Everything You Wanted to Know About Electric Cars

Electric CarsTransport
Written By Mathew Hampshire-Waugh

Electric Vehicles (EV) are a key technology helping to enable the Net-Zero transition. In this post you will find no-nonsense answers to all of the most common questions asked about electric cars, including environmental impacts, day-to-day running, and how to buy an EV.

What are the Different Types of Electric Car?

The term electric car most commonly refers to a full Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) but partially electric vehicles are also available, namely hybrids (HEV) and plug-in Hybrids (PHEV). Understand the difference between each vehicle in the descriptions below.

  • Hybrid electric vehicles are powered by a gasoline engine but made more efficient by adding a small (~1 kWh*) battery pack, electric motor, and regenerative braking. These cars recoup the energy which is usually lost during braking, which then helps to propel the vehicle. Hybrid cars can achieve fuel efficiency ratings of >50 miles per gallon compared to ~40 mpg for equivalent gasoline or diesel cars under real driving conditions. Hybrid vehicles are often misleadingly branded as “Self-Charging” – they do not self charge, they are powered by gasoline. Whilst the efficiency and emissions of hybrids are better than standard combustion vehicles, they still emit CO2 and other air pollution, so hybrid cars do not offer a complete net-zero solution.

  • Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles are both gasoline and battery powered. They have both a traditional combustion engine coupled with a small/mid sized battery (15 kWh), electric motor, and regenerative braking. The difference compared to a hybrid is that a PHEV can plug-in and charge from the electricity grid. A ~15 kWh battery will provide ~50 miles of electric range in addition to the range from the gasoline engine. The fuel efficiency is dependent upon how the car is used: if you forget to charge the battery and drive mostly on the gasoline engine the efficiency is ~40 mpg, if you drive mostly short distances using the battery then the efficiency is closer to 120 mpg. PHEV are a transition technology rather than the automotive end-game. Combining a combustion engine with a battery and electric motor is more complicated and more expensive. Ultimately, to reach net-zero we must move away from combustion processes in transport. However, in the near term for consumers that do not have off-street parking or reliable access to electric vehicle charging, a PHEV may represent a good compromise.

  • Battery Electric Vehicles are fully electric cars. No fuel tank, no gears, no engine, just a large battery pack (50-110 kWh), electric motors, and regenerative braking. Electric vehicles have an average real-world driving efficiency of 3.3 miles per kWh of electricity (0.3 kWh per mile) or better. Therefore a 100 kWh battery car will provide ~330 miles of range under real driving conditions. This is the equivalent of 132 mpg which is over 3x more efficient than the gasoline powered equivalent car. BEV are charged from grid electricity at home or at destination chargers.

* 1 kWh (kilowatt hour) is a measure of electrical energy equivalent to 860 kcal (calories), 3.6 million joules, or 0.03 gallons of gasoline.

electric car charging

Electric Car Charging by Chutter Snap from Unsplash

Are Electric Cars Really Sustainable?

The driving force behind the transition to electric vehicles is to reduce emissions in order to limit global warming, reduce air pollution, and create a more sustainable transport sector. So, lets answer some common questions around the true sustainability credentials of battery electric vehicles (BEV).

  • The short answer is yes. Even when charged with grid electricity which has partially come from coal or gas power stations. The reason. Electric cars are 3x more efficient than gasoline cars.

    Grid electricity releases a global average of about 0.5 kg of CO2 per kWh, an electric car uses ~0.3 kWh per mile (3.3 miles per kWh), so the vehicle releases 0.15 kg of CO2 per mile.

    One gallon of gasoline when burnt releases about 9 kg of CO2, a typical gasoline combustion engine uses 0.025 gallons of gasoline per mile (40 mpg fuel efficiency), so the vehicle emits 0.225 kg of CO2 per mile (50% more than the fully electric car on grid electricity).

    Over one year of driving (~12,000 miles) that adds up to nearly 1 tonne fewer emissions from the electric car. Plus, as grid electricity is increasingly generated by renewables like wind and solar, the electric vehicle emissions will trend towards zero.

    Electric cars emit fewer emissions today, even fewer emissions in the future, and electric cars enable Net-Zero.

  • The short answer is yes, but the higher manufacturing emissions are more than offset by the lower running emissions. The reason electric cars emit more CO2 during manufacturing is due to the production of the battery. Manufacturing the lithium-ion battery adds ~0.05kg of CO2 emissions per kWh of battery capacity. So, a 100 kWh long range vehicle emits 5 tonnes of CO2 during the battery production.

