With the cost of petrol and diesel skyrocketing, electric vehicles are becoming an ever more attractive proposition for road users of all kinds. That’s especially true for business fleets, who may have to factor in fuel costs tens – or even hundreds – of company cars.
But are those savings all they’re cracked up to be? We take a closer look at the real fuel costs of an electric car compared to petrol and diesel equivalents.
Fuel costs: Electric v Petrol v Diesel
For this comparison we’ve used the Zap Map Journey Cost Calculator and opted for home charging costs, using the price that most flexible tariffs currently start at: 28.45 pence per kilowatt hour (kw/h).
For the vehicles, we’ve taken one of our most popular electric models and compared it with a petrol and diesel equivalent. For petrol costs, we’ve used 170p, and for diesel we’ve used 181p – both based on this cost of living report by Sky News.
In terms of journeys, we’ve calculated based on four different journey types:
Office workers
- A daily commute of 20 miles
- A twice-weekly ‘hybrid working’ commute of 75 miles each return trip (so 75 miles x 2)
Delivery drivers
- A daily ‘local delivery’ drive of 50 miles
- A single monthly ‘long haul’ drive of 200 miles
Daily commute (20 miles)
Image credit: Volkswagen.co.uk
| Ford Focus Petrol | Skoda Octavia Hatch Diesel | Volkswagen ID.3 Electric | |
| Journey fuel cost | £3.72 | £3.20 | £1.41 |
| Cost per mile | 18.6p | 16p | 7p |
| Total annual fuel costs for this daily journey | £1,358 | £1,168 | £515 |
Twice-weekly ‘hybrid working’ commute (75 miles)
| Ford Focus Petrol | Skoda Octavia Diesel | Volkswagen ID.3 Electric | |
| Journey fuel cost | £28 | £24 | £10.58 |
| Cost per mile | 18.6p | 16p | 7p |
| Total annual fuel costs for this twice-a-week journey | £1,450 | £1,250 | £550 |
Daily ‘local delivery’ drive (50 miles)
| Ford Focus Petrol | Skoda Octavia Diesel | Volkswagen ID.3 Electric | |
| Journey fuel cost | £9.30 | £8.01 | £3,53 |
| Cost per mile | 18.6p | 16p | 7p |
| Total annual fuel costs for this daily journey | £3,395 | £2,924 | £1,288 |
Monthly ‘long haul’ drive (200 miles*)
| Ford Focus Petrol | Skoda Octavia Diesel | Volkswagen ID.3 Electric | |
| Journey fuel cost | £37 | £32 | £14 |
| Cost per mile | 18.6p | 16p | 7p |
| Total annual fuel costs for this monthly journey | £447 | £384 | £169 |
*One caveat: this is more than the ID.3’s reported battery range, meaning you’ll need to make at least one charging stop along the way. Zap Map can help you find your nearest charge point.
So, how does and electric car compare to petrol and diesel on fuel expenses?
If you found this post looking to answer the question ‘How much can I save with and electric car compared to petrol and diesel?’ – well, the answers are in the numbers above. In short: a lot!
Going into detail, the data above suggests that full EV drivers can save:
- £843 annually vs petrol and £653 vs diesel on a 20-mile daily commute
- £900 annually vs petrol and £700 vs diesel on a twice-weekly ‘hybrid working pattern’ commute of 50 miles
- £2,107 annually vs petrol and £1,636 vs diesel on a daily delivery drive of 50 miles
- And £278 annually vs petrol on and £215 vs diesel on a once-a-month journey of 200 miles.
Whatever kind of journey your fleet drivers use their leased business car or van for, the potential fuel savings for your business are enormous – especially when you consider that larger businesses could multiply those savings by dozens of vehicles.
If those potential savings weren’t enough, they only increase when you factor in:
- Ever-rising combustion fuel costs
- The growing max journey range of EV batteries which already stands at 204 miles on average
- The overall increased reliability (and therefore lower maintenance costs) that come with using an EV
- And the significant reduction EVs will make to your fleet meeting the EU’s 2025 and 2030 emissions reduction targets.
With all of that in mind, isn’t it time your fleet considered going electric?
Looking to lease an EV?
Here at GKL Electric we have access to electric vehicles at sites across the country, and our wealth of experience can help you find the right EV leasing solution – even in a very difficult vehicle climate.
For more on how we can help you, visit our advice and support page or get in touch with us directly to begin your electric leasing journey.
