5 reasons to go electric
Jun 30, 2026
5 min read
The year is 2026. What’s bigger than Wuthering Heights? More thrilling than the World Cup? More must-have than picky bits?
It’s the electric car. Electric vehicles made up 27% of new registrations in May – a 31% increase on the same month last year. There are now over 2.2 million EVs on UK roads.
Why are so many people jumping on the (electric) bandwagon now? We could talk about this all day. But here are the top five reasons to go electric.
Why should you get an electric car?
1. They’re cheaper to run
Start picking up your wine gums on your weekly shop – because you’re not going near a petrol station ever again.
You can charge your electric car at home for as little as 2p per mile – that’s up to eight times less than fuelling a petrol or diesel car. On Octopus Energy’s Intelligent Octopus Go - EV Saver tariff, your car automatically charges when prices are lowest. You could charge at home for as little as £160 a year, compared with £1,280 for petrol.
2. Leasing makes EVs affordable
Over 8,500 employers run a salary sacrifice scheme with Octopus Electric Vehicles. This allows anyone in the business to save up to 40% on a new EV. Your payments come out before tax, meaning you pay less Income Tax and National Insurance. Insurance, servicing and maintenance and breakdown cover are included in the monthly payment, too.
If your workplace doesn’t offer a salary sacrifice scheme, you can suggest they set one up or get a personal lease instead. An Intelligent EV lease includes service, maintenance and repairs, and gets you Octopus Energy discounts on EV tariffs, heat pumps and solar panels.
3. Charging on the go is easier than you think
Don’t believe people who tell you it’s difficult to find a public charging point. The big Octopus Electroverse x Autotrader survey found that only 37% of fuel drivers believe it’s easy to find a public charging point, but over two thirds of EV drivers are satisfied that it is.
There are now over 120,000 public EV chargers in the UK – considerably more than there are fuel pumps. And Octopus Electroverse gives you access to over 1.4m chargers across Europe, meaning ‘range anxiety’ is a thing of the past.
Speaking of range, modern EVs can handle most journeys comfortably. Even a so-called ‘city car’ can give you over 200 miles on a single charge. Considering 41% of British drivers drive between 10 and 20 miles a day, that’s more than enough for most people. If you really are clocking up the miles, cars like the BMW iX3 and Volvo EX60 can get you from Newcastle to Bournemouth on one charge – that’s the longest football fans’ journey in the Premier League.
4. You can skip the LEZ/ULEZ and CAZ charges
Local governments are cutting emissions by charging or fining people who drive non-compliant vehicles in busy cities. These areas are called Low Emission Zones (in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen) and Clean Air Zones (in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside).
Each zone has slightly different rules. But if you drive a 100% electric vehicle, you’ll never pay LEZ or CAZ charges or fines because your car doesn’t produce emissions. You’ll still need to pay the Congestion Charge in London – but EV drivers get a 25% discount if they’re set up for Auto Pay.
5. You’ll help the environment
By switching to an EV, you could reduce your carbon footprint by 1.95 tonnes of CO2 per year. This is because electric vehicles don’t produce tailpipe emissions – the greenhouse gases and pollutants that harm the environment and contribute to climate change.
Of course, there are emissions associated with building a new car, but you make up for this ‘carbon debt’ every time you drive it. Your cumulative emissions should be lower than an equivalent petrol or diesel car after just two years. Speed up that process by charging at home with the cheapest, greenest energy on Octopus Energy Intelligent Octopus Go.
Don’t just take our word for it
We hear plenty of stories from drivers who are feeling the financial and lifestyle benefits of going electric. “Before getting my electric car, I had a Golf GTI” says Ben Burrows, Interim Chief Medical Officer at Sirona Care and Health. “When I moved to the BMW i4, it was far more rapid, more enjoyable, and more comfortable. And when I charge at home on Octopus Energy’s tariff, it costs just £6 or £7 for a full charge. It’s a huge saving compared to petrol.”
Ready to make the switch? Find out how much you could save if your company signs up to our salary sacrifice scheme. Or check out Intelligent EV – the smartest way to get an electric car.
