Electric cars have come a long way in under a decade, and by 2021 analysts predict we’ll reach a tipping point that sees them take over as the mainstream choice. This year sees several carmakers’ first forays into the plug-in market – notably Audi and Mercedes-Benz – and in Tesla, we have a brand that does as much to propel us into the future as it does to entertain us along the way.

The switch to electricity is about more than ditching fossil fuels – it has the potential to revolutionise car design all over again, as we abandon a basic engineering structure that has been used for more than a century. And it gives drivers a suite of new advantages and concerns; quiet cruising and swift, torque-heavy acceleration must be weighed against range anxiety, slow charging times and developing infrastructure.

But whatever your personal pros and cons, the smug satisfaction of potentially never visiting a petrol station again holds a strong lure. They look the business, too. From executive saloons and SUVs to family runabouts and city superminis, with one bona fide hypercar sneaking into the list, here is our rundown of the best electric cars on the market right now.

Tesla Model S

Best for: Executives

From £73,500

It’s the car that did more than any other to change the public’s mind about electric cars. Say what you like about Tesla, or its real-life-Bond-Villain CEO Elon Musk, but the Model S is a game-changer. It brought a 1990s nerd mentality to performance motoring with ‘easter eggs’ like Ludicrous mode, which will take the P100D from 0-60 in a Ferrari-humbling 2.3 seconds, but remains a family car at heart. Now in its seventh year of production, it is being caught up by other manufacturers, but improvements to its charging system, headlights and air conditioning in 2016, plus regular over-the-air software updates, have kept it fresh.