Electric FAQs

HMRC has set Benefit in Kind tax (BIK) for EVs at 2% to 2025. The rate will then increase by just 1% every year to 2028. This low rate compared to petrol and diesel vehicles makes leasing an EV through your employer car scheme a cost effective option.

Charging an electric vehicle is much cheaper per mile than filling up with petrol or diesel. You can compare the costs here

Electric cars are typically more expensive to buy than equivalent petrol and diesel models so leasing can often prove an affordable way to make the switch, especially under a salary sacrifice arrangement where you benefit from tax and National Insurance savings too.

Yes. The reimbursement will show as a credit on the quote.

An advisory electricity rate for fully electric vehicles is set by government. This is currently 5p per mile. If your employer chooses to pay more than this rate, the value above is subject to income tax and National Insurance contributions.

You can charge an electric vehicle at home (if your property is suitable for a charge point to be installed), at some workplaces or by using one of the growing number of public charging points.

Charging at home is usually the most convenient and cheapest option although some work and public charge points are free to use e.g. at some supermarkets, attractions, hotels and car parks.

Information on the location of public charge points, including those that are free, is widely available online, for example here

The time it takes to charge your EV will vary depending on the model and type of charger you use.

You have two options: using a domestic three pin plug or a dedicated wall box.

A domestic socket is fine for occasional use but a wall box is faster and safer. If you are going to use a domestic three pin socket, please check with a certified electrician that it is suitable for long periods of heavy use to avoid over-heating. Some manufacturers don’t supply three pin charging cables as standard equipment for this reason.

Wall box power outputs vary but are usually 3.6kW or 7kW compared to 2.3kW for a three pin plug. Some home chargers provide 22kW but these require three phrase electricity which is rare and expensive to install.

Slow – usually 3kW, suitable for overnight charging (8-10 hours for full charge).

Fast – 7kW or 22kW, typically taking 3-4 hours to fully charge.

Rapid – From 43kW and only compatible with rapid charging function EVs. Offers full charge in 30-60 minutes.

Although the cost to install a home charge point is not included with your lease, we have partnered with leading specialist Pod Point to offer an easy solution. We can also support with the provision of an alternative portable charger. To take advantage of this priority service, please email evcharging@kafleet.com or call us on 01206 252300 so we can refer you.

All requests for lease car information from your charge point installer should be referred to evcharging@kafleet.com

Please note that from April 2022, the Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme (EVHS) grant is now limited to owners of flats or those living in rented accommodation only.

If you don’t have a driveway or off-street parking, there are still lots of options to charge on the street or while you’re out and about. Many places like supermarkets, public car parks, shopping centres, train stations and service stations offer charge points and some are free to use.

Most manufacturers include a charging cable with an EV. However, please check which cable (if any) is included with your vehicle before placing your application.

Most home and public charge points use a Type 2 connector. If you plan to have a home charge point fitted, please check with the vehicle manufacturer that the car you are leasing includes the correct cable.

You can order a Type 2 charging cable from our home charging partner if you use them for an installation.

Here are some useful links to help you calculate home charging and public charging costs.

Many electricity providers now offer EV tariffs that provide cheaper, off-peak electricity to charge your EV for less. Charge point technology is also becoming more sophisticated with smart features that choose the cheapest, greenest times to charge.

The UK has one of the world’s most advanced charge point networks and it’s growing all the time. Many public charging stations can charge more than one vehicle at the same time and most major routes are well served by rapid chargers located at service stations and rest stops near motorways and A-roads.

The type of connector you use will depend on your EV and the speed of the charging point you use.

In the UK, five types of connectors are used:

Three pin plug - single phase, 2-3kW AC. Provides around 5 miles per 30 minutes of charging. Designed for occasional use only.

Type 1 plug - single phase, 3-7kW AC. Gives approx. 12 miles for every 30 minutes of charge time.

Type 2 plus - single phase/ three phase, 3-42kW AC. Provides around 75 miles per 30 minutes of charging.

CHAdeMO plug - three phase, 50kW DC. Offers approx. 85 mile for every 30 minutes charge time.

Combined Charging System (CCS) plug – 50-350kW DC. Provides 85-200 miles per 30 minutes of charging.

Most EV manufacturers and UK charge points typically use a Type 2 connector

Only if you’re charging from a domestic plug socket. Travel adaptors to convert a three-pin plug are not suitable for the sustained high currents needed for electric vehicle charging.

However, the Type 2 connector is standard across Europe, so public charge points at destinations and rest areas will use the same socket or leads as in the UK.

EV ranges vary considerably depending on the make and model you choose.

The range figures quoted by manufacturers often differ from the more realistic ‘real world’ range which is affected by factors such as driving style, type of journey and weather conditions.

When you’re looking at EV suitability, it is important to consider the real world range which is typically 70-75% of the manufacturer’s quoted range.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding range, please visit the manufacturer website or contact us on 01206 252300 and we’ll be happy to help.

Your EV’s range is influenced by several factors such as driving speed and style, your route and the weather.

