An electric car will cost you less to fill up and drive, as well as being cheaper to service and maintain. This is because electricity is generally cheaper than petrol.

Another cost advantage of electric cars is that they have fewer moving parts than petrol or diesel equivalents, which means lower maintenance costs. Plus there’s little or no vehicle tax to pay.

You can use our handy EV charging calculator to work out how much it costs to charge an electric vehicle.

Without petrol or diesel engines to make all that noise, EVs are much quieter. In fact they’re so quiet they are now required by law to emit a noise (Acoustic Vehicle Alert System) when reversing or travelling below 12 mph.

Reduced noise pollution can make our cities and communities more pleasant and less stressful places to live and work.

One of the main advantages of electric cars is that you can charge at home and take advantage of cheap overnight electricity rates. With smart home chargers you can also take advantage of smart features like remote monitoring and scheduled charging. A

way from home there are more and more public charging stations becoming available.

Because they’re electric, EVs aren’t releasing carbon exhaust fumes into the air whilst you’re driving, helping to reduce air pollution and combat climate change. This air pollution reduction can also have health benefits for communities.

EVs also help us to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Electric vehicles generally have a lower lifetime carbon footprint than petrol cars.

Reduced road charges are another major electric vehicle benefit. If you live in London or areas which have introduced Clean Air Zones to reduce pollution, you’ll avoid paying any charges in an electric vehicle. In London, EVs are exempt from the ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zone).

Low emissions or clean air zones are becoming more and more common in the UK, with the following cities and areas beyond London all having some form of controls in place: Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Tyneside (Newcastle and Gateshead), Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow.

With less internal moving parts, electric cars can handle easier, make less noise and benefit from regenerative braking that captures motion energy from acceleration that would have been wasted.

This leads to a smoother, quieter and more comfortable ride for passengers and drivers.

If you’re driving a fully electric car rather than a plug-in hybrid, then your road tax is absolutely free. If you drive a plug-in hybrid you’ll still get a discount over petrol or diesel cars.

These exemptions will change in 2025.

Depending on your situation you could be eligible for a government grant towards your EV including the Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) and the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS).

As of June 2022 however, the PiCG is no longer available for cars and is only available for motorcycles, vans, trucks, and taxis. The EVHS grant offers up to 75% (capped at £350) off the cost of purchasing and installing a home charging point. The EVHS is available to homeowners who have space dedicated to off-street parking.

Our EV tariff, Next Drive, offers 100% renewable electricity. The majority of EV tariffs on the market also offer renewable electricity.

So if you go for an EV tariff, you’re likely to then use a renewable electricity tariff too, making your energy usage more sustainable in turn.

No more going to the petrol station in the morning before work, get an electric home charger installed and you can charge your electric car overnight.

If your home is suitable for a home charger, this can be a gamechanger, letting you take control of your charging schedule and keeping on top of your charging costs. For those with a busy schedule, home charging is one of the biggest advantages of electric cars.

If you have solar panels and a battery installed at your home, you can use any excess electricity you generate to charge your electric car with your home EV charger.

For the forward-thinking energy consumer, this is an excellent way to improve the sustainability of your home and reduce your energy costs too.

Many places are enacting stricter vehicle emissions regulations. This favours electric vehicles, so by making the switch to an electric vehicle, you’ll be future-proofing your travel somewhat.

As technology improves, battery efficiency and range is also likely to improve. In the future, in combination with other home energy tech, EVs will contribute to a greener, smarter and more resilient electricity grid.