Over 50 of the right-hand drive cars have now arrived in the country and will shortly go into service with a number of fleets, including private hire operations that will allow passengers to experience them. The cars have been fully homologated for use on European roads.

The e6 uses BYD’s Fe Battery technology which comes with a 10-year warranty and offers a driving range of over 250km (155 miles) – said to be the longest range for a pure-electric passenger vehicle in the world. The model can be fully recharged in 40 minutes and offers a top speed of over 140kph (87mph).

Isbrand Ho, managing director of BYD Europe BV, said: ‘We are very excited with the arrival of our e6 pure electric cars in the UK. The e6 has zero tailpipe emissions, reducing air pollution, and also benefits from significantly lower running costs than conventional petrol or diesel cars. The model is well-proven, having driven over 14 million miles in key global markets.’