Electric FAQs

An electric car is powered solely by electricity, via an electric motor that is energised by a high-capacity battery. This requires manual charging which can be achieved at home, at work and out and about.

Electric cars produce zero harmful emissions, which means they’re extremely eco-friendly and have less of a impact on the environment. They’re also very cost-effective to run because, in relative terms, electricity is cheaper than fossil fuel and many models feature regenerative-braking, restoring range when braking or travelling downhill.

A plug-in hybrid offers the best of both worlds: an electric motor plus battery and a combustion engine. For the most part, plug-in hybrids use petrol/diesel; however, over short distances, the electric motor can activate, thus enabling savings on fuel while producing fewer CO₂ emissions.

A plug-in hybrid’s battery requires manual charging – and there are many ways to do so.

A hybrid vehicle sits neatly between a regular car and a plug-in hybrid. As with a plug-in hybrid, it too features a combustion engine, an electric motor and a battery – the latter of which is self-charging, meaning that you do not need to charge it.

Hybrid cars tend to be more efficient and produce fewer emissions than conventional cars.

You can charge your vehicle at home or at work via a three-pin power supply or a dedicated fast-charging wallbox. Or you can do so at one of more than 50,000 charging points around the UK, which can be located with useful apps such as Zapmaps or within Google Maps.

Car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) bands are based on CO₂ emissions per kilometre (g/km), and range from A to M, with A being the lowest and M being the highest.

Currently, electric cars registered on or after 1 April 2017 fall within Band A, which currently affords a £0 charge. This is the first-year VED rate.

From 1 April 2025, electric car owners will need to pay Band B VED (£10 as of Nov 2023).

Currently, most plug-in hybrids incur a first-year charge of between £0 and £110 (this figure is dependent on emissions).

Although hybrid cars tend to produce fewer emissions than conventional automobiles, the difference isn’t as significant as with an EV. In any case, VED rates will vary depending on the level of emissions produced.