Is an electric car right for you?

By 2030, it will no longer be possible to buy a new petrol or diesel fuelled car in the UK. The ban on sales was brought forward from 2040 and puts the UK on track to become the fastest of the G7 nations to decarbonise cars and vans¹.

In preparation for 2030, car manufacturers have been steadily increasing their electric vehicle (EV) offering, and consumer interest is certainly growing. In 2021, one in every nine new cars bought was a battery electric – more than across the whole of the previous five years².

Research shows that electric cars are better for the environment than those fuelled by petrol or diesel³. With no exhaust emissions, driving an electric vehicle means no air pollutants which contribute to smog and health problems and no greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and methane.

And if you’re charging your car at home, with a 100% renewables-backed electricity supply or using your own solar panels, you’re truly minimising the environmental impact of having your car on the road.

There are clear tax benefits to making the switch to an EV, with fully electric cars exempt from road tax (officially Vehicle Excise Duty, or VED) and benefit-in-kind car tax for company car drivers greatly reduced. Servicing costs are likely to be lower, given that EVs have fewer moving parts than cars running on fossil fuels. And running costs are lower too – per mile, filling up at the pump costs more than charging at home, particularly if you’re able to take advantage of a low overnight rate specifically intended for EV drivers.

And if you’re someone who regularly drives into and within one of the many (and growing) cities to feature an emissions tax zone, such as London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone or Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone, then driving an exempt EV could represent a significant saving.

Modern life is stressful enough without having to worry about whether your car battery is sufficient to get you to your destination, or if you’ll be able to find a conveniently located charging point along the way. So goes the theory of range anxiety, which has certainly put some drivers off going all electric.

But vehicle technology is improving all the time and the battery range of electric cars is growing – according to the RAC, you can expect to drive between 100 and 300 miles on a fully charged electric car⁴.

And the options for keeping your car’s battery topped up are expanding too. Home charging is probably the most convenient, but if it’s not possible where you live you may be able to plug in while you’re at work, shopping or at the gym, or at an ultra-fast charging station, where 10 minutes on charge could add 100 miles to your battery. 

If you’re used to budgeting for the cost of a new petrol or diesel car then the higher list price for an EV can come as a surprise; the use of newer and more expensive technology in developing and producing electric vehicles comes at a cost, whether that’s the initial purchase price or a monthly lease rate. But electric cars are becoming cheaper to make, and it is widely reported that later this decade production costs for some EVs will be less than for their petrol or diesel fuelled equivalents⁵. Another cheaper option may be to buy second hand – as sales of new EVs increase year-on-year, so too does the stock of used cars available to buyers.    

Making the switch to an all electric car is a big decision – with important considerations around initial outlay costs and lifestyle choices. But with the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel powered cars now less than a decade away, it makes sense to start researching the options and weighing up whether taking action for climate in the form of a shift to driving electric is right for your situation.

^{1.      HM Government: Transitioning to zero emission cars and vans: 2035 delivery plan (14/07/21)}

^{2.      SMMT: December and Full Year 2021 New Car Registrations (06/01/22)} 

^{3.      University of Cambridge: Electric cars better for climate in 95% of world (23/03/20)} 

^{4.      RAC: Electric vehicle range – how far can I drive in an EV? (20/04/21)}

^{5.     Guardian: Electric cars 'will be cheaper to produce than fossil fuel vehicles by 2027' (09/05/21)}