Hyundai’s electric hatch goes on sale with up to 308 miles of range, starting at about $25,000

Hyundai has started taking orders for the IONIQ 3, a new electric hatchback, in the UK and Europe. In the UK, prices start at £18,495 (about $25,000) after the government's £3,750 Electric Car Grant, making it one of the cheaper long-range EVs on the market. The base version has a 42 kWh battery and up to 213 miles of range. A longer-range version with a 61 kWh battery starts at £21,995 (about $29,000) and offers up to 308 miles of range. Higher trims with the bigger battery go up to £28,195. Leases start at £355 a month. In Germany, prices start at about €28,950, with leases from €209 a month.

The car charges fairly quickly: the smaller battery goes from 10% to 80% in about 29 minutes on a fast charger, and the larger battery takes about 30 minutes. It also comes standard with driver-assist features, a digital key, route planning for charging stops, and the ability to power outside devices from the car's battery.

This news mainly matters if you're watching the EV market generally, since Hyundai has no plans to sell the IONIQ 3 in the United States. It's being built specifically for European buyers. US shoppers looking for an affordable Hyundai-family EV can instead look at the Kia EV3, a compact electric SUV from Hyundai's sister brand, which starts at $30,000, or Hyundai's own IONIQ 5, which remains one of the best-selling EVs in the US.