4 things you'll pay less for when you go electric in 2026

Is 2026 the year you make the jump to an EV? 

Here are four things you’ll pay less for – or won’t have to pay for at all! Something to look forward to after the costs and chaos of the festive season. 

If you’re a regular commuter (or do a lot of leisure/family-related travelling), you could be using a tank of petrol per week. At £40-£60 per go (depending on tank size and where you fill up), that all adds up over the course of the year. 

If you go electric, you could charge your EV at home for as little as 2p per mile off-peak, with a specialist EV tariff like Octopus Energy's Intelligent Octopus Go. Simply plug your EV in, schedule your charge overnight, and let it do its thing. 

You could save around £6,000 on fuelling your EV this way, and you can cut out those annoying diversions to the petrol station when all you want is to get home asap after a busy day of work. And, as an Octopus EV driver - you can save more with EV Saver.

It’s a little pricier, but it’s still cheaper than paying for petrol – and, as the charging networks expand, prices are coming down even more. According to the AA’s July 2025 Recharge Report, they’ll typically set you back just 10-17p per mile. 

Octopus EV drivers also get a handy public charging discount via our Electroverse charging app and check prices of nearby chargers in real time, so you can get more bang for your buck. 

If you’re an Octopus Energy customer, you can also add all your Electroverse charging costs to your home energy bill, so you can pay everything in one payment, each month. Simple. 

The electric motors that power EVs have far fewer parts than the internal combustion engines used by petrol and diesel cars. Fewer parts equals significantly fewer opportunities for something to go wrong. 

Oil, engine coolant, belts, spark plugs, exhausts, and many more bits and pieces get used up and worn out by petrol and diesel cars, which leads to unwelcome garage bills. EV motors aren’t as complex in how they work, so cost less in maintenance – and, as EV technology becomes more widely used and manufactured, the cost of replacement parts is decreasing too. 

We all know the importance of keeping everything in good working order – and getting your car serviced regularly can really help with that. However, with even basic servicing costing upwards of £70, it’s a cost too many of us are tempted to avoid until your car’s service light flickers on halfway down the motorway.

For Octopus EV drivers, all servicing is included in the cost of your lease. So, you can keep your EV in tip-top shape without breaking the bank – and that service light doesn’t blow your finances for the month.

With more cities implementing low-emission zones (LEZ), ultra-low emissions zones (ULEZ), and clean air zones around major centres, driving a petrol or diesel car adds unwelcome expenses for urban drivers.

These zones generally don’t charge EVs for entry (though it’s always worth checking the details for each zone separately, in case of updates or variation across locations). So, you’ll save somewhere between £5 and £15 every time you take a trip into town. 

With Intelligent EV, switching to electric is easy, enjoyable, and affordable. 

Our personal leasing scheme goes beyond just putting a car on your driveway – we provide everything you need to drive electric and save money, in one simple package:

• Popular EVs - choose from our expert-picked selection of EVs. Enjoy the latest tech on new models, or save a little more with one of our approved used cars. 
• Smart charging - save money at home and on the road with exclusive discounts on Electroverse and Octopus Energy’s smart tariff.
• Servicing and maintenance - we’ll keep your car in top shape with included servicing, maintenance, and repairs. 
• Extra Octopus perks - save £500 on heat pumps and solar panels with Octopus energy and slash your energy bills further (plus more goodies when your car is delivered)