The best electric cars for dog owners to lease in 2022

Britain is a proud nation of dog lovers. There are around 12.5 million dogs in the UK, with one in three households now including a pooch. Unfortunately, becoming fluent in ‘dog’ is still a niche activity, so we’re reliant on dog owners to tell us that the key car-buying priorities include a smooth ride and a spacious boot with low sills and a wide opening.

To help celebrate National Dog Day, we’ve used this criteria (probably studying boot dimensions and storage cubbies for a bit longer than necessary) to select the best electric cars for dogs and their owners, highlighting the most suitable electric cars in a variety of sizes and budgets.

The best electric cars for dogs

Here's our pick of the best electric cars for dog owners available in 2022.

MG Motor UK MG5

Boot space: 464 litres

Range: 250 miles

Max charging speed: 100kW

Estate cars tend to lend themselves very well to carrying dogs due to the fact that their design usually involves oh-so-boxy bodywork with tall ceilings, low load lips and low ride height. For pet parents with either small dogs or pensionable pooches, a car with a lower ground clearance is ideal, allowing them to jump in directly without you having to perform doggy squat lifts every journey.

Fortunately, the MG5 benefits from all these positive traits. It’s one of very few electric estate cars currently available - the only other estate car is the Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo -  boasts a credible range and a very competitive maximum charging speed. The 464-litre boot has a tiny load lip, which shouldn’t perturb any pup, while the height adjustable boot floor can conceal the tonneau cover when it’s not in use. The rear seats also offer a 60:40 rear split, but they don’t fold completely flat so wouldn’t be of great use when carrying dog crates.

Another party piece, however, is the fact the MG5 features ‘vehicle to load’ capability, meaning you can charge or power other electrical items using the car's battery pack. Particularly useful if you’re wanting to hoover away all those stray dog hairs.

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Tesla Model Y

Boot space: 845 litres (plus 117 litre froot)

Range: 331 miles

Max charging speed: 250kW

Tesla is the only car company to offer a ‘dog mode’ on its entire range of vehicles. This mutts-have accessory (sorry…) allows you to set the temperature in the car - just like you’d set the thermostat at home - and it will keep the interior to your dog’s preferred temperature while you run into the shop without them. While dog mode is activated, a message is also displayed on the car’s massive central screen, to informed any concerned passers-by that you haven’t forgotten about your friend and will return soon. To be clear, we wouldn’t want you leaving your dog in any car for extended amounts of time, as car interiors can quickly become stifling and dangerous to dogs on a hot sunny day.

The Model Y is our preferred Tesla to make this shortlist, not just because it’s the newest member of the Tesla family, but because it is a deceptively well packaged car. While it shares a lot of its underpinnings with the Model 3, it has a taller SUV bodyshape, a hatchback tailgate and all the added practicality that comes with both of these features. Tesla quotes a boot capacity of 854 litres, which is vast, but it’s worth noting that the Model Y doesn’t have a parcel shelf or load cover, so that quoted capacity is to the roof. But still, there’s plenty of space for even larger hounds to complete a three-point turn in comfort. Not only is the rear boot cavernous, the Model Y also features a front boot or ‘froot’, providing a further 117 litres of space. Perfect if you want somewhere else to stash muddy wellies or smelly dog towels.

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Skoda Enyaq IV

Boot space: 585 litres

Range: 339 miles

Charging speed: 125kW

Skoda may be considered the sensible member of the Volkswagen family, but it’s quickly becoming the savvy option, too. You just get the impression that their cars are more thoughtfully considered than other marques, with lovely details like having secret umbrellas concealed in the doors, or ice-scrapers built into the bootlid. It’s this attention-to-real-life that extends into a full range of doggy accessories, too, including a back seat protective cover and a dog safety belt that doubles as a training lead when you’ve reached the woods.

With or without pooch, the Skoda Enyak is one of the most practical five-seat family cars your money can buy. That square and cavernous boot offers 43 litres more space than a Volkswagen ID.4, on which the Enyak shares its mechanicals with. The optional transport pack brings a height-adjustable boot floor, meaning you’re able to create a flat loading bay for your dog while concealing both EV charging cables and tonneau cover below. There’s also a cleaning tool for the charging cable and even the adjustable floor is reversible, with one side being lined in rubber to make it much easier to wipe down and keep clean.

