Making Your Business EV Ready

Did you know that transport is the UK’s biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions? Around 26% of the UK’s total emissions comes from cars, vans, lorries, and buses. That’s a huge chunk of the carbon pie, and it puts businesses in the driver’s seat when it comes to making meaningful change.

Helping your employees swap their petrol and diesel cars for EVs through a salary sacrifice scheme is one of the most impactful ways you can cut your organisation’s carbon footprint. And in a world where customers, employees, and investors care deeply about sustainability, that’s a big reputational win.

But are UK businesses ready to make the switch?

The good news is that going electric isn’t just good for the planet; it’s good for your employees’ wallets, too.

While EVs might have a steeper upfront cost, they tend to make up for it with lower running costs. No more navigating changing petrol and diesel prices, and far fewer moving parts means lower maintenance bills. In fact, EVs are around 47% cheaper to service over a year than their polluting cousins.

With our salary sacrifice scheme, we make the switch even easier by including:

• The EV of your employees’ dreams
• Home charger installation
• Insurance
• Breakdown cover
• Maintenance and servicing

All in one affordable monthly payment! And employees who can’t install a charger at home get £600 in public charging credit through Octopus Electroverse. That’s roughly 4,000 free miles of EV driving.

Those benefits are being supercharged by policy changes. The UK government plans to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, and fossil fuel-powered company car tax perks are fading fast. Instead, policies are shifting to reward businesses that go electric, with lower Vehicle Excise Duty and BiK tax rates for EVs. Going electric today means staying ahead of the curve.

If you’re considering making the switch to electric, the first step is understanding how ready your business actually is. That doesn’t mean overhauling everything at once – just taking stock of a few key areas.

Start with your offices or sites. Do you have access to charging points nearby, or space to install your own? On-site charging can make a big difference to day-to-day operations, especially for fleets or staff cars. You don’t have to navigate this alone. We’ve teamed up with Plug Me In to offer the best commercial charging solutions for your workplace. And the government’s Workplace Charging Scheme can help cover some of the installation costs.

And of course, there’s the financial side. While EVs can cost more upfront, they’re usually cheaper to run, with lower fuel, servicing and tax costs. EV business leasing offers and salary sacrifice schemes can also help make the numbers work. But don’t just take our word for it: get a full breakdown of the cost savings here.

How do you make the switch to electric stick? It takes patience and a good understanding of your people and their perceptions about EVs.

Range anxiety is still one of the biggest barriers, but it’s more perception than reality these days. Many modern EVs can comfortably cover 200+ miles on a single charge, which is more than enough for most daily business journeys.

The key is education: helping teams understand what today’s EVs are capable of, and showing how they fit into typical work patterns. Investing in reliable charging at the workplace, and supporting home charging where possible, gives employees even more confidence they need to make the switch. If you’re wondering how to help staff charge at home, we’ve pulled together some useful tips here.

And finally, employee engagement plays a huge role in a successful transition. Listen to their concerns, share the right information and support, and make sure the personal benefits of going electric are clear – whether that’s lower running costs or doing something good for the planet.

Changing gears can seem daunting at first, but a little planning goes a long way. Here’s how to take the leap from “thinking about it” to “up and running.”

1.Start with a sense check.

This is your chance to look under the bonnet and see what’s possible. How many employees could benefit from an electric car through work? What’s the appetite internally? Do people have access to charging at home or work? Getting a clear picture of your team’s needs and habits helps you plan with confidence.

2. Map it out.

Once you’ve got the insights, it’s time to map out the rollout. Set timelines, budget for internal comms and engagement, and get buy-in from key stakeholders – especially HR and payroll. Salary sacrifice schemes are a brilliant way to offer employees a brand-new EV at a lower cost, so it’s worth getting the nuts and bolts right from the start.

3. Bring in the experts.

You don’t have to go it alone. Partnering with a company that knows EVs inside out can make a big difference. From helping your HR team set up the scheme, to guiding your people through choosing the right vehicles, to setting up charging solutions and supporting drivers on the road – we’re here to make the whole process simple and stress-free.

More than ever! The tech is there. The benefits are clear. And the support, from government incentives to salary sacrifice schemes and business fleet leasing, is growing every day.

But being ready doesn’t mean doing everything at once. It’s about starting small, asking the right questions, and making a plan that works for your people. That might mean offering salary sacrifice to employees, setting up chargers at the office, or just helping your team understand how EVs can make life simpler.

And you’ll be in great company. Take Huel, who’ve helped 70 employees switch to EVs through our salary sacrifice scheme, saving employees money and cutting their carbon footprint by 261 tonnes of CO₂. Or Amtivo Group, who loved how easy we made it for them to combine salary sacrifice with electric fleet leasing.

Ready to get started?