The following tips will help increase the range you get from your vehicle:

• Avoid rapid acceleration.
• Reduce your speed.
• Use regenerative braking as much as possible.
• Limit use of climate control, heating and other electric functions that draw energy from the battery.
• Choose a route that minimises your power requirement. If possible, take the most direct option that requires travelling at lower speeds and avoids hills.
• For maximum efficiency, keep your tyres at the correct pressure. The additional battery weight means the tyre life will decrease more quickly if the correct pressure is not maintained.
• Avoid carrying unnecessary luggage as additional weight can reduce your range.
• Some EVs have a pre-heat function that can be set to warm the cabin and battery before setting off. A cold battery will not perform as well as a warm one.
• Familiarise yourself with your EV’s eco settings which can be used to prolong your range. Details of the vehicle’s settings can be found in the driver handbook or on the manufacturer’s website.

Regenerative braking is a system that collects energy generated by friction that would otherwise be lost in a combustion engine vehicle. Once captured, the energy is channelled back to the battery which helps to extend an EV’s range. Most electric/hybrid vehicles will have various eco settings that offer different levels of regenerative braking.

Eventually, as with a petrol or diesel car, you come to a stop. EVs do provide plenty of warning when the range is running low though and some will limit power or shut off systems such as the air conditioning to extend the range.

Range gauges are typically on the cautious side to reduce the risk of breakdown. But if you do run out of charge, the RAC is rolling out an on-board charging system on its latest vans that provides battery top ups at the roadside. However, with the number of rapid chargers across the UK increasing fast, it’s more likely your vehicle will be towed to the nearest service station for a quick recharge.

Only a handful of electric vehicles are legally allowed to tow. Maximum towing weights are set during a process called Type Approval which is carried out before a new vehicle goes on sale. However, it’s an optional part of the assessment. If a manufacturer deems a vehicle unlikely to tow e.g. a high-performance petrol car or shorter range EV – they can choose not to approve it. If a vehicle is sold without approval, then it is illegal to use it for towing.

EV batteries are designed to last the typical lifespan of the vehicles they are fitted to and should retain the majority of capacity for ten years.

This is reflected in vehicle warranties which are typically longer than you’d get with a petrol or diesel engine e.g. Tesla offers an eight year warranty on all its battery packs, guaranteeing it will retain at least 70% of its battery capacity over the timescale.

Electric vehicles can catch fire when they are over-charged or damaged during a crash - but the risk is much lower than for petrol or diesel cars. Tesla claims one vehicle fire for every 205 million miles travelled in its cars, which is ten times less than the overall average. Even during a round of crash testing far in excess of regulatory requirements, German agency DEKRA reported that none of the EVs caught fire or posed an electrocution risk.

If an EV does catch fire, it is typically soaked or submerged in large quantities of water to cool the battery.

Simply visit the dedicated Low Emission Zone or Clean Air Zone website for the city you are driving in and register.

EV batteries can have a second life as power storage for homes, industry and energy generation.

The EU’s Battery Directive also requires at least 50% of a battery in its entirety to be recycled. This typically involves separating out valuable materials such as cobalt and lithium salts, stainless steel, copper, aluminium and plastic.

As the take up of EVs continues to accelerate, vehicle manufacturers are looking at ways to increase the amount of battery material that can be recycled. VW is currently piloting a new plant with a target of recycling 97% of all battery components.

Energy regulator Ofgem estimates that by 2050, electric cars and vans will need 60-100TWh of electricity annually - an increase of 20-30% compared to 2021 levels.

Electricity providers are generally confident they can meet this extra demand, as evidenced in the House of Commons’ Electric vehicles and infrastructure report (December 2021).

This is supported by government regulations which came into effect in July 2022, requiring all home and workplace EV chargers to include smart feature capability. The rapidly advancing technology helps to regulate when charging takes place to manage peak demand which has in fact fallen over the last 20 years.

Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology could also mean compatible vehicles will be able to supply energy back from their batteries to the grid when extra capacity is required. A National Grid ESO report predicts that by 2050, 45% (5.5 million) electric cars and vans could use this solution.

As battery efficiency, driving range and EV design continue to improve, drivers will also require less power from the grid.

Although electric vehicles have zero tailpipe emissions, they do still produce some pollution from tyre and brake particles. But the main environmental impact comes from EV production.

A European Environment Agency report highlights that emissions from battery electric vehicle production are generally higher than for petrol of diesel equivalents, largely due to the battery manufacturing process.

Most batteries are produced in China, Japan and South Korea where the carbon intensity of electricity is still relatively high - although a sharp increase in the proportion of renewable electricity available in these areas, particularly China, is predicted between now and 2025.

Lithium EV batteries are also largely made up of metals such as copper, aluminium and iron which, along with other essential raw materials, require large amounts of energy to extract.

As EV production methods and battery technologies advance and the carbon intensity of worldwide electricity decreases, total emissions from the manufacture of EVs will fall.

And when you look at the emissions produced across the lifetime of a vehicle, including production, UK government research shows EVs are around 60% cleaner than diesel cars and 66% better for the environment than petrol equivalents. These figures will continue to improve with time.

Yes. The UK Government is banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in 2030, and hybrids will follow five years later. There are currently no plans to ban the use of petrol or diesel vehicles sold before these dates.