What’s the buzz with electric cars?

Sales of electric cars are increasing rapidly in the UK as more motorists make the switch to greener vehicles.

With the government set to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, it’s time to see what the buzz is around electric models.

Charging costs

As well as being better for the environment, electric cars are generally cheaper to run than petrol and diesels.

Exactly how much it costs to charge an electric car depends on where and when you do it and the size of the battery. However, estimates put running costs at around half those of a petrol car.

Plug in at home and you’re looking at around £13 to give you enough charge for 200 miles. You’ll usually pay more to use a public charging point, but some supermarkets will let you charge your car for free while shopping.

Smoother driving

While the first electric cars had limited range and performance, today’s models are a joy to drive. They’re now more powerful and with batteries mounted low in the chassis, they deliver a very smooth drive.

Ranges have increased substantially too. Plenty of electric cars will now give you more than 250 miles on a full charge and these figures will only increase as technology improves.

What’s available

There are 3 different types of electric cars: hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric. Each with its own pros and cons:

Hybrids

Hybrids combine a petrol or diesel engine with an electric motor and battery. They’ll use electricity for low speeds or to assist the engine but switch to petrol or diesel to cover the longer trips.

They don’t offer all the benefits of a fully electric car but they’re usually cheaper and you don’t need to worry about finding a charger.

Plug-ins

Next are plug-in hybrids. These combine the two engines but have a bigger battery that will need to be plugged in for a recharge. However, greater reliance on electricity means they’ll deliver more benefits than a hybrid.

Fully electric

The biggest advantages come with the fully electric cars, although they do tend to be the most expensive. However, as technology improves and these vehicles become more mainstream, the costs will inevitably fall.

Insurance implications

If you're thinking about switching to electric, it’s worth checking out how this might affect your insurance as some insurers have specific policies for electric and hybrid vehicles.

To learn more about our cover, visit Co-op Car Insurance and get a quote.