You may have noticed that people are starting to talk a lot about electric cars and you are starting to think it might be for you and your family – but you are worried. You are worried that if you have just one electric vehicle in the family that you might have range problems when you want to go on holidays. We could argue the point that EV’s are getting so much better at eliminating range anxiety, but we get it. People are hesitant for now.
But if you have two cars in your family, why not change one of them to an EV?
Here are some of the benefits of having an EV as second car:
They need not be expensive to buy
It’s true that a new Tesla can cost in excess of €50,000 and an average new EV can cost approx €30,000. But as this is a second car it need not be a new car.
A second hand Nissan Leaf can be had for as little as €6000 and the limited range on a vehicle that is bit older shouldn’t be an issue as this is a second car and may be used for less mileage than the main family car.
Fixed charges are so much less
A lot of current second cars tend to be older or have higher engines as they may have been cheaper to buy.
Though the initial cost on these vehicles may have been relatively low, the ongoing costs can add up. Road tax can cost over €600 per annum even if the car is sitting in the driveway and an NCT will still have to be done and as the car is older the chances of expensive issues are higher.
Compare this to an Electric Vehicle which has flat road tax of €120 pa and though they still need to be NCT’d they tend to have little issues as there is so much less to go wrong with an EV compared to a standard vehicle (no emission issues for a start!)
The savings don’t stop there
Depending on the mileage you do on your second car, you could really save on the cost of fuel. On average driving 16000KM in a petrol car will cost €1580 in fuel. The same distance in an EV will cost just €219*
You will also save 50% on the cost of tolls and also maintenance costs in an EV are often much smaller than the equivalent petrol or diesel car.
Insurance for an Electric Vehicle also tends to be a lot cheaper compared to a bigger engine standard car and comes with better cover as standard. (Contact us at www.evinsurance.ie to see how much you can save)
You’ll be doing your bit for the environment
It may sound twee but everyone needs to start somewhere to help with climate change. As well as helping reduce C02 emissions by changing to an EV you will also help by reducing the amount of air pollution that people in your area breath in. If you have ever walked past a line of diesel cars that is stopped in traffic you will realise why we need to change to EV’s as soon as possible.
Owning an Electric Vehicle through you or your partners business
Since the government introduced incentives to buy an EV through a company (there is currently no BIK cost to a user once the EV is priced at €50k or under) buying an EV through a small company has become a lot more popular.
You and your partner may have a small business that you are a director of. There is some excellent tax breaks for buying an electric vehicle through a small company so well worth investigating this with your accountant.
Taking all of the above into account we think it makes great sense to change your second vehicle to an electric car. We would love to hear from you at the start of your EV journey.
Contact EV insurance for an EV insurance quote today on 0818 919699 click here for an online quote . EV insurance – Different vehicles, different cover.
* Source – Money Guide Ireland. Jan 2020