    However, that electric car will save at least 1 tonne in running emissions each year, and so over the 15-year life of the vehicle the electric car saves more than 10 tonnes of CO2 emissions compared to the gasoline equivalent. And remember this is a worst-case scenario because the electric car will increasingly lower running emissions as grid electricity becomes increasingly fed by renewables. Battery production is also becoming more efficient and lower carbon.

  • Yes. Because there are no tail pipe emissions, electric cars do not emit air pollutants such as nitrous oxides or particulate matter from the exhaust during driving. This helps to create cleaner air in urban areas. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 4 million people die prematurely each year due to outdoor air pollution – one of the biggest risk factors leading to premature death in the world today, in both developing and developed countries.

  • The jury is still out. All cars emit air pollution called particulate matter in roughly equal amounts from tyre wear and from brake wear. Electric cars likely emit more particulate matter from tyre wear due to the extra weight of the battery, but emit less particulate matter from the brakes due to the regenerative braking system.

  • Yes and No. A 100 kWh battery for a long-range electric vehicle adds about 0.5 tonne of weight to the vehicle and is made from lithium (~5%), manganese (~5%), cobalt (~5%), copper (~10%), steel (~10%), nickel (~20%), aluminum (~20%), and graphite (25%). The metals come from mined mineral ores in the Earths crust with a weighted average content of ~3% metal in the ore. So in total producing a 100 kWh, 0.5 tonne battery, requires an extra ~15 tonnes of mined ore. So yes producing an electric vehicle requires more mining.

    However, your average gasoline car driving 12,000 miles per year will consume about 300 gallons or nearly 1 tonne of gasoline per year, a total of 15 tonnes of fuel extraction over its life.

    If the electricity for the electric car is generated by natural gas then ~0.5 tonne Natural Gas is required to power the vehicle each year. If the electricity for the electric car comes from wind and solar then only 0.015 tonne of mined ore is required each year to build the solar panels and wind turbines that provide the energy.

    So, in a net-zero future where the metals used for battery production are recycled and the electricity is supplied by wind and solar there will be a very small need to dig new materials out of the Earth – this future is not possible in a world where we still burn extracted fossil fuels.

  • Electric vehicle batteries will last 15-20 years or ~200,000 miles and will likely outlive the rest of the vehicle. Once the vehicle/battery has reached the end of its life the battery can be re-used or re-cycled. Electric car batteries will typically degrade by ~1% capacity (or maximum range) for every 10,000 miles (one average year of driving). Once the car is scrapped the battery can be removed and reconditioned for use in storing grid electricity from wind or solar generation (energy storage). Once the useful life of the battery is fully depleted it can be recycled through metallurgical processing using crushing, magnets, heat, and chemical treatment. The metals can be turned into a new battery once again.

cars and wind turbines

Cars and Wind Turbines by Sven Brandsma (Unsplash)

What are Electric Cars Like to Own Day-to-Day?

The day-to-day use of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) is very similar to running a traditional combustion engine vehicle, but there are some key differences – here are the most commonly asked questions about the efficiency & range, charging, running cost, performance, and maintenance of electric cars.

Efficiency & Range of An Electric Car

Different driving styles and conditions will affect the performance of electric vehicles in different ways, learn about the efficiency of an electric car and real-driving range.

  • Electric vehicles are typically ~3x more efficient than an equivalent gasoline car. For every mile driven an electric car uses three times less energy. A typical electric car under real world driving conditions has an efficiency of 3.3 miles per kWh or better (equivalent to 130 mpg). A typical new gasoline or diesel car has a real world fuel efficiency of ~40 mpg. Combustion engines only convert ~30% of the energy from gasoline or diesel into motion of the vehicle, the rest of the energy is lost as waste noise and heat. Electric batteries and motors convert ~80% of the electricity supplied to the battery into motion.

  • Yes. There are lots of factors which can reduce the efficiency and therefore the range of an electric car, but they are different for short journeys and long journeys. The factors which reduce efficiency and range on short journeys are: 1) aggressive acceleration and hard braking which can reduce the efficiency by ~10%, 2) cold weather which can reduce the efficiency of the battery by 10-15%, and 3) using the air conditioning which reduces the range by ~20%. For long journeys most of the driving is done at a constant speed (accelerating and braking is less important) and with a battery that has already been conditioned and a cabin that has already been heated at the start of the journey, so the biggest factor impacting range on a long journey is the vehicle’s speed – for example driving at 90mph will reduce the range of the vehicle by ~20% when compared to driving at 70 mph (this is the same for any vehicle – the faster you drive the more energy is used per mile).

