Category Archives: Buying/Leasing

‘I bought an electric MG eight weeks ago – it’s incredible value for money’

September 26, 2023Buying/Leasing, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, MG, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

A motoring expert has highlighted how easy it was to make the transition from a petrol-powered car to an EV.

An automotive YouTuber has revealed his thoughts on a popular electric vehicle, stating that it offers good value for money.

Paul runs the channel Life of Cars, and regularly posts videos in which he reviews a variety of cars and informs drivers on how to fix common issues.

In one of his most recent videos, Paul talks to a relative who bought an MG4 eight weeks ago about the switch from petrol to electric.

The relative said: “It’s just easy, it does it all for you. Acceleration off the line is pretty sharp, that’s a big difference.

I like to put it into eco mode and into energy saving mode which obviously helps with the battery, especially driving long distances.”

In the video, Paul and his relative take the MG4 for a spin, discussing various aspects of owning an electric car.

The relative noted that the car came equipped with several driver assistance features, such as lane keep assist, preventing the driver from accidentally drifting out of their lane.

They both added that the interior was incredibly roomy, which has been achieved by using a battery that is thinner than ones found in other EVs.

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‘One in five new cars turn electric in August’

September 14, 2023Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

The number of electric cars registered in August skyrocketed by 77% compared to the same month in 2022, according to a report

New industry figures show that one-in-five new cars registered in the UK in August were fully electric, representing the strongest month for electric vehicle (EV) registrations in 2023.

According to data from New AutoMotive, the number of electric cars registered in August 2023 surged by 77% compared to the same month in the previous year.

Electric vans also saw growth, comprising 8% of new van registrations.

In the meantime, registrations of both petrol and diesel cars are now at historic lows, with registrations of both accounting for the smallest share of new cars in any twelve-month period for the last 20 years.

Ben Nelmes, Chief Executive of New AutoMotive, said: “It is great to see British motorists embracing clean cars in their thousands. Despite an unprecedented cost of living crisis and rising interest rates, demand for electric cars has remained surprisingly resilient.

“The government should build on this progress by putting in place a strong California-style Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate to give car companies and EV charger installers certainty.”

Commenting on the report, Greenpeace UK‘s Policy Director Doug Parr said: “Electric cars are selling like hot cakes. However, with the government deciding to ‘side with motorists’, while pursuing an anti-green agenda, you have to wonder if ministers are foolishly ignoring these soaring sales and instead listening to the vested interests attempting to park EVs’ growth.

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2030 UK petrol and diesel car ban: will it be delayed?

September 8, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Sales, ZOE, ZOE E-SportRepost

From 2030 drivers won’t be able to buy new cars powered solely by petrol or diesel, but what does this mean for you and could the ban be delayed?…

Under current Government plans, the sale of new cars powered solely by petrol and diesel will be banned from 2030. The move, announced in 2020, is intended to encourage more drivers to choose electric cars, and reduce emissions from vehicles across the UK.

Hybrid cars which can travel ‘significant’ distances on electric power alone will remain on sale until 2035, when it is expected that they too will be banned in favour of fully electric cars. The Government has yet to define what qualifies as ‘significant’.

According to official figures, electric cars currently account for around 16% of new car sales, with hybrids accounting for about 12% and plug-in hybrids 7%. Combined, that means such cars have accounted for more than a third of sales.

It’s important to note that only new car and van sales will be affected by the ban – you’ll still be able to buy used cars and vans powered solely by petrol or diesel.

In this story, we’ll cover the details of the proposed ban, including how it came about, how it affects car buyers, and whether you should still consider buying a new petrol or diesel car in 2023.

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The best new electric cars for every budget 2023

September 1, 2023Buying/Leasing, Citroen, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

As 2023 progresses, the electric car market continues to grow and evolve. More zero-emission options are available than ever before as brands continue their efforts to swap fossil-fuel cars for battery-powered alternatives.

