Most articles about battery electric vehicles (BEVs) focus on driving range, charging time, and the general lack of public charging infrastructure in North America. But there are other practical matters to factor into your purchase decision — like whether its cabin has enough passenger and cargo space to suit your lifestyle.
In this article, we’re looking at the roomiest BEVs you can buy today, ranked according to total interior volume. In Canada, interior volume is measured in litres while the U.S. uses cubic feet, but the result is the same: The higher the number, the more room a vehicle offers occupants and their stuff.
In compiling this list, we discovered that car manufacturers are not consistent about publishing passenger compartment volume. Audi doesn’t publish interior volume measurements anywhere we could find them, so we couldn’t consider the brand’s E-Tron SUV and E-Tron GT sport sedan models for our list. The same goes for Tesla’s Model X and Model Y SUVs and the new-for-2022 BMW iX crossover, even though all three probably would have made the cut if we had numbers to compare.
1. Ford Mustang Mach-E – 3,700.4 L total interior volume
2022 Mustang Mach-E Ice White
Topping our list of the EVs with the most interior space is the Ford Mustang Mach-E, with a total of 3,700.4L of interior volume, including 2,860L of passenger volume and 840.4L of cargo space with the rear seats in place. If you fold the rear seats down, Ford says you get 1,690.2L of cargo capacity, and there’s another 133L in the front trunk.
The Mustang Mach-E’s powertrain options range from 266 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque to 480 hp and 634 lb-ft. Maximum driving range is 491 km in the Mach-E’s California Route 1 Edition.
Volkswagen ID.4 – 3,687L total interior volume
2022 Volkswagen ID.4
Next up is the Volkswagen ID.4, VW’s first-ever all-electric compact crossover. It combines a 2,829L passenger compartment with 858L of cargo space behind the rear seats for a total interior volume rating of 3,687L. Stowing the rear seats opens up a maximum cargo capacity of 1,818L.
VW offers the ID.4 in a base RWD model with 201 hp and 229 lb-ft of torque and 400 km of driving range, and an AWD version whose dual motors provide 295 hp and 339 lb-ft and promise 386 km of range.
3. Kia Soul EV – 3,523L total interior volume
2021 Kia Soul EV
Number three on our list of spacious EVs is the Kia Soul EV, the battery-electric version of the brand’s boxy wagon. The Soul may cast a compact shadow, but its tall roof creates a lot of headroom and contributes to a passenger volume measurement of 2,860L, matching the Mustang Mach-E. But combining that figure with 663L of cargo space behind the rear seats results in just 3,523L of interior volume, relegating the Soul EV to third place. However, the Soul EV’s 1,735L of maximum cargo space (with the rear seats folded) is more generous than that of the Mach-E.
Kia offers two powertrains in the Soul EV: Premium trim gets 134 hp and 291 lb-ft of torque and 248 km of range, and the pricier Limited package boasts 201 hp and 291 lb-ft and a 383 km range promise.
4. Porsche Taycan – 3,511L total interior volume
The Porsche Taycan is one of the most exciting battery electric vehicles on sale today, with up to 750 hp and 774 lb-ft of torque and 325 km of range available in the $215,000 Turbo S model. For about $120,000, the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo gets a relatively modest 469 hp and 369 lb-ft with 346 km of range.
The Taycan’s ranking here is based on the interior space specs for the Taycan sedan, which has 3,058L of passenger cabin space and 453L of trunk capacity for a total of 3,511L of total interior volume. There’s also a front trunk that can accommodate 79L worth of cargo.
The Taycan Cross Turismo wagon has a larger back seat and trunk than the sedan, but nowhere could we find its passenger volume measurement. That’s too bad, because the extra space would have moved it up to third or even second place in our ranking. All we can tell you about the Taycan Cross Turismo’s interior space is that it can accommodate 1,212L of cargo with the rear seats folded down.
5. Tesla Model S – 3,407L total interior volume
Introduced in 2013, the Tesla Model S is the archetype for upscale mid-size battery electric cars and helped set the stage for the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-Tron GT. This five-door liftback boasts up to 652 km of driving range, while a Plaid configuration gives up a bit of range in favour of a 1,020-hp tri-motor powertrain that promises 0-to-100 km acceleration in 2.1 seconds.
The Model S’s passenger cabin offers 2,662L of volume for five occupants, plus 745L of cargo space behind the rear seats, which adds up to 3,407L of total interior space. Folding down the rear seats opens up 1,645L of cargo capacity in the cabin, and a front trunk adds 141L of cargo space.
