Monday 12 December 2022

‘Owning an electric car is now cheaper than a petrol car’

In almost all of Europe, owning an electric car is now cheaper than a petrol or diesel one.

That’s according to analysis by LeasePlan, claiming that although electric vehicles (EVs) cost more to buy, this is offset by lower running costs, less maintenance and less to charge up.

The report revealed that “EVs in nearly every segment and European country are now the same price or cheaper on a total cost of ownership basis than petrol or diesel cars.”

The only nations where an EV was still considerably more expensive were the Czech Republic, Italy and Poland.

From a UK perspective, the total monthly cost of running a new EV stood at £790, whilst a petrol car cost £820 and a diesel vehicle £809.

This was even more stark in the nation’s neighbours France – with a cost of £632 for an EV, £778 for diesel and £747 for petrol.

The study also revealed that charging at home was always cheaper than public chargers.

“Despite energy price inflation, fuel costs remain significantly lower for electric cars than petrol and diesel cars,” LeasePlan’s report concluded.