  • The range of an electric car is determined by the size of the battery and the efficiency of the vehicle. For example, an efficient electric car will be rated at ~4 miles per kWh, and if that vehicle had a 100 kWh battery size then the official range is 400 miles. However, because driving conditions such as heavy acceleration & braking, battery temperature, use of air conditioning, and cruising speed impact the efficiency of the vehicle, the real-world driving efficiency may be closer to 3.3 miles per kWh, or 330 miles range. As a good rule of thumb deduct 10-15% of the officially stated range for long journeys and deduct 15-30% of the stated efficiency/range for frequent short journeys.

Efficiency and range of an average electric vehicle (BEV) under different driving conditions

Charging an Electric Car

One of the key differences to gasoline engines is that you will no longer need to fill up at a gas station. Instead you charge an electric car at home, on the street, or at fast charge stations.

  • The time it takes to charge an electric car is mainly dependent upon the type of charger used. The fastest chargers available are usually located in highway services stations and can be rated between 100-250kW which can add 200 miles real range to an electric car in 15-30 minutes. Fast Chargers, typically located in supermarkets or car parks are rated 50kW and can add 200 miles in about an hour. Home chargers or slow chargers are typically rated at 7kW and will add 200 miles overnight. Plugging your car into a wall socket is also possible (with an adaptor) but it will take over one day to add 200 miles.

  • Yes and No. Slower chargers can typically charge the battery at full power so if you take the number of kWh electricity you want to add to the battery and divide by the rated power of the charger this gives the number of hours for the charge.

    Example: Adding 70 kWh to the battery using a 7 kW power charger = 10 hours charge time

    However, for faster super chargers the rate at which electricity or miles range can be added to the car depends upon how full the battery is to start. The batteries in electric cars will charge fastest when they are empty and the rate of charging will decline as the battery gets full. Typically, charging up to 80% of the batteries’ full capacity ensures you are charging close to the rated power of the charger. Cold conditions can also slow the time to charge but this is a smaller impact.

  • Yes, frequent super fast charging will degrade the battery faster. A typical electric car will lose ~1% of range per year, frequent use of super fast charging will accelerate the rate of battery degradation above 1% per annum.

  • Yes, typically it is recommended that electric vehicles are charged to 80% using a medium or slower charger for day-to-day use. Charging to 100% can be reserved for long journeys, to help preserve the battery life. Many EVs have software to support this task.

  • The best way to preserve the performance of an electric car battery is to primarily use medium to slow charging and to not allow the battery to drop below 20% or above 80% charge – many cars have software which will support this. Frequent use of superchargers, and frequently running the battery below 20% and above 80% will degrade the battery capacity and the range of the vehicle faster.

  • Yes, not only does this risk getting stuck on the road, but frequently running the car very low also degrades the battery faster. Typically, it is best to charge the car as it approaches 20% during day-to-day use and on longer journeys plan your trip so the battery does not drop below 10-15%.

  • This depends on the capacity of the battery and how far you drive each day. An average car is driven 30 miles per day, so with 3 miles per kWh real efficiency this will use 10kWh of electricity per day. Based on our 20%-80% charging rule of thumb to preserve the battery, a long-range 100 kWh vehicle can cycle between 20 and 80 kWh, so requires charging every 6 days. For a shorter range 50 kWh vehicle, that means cycling between 10 and 40kWh so will need charging every 3 days.

  • There are 5 main types of charging plug used in electric vehicles which can be identified by counting the number of pin holes in the charger port. For slow charging (7 kW) the US uses Type 1 (5 pins) and Europe uses Type 2 (7 pins) for slow to medium charging (upto 43kW). In most EVs the type 1 or type 2 set-up is combined with CCS charging capability which adds an extra 2 pins and allows for up to 350 kW super fast charging on highways. Some Japanese cars use CHAdemO for fast charging (100 kW) but these are becoming less common.

  • You must ensure the charging port on your vehicle matches the connector offered by the EV charging station. In the US most EV chargers are Type 1 + CCS and in Europe Type 2 + CCS. If you have a Type 1 or Type 2 + CHAdemO charge port it may be harder to find a suitable fast charging location.

Typical Charge Rates for Different Electric Car Charging Stations

Table of EV charger types

Types of Electric Car Chargers

Running Cost of An Electric Car

Electric cars are typically half to one third cheaper to run compared to gasoline cars, however this depends on prevailing gasoline and electricity prices. Learn more below.

