How to buy an electric car – a guide

How much does it cost to charge a car at home?

Working out the cost of charging is quite simple. You pay for your electricity in pence per kilowatt hour (kWh), with an average of around 25p/kWh. If your EV has a 50kWh battery, it will cost about £12.50 for a full charge. But if you have a smart energy tariff, you could charge up using cheap energy overnight at as low as 6.9p/kWh. That’ll bring down the cost of a full charge to £3.45 – not bad if your 50kWh electric car will do 200 miles. Doing 200 miles in a petrol car that averages 40mpg will cost you about £32.50

How does on-street parking work?

Not having a drive needn’t be a barrier to owning an EV – there are several options. Many councils are investing in EV charging on lamp-posts – the electricity’s there, so why not? Vauxhall is running a campaign to electrify the UK’s streets. Or you can charge up at the charging points that are popping up all over the place; at shops, gyms, restaurants and other places you visit on a regular basis. And you’ll soon find you won’t be charging as often as you thought you might .

How does leasing work and is that the best way to do it?

Leasing can be a very affordable way to run an EV and it protects you from any rapid shifts in the value of your car when you come to sell. A personal lease will normally mean an upfront payment, then monthly payments over two, three or four years. You have a mileage limit that you mustn’t go over (or you’ll pay an additional fee) and you must hand the car back at the end of the term. A Personal Contract Purchase (or PCP) also requires an upfront and monthly payments, but you have the option to own the car by paying an additional lump sum at the end of the term. Either way, get your calculator out to work out what the most cost-effective option for you might be

There are no end of leasing sites out there: leasing.com , selectcarleasing.co.uk , leaseloco.com , carparisonleasing.co.uk , bestcarfinder.co.uk , dreamlease.co.uk and more. Shop around and try to measure like for like, as they often have different lengths of terms, deposits, mileage limits and monthly payments.

In the guide to the top 10 rivals to Tesla , we’ve included links to manufacturers’ offers – there are often low-rate finance and other incentives available that change over time. But always make sure you do your own sums so you know you can afford the deposit and monthly payments, and whether or not you’ll want to pay extra to own the car at the end of the term. And if you’re confident, there’s usually room to haggle with the dealer for a bit more money off.

Should you be worried about charge anxiety?

A new public charger is installed somewhere in the UK every 25 minutes, so availability and reliability of the charging network is getting better every day. Running an EV needs a change in mindset – you just need to think about where you’re going and how much charge you’ll need, then where the best place to charge it will be. Most EV owners find they only need to charge their car once a week or less – the average daily journey in the UK is only about 25 miles.

What’s an EV like to drive?

Try it – you’ll probably enjoy it. EVs are easy to drive – they’re automatic, smooth, quiet and quick, too. And they tend to have usable tech so you can keep an eye on charging from your smartphone and even set the air con before you get in it.

Are the range claims reliable?

As with a petrol or diesel car, you may get different results to the official claimed figures. EVs are more efficient in the summer, less so in colder months – you’ll soon get to know your car the more you use it, and many owners report they adopt a more relaxed driving style in an EV, which boosts efficiency.

• Steve Fowler has been reviewing cars and writing about the car industry for more than 30 years. He’s edited three of the UK’s biggest car titles: Auto Express, What Car? and Autocar; presented documentaries on cars for Radio 4; is a regular contributor on TV and radio; and is a World Car of the Year award juror.