Electric cars are cheaper, cleaner, more reliable and more fun. The question is why some people are still choosing fossils.
With fossil fuel costs shooting ever upwards, electric vehicles are getting even more attractive. According to recent analysis by Carbon Brief, costs per mile for an average electric car are now less than a ninth of the cost of a fossil car.
That matches my own experiences with a Mini Cooper SE, which I’ve been running for two years. With overnight charging at 8p per KWh on an all-renewables tariff, and average efficiency of 4.5 miles per KWh, that’s well under tuppence a mile for low-emission motoring.
Compare that cost to the average 20.1p per mile for a petrol car, or 21p for diesel, and the average driver can save well over a thousand pounds a year in fuel costs. Granted, the savings will be less if you can’t easily charge at home or work, but they can still be significant.
As well as the cost and environmental benefits, the average driver may also find that going electric is a surprisingly enjoyable experience. An EV’s ability to supply instant torque at any speed mean that they can be a hell of a lot of fun to drive when you’re on the open road (while keeping to legal limits and safe driving practices, of course.)
And when you’re stuck in crawling traffic or a prolonged 20mph zone, I find I get a lot less stressed in an electric car as I’m not constantly on and off the clutch or grinding through low gears.
I know some people are still sceptical about making the change for various reasons (some reasonable, some otherwise). Here’s a few of the objections or worries I’ve heard, and what I tell them based on my own experience.
I can’t afford an EV
What are you comparing it with? Autotrader recently found that the average purchase price of a new electric car is less than that of a new petrol model.
That’s not necessarily comparing like-for-like, of course. People buying EVs for environmental reasons may also tend to prefer smaller cars than the SUV-dominated mainstream.
But the price gap between equivalent electric and fossil models is rapidly shrinking, and already non-existent for many makes. The Mini Cooper SE and the petrol Mini Cooper S, its closest equivalent in performance terms, currently have very similar list prices of around £34,500.
Not everyone buys new, of course. In fact, this Mini was the first new car I’ve ever had.
In the secondhand market, mass market EVs have now been around for long enough that there’s plenty of choice for under £10k. Those won’t have the range or features of newer models, but with electric cars now making up a quarter of all new car registrations, there should be a lot more choice very soon.
Older electric cars are also less likely to bring those unplanned expenses that come with older fossil cars (something I’m painfully familiar with from previous purchases). With far fewer moving parts, they’re far less likely to suffer mechanical problems or component failures. Another recent study showed that even high-mileage EVs are more reliable and more likely to pass an MOT than their fossil equivalents.
I worry about range
You do have to pay more attention to the amount of juice you’ve got, but it’s not a big problem if you’re capable of basic planning. We’ve done plenty of extended driving holidays around Britain, and the biggest headache is the number of charging network apps you have to download.
It’s very rare that I’ve ever driven more than 200 miles without a stop, anyway. On long leisure trips, we usually combine a top-up with a scenic break – National Trust properties are a favourite.
But if time is limited, the high-speed chargers at most motorway services mean you can be topped up in the time it takes for a wee and a pasty.
It is more expensive to charge your car on the road than at home. The most I’ve had to pay for rapid charging is 80-odd pence, which still gives a better cost-per-mile than the average fossil fill-up.
But if you’re really worried, some of the latest high-end EVs have up to 500 miles range, enough to take you the length of England on a single charge.
I really like brrrm brrrm noises
I do have a very small amount of sympathy here, so will just note that many electric cars do provide an optional range of synthetic noises to keep your inner Mr Toad happy.
But on the whole, I’d rather enjoy the quiet comfort.