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Table that shows full details of potential savings

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Numbers are stacking up for electric vehicles

Boffins

Researchers at the University of Leeds have analysed the total cost of car ownership over three years, based on 10,400 miles per year (see The next step ). After crunching the numbers, they concluded that owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are better off than those who own an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle.

How did they come to this conclusion?

The researchers compared the cost of buying and running petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and pure electric vehicles. They factored in: (1)  purchase price and depreciation; (2) fuel; (3) insurance; (4)  tax; and (5) maintenance (see The next step ). Their sums identified the following total costs:

• petrol: £12,285
• diesel: £11,951
• hybrid: £12,915
• plug-in hybrid: £15,185
• electric: £10,787.

Note. The data doesn’t factor in congestion charges, which are set to increase, especially for diesel vehicles entering big cities.

How is this possible?

The main reasons for the lower cost of EVs are:

1. The large battery, plus features such as regenerative braking, engine stop-start, etc. had made EVs traditionally very expensive, but the price premium has fallen as more cars are made and bought.
2. The running costs are now significantly lower given the rising price of diesel and petrol.
3. Maintenance costs for EVs are lower because the engines are simpler and they help the car to brake, which means less spend on brake pads etc.
4. The subsidies available from the government for EVs (£4,500) certainly help but battery costs are on a rapid price dive too.

Before you get too carried away...

There are a few things to consider before heading down to the local dealer. A Nissan Leaf was the EV in the test, which has a real world range of 100 miles. Any longer than that and you are talking about a much higher purchase price - at least currently. Also, the petrol car was a Ford Focus 1.6 with a real world mpg of 38; there are more efficient petrol engines available. Some of the 1.0 petrol Focuses can achieve 60 mpg in real conditions.

Based on the study’s figures that would cut fuel costs by £1,487 to around £2,575 over three years. Still, that would only bring petrol on a par with electric and the other costs, such as ownership, might be higher for the more efficient model.

Tip. There’s little doubt that some EVs are beginning to compete on cost (ownership and running) with diesel and petrol. Range remains a restriction, but for those doing short commutes - especially into big cities - the sums could well add up. A pre-owned EV might be an even better bet.

For a copy of the Leeds University research and a table that shows full details of potential savings, visit http://tipsandadvice-environment.co.uk/download (EN 12.08.02).