VW e-up will start at £24,250 in UK

That translates to a starting price of about $39,528 US dollars.

Volkswagen is keeping its word on electric mobility, bringing the e-Up! electric car to the United Kingdom this month at a competitive starting price. Unveiled with the e-Golf at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the e-Up! small hatchback is priced at 24,250 British pounds in the UK and sells for 19,250 pounds after applying an available 5,000-pound government grant (that translates to a starting price of about $39,528 US dollars, of $31,378 after the incentive).

The Volkswagen e-Up! was launched in Germany this autumn and precedes the larger e-Golf hatchback, which is due to roll out in 2014. In the UK, competition for the e-Up! comes from the Renault Zoe, which starts at 18,990 pounds and the Nissan Leaf, which starts at 20,990 pounds.

VW says the e-Up! can go 93 miles on a single charge. While it can get up to 81 mph, the car's the torque is pretty lightweight and it takes 12.4 seconds to go from zero to 62 mph. As for charging, you can spend nine hours on a standard household socket or an optional home-charging box is available so UK customers can fully recharge in six hours. The electric hatchback does come with built-in DC fast-charging standard that produces an 80-percent charge in 30 minutes. The e-Golf will come with a larger battery and longer driving range.

The e-Up! (like the e-Golf) comes in three driving modes: Normal, Eco and Eco+. The Eco and Eco+ modes progressively limit electric motor power and torque levels and vehicle functions to improve per-charge driving distance. The EV's regenerative braking system has five modes and also improves the range.