Martyn Collins makes the switch to a fully electric car for his latest long-termer.

Our Mazda MX-30 long-termer

P11d (BiK): £29,845 (0%) CO2: 0g/km Test Range/MPkWh: 93/2.9MPkWh

Changes in taxation and the way we work has seen the EV market and take up explode over the last year. My last couple of long termers have been hybrids, but the Mazda is my first EV.

Initial job was having the charger, which is included with the car, fitted to my house. This was done neatly and speedily by partner NewMotion.

The MX-30 certainly isn’t the most conventional EV, with the sporty MX tag denoting attractive, curvy fastback styling and suicide doors, also seen on Mazda’s RX-8 rotary-engined sports car.

Inside, it’s more conventional, feeling like a cross between an MX-30 SUV and Mazda3. Quality is excellent and detailing, such as the cork-trimmed parts, is attractive. The Sport Lux trim has decent standard equipment. There’s just enough room for two children in the back and the boot is a decent size. But while the unusual doors might open wide, my kids aren’t so convinced by them – we’ll see if this improves over the coming months.

On the road it lives up to that MX tag, with sharp, precise steering and tidy handling. The Mazda is a smooth performer, the only interior sound being an artificial noise that gets louder the faster you go. Despite us being in lockdown when the car arrived, the novelty of using the Mazda hasn’t worn off, with over 300 easy miles completed already.

The big issue with the MX-30 is the range. Cold spring weather has seen the 124-mile range drop as low as 75 on a full charge – thankfully it’s costing me roughly £6 a charge at home.

However, I’m hoping the range will improve as the weather gets warmer, as I fathom the UK’s bitty charging network.