Add the class-leading EV range, the serenely quiet and stable driving manners and an optional Ecosuite interior that has been tanned using olive trees instead of chemicals and the Enyak ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of people and pooches.

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Mercedes-Benz EQB

Boot space: 500 litres (when five seats are in use)

Range: 253 miles

Charging speed: 100kW

If your canine chum is so pedigree that they only eat dog food from Waitrose, watch Made in Chelsea and widdle against antique table legs, then you may need to consider a Mercedes-Benz EQB. This premium family SUV benefits from an elevated driving position, four-wheel drive and is offered - uniquely - with seven seats. Admittedly, the two most rearward chairs are best described as occasional, but when not in use, they can be folded flat into the boot floor to reveal a generous space for your VIP (Very Important Pooch).

Thanks to the boxy shape of the Mercedes EQB, the boot is a useful size to house your VIP’s personalised dog bed, plus there are plenty of hidden storage cubbies in which to keep dog leads and harnesses. Up front, you’ll be able to enjoy a lavishly appointed cabin which includes a show-stopping twin screen infotainment layout that looks, feels and operates like a class act.

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Ford Mustang Mach-E

Boot space: 402 litres (plus 81 litre froot)

Range: 379 miles

Charging speed: 150kW

The Ford Mustang may be best known as one of the definitive muscle cars that helped America’s baby boomers fall in love with the automobile, but the Mustang Mach E is an entirely different all-electric proposition. What you’re looking at is a five-seat family SUV that’s more practical than the slopy roofline may initially suggest.

Firstly, the Extended Range version we’ve selected is one of the longest-legged electric vehicles available at any price. And while the 402-litre boot may be the smallest on offer here, there is the added practicality of a storage cubby to keep charging cables hidden as well as a front boot or ‘froot’ as seen in the Tesla Model Y. The Mustang Mach E goes one step further, however, by providing said froot with a drainage hole, meaning you can store muddy wellies and dog leads in here and hose them down when you get back home. The interior also takes a leaf out of Tesla’s book, with a large, centrally-mounted touchscreen controlling pretty much everything.

While the Mustang Mach E may not have the supreme ride comfort of the Skoda Enyak, this strikes a nice balance of being more engaging and fun to drive without it being so stiff and sporty that it will make your dog feel car sick.

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Citroen e-Berlingo XL

Boot space: 1050 litres (when five seats are in use)

Range: 173 mile

Charging speed: 100kW 

The Citroen e-Berlingo is one of the only electric cars (ahem) on sale with sufficient load space and height to accommodate the very biggest of dogs. We’re using the ‘car’ descriptor here quite liberally, as the van-based origins of the e-Berlingo are clear for all to see. You’ll also spot lots of similarities between this vehicle, the Peugeot e-Rifter and the Vauxhall Combo e-Life and that’s because all three models use the same electric running gear. We’ve chosen the e-Berlingo to feature in our shortlist because, in our view, it edges the Peugeot and Vauxhall in the style stakes.

Two versions are available: a five-seater ‘M’ and a longer wheelbase ‘XL’ with seven seats. In the XL, the additional two chairs can be removed while the second row of seats can be folded flat to do an uncanny impression of a, err, van. There is 3m of loading length on offer here, which is good for both IKEA fans and dog-walking businesses. Regardless of whether you’re loading wardrobes or Weimaraners, the sill height is nice and low, and the large tailgate can also act as a handy shelter at the end of a wet weather walk for changing shoes and coats.

It may not offer the most engaging driving experience and the interior is only modestly appointed, but if you’re an owner of massive mutts and need an abundance of space and storage, this needs to be on your shopping list.

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Paws for thought: How should you transport your dog when in a car?

The Highway Code instructs drivers to ‘sufficiently restrain’ any pets in the car, so that they can’t distract the driver or injure occupants in the event of an emergency stop. A dog crate, dog cage, seatbelt harness or dog guard are all good ways of keeping you and your furry friend safe when driving. Many of the carmakers we’ve listed offer such equipment as optional accessories.  

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) adds: ‘When transporting your dog in a crate or container, ensure that it has enough room to sit and stand up at full height, turn around easily and lie down in a natural position. You should also ensure that your dog is able to see out of the container and that there is enough ventilation and airflow’. If you’re not sure as to whether your dog will fit, remember that GRIDSERVE has a selection of the best-selling electric cars available to view at its Electric Forecourts®, so why not plan a visit for you and your pooch today. We look forward to seeing you soon.

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