The pros and cons of electric cars

Are electric cars the future?

With the UK government announcing a ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2030, as part of their Clean Air Strategy, it's becoming more evident that diesel and petrol cars are slowly becoming a thing of the past to make way for the rise of electric cars.

How popular are electric cars?

In 2021, a staggering 687,958 new electric and alternatively fuelled cars were registered; an increase of over 281,002 on 2020. There were also 14,182 used battery electric vehicles sold in the third quarter of 2021 – the highest number ever recorded in any quarter.

Electric car charging points

The surge in the number of electric cars being purchased means businesses across the UK have started offering a quick way to recharge these vehicles (for a price). You’ll now find electric vehicle charging points at petrol stations, supermarkets, and shopping centres across the country, and you also have the ability to install charging systems at home, with the help of a government grant.

There are now over 30,000 different electric vehicle charging points across the UK, in over 11,000 different locations. These electric charging points range from slow charge (overnight) to rapid 80% charge (30 minutes).

Top tip

Need help locating a charging point? "Zap-Map is a UK-wide map of electric car charging points that helps electric car drivers locate and navigate to their nearest EV charging point.

The EV charge points map allows drivers to search and filter for electric car charging points, as well as plan electric routes with the smart route planner."

Pros and cons of electric cars

Pros

• Eco-friendly transport method
• Quieter than petrol and diesel cars
• Range is cheap, usually costing between 4p and 5p per mile*
• Maintenance costs are low (compared to petrol and diesel cars)

Cons

• Not suitable for long journeys (charging breaks need to factored into travel)
• You'll need to invest in a home charging point - you can get a government grant to help cover some of the costs associated with this

The cost of electric cars

If you were to purchase an electric car, it would set you back anywhere between £8,000 and £50,000. On top of this payment, you would also need to pay a one-off cost for an at home car charging point, and then there would be the ongoing cost of your electricity bill. Although this seems like a lot of money to fork out in one go, there are government grants and finance options available to help you subsidise and spread out the costs.

Let's not forget the savings associated with buying an electric car - you can find yourself saving hundreds of pounds on petrol and/or diesel each month, and approximately £110 on road tax!

Information includes references to:

Zap-Map - Map of electric car charging points in the UK

GOV.UK - Grant schemes for electric vehicle charging infrastructure

*information correct as of 30/11/2021