4 ways you can save money with an electric van

One of the biggest concerns about electric vans is the price. Although it is still currently the case that the list price of electric vans are often slightly higher than the equivalent diesel van, there are several ways that you could actual save money in the long term.

Here are four reasons that owning an electric van could cost you less:

1. Fuel

The first and arguably biggest way that electric vans can save you money is the reduced cost of fuelling your vehicle. Electricity is considerably cheaper than Diesel so filling up at home is going to start saving significant amounts of money, particularly over the entire period that you own the van.

For example, a Mercedes-Benz Vito panel van will cost on average, roughly £70 to fill with a tank of diesel. If you drive your Vito 10,000 miles a year that adds up to just over £1,500 on fuel alone.

In comparison, you can charge the all-electric eVito at home overnight for around £6.50, which works out at roughly £720 annually if you’re driving 10,000 miles a year or 7p per mile. That’s less than half the cost of running a diesel Vito, which comes out at 15p per mile.

2. Congestion charges

If you’re regularly driving in and out of areas like London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) then you’ll know that congestion charges can quickly add up. Electric vehicles are exempt from the charge, which would mean a saving of £12.50 per day, per vehicle. That’s over £3,000 a year if you’re driving your van into London 5 days a week.

3. Servicing

When electric vans first hit the market there were concerns that their new technology would mean increased maintenance costs and limited service option, but in reality they’re actually cheaper to service than diesel Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vans.

Fewer moving parts means less wear and tear and less components which need replacing, which ultimately leads to less cost. In fact a Consumer Reports analysis has shown that Electric Van owners spent 50% less on maintaining their vehicle.

You can get more services for your money - with our ServiceCare plans you could get 2 services for your electric van from as little as £10 a month »

4. Government incentives

As the government seeks to increase the number of electric vehicles on the roads, it’s putting in place a number of incentives to make electric vehicles even more worthwhile.

For businesses these include: reduced tax bills for drivers, no company car tax for electric vehicles, exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) and increased rates for capital allowance claims.

You can also take advantage of the government OLEV grant for vans, which gets you 20% of the purchase price for the vehicle, up to a maximum of £8,000.

There is also a grant available for the installation of a home charging point, which could save you an additional £350.

You can claim a free NewMotion Home Fast Smart charge point, worth £549 when you purchase a brand new Mercedes-Benz eVan from S&B | Orwell »

It’s clear to see that owning an electric van works out a lot cheaper than you might expect, especially in the long run. With battery prices continuing to drop as electric vehicles are more widely adopted, you can expect electric van costs to diminish even more as time goes by.

Take a look at our range of electric vans and start your cleaner, greener, cheaper van driving journey today.

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