Whether or not you buy or lease an electric car will depend on your finances, driving habits, and how fast you think EV technology will move. Buying an electric car outright can be expensive, and you might also need to consider the cost of depreciation and long-term battery degradation.

When you lease an electric car, you get to drive a brand-new EV every 2–4 years while avoiding long-term depreciation worries. You'll always enjoy the most up-to-date EV technology and optimum driving range. You also get the peace of mind that comes with fixed monthly costs. Road tax is included throughout your lease agreement and you can choose an optional maintenance package.

Yes – all electric cars are effectively automatic. Electric motors have fewer moving parts compared with a combustion engine and can deliver power across a wide range of speeds without the need for gear changes. Electric cars mean you never need to worry about a clutch pedal or traditional gear stick again. Some EVs also generate the synthetic sound of a traditional combustion engine – complete with gear changes – to give you that classic motoring feel.

Most electric cars use a one-speed transmission which acts as a single gear. Other more premium EVs, however, make use of a dual-speed transmission that allows for rapid acceleration off the line and serene cruising at high speeds. In both cases, the whole experience is automated, which means you don't need to engage a clutch or change gears.

The cheapest electric cars to lease change all the time, so it's hard to pinpoint a particular model. The most affordable electric cars in the UK are typically small electric cars – city cars and superminis – while models from Chinese manufacturers can be particularly cost-effective. See our latest electric car lease deals.

Manufacturers are constantly striving to produce electric cars with the longest range possible, so the car with the longest range is always subject to change. Vehicles like the BMW iX3 and Volvo EX60 are, for example, capable of travelling close to 500 miles between charges.

You can lease pretty much all electric cars offered by all of your favourite manufacturers, from affordable EVs built by the likes of Dacia and Leapmotor to premium examples from Porsche and Audi. You can also lease an electric car as a company vehicle – and it's one of the most financially-attractive perks a business can offer its employees, thanks to the ultra-low Benefit in Kind (BIK) rates, tax deductions, and reduced running costs.

Electric car charging is at its most cost-effective when you're able to charge from home. And those cost savings are amplified when you switch to a dedicated off-peak EV charging energy tariff. Some tariffs are as low as 7.5p per kWh, which means you can enjoy a full overnight charge for less than £5, depending on the size of the car's battery. Typical overnight charging at the standard electricity rate (as opposed to an off-peak tariff) costs between £13 and £17 for a full energy replenishment.

Public charging is typically more expensive than charging at home. Costs vary depending on location, supplier, and the speed of the charger itself. A slow/fast charger will typically cost between 40–55p per kWh, meaning a full charge would cost around £30 (for a car with a 50 kWh battery). Using a rapid charger (anything above 50 kW DC) costs between 65–80p per kWh, resulting in a full charge costing around £39–48. Ultra rapid chargers (anything above 100 kW DC) are more expensive, at 76–85p per kWh, meaning a full charge would cost around £50. You can bring down the cost of public charging by opting for a subscription package, rather than being a pay-as-you-go user.

The speed it takes to charge an electric car depends on the size of the car's battery, the state of charge, the speed of the charger it's plugged into, and also the ambient temperature. When charging at home, a full charge (with a 60 kWh battery) takes around 8–9 hours with a 7 kW home wallbox, or 5–6 hours with an 11 kW 3-phase charger. Public charging can be much quicker. The number of ultra-rapid chargers available in the UK is growing every year. With a 150 kW charging station, you can replenish the energy in a 60 kWh battery in around 25–30 minutes.

You can, yes. Select Car Leasing has partnered with industry experts E.ON Next to offer customers £75 off their next EV charger (when you lease an EV or plug-in hybrid). E.ON Next offers some of the market's leading smart chargers and they'll guide you through the entire process.

You absolutely can, yes. You can access the UK's network of rapid public chargers with any sort of car, including one that's leased. If you lease a Tesla, you can access the manufacturer's Supercharger network on a pay-per-use basis. You can also enjoy a cost-saving EV charging subscription in the UK with a lease car, even if you don't own the vehicle.

You'll find chargers of different speeds when you're looking to replenish your EV's energy in public.

Slow (3–7 kW): Very common, often found in public car parks. Often 'untethered', which means you'll need to bring your own cable.

Fast (8–49 kW): Many connect at a speed of around 22 kW and can take 4 to 8 hours to fully charge an EV.

Rapid (50–149 kW): With many EVs, a 50 kW rapid charger can give you 100 miles worth of range in around 30 minutes.

Ultra Rapid (150+ kW): Slightly trickier to locate. Not all EVs can accept ultra rapid charging. Could give you an 80% charge in less than 20 minutes.

Yes, electric vehicles are now subject to road tax – aka Vehicle Excise Duty or VED. Here's a run-down of yearly costs, according to the Department for Transport.

