Five reasons to ask your employer to provide EV salary sacrifice

Thousands of employees across the UK are switching to electric, and for good reason. EVs are cheaper to run and better for the planet. But for many, the tipping point has been access to salary sacrifice schemes that make driving electric more affordable than ever.

Our scheme covers everything: the car, insurance, servicing, maintenance, breakdown cover, and either a home charger or 4,000 miles of public charging credit. And if your car is eligible, the government’s Electric Car Grant brings the cost down even more.

To find out what the switch is really like, we spoke with employees using the scheme at our Leadership Event 2025 in Loseley Park, Surrey. Over 100 EVs were available to test drive, including several brand-new models soon to hit UK roads.

Here are five reasons they’re glad they made the move.

One of the biggest advantages of EV salary sacrifice is how tax efficient it is. Because payments come out of your gross (pre-tax) salary, you instantly reduce how much you pay in income tax and National Insurance. That can mean saving up to 40% compared to leasing the same car on your own.

Even compared to a petrol car on the same scheme, EV drivers come out ahead, saving an average of £2,194. For Zoe from Verso, the difference has been huge. “I save about £1,500 a year,” she told us.

James from Vegner Group noticed the impact almost immediately. “At the moment, I’m probably spending £60 to £120 a week on petrol,” he said. “You see immediate savings when you switch.”

To put that into perspective, driving a petrol or diesel car costs around 19 - 21p per mile. Charging an EV, on the other hand, can cost as little as 3p per mile at home, around 14p per mile using lamppost chargers, and about 18p per mile with rapid public charging.

For Holly at Jenx Ltd, those numbers spoke for themselves. “When you look at what you end up actually paying for everything that’s included,” she said, “it’s a bit of a no-brainer.”

Results are based on a 4 year lease at 5,000 miles per annum comparing a GWM ORA 03 against its petrol equivalent of a VW Golf 1.0 TSI Life

We’ve all been there. You think you know what a car’s going to cost, then within a few months, something goes wrong and you’re hit with a big repair bill. In year two, the insurance renewal comes around, then the MOT… and suddenly the costs start stacking up.

That’s what makes our scheme different. It covers pretty much everything: insurance, servicing, maintenance, breakdown cover – even a home charger installation. So there’s less admin and fewer unexpected costs creeping in.

For Angela at Brightbee, that peace of mind has been one of the biggest benefits. “Having everything included, like insurance and maintenance, takes a lot of pressure off,” she said. “If something happens, Octopus has it sorted.”

That kind of simplicity makes a real difference to your life. “Just paying one monthly fee is nice and easy,” she added. “I don’t have to think about anything extra.”

James feels the same. He likes knowing exactly how much is going out each month, so he can focus on the fun stuff. “You know what your monthly budget is,” he told us. “There are no surprises coming around.”

One of the first questions people ask about EVs is, “Where will I charge it?” We’ve made that part simple, too.

If you’ve got a drive, the scheme includes a free home charger with standard installation, so you can plug in overnight and start each day fully charged. If you’re on an Octopus Energy tariff like Intelligent Octopus Go, charging at home can cost as little as 2p per mile, making EVs cheaper to run than petrol or diesel in almost every case.

Live in a flat or rented accommodation but have a private parking space? You might be eligible for the government’s £350 EV Chargepoint Grant, which helps renters and flat owners cover the cost of installing a charger at home.

If you don’t have a driveway, no problem – you’ll get 4,000 miles’ worth of public charging credit instead. That’s delivered through Electroverse, our smart charging platform that gives you access to over a million public charge points across the UK and Europe.

Zoe was pleasantly surprised by how simple it was to top up on the go. “There are charging points everywhere in my local area,” she said. “It’s a lot more convenient than I thought it would be.”

If you’ve never driven electric before, the difference is immediate. The cars are quiet, smooth, and surprisingly quick off the line. For a lot of people, it makes commuting feel less like a chore and more like something to look forward to.

James remembers his first drive clearly. He loved the way it eased into motion, with no engine rumble or gear changes to think about. “The first thing you notice is the sound,” he said. “Everything just feels a little bit calmer.”

Angela, meanwhile, couldn’t get over the performance. Like many new EV drivers, she found herself rethinking what she expected from a car, not just in how it drives, but in how effortless and refined the whole experience feels. “The instant torque is pretty impressive,” she said. “I absolutely love it.”

Switching to an EV is a great way to do your bit for the environment without even trying.

James didn’t expect sustainability to be a big deal for him at first, but once he got behind the wheel, that quickly changed. Now, he’s excited to have joined a movement towards cleaner, smarter transport. “You realise you’re doing your bit for the environment,” he said.

Richard, Director of HR at Vegner Group, has noticed the same shift among his team. The ability to live more sustainably without paying a premium is a big part of the scheme’s appeal. “People love being able to get a car that’s both green and affordable,” he told us.

And the impact adds up. Swapping a petrol car for an EV can reduce your tailpipe emissions by around 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ per year. That’s like taking a return flight from London to New York off your carbon footprint.

It really is as good as it sounds

Since Holly started the scheme, her friends and family have been full of questions – especially the one everyone seems to ask: “What’s the catch?”

“That’s honestly the biggest thing to overcome,” she explained. “Convincing people there isn’t a catch.” The truth is, there really isn’t one. It’s just a simple, cost-effective way to drive a brand-new EV without the usual headaches of buying a car.

From handling the setup with your employer, to helping you choose the perfect car, installing your home charger (or sending you public charging credit through Electroverse), and supporting you through the whole process, we take care of everything.

If your company hasn’t introduced the scheme yet, it might be time to ask. You could be driving a brand-new EV sooner than you think!