  • The cost to charge an electric car depends upon the price of the electricity and capacity of the battery in kWh. Adding 60kWh (200 miles real driving range) to an electric car with the price of electricity at £33 pence per kWh equals £20 (10p per mile).

  • Yes. Typically, the cost per mile to drive an electric car is one-third to half that of the equivalent gasoline car and is dependent on the price of electricity relative to gasoline. For example, based on average real driving efficiencies and UK prices since 2015, the cost per mile to drive an electric car in the UK has ranged between 3p to 10p per mile (based on 10p to 33p per kWh electricity). The cost to drive an equivalent gasoline car over this period has ranged from 10p to 20p per mile (based on £1 to £1.9 per litre petrol).

  • Typically, the cost to run an electric car will be roughly half to one-third of the equivalent gasoline car, depending on the electricity and gasoline prices. For example, based on average real driving efficiencies and UK prices since 2015, the annual cost to drive an electric car has ranged between £300 and £1,000 (based on 10p to 33p per kWh electricity, 10,000 miles driving, and 3.3 miles per kWh efficiency). The annual cost to drive an equivalent gasoline car over this period has ranged from £1,000 to £2,000 (based on £1 to £1.9 per litre petrol, 10,000 miles driving and 40 mpg efficiency).

  • Yes. Super chargers are located at highway service stations or supermarkets and charge a premium to that of grid electricity. Costs are typically double that of retail electricity which means that charging your electric vehicle using super chargers will double the cost of electric driving per mile, closer to the cost of driving a gasoline car.

Running Cost of An Electric Car Based on Different Electricity Prices

Running Cost of A Gasoline Car Based on Different Gas Prices

Cost to fuel an electric car and petrol (gasoline) car over 10,000 miles based on average annual UK petrol and electricity prices and average real driving vehicle fuel efficiencies.

Performance of an Electric Car

Even the cheapest electric cars offer a high performance driving experience, learn about the experience of driving an electric car below.

  • No, because electric motors can spin at up to 15,000 revolutions per minute electric cars do not require gears. Gasoline engines are limited to 6,000 rpm and therefore require different gears to drive at different speeds. The lack of transmission systems on electric cars means that they have instant torque and can accelerate faster than equivalent gasoline engines.

  • Yes, because electric cars have no gears there is no clutch or gear stick. So EVs are very easy to drive and can accelerate very quickly.

  • Regenerative braking recoups the energy which is usually lost during braking by using the turning motion of the wheels to re-charge the battery as the car slows. When you take your foot off the accelerator in a car with regenerative braking it will start to slow down. This reduces the need to brake so often and improves the efficiency of the vehicle.

  • Regenerative braking uses the motion of the wheels when slowing the vehicle to recharge the battery and improve the efficiency of an electric car. Meaning that when you take your foot off the accelerator it will cause the car to slow – this reduces the need for pressing the brake when driving, increases the efficiency of the car, lessens vehicle wear and reduces air pollution from the brake pads. However, if you don’t like the feeling of regenerative braking most EVs let you change the amount of regenerative braking used.

  • Regenerative braking uses the motion of the wheels when slowing the vehicle to recharge the battery. However, if the battery is fully charged or the battery is very cold it will not be able to accept any charging until the vehicle has been running for a while. This can make the vehicle drive more like a traditional car with only brakes.

  • Whilst regenerative braking makes an electric car more efficient it cannot recoup all the energy used in driving. The process cannot re-capture 100% of the energy used to accelerate the car in the first place and the vehicle will also lose energy to air resistance.

  • Electric cars have more space than equivalent combustion engine vehicles because the electric motors and battery use less space than an engine, transmission, and fuel tank. Typically, the battery is positioned on the underside of the vehicle and allows for a larger trunk, more space between the driver and front passenger, and even an extra front trunk (frunk) in some models.

  • Range anxiety is the fear of running out of battery when driving an electric car. This means the car will stop on the road and will require a recovery service to either charge it on the road-side or to tow it to the nearest charging station. Range anxiety can be a familiar feeling for new EV drivers unfamiliar with charging locations on long-journeys, however the UK’s leading recovery service, the AA, recently stated that only 4% of the EV breakdowns they attend are due to the main battery running out of charge. Stating “In fact, EVs and combustion cars share the same top two reasons for breakdowns which are tyres and the smaller 12-volt battery.”

hanging out car window

Car driving by Avery Woodard (unsplash)

Extreme Driving Conditions & Maintenance of an Electric Car

Electric cars perform well in extreme driving conditions and require little maintenance, learn more below.

