Category Archives: FAQ

Best electric car discounts: how to save money on a new EV

May 5, 2023Buying/Leasing, Congestion Charge, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

It’s currently possible to save up to £4188 on a new electric car. And you don’t even have to haggle, thanks to our free New Car Buying service…

Electric cars have been hugely popular and demand has traditionally been so strong that discounts on them were virtually impossible to find. That has started to change, though, with the average saving on an electric vehicle (EV) now standing at 3.1% or £1805 per car. That’s up more than 25% year on year.

The catalyst for the discounting was Tesla’s big price reduction of its models in January 2023. A number of other factors have also had an influence on prices, including the slowing of new car sales due to the cost-of-living crisis, a drop in resale values of EVs, and the impending Government directive that 22% of all cars sold by manufacturers must be all-electric from next year.

Even though electric car sales are growing more rapidly than those of other fuel types – with registrations up 18.8% compared with 18.4% for petrol models – the discounts available on them are also increasing, according to data compiled by What Car?’s Target Price team.

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The Guardian view on the electric car revolution: targets are not enough

May 3, 2023Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and Comment, Opinion, PollutionRepost

The government must do its bit to make new electric vehicles more affordable if mass adoption is to be achieved on the road to net zero

When the government controversially scrapped its discount on the purchase of electric cars last summer, the move was justified on the grounds that its work was done. After 11 years of subsidies, said ministers, the electric vehicle revolution had been “kickstarted”. As Britain strives to meet a 2030 target to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, that judgment is beginning to look a little complacent.

Amid ongoing economic headwinds, data has emerged that suggests a drop-off in current demand for electric cars, despite notable public enthusiasm for their adoption in principle. Auto Trader, which hosts the country’s largest car sales website, reported this month that inquiries in relation to new electric vehicles had fallen significantly compared with last year.

A number of factors are likely to be involved. As interest rates and inflation remain high, the upfront cost of a new electric car makes it more expensive in the short term than a petrol or diesel one. Falling oil prices may have diminished the immediate incentive to switch. At the same time, despite repeated pledges by Whitehall, the rollout of charging infrastructure continues to be too slow and is not keeping pace with sales.

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Best EVs 2023: putting this year’s top electric cars to the test

April 24, 2023BMW, Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, FAQ, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

From BMW to Polestar, these are some of our favourite electric cars available to

Just a few years ago, it would have been simple enough to write an article listing every electric car available. There would be a couple of Teslas, the Nissan Leaf, the Renault Zoe and the Jaguar I-Pace. But times change, and in the case of electric cars (EVs) a century-old industry can be transformed in the blink of an eye.

BMW i8 in Sophisto Grey (Image: T. Larkum)

In 2023 there are now numerous electric offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Polestar and Volvo, plus others from Ford, Porsche, Fiat, Mini, Lexus, Kia, Hyundai and Genesis.

Today’s market includes small city EVs like the Mini Electric and Honda E, all manner of SUVs, a budget estate in the form of the MG5, battery-powered sports cars like the Porsche Taycan, 2,000-horsepower hypercars like the Rimac Nevera, and fashion-forward rides from startups like Genesis and its GV60. Prices run from under £30,000 to over £2m and quoted range estimates span from a little over 100 miles to 400 or more.

With such a broad range of electric options to pick from, there’s also a lot to understand before you make your purchase. Battery size and range are only one part of the EV equation though, as charging speed is equally important.

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‘Hyundai’s Ioniq electric car range is wiping the floor with rivals’

April 21, 2023Buying/Leasing, Electric Cars, Hyundai, News, Reviews and Comment, OpinionRepost

If, a decade ago, those ‘in the know’ were asked to predict which country and company would clean up on the international awards front in the early 2020s, I suspect the experts would have opted for a German firm – Audi, perhaps? Or an up-and-coming US one such as Tesla? Another safe bet – maybe a less exciting, but more dependable Japanese brand?

Back then, nobody in their right mind would have gone for an Asian country whose land area, population and access to natural resources were – and still are – smaller and lower than the UK’s. Even less likely was that an unglamorous, non-premium firm from that tiny Asian peninsula would headline on the global awards stage and in other international arenas.

But that’s exactly what Hyundai, its designers and its Ioniq models have done. Almost unfathomably, they’ve taken on and beaten countless ‘better’ and longer-established premium firms and products.

The ball started rolling in summer 2021, when the Ioniq 5 was crowned Auto Express Car of the Year, and autumn saw it crowned Germany’s Car of the Year. By the winter, a panel of bestcarsoftheyear.com judges from the global motor, motorsport and media industries named the Ioniq 5 the New Car World Champion. And in spring 2022, the same model won 50 per cent of the World Car awards for that year.

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Thousands Of EV Charge Points To Be Installed Across London

April 20, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

To aid in London’s transition to a net-zero carbon metropolis by the year 2030, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and the London Councils have announced the installation of thousands more electric vehicle charge points in all 32 boroughs and the city of London.

A third of the UK’s total electric charge points are located in London, which has about 13,000 of them now. Since 2019, this number has increased by more than 200 percent. As part of the Mayor’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy, London’s goal of having 40,000–60,000 charge points by 2030 will be achieved with the support of £35.7 million in capital funding from the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. Officers tasked with assisting the installation of charging points throughout the boroughs will be funded with an additional £3 million in capability funding.

The new public charge points will be distributed fairly by the mayor, London Councils, Transport for London, and London boroughs, who will also make sure that the charge points are installed to meet the needs of local communities, with a focus on assisting those who do not have access to off-street parking. Also, the funding will be utilized to facilitate cross-borough collaboration on the delivery and procurement of charging points.

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How much does charging an electric car cost? Is it cheaper than petrol?

