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Whether you're a seasoned EV driver or considering your first electric car, this comprehensive guide will provide you with everything you need to know about owning and maintaining an electric vehicle. From the advantages of EVs to practical tips on charging and servicing, we’re here to help you navigate the exciting journey of electric vehicle ownership.

Understanding EVs

What is an electric car?

An electric car is a vehicle powered completely by a battery and an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. The car uses a battery pack to power the electric motor and is charged by being plugged into a domestic wall socket, wall box or charging station.

It's important to remember that a plug-in hybrid and a hybrid electric car are not the same as a fully electric car. 

Find out more about alternative fuel vehicle types

Benefits of electric vehicles

While the initial upfront purchase price of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle can be higher, this is usually offset by lower running costs.

Electric vehicles offer savings including:

  • The average range of modern electric vehicles is around 200 miles on a full charge. This would cost approximately £17 to charge your electric vehicle at home (depending on your tariff). In comparison, a petrol or diesel car could cost in the region of £45 to achieve the same mileage range. This cost saving increases further for EV users charging their car at home on an off-peak overnight electricity tariff.
  • Electric vehicle servicing is typically cheaper as there are fewer mechanical components when compared to a typical combustion engine. This cost saving can also be enhanced by choosing a service plan for your electric car.
  • Lower or zero vehicle tax. Until 2025, there is no VED (vehicle excise duty) to be paid on electric cars. After 2025, electric vehicles will be charged, but this rate will be significantly lower than petrol or diesel cars for the first year.
  • Clean air zones typically charge less for lower or zero emission vehicles.
Find out more about the benefits of electric vehicles here
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Electric Vehicle Chargers

Electric Car Performance and Driving

Electric Cars vs Petrol/Diesel Cars

With the advances in technology, electric vehicles now have equal, if not better, driving experiences and performance than their petrol/diesel counterparts. 

Electric cars tend to now have better acceleration, with their motors creating instant torque and the ride tends to be smoother and much quieter.

As the automotive industry continues to innovate and develop the electric car market, we predict that the quality, comfort and features offered by new electric cars will outshine any combustion vehicle competitor.

 

Electric Vehicle Range

The range an electric car can do on one charge will initially depend on the car. Most electric cars will have a range between 8- and 250, with some vehicles, like the Kia EV6, offering a range of over 320 miles.

There are other factors that will affect your cars range, including driving style, excessive use of features such as air conditioning and heating. With aggressive acceleration and high speeds, your EVs range is likely to decrease.

A sensible and consistent driving style is the best way to ensure you maximise your electric vehicle's driving range potential. You can increase your range by making use of regenerative braking, which can help reduce the likelihood of your battery charge dropping too quickly.

Battery deterioration or faults can also cause the range to drop, so it is important to properly maintain and service your electric car to ensure you're receiving the best performance possible.

EVs have displays and warnings to alert you when you're going to run out of charge, just as a combustion vehicle would let you know it's low on fuel. Providing you're paying attention to your car, it's unlikely you'll run out of charge.

However, in the unlikely event you do run out of power, most breakdown cover providers are able to recover you and some have even installed mobile charging points to their recovery vehicles to give you a boost that can help you get to the next charging point. 

When you tow a caravan or trailer, you add more weight and pressure to the vehicle. This can decrease efficiency and reduce range on electric vehicles, as well as create additional work for components such as brakes and suspension. This is not too dissimilar to standard petrol and diesel cars, which is why not all cars are type-approved to tow.

While there are electric vehicles out there that are capable of towing, you would need to check with the manufacturer to see whether your specific EV is able to do so safely.

In the UK, having a car that can drive in wet conditions is crucial! While we would not advise anyone to unnecessarily do so, it is just as safe to drive and electric car through water as it is a petrol/diesel vehicle.

Every car has a 'wading depth', which is the amount of water a vehicle could withstand driving through. Check with your manufacturer for more details on your specific vehicle.

Electric Vehicle Charging

There are two main ways to charge your electric car:

  • Charging at home: When charging your electric vehicle at home, you have two main options: slow charging or installing a wall box. Slow charging involves plugging your car into a standard domestic socket using a traditional 3-pin plug. While this method is easy to use, it can take over 24 hours to fully charge your vehicle in some cases. Alternatively, you can invest in a wall box, which can be installed on the side of your house or in your garage. Wall boxes provide a much faster charge and are both safe and reliable.
  • Public charging points: Public charging points for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles can be found in locations such as supermarkets, leisure parks, petrol stations, and service stations. These chargers offer fast and rapid charging options, though charging times can vary. Some public charging points are free to use, while others require payment, so it's important to check the details before parking and plugging in your vehicle. Additionally, some charging points require you to use your own charging cable, so it’s wise to always keep a spare cable in your car.

