Author: Novice driver
This year, with the explosive growth of new energy vehicles and the increasing demand for car usage, the potential of the pure electric mini car market has been fully stimulated. More and more city commuters choose to purchase or increase the purchase of a pure electric mini car for commuting, obviously benefiting from the small and compact body, convenient parking, no purchase restrictions, low car usage cost, and cheap price, which have added a lot of convenience to daily travel.
However, there are various products in the current pure electric mini car market, and not all models are cheap. As we all know, the most popular pure electric mini car at present is undoubtedly the Wuling Hongguang MINIEV, followed by more expensive models such as the Chery QQ Ice Cream, Ora Cat and LeapMotor T03, some of which are even approaching 100,000 yuan, which is already enough to buy some small and compact cars, and it is still unacceptable for some people.
Therefore, in order to address the “cheap” factor that most people care about, we have selected some models with prices below 50,000 yuan to see what economic and affordable mini cars are available!
Lingbao BOX
Price: 32,800-49,980 yuan
NEDC Range: 140/180/351 km
The new Lingbao BOX was launched in April 2021. The new model also adopted a nostalgic name, using the names of four historical figures (Shangguan Wan’er version, Li Qingzhao version, Cai Wenji version, and Wang Zhaojun version). In terms of appearance, Lingbao BOX adopts a closed middle grille design, with oval headlights on both sides and a through-type air intake below, creating a certain sense of motion and fashion.
In terms of body size, the new car is 3460/1475/1615 mm in length, width, and height respectively, with a wheelbase of 2455 mm.
In terms of interior design, the car is designed with space and practicality in mind. The suspended central console design is common in many Japanese K-Cars. The central display screen, air outlet, air conditioning control area, and gear lever are all arranged on the central console. After canceling the central channel design, the horizontal space in the car is more excellent.
In terms of configuration, the new car is equipped with a 9-inch color screen (except for the lowest equipped model), and Bluetooth and mobile phone connectivity/mirroring functions are also provided. The new car is equipped with tire pressure monitoring, driving mode switching, and reverse radar as standard across the board, and the lowest equipped model also comes with a standard reversing image. At the same time, LED headlights are optional for the entire new car lineup.
In terms of power, the top-of-the-line Wang Zhaojun Edition is equipped with a peak power of 35 kilowatts and a peak torque of 125 Nm electric motor, and is matched with a three-element lithium battery pack that supports fast charging. The maximum range under NEDC conditions is 351 kilometers. The remaining three models all use peak power of 30 kilowatts and peak torque of 95 Nm electric motor, and are matched with a phosphoric acid iron lithium battery pack that only supports slow charging. Among them, the second-top Cai Wenji Edition has a maximum range of 180 kilometers under NEDC conditions, while the second-lowest Li Qingzhao Edition and the lowest Shangguan Wan’er Edition have an NEDC range of 140 kilometers.
Benben E-Star National Edition Xinyi Edition
Price: 43,800-44,799 yuan (only for Xinyi Edition)
NEDC range: 301 km (Xinyi Edition)
On September 3, the new Benben E-Star National Edition Xinyi Edition was officially launched, with a total of 7 models and two battery versions. The car is based on the Benben E-Star National Edition and provides two battery versions: three-element lithium and phosphoric acid iron lithium.
There is not much change in the appearance of the new car. The front face adopts a closed-type air intake grille design, and the lower part of the bumper is designed with an opening, which makes the new car look somewhat cute. Looking at the side, the new car basically maintains the design of the Benben E-Star.
In terms of interior design, the new car still follows the style of the old fuel car, but only replaces the brand-new knob-shift mechanism. In terms of configuration, the new car will provide configurations such as a driver’s airbag, abnormal tire pressure alarm, rear reversing radar, reversing image, central control color screen, Bluetooth, mobile phone mirroring, USB interface, etc.
In terms of power, the new car will be equipped with a front-mounted single motor, with a maximum power of 55 kW and a peak torque of 170 Nm. According to different configurations, it will provide three types of batteries: ternary lithium battery (32.2 kWh), lithium iron phosphate battery (31.18 kWh, 31.86 kWh, and 31.95 kWh), and the comprehensive cruising range announced by MIIT is 301 km. Some models will support fast charging mode, which can charge from 0 to 80% in 0.8 hours.
Reding Mango
Price: 29,800-59,800 RMB
NEDC range: 130/200/300 km
On September 13th, the new Reding Mango was officially launched, with seven models and three types of cruising range. As a minor facelift model, the new car mainly made minor adjustments to the existing models, canceled the fun Mango Joyful Edition (185km), the smart Mango Joyful Edition, and the Chinese restaurant seeking taste edition. Meanwhile, a new Fun Mango Joyful Edition model was added.
There are not many changes in the appearance of the new car. It still maintains the cute and lovely design concept, and the two-color body painting and the round and sleek shape show a youthful style. The flexible and small body is very suitable for urban transportation. In terms of body size, the new car still maintains a length, width, and height of 3620/1610/1525 mm, and a wheelbase of 2440 mm.
There are no changes in the interior of the new car. Among them, the new Joyful Mango Joyful Edition model has added a central control screen, and the price is 2,000 yuan more expensive than the old model, which was an optional configuration on the old model.
Power-wise, the new car still offers a choice between a 25 kW motor and a 35 kW motor, with phosphate lithium iron batteries available in 11.52 kW/h, 17.28 kW/h and 29.44 kW/h sizes. However, the 17.28 kW/h battery’s range has increased from 185km to 200 km. The three battery options offer ranges of 130 km, 200 km and 300 km respectively.
