11 of the most exciting new cars arriving in 2024
Electrification is the name of the game
While we all lounge around in an armchair having eaten too many mince pies and drunk too much port, the car industry is readying an onslaught of new models with which to tempt us.
The host of new models heading our way are set to shake things up once more, particularly with increasing numbers of electric and hybrid cars hitting the market.
So from A to Z, here are some of the most interesting and exciting new cars that are set to grace the roads of the UK at some point in 2024.
1. Audi Q6 e-tron
Sharing much with the next-generation electric Porsche Macan, the Q6 e-tron is shaping up to be a brilliant new SUV. We’ve already tried a prototype out for size and the results were promising, so we expect the finished product to be even better.
When it launches in 2024, expect a choice of power outputs and possibly battery sizes, as well as a couple of performance options in the SQ6 e-tron and the RS Q6 e-tron. All look set to drive and ride well, while Audi’s usual cabin quality will feature alongside reasonable real-world range and rapid charging capability.
- On sale: Early 2024
- Price: From £60,000 (est.)
2. BMW X2
Building on the solid foundations laid by the X1, the new X2 will add some extra style and sportiness to the German firm’s range of junior SUVs. Like the X1, the X2 will be available with a choice of different powertrains, including an electric version that will be badged iX2.
As time goes on we’re expecting the usual selection of hybrids and combustion engines to surface, but we already know the high-performance M35i version will get almost 300bhp, four-wheel drive and the ability to get from 0-62mph in a little over five seconds.
- On sale: Now
- Price: From £41,110 (iX2 from £57,445)
3. Cupra Tavascan
The Cupra Tavascan will be an attractively styled alternative to the likes of the Skoda Enyaq Coupé and Volkswagen ID.5 when it arrives in 2024. Because it shares plenty with those cars, expect a similar choice of battery and motor options from launch, but the Cupra will be set apart by its daring design.
Inside, we’re promised a massive central touchscreen and a digital instrument display, as well as a sporty and skeletal dashboard design. Externally, the Tavascan gets an illuminated Cupra logo on the nose and a new three-triangle headlight design, as well as an aggressive front bumper.
- On sale: First half of 2024 (est.)
- Price: Around £50,000 (est.)
4. Maserati GranCabrio
The Maserati GranTurismo was the surprise package of 2023, proving vastly more compelling than its predecessor; the GranCabrio is expected to do much the same thing. After all, it’s just a GranTurismo without a roof.
The convertible probably won’t be quite as nimble or as fast as its hard-top sibling, but it will get the same choice of tuneful V6 petrol engines and a “Folgore” electric version with immense power from three electric motors.
- On sale: Early 2024
- Price: Folgore from £200,000 (est.)
5. Mini Cooper
The current Mini Electric is great fun to drive but with a range of around 140 miles between charges (more like 100 in the real world before the light comes on), fast-not-rapid charging and a high sticker price, it’s never been the most practical choice.
The new Mini addresses that and dials up the cool factor to 11. Now to be known as the “Mini Cooper” to satisfy all those who have been calling the hatchback that for years anyway, it will be offered in petrol and electric forms, with the Cooper E getting a more competitive range of just under 200 miles on a single charge. There will also be an SE version with a bigger battery, for which Mini quotes a range of 250 miles.
More modern, curvier lines have been applied and there’s a brilliantly high-tech cabin in the offing, too.
- On sale: Electric version from early 2024 (reservations now open)
- Price: From £30,000
6. Peugeot e-3008
Essentially an electric alternative to the existing 3008 — itself an alternative to the Nissan Qashqai and Seat Ateca — the e-3008 is set to come in Long Range form capable of more than 400 miles on a single charge. Obviously, we don’t know whether that will be achievable in the real world yet, but it’s quite the promise.
As is the idea of a high-performance, high-specification model with more than 300bhp and all-wheel drive.
And because it’s a modern Peugeot, there’s a pretty spectacular design, too, with a rakish roofline and new grille that appears to be bursting from the bumper.
- On sale: Now
- Price: From £45,850
7. Porsche Macan
While it may share plenty with the Audi Q6 e-tron, the new electric Porsche Macan will add its own take on the shared underpinnings.
Two-motor all-wheel-drive systems will be standard across the line-up, and Porsche has promised a range of more than 300 miles for at least some of its models. The most powerful will get pretty spectacular straight-line performance, too, and there’s a new, slightly coupé-like design hiding under the camouflage of the test mules Porsche has so far shown off.
Although it will eventually replace the existing, petrol-powered Macan — a car that has spent 10 years at the top of its class without significant updates — the two versions will be sold side-by-side for the foreseeable future.
- On sale: Early 2024
- Price: From £75,000 (est.)
8. Range Rover EV
Land Rover has already teased us with the new electric Range Rover but we don’t know all that much about it as yet. Big batteries are a given, as is the promise of a luxurious interior to match that of the more conventional Range Rover.
But Land Rover has also promised plenty of off-road capability to keep its all-conquering, all-terrain credentials intact.
You could already put your name down for a slot on the waiting list — a kind of pre-order for pre-orders — in December 2023 if you were interested, but the car will go on sale properly in 2024.
- On sale: Mid-late 2024
- Price: From £130,000 (est.)
9. Renault Scenic
No longer a lumpen MPV, the Scenic has morphed into a stylish family crossover that’s set to rival the Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model Y.
Pure-electric and with a keen eye on sustainability and efficiency, the big Renault promises a massive range on a single charge, as well as ample space for all the family.
Even that interior is designed to be eco-friendly, with no leather in evidence whatsoever, and Renault reckons that about 90 per cent of the car will be recyclable when it comes to the end of its life.
- On sale: Now
- Price: From £40,995
10. Dacia Spring
The Dacia Spring isn’t likely to get pulses racing in terms of performance, range-per-charge or interior quality, but its prices may get quite a few motorists who’ve been waiting a properly affordable EV fizzing with excitement: we expect versions to start from under £20,000.
It will only manage 140 miles on its little 26.8kWh battery before you need to plug in, which could mean as little as 100 miles in colder months or at motorway speeds, but potentially more than the quoted range in cities and suburbs, where it’ll be most popular.
Its rugged design could make it popular in rural areas, too, where rough tracks are common and fuel stations less so; charging at home could make it a convenient and affordable family workhorse.
- On sale: Summer 2024
- Price: From £18,000 (est.)
11. Volvo EX90
Effectively replacing the XC90 that turns 10 in 2025 (but will continue to be sold for the time being), the EX90 is set to be Volvo’s poshest and safest SUV yet.
Designed to rival the electric Range Rover and Kia EV9, Volvo will pack the car with tech features including an autonomous driving system, although it remains to be seen whether that will be approved for use on the public road.
We do, however, know Volvo will cram the EX90’s floor with battery technology, giving the car an official range of more than 350 miles despite its twin motors.
- On sale: Now
- Price: From £96,225
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