  • Remember that electric cars use the batteries’ energy only when driving and the slower you move the more efficient the vehicle performs. Sitting in traffic will not use the battery as the car is not idling like a gasoline vehicle. The only caveat is if the air conditioning is on this will use the battery at a rate of about 1 kW, so sitting in traffic and not moving for 1 hour will consume 1 kWh or ~3-4 miles of range.

  • In short yes. Electric vehicles are actually very water-tight so should perform better than combustion vehicles in flooding conditions. The extra weight and low centre of gravity due to the battery on the floor of the vehicle mean electric cars also perform better in slippery or icy conditions. However, remember that extreme heat or extreme cold will reduce the efficiency of the vehicle and require more air conditioning so range expectations should be adjusted by up to 30%.

  • Yes, electric car charge ports and charge cables are designed to operate in any weather conditions. The connections are water-tight and the charging will only start when safety checks have been performed by the vehicle to ensure the charger has not been compromised in any way.

  • Electric cars are just as safe as combustion engines. Both are subject to the same rigorous safety standards, testing, and regulation. Due to the weight of electric cars they will typically fare better in a crash and must have significant crumple zones and safety structures to help minimize the force between the vehicles. Both combustion engines and electric cars can catch fire but it is extremely unlikely. EVs can suffer from thermal runaway if the battery is damaged and catches fire. However, EVs are designed to protect the battery from damage using defensive structures, have surrounding materials to absorb heat, and cut-off mechanisms to isolate the high voltage electronics.

  • No, electric cars should require less maintenance than combustion vehicles. Electric cars have half as many parts in total, and ten times fewer moving parts when compared to combustion engine vehicles. Fewer parts means there is less to go wrong in the vehicle. Electric cars do not require oil top-ups and brake pads are replaced less often thanks to the regenerative braking. The one area where electric vehicles may require more maintenance is the tyres – due to the extra weight of the battery the tyres of electric cars may require replacing sooner than in the equivalent gasoline car. Car rental companies such as Hertz are increasingly shifting their fleet electric as they have found maintenance costs are as much as 50% less than combustion engines.

  • Yes, well maybe. Electric cars have half as many parts in total, and ten times fewer moving parts when compared to combustion engine vehicles. Fewer parts means there is less to go wrong and therefore should experience fewer serious breakdowns. According to the UKs leading breakdown service, the AA, “EVs and combustion cars share the same top two reasons for breakdowns which are tyres and the smaller 12-volt battery.” Issues with the small 12 V battery, tyres, or keys account for 50% of combustion engine breakdowns, the other 50% are issues with the engine and transmission. Given battery failures are rare, and electric motors very durable, the theory is that electric cars should breakdown less. However, there is still not enough data to say definitively.

  • Generally, electric vehicles last just as long as their gasoline equivalents. Electric car manufacturers typically warrantee the battery for 8 years or 100,000+ miles and guarantee range performance within 80% of new. Typically, new electric vehicles will experience ~1% battery range degradation per year or every 10,000 miles. So, a 15-year-old / 150,000 miles electric car will travel ~15% less on a single charge than when it is new. However, frequent supercharging and running the battery below 20% and above 80% on a frequent basis may lead to faster deterioration in performance.

snowy road

Snowy Road by Sarah Grant (unsplash)

What to Think About When Buying an Electric Car

If you are ready to switch to an electric car here are some answers to the most commonly asked questions for electric car buyers, including choosing a vehicle, choosing a home charger, and what to look for when buying second hand.

  • Simply, the battery and motor in an electric car is more expensive than the engine and transmission in a gasoline car. Battery manufacturing costs are around $100 per kWh for batteries, so a long range 100 kWh electric vehicle has a $10,000 battery inside. Gasoline engines cost about $2,000 for comparison.

  • Just about. Buying an electric car will cost about $10,000 / £8,000 more than the equivalent gasoline car due to the extra battery cost. Driving the electric car 10,000 miles per year will be roughly $1000 / £800 cheaper (based on electricity and gasoline prices since 2015). Plus, electric vehicles on average save on maintenance costs because they have fewer serious problems. So, the extra cost of an electric car should payback in less than 10 years and the car should last for 15+ years.

