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Are electric cars worth it ? 

A common question regularly asked by those looking to expand into the electric vehicle market is, are electric cars worth it? This question means different things depending on what you are looking for out of a vehicle. Electric cars are more expensive to purchase but do come with additional benefits. The question around if electric cars are worth the additional cost will depend on your lifestyle and what exactly you need from your vehicle. In this article we take a look at the benefits of electric cars to help you decide if the additional cost is worth it.  

Maintenance and ongoing costs 

Electric cars require less maintenance compared to petrol and diesel equivalents. They have fewer moving parts that need to be maintained. In addition to fewer moving parts electric vehicles also use regenerative braking, this is the process where the vehicle uses the energy usually wasted during braking and converts that into energy to help the battery last longer. Regenerative braking also slows the vehicle down when your foot is taken off the accelerator, this system requires less maintenance than the typical braking system found on a petrol or diesel car. Electric vehicles also require fewer fluids, it is therefore less likely that fluids will run out and cause issues for the vehicle and they do not need to be topped up as regularly as there are fewer of them.  

 

Battery maintenance is one area that should be considered, electric car batteries are the most important component and need to be taken care of to prolong their life. Prolonging an electric vehicle’s battery life does not require regular trips to the garage but there are some steps that electric vehicle car owners should take to help them to maximise the lifespan of their electric car battery: 

  • Avoid charging to 100% unless you are planning to use the full battery 

  • Avoid the battery depleting to below 20% 

  • Minimise the use of rapid charging 

  • Keep the vehicle out of very hot temperatures  

 

These tips can help reduce the degradation of your vehicle's battery. Many electric cars have smart features in place to help you keep to these recommendations. Examples include allowing you to specify the point when the battery stops charging so you don't need to manually stop the vehicle reaching 100% charge. 

Running costs 

The running costs of an electric vehicle are much lower than a petrol or diesel car especially if you are able to utilise home charging on a good overnight tariff. Running costs vary on each vehicle but on the whole electric cars are universally seen as cheaper to run, the figures vary depending on how and where you are charging compared to the current price of fuel. Research shows that it could be up to 58% cheaper to run an electric car compared to a petrol car. That is a significant amount of savings in fuel/ charging costs. To keep running costs low electric vehicle owners should: 

 

  • Charge at home as much as possible 

  • Make use of free charging where available, supermarkets, shopping centres and workplaces often offer free electric vehicle charging 

  • Speak to your energy provider and secure the best deal to minimise charging costs 

  • Choose slow charging when on the go over more expensive rapid charging facilities 

Driving and noise levels 

One of the great benefits of an electric car is the ease of driving, all electric cars are automatic making them easy to drive. Electric cars offer a typically smoother and comfortable drive with more high tech features such as, regenerative braking, park assist and automatic wipers. These combined with minimal noise levels make electric cars a better all round driving experience. 

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