EV sales are still steadily growing, with 176,000 new electric cars cars finding homes in the first seven months of this year – a 38% increase over the same period last year. One electric car sits in the annual top ten best-sellers list as of August 2023, with more than 21,000 Tesla Model Y SUVs have been sold in the UK since the turn of the year.

The last year has seen the introduction of several competitively-priced electric models, but with the retirement of the Smart EQ ForTwo and EQ ForFour hatchbacks there are now no electric cars available for below £25k. You can get a pint-sized Citroën Ami for around £8k, but that’s a quadricycle that does not come with airbags and is illegal to drive on the motorway.

Now starting with new models available for under £30k, we’ve analysed all the electric cars available at key price points in the new car market, and consulted our industry-leading Expert Rating Index to see which models have the highest review scores from across the UK motoring media.

With comprehensive review data backing our recommendations, you can be confident that this is the definitive guide to the best new electric cars for every budget that are on sale in the UK right now.

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Used EV sales soared by 81.8% YOY in Q2 2023, says SMMT

August 31, 2023Buying a new car, Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, NissanRepost

Used electric vehicle (EV) sales soared in Q2 2023 by 81.8% year-on-year (YOY), research by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed.

This means that used EV sales accounted for a record 1.7% market share and is up by 1% YOY. In total, 30,645 EVs changed hands in Q2 2023.

SMMT also stated that the rising proportion of EVs meant that market share for conventionally powered cars marginally fell to 94.3% from 95.7% last year, even though volumes of petrol and diesel cars saw growth of 2.5% and 2.8% respectively.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of SMMT, said: “It’s great to see a recharged new car sector supporting demand for used cars and, in particular, helping more people to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle.

“Meeting the undoubted appetite for pre-owned EVs will depend on sustaining a buoyant new car market and on the provision of accessible, reliable charging infrastructure powered by affordable, green energy. This, in turn, will allow more people to drive zero at a price point suited to them, helping accelerate delivery of our environmental goals.”

These statistics for second-hand EV sales come as Octopus EV, part of Octopus Energy Group, recently committed to offer a second-hand salary sacrifice scheme for EVs in a bid to spur growth.

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Second-hand electric vehicle sales soar to record levels

August 29, 2023Buying/Leasing, Charging, Electric Cars, Kia, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Boosting the second-hand market is crucial to increasing the reach and affordability of electric vehicles, however, the sales accounted for 1.7% of the total used car market.

Sales of second-hand electric vehicles (EV) rose by more than 80% in the three months to June, indicating increasing demand for more affordable zero and low-emission cars.

More than 30,500 of the battery-powered vehicles changed hands in the second quarter this year, an 81.8% rise on the same period last year.

Those sales accounted for just 1.7% of the total second-hand market, which while a record for the sector, demonstrates the scale of the adjustment required in the UK’s vehicle fleet before a ban on new internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles in 2030.

Low-emission plug-in and hybrid vehicles are also growing in popularity in the used market, with sales up 11% and 30% respectively, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The market share of petrol and diesel vehicles fell as a result of the growth in electric car sales, but still accounted for almost 95% of 1.8m used vehicles sold in the quarter.

Boosting the second-hand market is crucial to increasing the reach and affordability of electric vehicles, which are still significantly more expensive to buy than ICE models.

Second-hand EV prices have been dropping in the last year however, with data company Cap hpi estimating a 35% fall in 12 months.

The EV market has expanded rapidly in recent years, with more than 260,000 new electric cars registered last year, up from 15,000 in 2018.

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Can I save money with an electric car?

August 28, 2023BP Chargemaster, Charging, Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, Shell, TeslaRepost

Electric vehicles are increasing in popularity but with the price of energy high, is it still cheaper to run an electric car than it is a petrol or diesel one? Here we weigh up the cost of going green.

By 2030, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is to be banned in the UK. Despite EVs making up more than half of all new cars sold, concerns remain around cost, range and whether the infrastructure is ready to achieve this target.

From April 2025 EVs will no longer be free from paying road tax. The removal of government grants, a higher list price than petrol and diesel, and the rising cost of refueling has left many wondering if making the switch to electric is financially worth it?

