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EVs travel five times further on £50

By / 3 years ago / Latest News / 1 Comment

New research reveals that UK electric vehicles can travel up to five times further on a £50 charge than petrol vehicles.

Research reveals a Nissan Leaf will travel 2,380 miles on £50 of electricity, compared to a petrol Volkswagen Golf travelling 443 miles on £50 of petrol.

The Uswitch.com study used two comparable mid-sized hatchbacks – the Nissan Leaf E+ and the Volkswagen Golf – in countries where both vehicles were available for purchase. The research calculates how far you can travel for £50 in both the petrol and electric car, revealing the countries that are most economical for EVs.

The study found that the Nissan Leaf E+ could drive 2,380 miles for £50 worth of electricity, based on UK prices, compared to a petrol-fuelled Volkswagen Golf, which could only travel 443 miles with the same amount of petrol.

The research also showed the UK is the 13th most expensive country to run EVs, with Lithuania offering the best value for money when running an electric car, with over 4,400 miles for £50 of electricity. While the USA offered the best value for money for a petrol car, with 895 miles for £50 of petrol.

Joel Kempson, car insurance expert at Uswitch.com comments: “As the motor industry begins to move away from petrol and diesel, this study shows how economical running an electric car really is.

“Electric vehicles are much cheaper to recharge than the cost of filling up your tank, so even though their tanks won’t take you as far as a petrol car, owning an EV could make better sense for your finances.

“It will be interesting to see how the adoption of EVs progresses as more drivers become aware of the savings that can be made as it’s not just the fuel costs – electric cars are currently exempt from vehicle tax, and some councils have savings schemes in place.

“When it comes to insuring an EV, there is a common misconception that it can be a pricey part of ownership. However, as more motorists opt for an EV, the insurance market will correct itself and we should see prices fall.”

The full study can be found here.

For more of the latest industry news, click here.

Natalie Middleton

Natalie has worked as a fleet journalist for over 20 years, previously as assistant editor on the former Company Car magazine before joining Fleet World in 2006. Prior to this, she worked on a range of B2B titles, including Insurance Age and Insurance Day.

One Comment

  • Victor Harman29. Jul, 2021

    The example quoted for the Nissan Leaf shows 2,380 miles covered for £50 of electricity. Using 2,500 miles for calculating convenience,
    that means the cost of electricity used for the calculation, this works out at 2p per mile. A typical figure for a Leaf would be 4 miles per
    kWh, meaning that the electricity is being costed at 8p per kWh. This is probably under half of a domestic electricity normal daytime tariff
    cost. Yes, cheaper off-peak tariffs with electricity as low as 4.5p per kWh exist, but it should be explained if some electricity at this cost is
    being used in the calculation. With on-road electricity commonly costing 24p per kWh, this would reduce the miles covered on £50 worth of
    commercially purchased electricity to just 800 miles. This would be a distinctly more accurate example.