Will an electric car suit your lifestyle?

For many people in the UK, there’s more pressure than ever to adopt an EV into your lifestyle. With the looming petrol and diesel ban coming in 2030 and the UK government pledging to help reduce the rate of global warming, you may be wondering how you can live an eco-friendlier lifestyle. There are many ways you can help to reduce your carbon footprint but one of the easiest ways can be by getting an electric car. There are many benefits to owning an electric car, but some people may be worried about how easy it is to adopt a fully electric vehicle into your lifestyle. The guide below has been designed to explore just that.

How are EV’s different?

When compared with traditional combustion engine cars, an electric car doesn’t use a petrol or diesel engine. Instead, the car is powered by an electric motor. Inside the electric motor, there are rechargeable batteries which determine the range of the vehicle. Cars with larger batteries can usually produce a longer electric range and travel further. Unlike petrol and diesel engines, there’s no tailpipe involved either so no harmful emissions are released into the environment. When it’s time to refuel, you can simply plug your EV into a designated charging point or have a charge installed at your home. You will then pay to charge your car through your monthly electricity bill.

Benefits of electric cars

There are many benefits to getting an electric car; from lower running costs to environmentally beneficial, electric cars can a smart decision.

1.      Eco-friendly

Electric cars are eco-friendly because they have less of a harmful impact on the environment. Petrol and diesel cars are bad for the environment because release CO2 and other emissions into the air. These pollutants speed up the rate of climate change and affects both environmental and human health. Electric cars on the other hand don’t produce any emissions and can help to reduce the harmful impact that cars can have on the world.

2.      Lower running costs

When compared to refuelling your vehicle with petrol or diesel, it can be much cheaper to recharge your electric vehicle. To work out how much your electric car may cost you to recharge, you can use the following formula: Tariff (p/kWh) x battery size (kWh). This formula will give you an idea of how much it can cost to charge your EV to full.

3.      More availability

Electric vehicles has been around for a  number of years now, which means if you don’t want a brand new electric car, you could get a used electric car on finance to help keep costs more affordable. Many manufactures such as Nissan and Tesla have given their models a battery life of 8 years or 100,000 miles to help give you that extra peace of mind when buying a used car.

How to buy an electric car

For many people, electric cars may be too expensive for their budget. There was previously a UK government grant which helped people to get money off the purchase price of an EV. However, this grant was scrapped as of June 2022. You can now buy an EV in two ways.

Buying with cash

Buying an electric car with cash can be the most straightforward and cost-effective way to own an EV. However, the cheapest small electric car on the market today starts from around £25,000. For many buyers this amount is unattainable and could take a while to save up this amount.

Car finance

If you’re looking to spread the cost of buying an electric car, you could consider taking out a car finance deal. Car finance allows you to pay for your chosen EV in monthly payments with added interest. It’s worth remembering though that car finance is never guaranteed, and you will need to meet the lenders criteria first before you can get approved. If you’re struggling to get approved for finance, you could check out how to rebuild your credit score first.

Factors to consider before getting an electric car:

As mentioned above, there are so many benefits to getting ana electric car, However, there are a few factors in which you can consider before you commit to getting one.

Charging point availability

The easiest way to charge your electric car is by having a charging point installed in your home. It does cost to get a charger installed and the type of charge your need will depend on the EV that you choose. You can also only get a charger installed at locations with off street parking. If you can’t get a charge installed at home, you will need to rely on public charging points which takes more time than it would to fill your tank with fuel.

Range anxiety

Another common term associated with owning an electric car is ‘range anxiety’. Range anxiety is used to describe the fear that electric cars owners have when their cars mileage may run out before they reach their destination. Range anxiety can be reduced by always having your car charged enough for your journey or planning ahead and checking where charging points are along the way.