Electric Service From $199 a Month Electric cars are getting cheaper. Although purchase prices vary, the Chevrolet Spark E.V. and Smart Electric Drive Cabriolet can be leased for three years at $199 a month, and the Fiat 500e at $239. That means consumers are likely to weigh factors other than the bottom line when deciding which - if any - of these small, stylish battery vehicles to put in their driveway. The good news is that none of them are terrible. But would a pure electric vehicle meet your needs? If your family has only one car and takes long trips, a plug-in hybrid like the Chevrolet Volt would probably be a better choice. But if you simply want a fun car for frugal, eco-friendly commutes, one of these may be worth considering. Federal and state incentives can sweeten the deal. But public charging stations are not yet widely available, and the cars are offered in only a few states. All three are sold in California; two are also offered in at least one other state that follows California's zero-emission vehicle rules. Here are my impressions after recent test drives in all three cars: Fiat 500e: California Dreaming This electric Fiat is, alas, a California-only model, though the car's chief engineer, Brett Giem, said distribution might expand to other states. Based on reactions to the test car, both to its buglike body and electric orange paint - officially called Arancio Elettrico - and to its sleekly retro two-tone interior, there would be takers elsewhere. This car is seriously cute; a readout bids you "ciao" when you shut it down. The 500e is fun to drive, too. Like most battery electrics, it has great low-end torque - what you feel when you floor the accelerator - and takes off with the alacrity of a Venetian gondolier catching up to paying clients. Its 111 horsepower is 10 more than the gas version of the 500, and the weight is distributed more evenly, front to rear. Other cars passed me left and right on the highway, but high-speed Interstate travel isn't the 500e's forte. The Fiat is comfortable for front-seat passengers, even tall ones, but it's hard going for anyone (including children) stuck in the rear. The steering is sharp and the suspension is relatively stiff, though not unpleasantly so. The push-button shifter reminded me of my 1963 Dodge Dart. The view ahead is fine, but the center roof pillar partly blocks rear vision. Over nearly 100 miles of combined city-highway driving, I got the electric-car equivalent of 121.3 m.p.g. (quite close to the E.P.A. rating of 116 m.p.g.e). That translates into 3.6 kilowatt-hours per mile or a respectable 79.9 miles per charge based on the available energy from the battery pack. The 500e has well-designed graphic displays to keep track of consumption and the state of charge, and also, like the other cars, a smartphone app. I don't have a 240-volt Level II home charger, and my garage outlet refuses to charge E.V."s, so for all three vehicles I used the included 110-volt cable and snaked an extension cord into my kitchen. That got me enough charge for my needs. In California, the $7,500 federal tax credit, $2,500 state rebate and $2,000 manufacturer's incentive combine to make a serious dent in the $32,600 purchase price. You might be able to drive it away for $20,600. Chevrolet Spark: Young at Heart For my 17-year-old daughter Delia, this car was love at first sight. She liked everything about it: the size, the light blue color, the quiet electric operation. That bodes well for sales to a generation that, in many cases, would rather text than drive. Like most people, Delia is accustomed to Chevys being larger than this one; the Spark is bigger than the Fiat, but not by much. And like that car, the Spark coddles its front-seat passengers but is less kind to those in the rear. The cargo area is tiny, and there's no spare tire, only an inflation kit. The 140-horsepower Spark, on sale since June, was also impressive off the line, with light steering and a well-damped ride that improved on the Fiat and Smart. With 400 pound-feet of torque, the Spark can zip from a standstill to 60 m.p.h. in less than eight seconds, and it held the road nicely. I simply loved to drive it around town.