A rapid charger is the quickest way to charge your electric car. In some cases, rapid charge points can provide as much as 80% battery in one hour. They are generally found in public charging points rather than at home and are the best way to charge your electric vehicle quickly.

Yes! You can charge your electric car in the rain. EV manufacturer's have worked hard to build waterproofed charging ports to ensure you can charge your car without rain sneaking into the system. In addition to this, charge points don't start emitting electricity until the charger is firmly connected to the vehicle, which provides a barrier between the electricity and you or any adverse weather conditions. 

When charging at home, the cost will depend on your energy supplier. Speak to them to find out more about the most affordable way to charge your electric car at home. For the initial set up, the cost of a wall box installation is around £1,000 on average. 

Public charge points have their own charging fees that will be displayed. Prices are charged by kWh and can range massively from 20p-50p. Although this doesn't sound like much, it all mounts up, so ensure you check the fees before plugging in. 

The length of time it takes to charge an electric vehicle will vary deepening on the car itself and the kind of charger. Generally, the larger the battery, the longer it will take to charge.

On average a wall box charger at your home can give you 10 to 30 miles in on hour, a standard public charging point could give you 20 to 80 miles on an hour charge and a rapid charger could charge your battery up to around 80%.

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Chippenham Motor Company Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Automotive Compliance Ltd, who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No 497010). Automotive Compliance Ltd's permissions as a Principal Firm allows Chippenham Motor Company Ltd and MRG to act as a credit broker, not as a lender, for the introduction to a limited number of lenders and to act as an agent on behalf of the insurer for insurance distribution activities only.

We are a credit broker and not a lender. We can introduce you to a carefully selected panel of lenders, which includes manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent. We act on behalf of the lender for this introduction and not as your agent. We are not impartial, and we are not an independent financial advisor.

Our approach is to introduce you first to the manufacturer lender linked directly to the particular franchise you are purchasing your vehicle from, who are usually able to offer the best available package for you, taking into account both interest rates and other contributions. If they are unable to make you an offer of finance, we then seek to introduce you to whichever of the other lenders on our panel is able to make the next most suitable offer of finance for you. Our aim is to secure a suitable finance agreement for you that enables you to achieve your financial objectives. If you purchase a vehicle, in the majority of cases, we will receive a commission from your lender for introducing you to them which is either a fixed fee, or a fixed percentage of the amount that you borrow. This may be linked to the vehicle model you purchase.

Different lenders pay different commissions for such introductions, and manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent may also provide preferential rates to us for the funding of our vehicle stock and also provide financial support for our training and marketing. But any such amounts they and other lenders pay us will not affect the amounts you pay under your finance agreement; however, you will be contributing towards the commission paid to us with the interest collected on your repayments. Before we propose you to a potential lender, we will inform you of the likely amount of commission we will receive and seek your consent to receive this commission. The exact amount of commission that we will receive will be confirmed prior to you signing your finance agreement.

All finance applications are subject to status, terms and conditions apply, UK residents only, 18s or over. Guarantees may be required.

Chippenham Motor Company Ltd is an Appointed Representative of Automotive Compliance Ltd, who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No 497010). Automotive Compliance Ltd's permissions as a Principal Firm allows Chippenham Motor Company Ltd and MRG to act as a credit broker, not as a lender, for the introduction to a limited number of lenders and to act as an agent on behalf of the insurer for insurance distribution activities only.

We are a credit broker and not a lender. We can introduce you to a carefully selected panel of lenders, which includes manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent. We act on behalf of the lender for this introduction and not as your agent. We are not impartial, and we are not an independent financial advisor.

Our approach is to introduce you first to the manufacturer lender linked directly to the particular franchise you are purchasing your vehicle from, who are usually able to offer the best available package for you, taking into account both interest rates and other contributions. If they are unable to make you an offer of finance, we then seek to introduce you to whichever of the other lenders on our panel is able to make the next most suitable offer of finance for you. Our aim is to secure a suitable finance agreement for you that enables you to achieve your financial objectives. If you purchase a vehicle, in the majority of cases, we will receive a commission from your lender for introducing you to them which is either a fixed fee, or a fixed percentage of the amount that you borrow. This may be linked to the vehicle model you purchase.

Different lenders pay different commissions for such introductions, and manufacturer lenders linked directly to the franchises that we represent may also provide preferential rates to us for the funding of our vehicle stock and also provide financial support for our training and marketing. But any such amounts they and other lenders pay us will not affect the amounts you pay under your finance agreement; however, you will be contributing towards the commission paid to us with the interest collected on your repayments. Before we propose you to a potential lender, we will inform you of the likely amount of commission we will receive and seek your consent to receive this commission. The exact amount of commission that we will receive will be confirmed prior to you signing your finance agreement.

All finance applications are subject to status, terms and conditions apply, UK residents only, 18s or over. Guarantees may be required.
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