Where can I buy an EV?
All West Riding Hyundai retailers are able to order your new electric vehicle for you!
If you would like to talk to your local West Riding retailer please look at finding your nearest retailer.
You can also check out our offers page for any deals on the range of cars we sell!
How much does an electric car cost?
EVs generally have higher purchase costs than their petrol and diesel competitors, but lower running costs as fuel, tax and maintenance costs are all generally significantly cheaper.
The Hyundai electric range currently starts at £28,950 with the Kona Electric SE Connect all the way up to £42,840 with the IONIQ 5 Ultimate (at the time of writing. March 2022)
High Voltage (lithium-ion polymer) Battery
The high voltage battery warranty covers a minimum capacity for a period of 8 years or 125,000 miles (for existing production models first produced prior to 2020) and a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles (for Kona EV 20MY and all new production models first produced after 2020) from the date of first registration, whichever is sooner; for repairs needed to return the battery capacity to at least 70% of the original capacity. Where possible the high voltage battery components will be repaired and returned to the vehicle; if unrepairable the EV battery will be replaced.
How much does it cost to run an electric car?
Fuel costs are much lower for EVs than for conventionally fuelled vehicles. The cost to charge an EV depends on the size of the battery and where you’re charging it.
For example, charging a fairly typical 40kWh battery from zero to 100% at home on a typical domestic (household) tariff of 15p/kWh, would cost £6.60 (allowing 10% losses at the charger), whereas fully charging the same battery at a motorway service station might typically cost around twice that amount.
Many supermarkets, cinemas and some car parks even offer free charging.
Drivers that are able to charge at their workplace usually also receive free charging and there is no benefit in kind liability associated with this.
What about servicing and repairs?
Compared with petrol and diesel vehicles, EV servicing and maintenance costs are considerably lower than their petrol and diesel equivalents.
This is down to electric motors containing much fewer moving parts than internal combustion engines. In addition, EVs don’t have other familiar car parts like a gear box, clutch, exhaust, catalytic converter, starter motor and more.
Even the brake pads and discs on an EV receive much less wear and tear because much of an EV’s braking is achieved through regenerative braking.
Electric car MOTs
You don’t escape the MOT test simply by choosing an EV. Like all cars, EVs have to pass an annual roadworthiness inspection after they are three years old.
The main difference is that there is no emissions test, so that’s one less area to potentially fail on.
The maximum car MOT test fee is £54.85. However, there are many garages that will undercut this.
Electric car insurance
Insurance ratings – and thus costs – for electric cars tend to be slightly higher than for petrol or diesel equivalents.
These higher costs may be due to the more limited options when it comes to repairing them.
That said, you may be able to negotiate a limited-mileage policy to keep costs down.
Electric car road tax
Following changes to the rates of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) in April 2017, zero-emissions vehicles are exempt from ‘road tax’ in the UK.
EVs also attract much lower rates of Benefit in Kind (BiK) company car tax.For 2020/21 EVs, the current low rate of company car tax will even be reduced to zero.
| Vehicle |
Maximum grant |
| Electric car |
£3,000 |
| Electric bike / moped |
£1,500 |
| Small electric van |
£3,000 |
| Large electric van |
£6,000 |
| Taxis |
£7,500 |
| Trucks |
£16,000 |
| Plug-in hybrid |
Not eligible |
The EV retailer applies for and receives the grant so if you’re buying an EV you don’t need to do anything.
But if you’re considering the economics of purchasing an EV, remember that the prices quoted by retailers will almost always already have the value of the grant deducted.
How much does it cost to install an electric car charger at home?
The typical cost of a home charge point is around £800.
Under its Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, OLEV currently offers a grant of up to 75% of this cost, capped at a maximum grant of £350.
Other electric car incentives
- Pay zero road tax (unless the car has a list price of more than £40,000)
- Very low (soon to be zero) company car tax
- The VAT on domestic electricity is only 5%
- EVs are eligible for a 100% discount from the London Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ)
- In many places EVs pay reduced or zero parking charges
- Planned ‘green licence plate’ initiatives which would allow them to use bus lanes
Driving an EV
The first thing you’ll notice when driving an electric car is the silence.
No gearbox means their acceleration is smooth and seamless. And because they derive maximum torque from standstill, even basic models are surprisingly quick off the mark.
Apart from a faint hum when accelerating, the only noises come from the wind and tyres.
Gears are automatic, while regenerative brakes slow the car when you lift off the accelerator to top-up the batteries.
Performance
Electric motors produce their peak pulling power from a standstill.
That means there’s no need to rev the motor for swift acceleration, unlike a petrol or (to a lesser extent) diesel car.
Manufacturers have more flexibility when it comes to packaging electric drivetrains – mounting battery-packs close to the floor to lower the centre of gravity, for example, which means EVs often handle well too.