As the pool of performance electric car continues to grow, we test the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.

Max power: 487hp

Official range: 304 miles

0-62mph: 4.4 seconds

High-power charging: 150kW

10-80% charge time (mins): 45

OTR price (standard vehicle): £74,540

OTR price test car: £76,090

There’s a quiet but potent revolution underway in the electric car sector that could unseat how committed diehard petrolheads are to not making the switch to electric.

While the focus, and rightly so, is starting to move to affordable small EVs to help car buyers go electric en masse, there’s a growing number of high-performance EVs launching. Not only do these help carmakers meet stiff emissions regulations, they also deliver a compelling argument for drivers at the other end of the scale to go electric, proving supercar levels of performance and power previously the stuff of dreams – such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT that we tested for a couple of days.

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. A 487hp muscle car with a c.£75k price tag is not your common or garden company car but the advent of electric cars have moved all the goalposts.

So much so, that this is one of a growing crowd of high-performance EVs, alongside such models as the Tesla Model Y Performance and Porsche Macan 4 Electric, Kia EV6 GT, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, bringing rivals to more conventional models. The list is growing by the day too, such as the freshly announced Nissan Ariya Nismo and Cupra Born VZ.

In terms of the raw statistics, while the Mustang might normally be used to a V8, the Mach-E GT comes with a dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain that chucks out the aforementioned 487hp along with a 4.4-second 0-62mph time and a staggering 860Nm of torque – enough to keep pace with its peers. It’s calibrated for more of a rear-wheel drive bias than other Mustang Mach-E all-wheel drive variants.

It also delivers a stiffer chassis with advanced MagneRide adaptive suspension and bigger 385mm Brembo brakes, although these can feel a bit snatchy around town.

As with the standard Mach-E, the GT features three different drive modes – Active, Whisper mode for economy and performance-focused Untamed – plus one-pedal driving.

It’s certainly an entertaining and vigorous drive. Performance delivers an impressive punch from standstill – just press the accelerator and hold on! Body roll is nicely contained despite its size, while steering is nicely weighted and feels direct and responsive.

Despite all that extra performance and its 2.2-tonne heft, the Mach-E GT delivers a 304-mile WLTP range from its 98kWh extended-range battery – compared to 379 miles for the standard extended-range version.

It’s able to charge at up to 150kW DC, compared to 115kW for smaller battery models, giving some 60 miles of range in around 10 minutes of charging, and to go from 10 to 80% capacity within about 45 minutes. The charger port is at the left front – cue a discussion about the merits of charge point locations.

Complete with the Grabber Blue iconic Mustang paint colour and alloy wheels in black (£1,150 and £400 options respectively), it certainly looks the part – so much so that it proved a worthy steed for my son’s prom this summer where it turned heads and more than kept pace among a line-up that included stretch limos and a tuk-tuk. It also clearly hit the spot with other drivers – I realised at one set of traffic lights that the driver of a souped-up 3 Series was revving up, looking over and wanting a race from the lights.

The GT comes with the Mach-E’s adaptive LED signature headlights and three vertical taillights, giving a nod to the Mustang’s heritage, along with push buttons for the doors, and is marked out with a honeycomb grille, GT-branded sill plates, 20-inch black machine alloy wheels and body-coloured side cladding and wheel arches. It also features a fixed panoramic roof.

Boot space is slightly on the small side at 402 litres – and 1,402 litres to the roof with them down – although you do get a separate compartment under the boot floor and an extra 81 litres in the ‘frunk’. This provides a handy space to store the charging cable although I did get a bit freaked out by seeing the button to open it from the inside in case of kids getting stuck inside. Apparently this is a federal requirement in the States. There’s also plenty of storage onboard.

The interior is dominated by the massive 15.5-inch infotainment screen, which features Ford’s SYNC4A communications and entertainment system and comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and screen conversational voice recognition. It seemed intuitive to use and the oversized physical knob, used for quick access to volume and other controls, was definitely quick and easy to use on the move.

The GT also comes with a B&O 10 Speaker System including a full-width dashboard sound bar.

The Ford Performance sports seats definitely hug you in place and there’s plenty of room in the rear, even for three gangly 16-year-old lads, helped by a flat rear floor.

It’s up against some stiff competition and it’ll be interesting to see how the new Capri challenges things too. But if you’re looking for a high-performance electric car to stand out from the crowd, this should definitely be on your shortlist.