2022 MAZDA MX-30 SPORT LUX EV

Right so you want to join the great electric car crusade, but you don't fancy turning up in the same soulless jelly mould everyone else is buzzing about? Well, this this thing might just be your ticket to smug, silent motoring nirvana.

It's Japanese, which means it's been built with the kind of obsessive precision usually reserved for samurai swords and high-end sushi knives. It's an SUV, apparently although, if you squint a bit, it looks more like a coupe that's been hitting the gym. The rear doors? They don't just open they barnstorm open, revealing the sort of access you normally get on a country estate. And the front doors swing out to a full 90 degrees, as if to say: "Go on then, get in, I dare you." No one will be doing that awkward sideways shuffle here.

And when you finally do get behind the wheel, it's not just a pretty face it drives rather brilliantly too. The spec list reads like a Christmas wish list for grown-ups: sat nav, alloys, heated and electric seats, Apple CarPlay, cruise control it's all here, short of a butler and an espresso machine.

This particular example has clearly been cherished like a favourite child. It's come from Motability, with just one former keeper, a full service history, and two keys which is practically unheard of these days. And just to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, it'll leave us with a fresh 12-month MOT, a full service, and a year's parts-and-labour warranty all absolutely free.

In short: it's stylish, sensible, and surprisingly fun. Which, let's be honest, is not something you can often say about an electric SUV.