Looking to buy a new car? Talk test drives the Zotye M300 EV to see how it weighs in against the current competition.

BYD, which originally started as a rechargeable battery manufacturer, has grabbed the electric vehicle limelight in China, thanks, in part, to legendary investor Warren Buffet’s purchase of 10% of the company in 2008. However, Zotye a smaller Chinese manufacturer surprisingly beat them to the consumer market with sales of cars in 2010. Zotye offer two electric vehicles: the diminutive 5008 EV based on the old Daihatsu Terios (a micro SUV) and the far more rounded M300 EV (pictured).

Europeans might feel that the M300 bears a striking resemblance to a short, distinctive people-carrier: the Fiat Multipla. This is because after Fiat stopped production in 2010, Zotye secured manufacturing rights from the company and began full scale production in China. Initially only a 1.6 litre petrol version was produced. However, since, the M300 EV has been newly introduced to the Chinese market.

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