SERVICES

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging

Electric vehicles are an increasingly attractive option, due to their lower running costs, the expanding choice of models available and intensifying concerns about air quality and climate change.

Benefits of electric vehicles
OLEV Plug-in Vehicle Grant

Benefits of electric vehicles

While the initial upfront purchase price of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle can be higher, this is offset by lower running costs. Electric vehicles offer savings including:

  • A full charge in a pure electric vehicle will give a typical range of over 100 miles and will cost approximately £4 to £6 if charging at home, and £8 to £10 if using public chargepoints. Driving 100 miles in a petrol or diesel car will cost around £13 to £16 in fuel, which can be two to three times more than the cost of charging the electric car. The cost savings will be greatest when owners charge at home and have access to an off-peak overnight electricity tariff - Citizens Advice have published a great analysis of the EV tariff market.
  • There are fewer mechanical components in an electric vehicle compared with conventional vehicles, which often results in lower servicing and maintenance costs.
  • Pure EVs have a zero rate of Vehicle Excise Duty.
  • Plug-in cars emitting 75g/km CO2 or less, meet the Euro 6 emission standard and have at least 20 miles zero emission range are eligible for a 100% discount from the London Congestion Charge. A regular user of this zone could be saving over £2,000 a year.

OLEV Plug-in Vehicle Grant

Grants are available to reduce the initial purchase cost of eligible plug-in vehicles and the cost and installation of chargepoints. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) is responsible for these grants. The Plug-in Vehicle Grant provides up to:

  • a maximum of either £3,000 provided the car has CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km and can travel at least 112km (70 miles) without any emissions at all
  • 20% of the cost of a van, up to a maximum of £8,000
  • 20% of the cost of a motorcycle, up to a maximum of £1,500

OLEV maintains the list of eligible vehicles . The grant is automatically deducted from the retail price when an eligible vehicle is purchased, so there is no additional paperwork to complete. Please note, criteria for grants are subject to change.

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