“When the salary sacrifice scheme launched, I jumped at the chance”

Sytner is the largest automotive retailer in Europe and they’re on a mission to get more people behind the wheel of an EV. They launched our salary sacrifice scheme in February 2022 so they could provide an eco-friendly benefit to their team and help them save money.

But it’s not just the Sytner employees who are able to benefit. With our EV salary sacrifice scheme, it’s super easy to add an additional driver so many Sytner employees have actually given their partners the joy of driving electric.

We spoke with Sacha, Ian and Carl from the Sytner team about how our EV salary scheme has not only helped them save money but also save tons (literally) of carbon emissions in their day-to-day lives.

Sacha: “We used to have a Jaguar XE which we got through a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP). Our lease was coming to an end and we wanted to save some money so the Octopus scheme was a no brainer. We have a Polestar 2 now as we wanted something that was similar in size.

Ian: “I actually got my wife a Mini Cooper Electric on the scheme as she has always loved Mini’s and had so many before. It was great there was a like-for-like EV.”

Carl: “I love electric cars so when we had the opportunity to get another one on the scheme we jumped at the chance and my wife got a Mini.”

S: “It’s just so convenient that everything is in one package and comes out of my salary every month as one payment. When the scheme first launched at Sytner me and my husband looked into it and realised just how much money we could save. The Jaguar was costing us around £1,000 a month including fuel. With the Polestar that’s easily halved, I reckon I’m saving around £550 a month with an EV and that’s everything included. Car, maintenance, servicing, tyres, insurance and we even got a home charger.”

I: "When my wife’s car came up for renewal we wanted to take advantage of the salary sacrifice scheme as it just made sense financially and we both love how easy it has been to have the charger, maintenance and the EV all in place."

S: “Truthfully, I didn’t get the electric thing before I drove it. Then when I got in, I was so impressed, it’s so nippy and I love the screen in the middle!”

I: “My wife loves her Mini and it is just perfect for her. I do still drive petrol but, every time I drive her EV, I getting more and more converted”

C: "Being in automotive sales, I talk to a lot of people about going electric so I got my first EV years ago to see what all the fuss was about. I thought I’d miss the sound of the engine but I don’t at all. I absolutely love driving electric and I am such a massive supporter now which is why when the salary sacrifice scheme launched I jumped at the chance to get one for my wife”

S: “We got a home charger installed through Octopus and it was so simple and easy. The engineer was here for the day and was no bother at all. Something happened with the electrics so they kept tripping but the engineer gave us his number so if anything went wrong again he could nip back. Of course, as soon as he left the electrics tripped so we gave him a ring and he came straight back.”

“We’re also on the Intelligent Octopus Go tariff so whenever the car needs a charge we just plug it in and we get the cheap overnight rates - we don’t have to think about it at all.”

“My husband also does a lot of long journeys but as the Polestar easily does 200 miles on a single charger he hasn’t even had to use a public charger yet.”

I: “We do have a home charger which was installed by Octopus - completely hassle-free so no complaints there. We’ve also used public charging a fair bit when the Mini needs a top up. It’s so easy though as we just go for a wander round the shops and when we get back it’s fully charged.”

C: “We have a home charger that was installed prior to getting the EV through Octopus but I actually use the Electroverse public charging a lot.”

“I drive very long journeys and live in south west London. Last week I was travelling to Stockport and back and I knew that at the end of the day I could just plug it in at home. But when I do charge on the go I get up slightly earlier and do it in the morning. I’ve realised that most people do it after work so there’s generally good availability in the morning. I can grab myself a coffee and some breakfast and by that time the car is good to go!”

“I used to hate going to petrol stations so now it is so much easier than that. I’ve even made some discoveries when using a charger. The first long journey I did was to Cornwall and as I was getting close to Exeter, I used the sat-nav to direct me to a charging station. It took me off the main road to this little farm with two fast chargers. It was a beautiful farm with a restaurant so now, everytime we go to Cornwall, we stop there for something to eat and charge the car at the same time.”

S: “Having everything included in the price for sure. To get everything we get now we were paying over £1,000 with our diesel car. Now we pay around the £500 mark”

I: “The salary sacrifice scheme makes it so cost effective. There’s no deposit, insurance and maintenance are included and it’s convenient as it’s deducted from our salary. On top of that the car is really cheap to run!”

C: “My wife uses our Mini on a daily basis and as she doesn’t do many miles it hardly costs anything. We only have to plug it in once every two weeks! I’m a huge advocate for EVs and I think they’re so great. Not only are they good for the environment on a personal level but from a business perspective they are so great for fleet drivers as they’re so much less polluting”

S: “I loved the online quote tool - it was really easy and just made sense. The customer service was also outstanding and was like no other I’ve experienced. There were a couple of supplier delays, but being from the automotive industry I understand that can happen.”

“Our division was also the first to launch the scheme so the Octopus team came to us with EVs - I know the team loved this as it was great to test drive some EVs on offer.”

“Being in HR, I speak to so many colleagues about the scheme and how it’s such a good way to save money. The only feedback I hear is that it would be great to have some used cars as a cheaper alternative"

When we spoke to Sacha, we hadn’t launched our nearly new scheme. But now that’s launched, it gives Sacha's team a more affordable way to get behind the wheel of an EV.

I: “I didn’t experience any challenges and everything was so easy. Every time I needed something, someone came straight back and answered my question.”

You too can empower your team like Sacha, Ian and Carl, and help them save money whilst paving the way for a greener future with our EV salary sacrifice scheme. In just a few weeks, we can help supercharge your employee benefits and help your team join the electric revolution faster. Book a call today.