Most car trips in England are less than 100 miles, which means the majority can be made easily in an electric vehicle without needing to stop and recharge.

The driving range of EVs has also come a long way. In 2020, the average range for new models was about 210 miles, but by 2023 this had increased to nearly 300 miles. Some EVs now go well over 300 miles on a single charge—enough to get you from Exeter to Leeds. In fact, there are now over 30 different models available that can travel more than 200 miles on one charge.

Charging is becoming more convenient too. By January 2024, there were over 53,600 public chargepoints across the UK—a 45% increase in just one year. Almost every motorway service area (97%) also has charging facilities, with more than 800 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers available for quick top-ups on longer journeys.

Right now the government is offering a £650 million Electric Car Grant (ECG) to make electric vehicles more accessible to a greater number of people. The grant will be available until around 2028/2029 and allows you to save up to £3,750 on a brand new electric car.

Eligibility varies by vehicle and is based on sustainability criteria in the manufacturing process (full details are available on Gov.uk). Discounts are offered in two bands:

• Band 1: Up to £3,750
• Band 2: Up to £1,500

The best part? There’s no application process for customers, everything is handled directly by the dealership.

Running an EV can be much cheaper than driving a petrol or diesel car, especially if you charge at home. For example, charging a medium-sized electric car at home typically costs around half the price of filling up the petrol equivalent. On average, that works out at about 8p per mile, compared to 13p–17p per mile for petrol or diesel (as of January 2024).

Some energy suppliers also offer special EV tariffs, letting you charge overnight for as little as 3p per mile (for example, Octopus Energy’s overnight plan).

If you’re charging on the public network, the costs are usually about the same as running a petrol car—but you still save more when charging at home.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electric-vehicles-costs-charging-and-infrastructure/electric-vehicles-costs-charging-and-infrastructure

As with fuel and petrol vehicles, electric vehicles still need an MOT every 3 years – but they don’t need an emissions test.