  • I would encourage anyone who can to switch to a fully electric vehicle because as you can read in the answers above, electric cars have lower emissions, enable the net-zero transition, are cheaper to buy and run, emit less air pollution, and are great to drive. However, some of you may have read the Q&A and concluded an electric car is not for you (yet) because maybe you don’t have off street parking and can't easily access charging, your driving habits make charging on long journeys a difficulty, or you can’t find the right new or second-hand model at the right price (the market is still relatively new and options more limited than gasoline). For those not ready to go fully electric, I would encourage you to look at plug-in hybrid models as they can offer a bridge between gasoline and electric without the issues – but remember to charge the battery as often as possible to save money and emissions.

  • Performance criteria depend upon how you will use the car – for example is it an occasional run around or used for frequent long journeys. This will impact what you are looking for in terms of the real-world driving range of the vehicle (remember knock 10-20% off the official range to account for real driving and air-con), the efficiency of the car (for the officially quoted range, 2.5 miles per kWh is low and 5 miles per kWh is high), and access to charging. Is there a dedicated supercharging network (per Tesla) or will you be reliant on third party supercharging for long journeys.

  • Charging networks are a key consideration in choosing an electric car if you will use the vehicle for frequent long journeys. For instance, Tesla has a dedicated supercharging network all over the world situated along all the main highways. Tesla vehicles communicate with the charging stations to tell you where you should stop on your journey, how many chargers are available, how long you will have to charge based on the power rating and the vehicle model, and alert you when the car is ready to continue its journey. Other electric vehicles use third party supercharger networks which are becoming more widespread, and can offer the same service through downloadable apps but the offering is less integrated, and more fragmented (you may need multiple networks/apps) so it requires more forward planning on long journeys.

  • When choosing a home charger you must first select the power rating; either a 7 kW (adds 23 miles per hour range) or 22 kW (adds 73 miles per hour range). The higher power charger will require a 3-phase electricity supply which is the most common supply for homes in Europe but not common in the UK or US. And remember to get your charger installed before your car arrives.

  • Smart chargers connect to your home wifi and relay data to an app on your phone so that you can monitor energy usage, schedule charging, integrate with home solar systems, and feed data to utility providers so they can better manage the grid. Basic chargers just plug in and charge. Smart chargers cost about $1,000 to install, basic chargers are closer to $500. Many electric vehicles can also perform at least some of the functions that a smart charger provides using a connection to an app on your phone. So, it is worth checking what functionality your electric car already offers, what extra advantages a smart charger can offer on top, and whether there are any government grants or incentives offered on the more expensive smart charging option.

  • Tethered means the cable is connected to the wall unit permanently so you must select the correct connection type for your car (usually type 2 for UK & Europe and Type 1 for the US) and cannot change it. Untethered means the charge cable plugs in-and-out of the unit so offers flexibility on the charger connection in case you need a different connector type or length of charge cable for different vehicles or changes in the future. Untethered charge cables are more vulnerable to cable theft.

  • No, but you should shop around. Electric cars should breakdown less and are typically harder to steal than combustion vehicles. However, they also accelerate faster so may encourage more reckless driving. As electric vehicle adoption has risen dramatically, insurance companies have collected more data over the last few years and have become more comfortable with assessing the number of claims and cost of those claims. This has brought the insurance cost for electric cars inline with that of the equivalent gasoline cars through many insurers (though some are still lagging behind so shop around or use price comparison sites). However, it is worth noting that if you have a high claims history it may be relatively more costly to get insured on an electric vehicle at many insurers due to the high performance of electric cars.

  • Yes, and it should be lower risk than buying a second-hand combustion engine. Electric cars are less prone to serious failures because they have a more simple design, half as many parts, and ten-times fewer moving parts when compared to gasoline or diesel cars. Gasoline cars typically have just 3 years of warrantee, whereas electric cars typically come with an 8 year / 100,000-mile warrantee on the battery and 3-4 years on the rest of the car.

  • Apart from the usual inspection you would make on a second-hand car you should also check the range of the battery at full charge. Ask the seller to fully charge the vehicle before you arrive so that you can assess what the range on the battery is (battery and range deteriorate at ~1% per year / every 10,000 miles) – the display will tell you the range and be aware that the range display may toggle between official range and real-driving range. When driving the car it should be very quiet, you should hear just the hum of an electric motor, the wheels on the road, and possibly a simulated engine noise – listen carefully for unexpected creaks, rattles or squeaks.

Cars parked from above

Cars Parked from Above by Lance Asper (Unsplash)

This content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. No renumeration, incentives, or otherwise have been received from any company in relation to this post. Full Legal Disclaimer

Mathew Hampshire-Waugh
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