April 18, 2023Charging, Charging, Cost of ownership, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Your electric car charging costs are simple to calculate. Here’s how to work it out

There are plenty of reasons for going electric: that pesky CO2 stuff, for one thing. But there’s another incentive for making the switch other than doing your bit for the polar bears: electric car charging costs.

You see, charging an electric car has been – historically, at least – cheaper than filling up with conventional fuel. And that means over the course of electric vehicle ownership, you could save yourself a lot of money in running costs. Really.

There are, of course, a couple of important caveats: to make the numbers work, you will need to do the majority of your charging at home. This is where electricity is most affordable (even with energy costs ballooning) and some tariffs will allow you to make the most of cheaper overnight rates when demand is low.

Public charging points – including the so-called ‘rapid’ chargers popping up at motorway service stations – tend to be a lot more expensive. And while they’re a godsend for topping up quickly on a long journey, you will be paying for the privilege. So much so that the price per mile of driving might not be that much different to that of a petrol or diesel car. Boo! Hiss!

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Electric car prices may drop thanks to new ZEV mandate – with big savings for UK drivers

April 14, 2023Electric Cars, FAQ, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Experts have praised proposals announced today to introduce a Zero Emission Vehicle mandate from next year to help accelerate the uptake of electric vehicles.

The Government’s new Powering Up Britain strategy has been unveiled with many in the motoring industry in favour of the progression of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. This mandate will require car manufacturers to have a minimum percentage of their new car sales be zero emission to help achieve net zero goals.

Quentin Wilson, founder of EV campaign group FairCharge, had been calling on the Government to ensure there were no compromises to the ZEV mandate to achieve net zero goals.

He said: “We know the Government has read our many letters and listened to feedback from our meetings with ministers to stay strong on future EV production targets and we’re delighted that they haven’t caved into vested interests.

“These targets will send a clear message to the EV sector that UK electrification of road transport is here to stay and will benefit future generations with more highly skilled jobs, greater levels of investment, more charging infrastructure and cleaner urban air. This is a good day for British drivers.”

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Every brand’s cheapest electric car on a lease deal

April 11, 2023BMW, Electric Cars, Leasing a new car, News, Reviews and Comment, VolkswagenRepost

Think all electric cars are expensive? Prepare to think again, because we’ve gathered leasing deals starting from just £313 per month on models from Audi to Volvo…

Tempted by a new electric car? One way of getting one on your driveway could be with a lease deal.

Sometimes called personal contract hire or personal leasing, leasing is one of the most affordable ways to access a new car. The way it works is similar to other forms of car financing, because you pay for the car with a deposit and regular monthly payments.

Contracts usually last for three or four years, with a pre-agreed annual mileage limit. Unlike Personal Contract Purchase (PCP), there’s no option to buy the car at the end of the term. In effect, this means you’re renting the car, but the benefit of this is that the monthly payments are generally lower than with other forms of financing.

So, in this instance we name every brand’s cheapest electric car that’s currently available through What Car? Leasing. Our list includes a wide range of models, including small electric cars to electric SUVs, although some manufacturers are excluded due to a limited number of deals available.

In each case, you can follow the links to learn more about our leasing deals or read our full What Car? review on the car.

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Tesco celebrates installation of 600th EV charger

April 7, 2023Away From Home, Charging, Electric Cars, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Tesco, Pod Point and Volkswagen are celebrating the installation of the 600^th electric vehicle (EV) charger as part of their partnership.

Installed at Tesco’s Kirkwall superstore on the remote Scottish island of Orkney, the charger marks the culmination of the programme that has seen 2,500 EV charging bays installed at stores across the UK.

The trio of companies launched the charging network in 2019 and have since provided 43,218kWh of energy.

“It is with great pride we announce that we have hit our target of providing EV charging at 600 stores across the UK,” said Jason Tarry, Tesco CEO UK & ROI.

“From Orkney all the way to Southampton customers now have the option to make sustainable choices and we’re giving them somewhere easy and convenient to charge while they shop with us.”

In March 2022, the companies hit the 500^th installation milestone for the network. Having grown over the last year, it now includes 129 rapid chargers.

The network includes 7kW, 22kW and 50kW charging units, as well as Pod Point now installing the retailer’s first set of 75kW charging units as part of the next phase of rollout.

From this month, there will be 75kW chargepoints available to shoppers at Tesco Cheshunt, Osterley, Shrewsbury, Ashby De La Zouch and York Extra stores, as well as at the Newark New Ollerton Superstore.

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These are the cheapest new EVs you can currently buy

March 29, 2023Buying a new car, Electric Cars, Fiat, MG, News, Reviews and Comment, Nissan, VolkswagenRepost

New EVs are still by-and-large expensive products, but we look at the most affordable models currently available

If Volkswagen sticks to its promise, the ID.2 will arrive as the cheapest new electric car on the market, and tap into the relatively untapped affordable end of the segment, as EV manufacturers have so far been largely prioritising more expensive models that help them generate more money.

Ahead of the Volkswagen ID.2’s arrival, we have a look at the most affordable new EVs that can be bought today.

The entry-level MG4 is still able to travel 218 miles on a charge. (MG)

Volkswagen ID 4 (Image: Volkswagen.co.uk)

MG is now one of the key players in the electric car segment, with its affordable EVs really resonating with buyers that want to go electric, but without having to splash vast amounts of cash

Its new MG4 is also currently the UK’s most affordable EV, with a starting price of £26,995. That buys the entry-level model, equipped with a 51kWh battery that’s able to achieve a credible claimed 218 miles from a charge. It’s also good to drive, well-equipped and offers attractive styling too. MG’s current offers mean you can get behind the wheel for £269 per month over a four-year deal, with a £6,000 deposit.

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