EVs offer big savings for UK drivers

Switching to an electric car can save drivers in the UK £600 a year on fuel costs in comparison to a running a hybrid, while Norwegian drivers can save more than £900

According to research firm Shrink That Footprint, the UK is one of the best countries to reap the financial rewards from switching to a fully electric vehicle.

The group calculated the costs of fuelling an all-electric Nissan Leaf (29kWh/100 miles) and a hybrid Toyota Prius (50mpg) for a year, assuming annual mileage of 10,000 miles, in 12 countries across the world, including Germany, the UK and Saudi Arabia.

The UK was ranked fourth, behind Norway, Turkey and France, with the cost of fueling the Leaf calculated as $986 (£596) less than the petrol-hybrid Prius. In Norway, drivers can expect to save more than $1,500 (£900), claim the researchers, who used local electricity and fuel prices in each of the countries to estimate the savings.

Relatively high electricity prices in Germany mean the fuel savings fall to $626 (£378), while cheap oil prices in the US reduces the savings further to $410 (£247). In Saudi Arabia the cut in fuel costs is just $5.

However, when the researchers compared the fuel costs of running a petrol-driven saloon car – a Toyota Camry (28mpg) or Avensis in the UK – with the Leaf, they found that savings for UK drivers jumped to $2,260 (£1,366) a year. Meanwhile, making the switch in the US could save $1,000 (£604).