This article covers:

Related content: How to save money by going green

Are electric cars cheaper to buy than petrol cars?

Whether an electric car is more economical for you in the long run than an conventional fuel car, you need to consider a number of factors, which include:

the upfront list price
how much you intend to use the car
where you intend to charge it
insurance
maintenance costs

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One electric vehicle sold every minute in July as UK car sales rise

August 24, 2023Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, Electric Vans, Fleet, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Some 143,921 new vehicles were registered in July, up 28.3% on a year ago
Electric vehicles (BEVs) registrations jumped by almost 88% to 23,010
Demand for fleet and business vehicles was biggest driver of sales

UK car sales have now risen for 12 months in a row, despite the ongoing consumer squeeze, with demand for electric vehicles gathering pace, industry figures show.

Some 143,921 new vehicles were registered last month, up 28.3 per cent on a year ago, marking the best July since 2020, when sales spiked after three months of lockdown.

However, the overall market remains below pre-pandemic levels, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Battery electric vehicle (BEV) registrations jumped by a whopping 87.9 per cent to 23,010, meaning one new electric car was sold every minute in July.

New BEVs took a 16 per cent market share in July, compared to 10.9 per cent a year ago, with the SMMT anticipating the figure will rise to nearly 23 per cent across the whole of 2024.

Plug-in hybrid registrations also saw a significant uplift for the second month in a row, rising 79.1 per cent to 11,702, while some 16,321 hybrid vehicles were registered in July, an increase of almost 19 per cent compared to a year ago.

Electrified vehicles, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and BEVs, accounted for 35.4 per cent of the market in total.

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One electric vehicle sold every 60 seconds in July after price cuts

August 22, 2023Away From Home, Buying a new car, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, TeslaRepost

One electric vehicle was sold every 60 seconds in July after carmakers cut prices to attract cash-strapped drivers, industry data shows.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed an 88pc year-on-year increase in the sale of battery-powered vehicles last month, as deliveries hit 23,000.

This comes after manufacturers, such as Elon Musk’s Tesla, reduced prices.

The SMMT welcomed the increase in electric car sales but said “consumers must be given every possible incentive to buy”, as it called on the Government to scale up infrastructure.

It also warned that its outlook for overall sales next year had been downgraded by 0.7pc as households struggled with the increased cost of living.

There has been growing concern about the lack of charging capabilities for battery-powered cars across the UK, particularly for drivers embarking on long-distance journeys.

Last year just one new public charger was built for every 53 electric cars sold.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Government must pull every lever to make buying, running and, especially, charging an EV affordable and practical for every driver in every part of the country.”

Figures released by the SMMT in February showed 368,617 plug-in cars were registered in Britain last year, while just 6,949 standard chargers were installed.

This shortfall has fuelled the debate over Rishi Sunak’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.

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Electric car running costs: are EVs cheaper to run?

August 18, 2023Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

Electric cars are more expensive to buy than their petrol counterparts, but are they actually cheaper to run? We explain all

One of the biggest appeals of electric cars – other than the inherent environmental benefits – are significantly reduced running costs. Over the last decade, there have been several reports stating EVs are ‘completely free to run’, and others saying that charging them ‘costs half the price of petrol’ – but is this really true?

Ultimately, whether the total cost of ownership (TCO) is lower for an electric car than its petrol or diesel equivalent comes down to a multitude of factors. Here, we’ll crunch the numbers and find out how expensive – or inexpensive – owning an electric car can be.

We’ve decided to use the Vauxhall Astra Electric and its petrol-powered sibling as an example, but all of what we’re about to go through applies for almost every EV on the market. Read on to see how much you could potentially save.

How much do electric cars cost?

It’d be a crime when talking about EVs to ignore the fact that they tend to cost a lot more than their petrol equivalents. Take the Vauxhall Astra Electric, for example which, starting at £39,795, costs roughly £10,000 more than a comparable petrol model.

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