Best Electric Cars for Under $30,000

Imagine you have $30,000 to spend on an electric car.  Which one do you choose?

I would choose a car with a combination of range and optimal performance around 40 mph since most of my driving is city driving with speeds of 25-40 mph.

For the money, the BMW i3 beats out both the Nissan Leaf and the Ford Focus EV for range and the the 0 to 60 speed benchmark.

Electic Car Rankings from Car and Driver (as of early March 2015)

Articles about Electric Car Performance:

Fiat 500e Vs Chevy Spark EV: How Electric-Car Torque Figures Can Be Deceptive
7 Frequently Asked Questions About Electric Cars
“What is the actual cost of ownership?”
One of the biggest benefits of electric cars is that they cost less to maintain, and Nissan owners agreed. “Aside from my lease payments, nothing so far,” one driver beamed. “I have had my Leaf for a year and have had no other costs for maintenance. I know that my electric bill probably has gone up, but I don’t even notice it so it must not be by much,” they added. “I estimate I pay about $15 a month for the car’s electrical costs,” another said. “And there’s very little maintenance needed on an electric engine. For my first warranty-covered trip back to the dealer at 6,000 miles all that needs to be done is rotate the tires.”

"Have you ever come close to, or run out of charge?”
Overall, no. The owners who responded haven’t run out of charge — though they’ve come close. “I’ve been down to three miles,” one said. Another, eight miles; and yet another, just one mile on the range calculator. However, the most interesting response came from a driver who took his Leaf up a mountain, and by the time they reached the top, they were at zero — but during the ride back down, the coasting and regenerative braking gave them four more bars worth 40 miles of range. Even the most impressive gasoline cars can’t refuel themselves on the way back down.

Will Electric Cars Require More Maintenance? - HowStuffWorks
Maintaining an electric car, according to some estimates, will cost about one-third the current cost of maintaining a gasoline-powered car. The bottom line is this: Electric cars require considerably less maintenance than gas-driven cars.

Nissan's Owner's Manuals and Service and Maintenace Guide

Download the 2015 Nissan Leaf Service & Maintenance Guide to see what maintenance needs to be performed on an Electric Car (almost everything relates to the steering, brakes, and tired).
* Reduction Gear oil
* Charging Port
* Charging Port Cap