I’m firmly on team electric sedan. Give me something low, sleek, and reasonably eager to change direction over any SUV that needs clever suspension to disguise its towering height. But one thing always seems to undermine my enthusiasm for whatever electric sedan I'm driving: climbing into the back and discovering that my knees are shoved into my chest.

You can have a generous distance to the rear of the front seat back, plenty of shoulder room, and space above your head and still feel awkwardly folded and not really comfy in these cars. Your feet still sit too high, lifting your thighs off the cushion, and your knees feel unsupported as they dangle mid-air.

The culprit is under the carpet, and the so-called skateboard layout is to blame. A floor-mounted battery has become the industry's go-to design for good reason. It keeps the heaviest component low, helping stability and handling, and tucks a bulky battery away without swallowing the trunk or passenger compartment.

But the battery still needs somewhere to go. Its cells, enclosure, protection, and cooling hardware add substantial thickness under your shoes, raising the surface where passengers rest their feet. It seems like an efficient use of space until you take a long passenger ride in the back of an electric sedan.

In a taller crossover or SUV, designers have more room to raise the seats, and it’s not as big a problem. However, in a low sedan or hatchback, that adjustment would mean you’d end up sitting too high, getting a bit too intimately acquainted with the headliner.

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