Sihao E10X
Price: 39,900-76,400 RMB
NEDC Range: 150/200/302 km
In terms of appearance, the new car adopts a closed front grille, combined with two very spiritual headlights to form an integrated layout, with a bright black decorative strip in the middle connecting them. The bottom of the car has a black surround in the shape of a “C”, which makes the whole front of the car very cute.
The new car has a length, width and height of 3650/1670/1540 mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2390 mm. The rear of the car has an upward design, and like the front grille, it also features a double-sided “C”-shaped black decoration. The rear bumper’s through-style black decoration bar also corresponds to the front bumper, enhancing the overall design of the car.
The interior adopts a simple design style with contrasting colors and a through-style design, with some parts matching the exterior colors. The center control floating screen enhances the car’s technological sense, and comes equipped with features such as in-car navigation and voice control.
The powertrain of the new model is equipped with lithium iron phosphate batteries, with three options of battery capacity: 15/19.7/30.2 kWh, corresponding to NEDC ranges of 150/200/302 km respectively. Depending on the range, the Sihao E10X is equipped with two different power electric motors for the four models with ranges of 150 km and 200 km, with a maximum power of 30 kW and maximum torque of 95 N·m. For the three models with a range of 302 km, they are equipped with a driving motor with maximum power of 45 kW and maximum torque of 150 N·m.
Punk DD
Price: 26,800-39,800 RMB
NEDC range: 128/178 km
On the night of September 12th, Punk Automobile’s second new vehicle, the Punk DD, was officially launched. The new car offers three models, each with two ranges. In addition, the official provides a 3-year or 100,000 km vehicle warranty and an 8-year or 120,000 km battery warranty.
In terms of appearance, the Punk DD has a round and smooth body with a cute Q-style design. The black decorative panel on the front face is integrated with the headlights. The headlights are adjustable and equipped with traditional halogen headlights, and paired with a closed double-layer grille design underneath. The body size is 3310/1500/1588 mm and the wheelbase is 2275 mm.
From the side view, the new car uses a two-tone body design, while also having a suspended roof style, which creates a youthful and dynamic visual impression.
At the rear end, the oval and vertical taillights echo the front headlights, with a unique and exquisite design, and a strong sense of depth and layering. The embossed design of the license plate area creates a visual focus on the lower part of the car.
In terms of the interior, the Punk DD uses a red/black dual-tone color scheme and adds white and chrome elements to the details to create a youthful and energetic atmosphere. The three-spoke steering wheel is matched with a suspended color LCD instrument panel for a simple and generous visual effect. In terms of configuration, the Punk DD is equipped with practical configurations such as a 7-inch central control color screen, a 5-inch LCD instrument panel, a reversing image, and Bluetooth/call.
In terms of safety, the vehicle is equipped with ABS+EBD, central control door lock, tire pressure monitoring, hill start assist, child safety seat interface, and other configurations.
In terms of power, the Punk DD is equipped with a permanent magnet synchronous drive motor with a maximum power of 39 horsepower (29 kW), a maximum torque of 110 N·m. The vehicle is matched with a lithium iron phosphate battery, providing two rated battery capacities of 10.3 kWh and 14.5 kWh, with corresponding NEDC cruising ranges of 128 km and 178 km, respectively. The whole vehicle warranty is 3 years or 100,000 kilometers, and the battery pack warranty period is 8 years or 120,000 kilometers.
Coliway CLEVER
Price: 44,999-48,999 RMB
NEDC cruising range: 302 km
In terms of appearance, the Coliway CLEVER has a small and dynamic overall shape, with a closed grille commonly seen in new energy vehicles at the front, matched with sleek headlights and a rounded body shape, highlighting its cute and agile temperament. In addition, the new car also uses a design with 7 hexagonal recesses in the original fog light area, which looks more design-oriented.
There is not too much design on the side of the car body, which is clean and simple. In terms of size, the new car is 3140/1648/1531 mm in length, width, and height, and has a wheelbase of 2000 mm.
At the rear of the car body, the round tail lights are designed with a crosshair pattern, which is highly recognizable when illuminated at night. The “C” shape at the bottom of the rear bumper echoes the front grille.
The interior of the Kewei CLEVER is mainly black, with white decorative panels on the door and green-edged air vents as embellishments, resulting in a stylish and youthful overall visual effect.
In terms of power, the Kewei CLEVER is equipped with a motor with a maximum power of 37 kW and a maximum torque of 100 N·m. It is equipped with a 29.13 kWh battery pack and has a NEDC range of 302 km.
Summary
Overall, the threshold for purchasing a pure electric mini car is not high. Whether it is purchased by ordinary salaried workers or existing fuel car owners, the pressure is not too great. It is a good choice for short-distance commuting for 1-2 people, and of course, some micro cars with strong space performance can also seat 4 people without any pressure when necessary, and they are also practical.
Pure electric mini cars have become a trend. Cute and versatile, with a unique personality, small cars are just right for most young people. It is not difficult to see that these cars are also tailored to the tastes of young people while having small car bodies, while also taking into account some practical and safety considerations. If you have friends who intend to buy a mini car, it’s worth taking some time to look at these models.
So the question is, do any of these 6 mini cars have your favorite model? If so, which one? Or tell us in the comments section, and feel free to vote!
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.