Drivers can save by using grants and incentives. Subscribe to the Electric Vehicle News Bitesize Podcast.
Electric cars are fast becoming one of the most popular types of cars, and drivers are encouraged to take advantage of the grants and incentives on offer, which can save drivers thousands of pounds a year.
By the end of 2021, Electric Vehicle sales outstripped the past five years, with 190,727 new registrations and 114,553 plug-in hybrids. Drivers can benefit from grants that fund the cost of electric vehicles, as well as other programs that make it easier to access electric vehicle charging stations at home.
Under the government’s plug-in grant scheme, the maximum grant for an electric car is £1,500.
The tailpipes of these vehicles have no carbon dioxide emissions and second-hand first generation Electric Vehicles travel at least 70 miles with zero emissions, including brands such as Vauxhall, Mini, Nissan and Volkswagen.
To be eligible for the grant, a car must have a suggested retail price (RRP) of less than £32,000, including VAT and shipping.
Grants cover 35% of the purchase price of these vehicles, up to £1,500.
Motorcycles with zero CO2 emissions and a speed of at least 31mph can receive a cost discount of up to 35%, up to £500.
Drivers can get up to £2,500 off for a small van.
From 1 April 2022, the threshold to apply for a light truck grant of up to £16,000 was raised from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes.
Vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes are eligible for the Large Van Grant of up to £5,000.
More than 30 electric vans and trucks are eligible for government grants.
Hopefully these changes will help thousands of independent drivers and businesses apply for zero-emission vehicles.
The Plug-in Car Grant scheme has supported the purchase of more than 450,000 ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK, including more than 300,000 zero-emission vehicles.
Employees can forgo a portion of their payroll in exchange for benefits, including electric vehicles.
Drivers can rent electric vehicles and save a lot of money every month, sometimes as much as 50%.
Many programs offer opportunities for drivers to participate, including loveelectric, the Electric Vehicle Program and LeasePlan.
Many motorists choose electric vehicles because they can benefit from generous tax breaks.
For electric vehicles, they do not have to pay the Vehicle Excise Tax (VED), which is only 1% in kind, although it has now increased to 2% this month.
Most salary sacrifice schemes allow drivers to save thousands of pounds per year, and often get the choice of top of the range vehicles from Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Different companies offer different savings, but a common example is the Tesla Model 3, where nearly £8,000 can be saved per year through Salary Sacrifice.
The Electric Vehicle Home Charger Scheme.
This enables electric vehicle drivers to receive a subsidy that covers 75% of the cost of home charging stations and their installation.
There is a cap of £350 (including VAT) per installation, and if drivers have two eligible vehicles, they can apply for two charging points on the same property.
As of April 2022, the Electric Vehicle Home Charger Scheme will no longer be available to homeowners (including those entitled to mortgages) living in single-family homes such as bungalows, or one or two bedroom townhouses.
The program is still open to homeowners who live in flats and people who rent flats.
When it comes to charging your Electric Vehicle for free, most free charging points are 7kW fast chargers, according to Zap-Map, which lists over 25,000 public charging points in the UK.
This typically adds about 30 miles of range for every hour of charging.
An easy way to find a free Electric Vehicle charging station is to click the “Free” filter under the “Payments” option on Zap-Map.com and search for the location closest to you.
While there are many different providers of electric vehicle charging stations, such as BP Pulse, Osprey, and GeniePoint, roughly one charging station is available every second in the Pod Point network for free.
Tesco has partnered with Pod Point to provide free charging bays in car parks at over 450 of its Extra and Superstore branches.
Sainsbury’s has confirmed all its Electric Vehicle charging points (7kW) are free for customers when shopping in-store.
Premier Inn is rolling out two free Electric Vehicle charging points at each of its 300 locations over the next three years.
There is one charging unit with two connectors at the Springfields Outlet Shopping Centre and Festival Gardens car park in Spalding.
The National Trust. There are Electric Vehicle charging points at 36 locations across England and Wales, and the vast majority, with a couple of exceptions, according to National Trust, are free.
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