contentious move that even the company itself didn’t want to refer to the Purosangue as an SUV, but it’s superb. Ferrari’s idea of a family mover is a 312km/h brute with a 6.5-litre normally aspirated V12 and more than 725hp. Getting the kids to school has never been so good.
Ford Ranger Raptor
This thing is little short of a full-on competition car masquerading as a pickup truck. The Ranger Raptor has such an advanced chassis and suspension that it can go almost as fast through the scenery as it can on tarmacked roads – and, with a 292hp V6, it can always go pretty swiftly indeed.
Honda Civic Type R
Front-wheel drive, manual gearbox, powerful engine, relatively lightweight, sharp chassis, enhanced looks, sporty cabin details and seats – these are the ideal aspects of a petrol hot hatch. And nothing coalesces them together as beautifully as the ‘CTR’. It’s by no means cheap, but it’s assuredly worth every single Euro of its purchase price, and then some.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
There’s a belief that EVs, no matter how fast they are, can’t be truly exciting to drive as they’re too heavy and too lacking in the noise and involvement of a petrol hot hatch. But anyone saying that has never driven the 5 N. Despite weighing 2.2 tonnes, it drives in the most extraordinary and involving fashion, and it can even simulate ‘gearchanges’ and engine noise to ramp up the excitement levels yet further.
Hyundai i20 N
Hyundai’s go-faster ‘N’ division only started in the late 2010s, but it very quickly found its feet with a series of blinding cars. The i20 N, a B-segment hot hatch with 204hp and a chassis right out of the top drawer, was one of them. It didn’t last long, but it shone incredibly brightly while it was on sale.
Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato
Lamborghinis need to be noisy, dramatic and daft, and therefore they don’t come much better than the Sterrato. With a name meaning ‘dirt roads’, the Sterrato was a jacked-up, rally-look Huracan with an astonishing price tag and an even more astonishing 5.2-litre V10 in its midst. Bonkers, but beguiling.
Land Rover Defender Octa
One of the most recent additions to our list, you’d never normally think a Land Rover Defender – new shape or ‘classic’ – would be a thrilling steer. Yet the 635hp Octa takes the disparate ‘sports’ and ‘utility’ parts of SUV and delivers on them in spades. Terrific on the road, absolutely unstoppable off it, and all as tough and desirable as a diamond, from the internal structure of which this singular 4x4 takes its name.
Maserati GranCabrio Folgore
Maseratis should be lovely to look at and powered by either a loud V6 or an even noisier V8. So, making a ‘true’ Trident car with electric propulsion might have been tough, but the glorious 830hp GranCabrio Folgore (that means ‘Lightning’) demonstrates that this classy Italian company has comprehensively aced the brief.
Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS
For years, the Cayman always felt like it was ‘hobbled’ to keep it from stepping on the toes of the legendary 911. But nearing the end of the 718’s life as a petrol-powered machine, Porsche finally unleashed it and subjected it to full RS treatment. The 500hp result? One of the very greatest sports cars of them all.
Porsche 911 GT3
If the Cayman above is laying claim to being the best Porsche ever, this legend would have something to say about it. The first 911 GT3 arrived in 1999, but the fourth take on it launched in 2021, with various updates landing in 2025 to keep it going for longer. To hear one of these things revving to 9,000rpm is one of the most edifying automotive experiences of the lot, only matched by the sheer excellence of the GT3’s chassis tune.
Renault 5 Turbo 3E
We’ve not actually driven this one as yet, but never has a small car generated quite as big a buzz as the impending 5 Turbo 3E. Visually referencing a classic 1980s Renault, dual in-wheel motors give the carbon-bodied Turbo 3E huge numbers of 540hp and 4,800Nm. Mix in the steroidal stance and a healthy degree of limited-build, retro cool, and it’s no exaggeration when Renault calls the loony 3E a ‘mini-supercar’.
Toyota GR86
The original Toyota GT86, which launched in 2012, promised old-fashioned driving thrills with a lightweight, rear-wheel-drive chassis. Critically acclaimed, if never a massive showroom success, it always felt like it needed… ten per cent more. Well, with the mesmerising GR86 of 2021, it got precisely that, resulting in one of the finest accessible sports cars of the lot. Limited availability will render the GR86 a rarity, but that only adds to its undimmed driver appeal.