EVs registered on or after 1 April 2025: First year rate £10. Second tax payment onwards of £195.

EVs registered between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2025: Standard rate of £200.

EVs registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017: £20.

New EVs with list price exceeding £50,000: Subject to expensive car supplement for the first 5 years from the start of the second licence at £440 per year (on top of the standard VED rate).

In some cases, EVs still have to pay a congestion charge. From the 25th December 2025, the Cleaner Vehicle Discount (which made EVs exempt from paying the London congestion charges) is discontinued. EVs have to pay £15 per day if driving in central London during charge hours. EVs are exempt from London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) & Low Emission Zone (LEZ).

Other areas of the UK also have congestion charges or Clean Air Zones. Each differs as to whether EVs are exempt or not. For many cities (Birmingham, Bristol, Bath, Portsmouth, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen) typical private EVs do not attract a congestion/clean air fee. In Durham, EVs are still subject to a small fee.

Yes, there are many grants and incentives available for electric vehicle drivers. In July 2025, the UK government introduced the Electric Car Grant (ECG). Depending on how green the car is deemed to be, and provided the vehicle has a list price of £37,000 or less, the government can provide a grant of up to £3,750. The money goes directly to the manufacturer or dealer who then applies the discount for the customer. The ECG is automatically applied to qualifying lease vehicles and will be reflected in your lease agreement. Many other EV-related grants and tax breaks are available for vans, flat owners, and landlords. See our full guide to EV grants and incentives.

Electric cars are, in general, around four times cheaper to fuel per mile (when charging at home) compared with a traditional petrol or diesel car. Using a dedicated off-peak energy tariff can really help drive your cost savings – using public chargers on a regular basis will erode any cost benefits. The main savings when it comes to running costs is on fuel, but EV drivers can also save money each year on maintenance and servicing costs.

Yes, servicing and maintenance of electric cars can be much more affordable than a petrol or diesel car. EVs have fewer moving parts than a vehicle with a combustion engine. There are no oil, spark plug or filter changes to consider, an EV doesn't have a timing belt or require other engine maintenance, and there's less wear and tear on braking systems as EVs can slow their speed using regenerative braking.

Situations will depend on individual circumstances but, as a rough rule of thumb, servicing and maintenance of EVs can be half as much (at around £100–£200 per year) compared with petrol and diesel cars. When you lease an electric vehicle, you also never need to worry about expensive battery replacement costs in the future.

You absolutely can, yes, and we're specialists in EV leasing for businesses here at Select Car Leasing. We offer EVs from all major manufacturers and you'll find competitive Business Contract Hire (BCH) rates on all the best models. If you're looking to add EVs to your company fleet, speak to one of our dedicated Fleet Solutions specialists.

Salary Sacrifice is a great way to experience an electric car. Not all employers offer a 'Sal Sac' service for its staff, so you'll need to ensure your company has set one up before inquiring about an electric vehicle. The Sal Sac system lets an employee forgo a chunk of their monthly salary in order to lease a brand new (or used) car. The monthly cost of the lease deal is taken directly from a person's gross salary before tax. If you are in the 40% tax bracket, for example, you save that money rather than paying for it after the taxman has taken its cut.

The cost savings can be large and most Sal Sac schemes are specifically geared towards electric cars. Many Sal Sac schemes also offer a fully-inclusive package, which includes insurance, maintenance and servicing.

Leasing could be the perfect way to experience an electric car, even if you've never driven one before. With a lease deal, you also have the flexibility of changing your electric car every 2 or 3 years until you find one that really suits your lifestyle. You don't need to be an EV expert before leasing one and our expert consultants are on hand to guide you through the entire process. You'll receive key information about common electric car questions prior to your new electric car being delivered and we have an extensive collection of EV-specific guides.

When you lease any car, including an electric vehicle, it helps to have a healthy credit status. Leasing brokers like Select Car Leasing liaise with a panel of providers who offer finance for individuals and businesses and it is sometimes possible to secure a deal even when you have suboptimal credit. If you'd like to chat through your credit status, then please give one of our expert Leasing Consultants a call on: 0118 920 5130 or alternatively email: enquiries@selectcarleasing.co.uk.

You can customise a lease deal to suit your individual needs, and that includes adding optional extras to your package. An additional servicing and maintenance agreement covers you for scheduled services, mechanical and electrical repairs, as well as tyre replacement. Car leasing with insurance is not currently offered by Select Car Leasing. Customers need to ensure they have comprehensive insurance in place on commencement of the lease deal.

The driving range of an electric car depends on various factors, including the size of the vehicle's battery, the ambient temperature, and how the car is being driven. It's not uncommon to find affordable EVs with a range of between 180–250 miles between charges. Higher end, more premium EVs fitted with larger batteries often have a stated range in excess of 430 miles on a single charge.

