Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the total cost of electric vehicle ownership, including a) purchase price, b) insurance, c) maintenance, d) charging costs and e) vehicle excise duty.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are typically cheaper to own and run than petrol equivalents when purchased using salary sacrifice or when making use of the best available home off-peak charging tariffs. EVs continue to benefit from preferential tax breaks compared to the most polluting vehicles, including via salary sacrifice, and the Electric Car Grant offers up to £3,750 off eligible new EVs.

Drivers of a new EV can save as much as £1,400 a year compared to petrol car drivers on running and maintenance costs if they can charge at home using off-peak tariffs. A breakdown of how this is calculated is available here: https://cleanenergy.campaign.gov.uk/electric-vehicle/.

Analysis suggests that the average EV driver will pay around £20 a month under the Government’s eVED proposals once the new policy starts in 2028, roughly half the equivalent rate for a petrol car.