An electric vehicle comprising: front and rear wheels (4, 8); a battery; an electric motor configured to use power supplied from the battery to drive at least one of the front and rear wheels (4, 8); a motor rotational speed detector configured to detect a rotation speed of the electric motor; an accelerator configured to be operated by a user to adjust a driving force of the electric motor; an accelerator opening degree sensor configured to detect an accelerator opening degree that is an amount of operation of the accelerator; a mode shift operator (45, 46) configured to be operated by the user to switch among a plurality of drive modes (LD1, LD2, LD3) for the electric motor each having a different upper limit rotational speed of the electric motor; a driving force characteristics setter configured to set, for each of the plurality of drive modes, driving force characteristics (LD1, LD2, LD3) for the electric motor including a target drive force with respect to an accelerator opening degree that is an amount of operation of the accelerator and the rotational speed of the electric motor; and a controller configured or programmed to acquire the accelerator opening degree and the rotational speed of the electric motor, to control the target drive force according to the driving force characteristics (LD1, LD2, LD3) set by the driving force characteristics setter and characterized in that the plurality of drive modes (LD1, LD2, LD3) including a first drive mode in which a first upper limit rotational speed is set and a second drive mode in which a second upper limit rotational speed larger than the first upper limit rotational speed is set; said controller is further configured or programmed to shift up, according to an operation of the mode shift operator (45, 46), the drive mode of the electric motor from the first drive mode to the second drive mode, and to prohibit, when a first shift-down prohibition condition is met, a shift down from the second drive mode to the first drive mode. front and rear wheels (4, 8); a battery; an electric motor configured to use power supplied from the battery to drive at least one of the front and rear wheels (4, 8); a motor rotational speed detector configured to detect a rotation speed of the electric motor; an accelerator configured to be operated by a user to adjust a driving force of the electric motor; an accelerator opening degree sensor configured to detect an accelerator opening degree that is an amount of operation of the accelerator; a mode shift operator (45, 46) configured to be operated by the user to switch among a plurality of drive modes (LD1, LD2, LD3) for the electric motor each having a different upper limit rotational speed of the electric motor; a driving force characteristics setter configured to set, for each of the plurality of drive modes, driving force characteristics (LD1, LD2, LD3) for the electric motor including a target drive force with respect to an accelerator opening degree that is an amount of operation of the accelerator and the rotational speed of the electric motor; and a controller configured or programmed to acquire the accelerator opening degree and the rotational speed of the electric motor, to control the target drive force according to the driving force characteristics (LD1, LD2, LD3) set by the driving force characteristics setter and characterized in that the plurality of drive modes (LD1, LD2, LD3) including a first drive mode in which a first upper limit rotational speed is set and a second drive mode in which a second upper limit rotational speed larger than the first upper limit rotational speed is set; said controller is further configured or programmed to shift up, according to an operation of the mode shift operator (45, 46), the drive mode of the electric motor from the first drive mode to the second drive mode, and to prohibit, when a first shift-down prohibition condition is met, a shift down from the second drive mode to the first drive mode.