The costs of running an electric car17-Jun-2015

Many people talk about the benefits of electric and hybrid ultra-low emission cars, and other than the £5,000 government grant, congestion charge exemption and zero road text, you can also save significant sums on running costs.

Paul King, an IT project manager from Birmingham, made the switch from a petrol car to an Outlander PHEV, which is a plug-in hybrid. This type of car is battery powered, but the petrol engine kicks in when the battery level reduces.

Speaking of the savings he’s made on running costs, he said: “In the old car, I was typically averaging about 24 miles to the gallon and spending up to £350 a month on petrol. In the six months I’ve had this car, I’ve averaged 223 miles to the gallon and I’ve only spent £250 on petrol.”

The Outlander PHEV can drive 32.5 miles without using any fuel whatsoever, and when combined with the petrol engine, the range is as high as 510 miles, and that’s unheard of for a typical SUV. Mitsubishi describes the Outlander as the world’s first plug-in hybrid SUV, and the good news is it can be fully charged with a home charge point in just three and a half hours.

Whether you’re for or against electric or hybrid cars, the costs savings are hard to ignore, especially if you factor in tax, congestion charge exemption and government grants, and there are plenty of different models to choose between.

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