iX1 WAY OF PUTTING IT

The iX1 is BMW's smallest electric SUV, following hot on the heels of the well-received iX3 and iX. So, should established rivals from Genesis and Nissan be worried?

Once upon a time, there was a school of thought that electric O cars should look different. That any buyer would want to shout about the fact that they'd bought a futuristic and more environmentally friendly alternative, and would hate to blend in with the crowd of regular petrol and diesel models.

While that might have been (and might still be) true for some people, it seems more and more manufacturers are making their electric vehicles (EVS) look like 'normal' cars. Take BMW. Its first EV, launched back in 2013, was the quirky 13, with its oddball looks, rear-hinged rear doors and part-carbonfibre construction. But with most of the German brand's latest EVS, including the excellent iX3, you'd struggle to know they need plugging in rather than filling up.

The new, smaller iX1 is cut from the same cloth. Save for some blue highlights, it looks just like any other X1 family SUV. Hopefully that isn't a bad omen, because the petrol-powered X1 has so far failed to impress, finishing last in a recent group test.

To find out if electric power has made the X1 more recommendable, we're pitting it against our reigning Electric SUV of the Year, the Genesis GV60. The premium arm of the Hyundai-Kia group has been selling cars in the UK for only a year or so, but it has already embarrassed plenty of other premium brands with a fabulous all-rounder that majors on comfort, refinement and interior quality.

Our third and final contender is the Nissan Ariya. We've already tested the entry-level 63kWh model and it just lost out to the Kia EV6, but can the longer-range 87kWh model go one better? While it lacks a premium badge, it's the cheapest of the three and, on paper at least, has the longest range.

DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, refinement