What to Know Before Joining the Electric Car Trend

Nissan, the global leader in electric vehicle sales, continues its pursuit toward a clean-energy future with the reveal of the all-new Nissan LEAF. José Muñoz, Chief Performance Officer, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and Chairman, Nissan North America, Inc., unveiled the 2018 Nissan LEAF at a media event at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center. The debut immediately followed the LEAF’s global launch in Tokyo, Japan. The next-generation of LEAF, the world’s best-selling affordable, mass-production electric vehicle, goes on sale at Nissan dealers in all 50 states in early 2018.

Are you thinking about joining the electric car revolution? Many motorists are making the switch to electric cars and they are becoming a common sight on the road, so even those that had not previously thought about buying an electric car are now deciding whether or not now might be the right time to join the revolution. It can be daunting to someone who does not know much about electric cars, so read on for all that you need to know.

The Government is Encouraging the Switch

It has been hard to ignore the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years because the government are doing a lot to encourage motorists to make the switch. This includes a grant when buying an electric car, zero road tax, bans/fines on polluting vehicles in major cities and the 2030 ban on the sale of petrol and diesel (this has been brought forward).

Range Has Improved

The main reason that people have been reluctant to make the change is concerns over the range that electric cars can travel. Battery tech has improved greatly in recent years, so now this is not an issue with the Tesla Model S boasting an incredible 335-mile range. Obviously, not all vehicles have the tech that a Tesla has but even the modest Hyundai Ioniq has a range of 124 miles.

Charging Infrastructure Has Improved

Another reason that range anxiety is less of an issue now is that the charging infrastructure has also improved with new charging points being introduced daily – there are now more EV charging stations than petrol stations in the UK.

There is Greater Choice

Another issue that was holding many motorists back was the lack of variety. Nowadays, every major manufacturer has an EV and there is at least 1 type in every class so you should be able to find a vehicle that suits your need and is within your budget. If you are not sure about buying an EV outright, you could look to lease from somewhere like Zen Auto instead as a way to test the waters and see if an EV is right for you.

Costs are in Decline

Following this point, all of the costs involved in electric driving are in decline too. Obviously, you will be making huge savings on fuel and on road tax, but you will also find that the vehicles are becoming cheaper because there is greater variety and insurance premiums are falling – figures show that they are £90 cheaper to insure than petrol and diesel, so when you add these on to the other cost savings that you make it is clear that it is a smart financial move to make (in addition to the environmental benefits).

Hopefully, this post will help to show that now is the perfect time to make this switch and that there are many perks to doing so.

Alicia Baker
Alicia is a Canadian writer whose enthusiasm for cultural and automotive are combined in her writing. Her background includes links to insurance, finance, and automotive safety.