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Suzuki e-Sky: sub-£20k electric city car confirmed for UK next year
Suzuki has unveiled the production version of its e-Sky electric city car, a Kei-class model due in the UK next spring with a sub-£20,000 price tag and a reported 193-mile range.
By Edward Beaumont · 3 min read
Suzuki has taken the wraps off the e-Sky, its new electric city car that will arrive in the UK next year as a direct rival to the Renault Twingo and Honda Super-N. The boxy hatchback, which follows the Japanese Kei car formula of maximising passenger space within strict size limits, is expected to start at under £20,000 — roughly the same money as the combustion-engined Suzuki Swift supermini.
The production model closely mirrors the Vision e-Sky concept shown at last year’s Tokyo motor show, with the most notable changes being a switch from futuristic LED lighting to a chunkier, more conventional front-end set-up. The illuminated grille has given way to a black trim piece, while the revised Suzuki emblem sits on a sculpted nose with a single cooling intake in the bumper. At the rear, the EV gains bulkier LED taillights, a visible tailgate handle and body-coloured cladding on the bumper.
Technical specifications remain under wraps until autumn, but Japanese media reports suggest the e-Sky uses a single front-mounted motor with an output of 63bhp — the maximum permitted for Kei cars — and a 26kWh lithium iron phosphate battery mounted under the floor. The targeted range is 310km (193 miles), which would put the e-Sky comfortably ahead of the rival Honda Super-N’s 128-mile figure. It should be noted, however, that the Super-N is not actually a Kei car: it is based on the Honda N-One e but modified for export markets with a more powerful 94bhp motor and a wider, more aggressive body.
The e-Sky rides on the Heartect e architecture, designed for urban EVs, and features a 10.1-inch infotainment display, a digital instrument cluster, a traditional gear shifter and a dedicated climate control panel. Other equipment includes heated seats and steering wheel, an electronic parking brake, and a heat pump paired with an electric air heater for efficiency in colder conditions. As with most Kei cars, the cabin is a four-seater with a small boot.
Suzuki UK boss David Kateley has previously described the A-segment battery electric vehicle as “vitally important” and said he was “very excited about its prospects”. The e-Sky’s arrival next spring will provide the Japanese brand with a useful boost toward qualifying for the UK’s zero-emissions vehicle mandate. It will be followed a year later by Suzuki’s third EV, which Kateley said “definitely won’t be an electric Swift”.
The e-Sky goes on sale in Japan this autumn, with mainland Europe and the UK expected to follow in 2027. It is Suzuki’s first entry in Japan’s fast-growing light passenger EV segment and its third production EV overall, arriving behind the e Vitara subcompact SUV and the e Every kei van. It remains to be seen whether Suzuki will follow Honda in localising the e-Sky with extra power to suit UK buyers, but the model is expected to form a crucial part of the brand’s future plans in Britain.
