‘I’ve owned four EVs over 10 years – this is huge amount I’ve saved’

A man who has owned four electric cars over the course of a decade has explained how he has managed to save thousands. With the war in Iran sending oil prices skyrocketing, many people have been tempted to switch to electric cars and sell their petrol or diesel models.

One of the big questions about electric cars is how much money people either save or lose by going ditching fuel-driven motors. Many are often worried about the cost of charging and upfront cost of buying the vehicles in the first place.

However, climate scientist Bill McGuire, who has owned various versions of the Nissan Leaf over the years, has extolled the benefits of electric cars with some astounding savings.

Writing in the i newspaper he explained how, as well as having experienced barely any technical issues with his beloved Leaf, that the savings had been incredible.

Like many electric car owners Bill has had a home charger installed into his house and also takes advantage of solar panels. Overall, when it comes down to cost per mile, he said that whilst a petrol car will cost around 12 to 18p, that an electric can sometimes cost as little as 2p.

He explained: “We almost always charge the car at home, paying 12p per unit (kWh) on a night-time tariff, or for nothing when it is sunny and our solar panels are producing full blast.

“But you can pay as little as 7p, depending on your supplier and tariff. Off-peak home charging can mean that you are paying as little as 2p a mile for getting around.”

Overall, this means Bill reckons he has saved a massive amount over his decade of electric car ownership.

Bill said: “This translates, on the basis of our mileage over the 12 years we have been driving EVs, to a saving of at least £10,000.”

This isn’t the only potential benefit of electric vehicle driving with Bill adding that one day many electric cars might be able to allow you to sell your electricity back to the grid through Vehicle To Grid (V2G).

It comes as renowned motoring journalist Ginny Buckley described moving to EVs as the “biggest saving”.

Writing in the Express, she explained: “If you can charge at home and access an off-peak tariff, an EV can cost just a few pence per mile to run, compared with roughly 12 to 18 pence per mile for a petrol car – around a third of the cost, and sometimes even less.

“EVs have another useful trick, they use ‘regenerative braking’, so when you lift off the accelerator the car slows down putting energy back into the battery – effectively giving you a few “free miles” instead of wasting that energy as heat in the brakes.”