The official range of an electric car is arrived at following what's known as the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). It's a standardised test performed on a rolling road in a lab. As such, real-world driving – at high speeds, in poor weather, and with heating systems draining power from the battery – range figures can fall by around 25% compared with WLTP.

When an electric vehicle runs out of charge the motor will shut down, you'll no longer be able to drive it, and you'll require roadside assistance from your breakdown provider. You will, however, be given ample warning before your battery depletes fully and you'll be able to see how many miles worth of range is available at any given point via your car's infotainment system. Some EVs will actively direct you to the nearest charge point via the sat nav system. Your EV could also place itself into reduced power mode in order to conserve charge.

A good habit to adopt when driving an EV is to charge when you can, not when you have to. That way, you're unlikely to be caught short.

Yes, electric cars are reliable in cold weather, just the same as any petrol or diesel car. You do, however, need to remember that an electric car's range and performance can be affected by cold weather. When temperatures drop, it can cause the battery to drain quicker than usual – a result of the electrolyte fluid becoming thicker and slowing down the chemical process that creates electricity. As such, your range is likely to be impacted, with a potential decrease of between 10–20%.

EVs can also be slower to charge in cold weather (as the car warms the battery when first plugged in order to subsequently achieve high charge speeds). Many EVs have battery preconditioning functions, which will warm the battery after you set a charger as your destination in the sat nav. A heat pump (a more efficient way of heating the cabin) can also improve EV range in cold weather.

Yes, it's perfectly possible to take an electric car abroad, and many thousands of UK motorists make continental trips each year. The public charging infrastructure in Europe is excellent and most of Europe uses the same Type 2 and CCS connectors as the UK. Not all public chargers will allow contactless payments so make sure you've done your research when it comes to charging cards and dedicated apps.

Many of the market's leading EVs, particularly large SUVs from manufacturers like Kia, VW, BMW and Audi, have towing capacities of up to 2,500kg, which is right up there with most equivalent petrol and diesel models (though some of the most rugged SUVs and pick-up trucks boast a braked towing capacity of up to 3,500kg). Many of the major industry awards also have dedicated prizes for the best electric tow cars.

Electric cars are generally much better for the environment than petrol or diesel cars, and that's particularly apparent when it comes to having zero CO2 emissions at the tailpipe. One argument against EV enjoyment is that electric cars still create a carbon footprint when being manufactured. It's thought that for an electric car to 'break even' in terms of its carbon emissions, the car needs to be driven for around 20,000 miles – which is well within a typical motorist's annual mileage over the course of a few years.

Over the course of 10 years, an electric car will typically emit 50–70% less CO2 than a petrol/diesel equivalent. Renewable energy sources also account for more than 50% of the UK's National Grid – which makes charging an EV more environmentally friendly, too.

The infrastructure surrounding electric car battery recycling and 'second use' application is improving all of the time. Licenced treatment factories in the UK are capable of recycling EV batteries, under strict regulations, and aim to recover 90% or more of valuable metals. Even before a battery is recycled, it can be taken from an electric car and placed into a second use setting, such as residential energy storage or backup power systems, which can extend the battery's life by a further 5–10 years.

It's true that the rare metals in lithium-ion electric car batteries (including lithium, cobalt, nickel) pose some environmental and social challenges. However, more and more modern EVs are making use of LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries which are free from cobalt or nickel and come with fewer ethical concerns attached.

The Select Electric arm of Select Car Leasing is staffed by passionate EV enthusiasts who are proud to champion the transition to cleaner, more efficient motoring. Select Electric ensures its team is equipped with the expertise to really inform customers about the intricacies of EV motoring, from batteries and range to charging times and battery life. And as the UK's most trusted lease broker, Select has access to the most competitive rates for electric cars on the market.

When you lease an electric vehicle (or plug-in hybrid) with Select Car Leasing, we can help you to install a dedicated charger, via our partners at E.ON Next. You can get £75 off the cost of the installation of a smart charger, and the experts at E.ON Next can guide you through the entire process.

It's easy and simple to begin your electric car leasing journey. If you're unsure about what sort of electric vehicle you'd like to lease, or what type of EV might fit your lifestyle, you might start by reading some of our dedicated electric vehicle leasing guides.

Work out your annual, monthly and daily mileage – do you really need an EV with an enormous range when a more modest and affordable model might suffice? Think about your charging options: do you have off-road parking for home charging? Are you able to charge at work? Are you comfortable using more expensive public charging networks?

With your monthly budget in mind, have a look at our latest electric car special offers. And remember that leasing an electric car in the UK is an excellent way to experience the benefits of zero-emission driving without the long-term commitment of ownership.