Electric Cars vs Petrol Cars: Which is better?

With electric cars on the rise and more and more electric car charging points popping up in car parks around the country, perhaps you’re wondering ‘should I finally make the switch away from petrol?’ We’ve compared the two in a clear list to help you make that decision.

CHARGING OR THE PUMP?

A potential con that people may think of electric cars is the lack of EV charging points, however there are now over 30,000 charging stations in the UK to this day, with many continuing to show up at supermarkets and local car parks (often free to use). What’s better is that these offer dedicated parking spaces, so you don’t have to worry about that pesky someone stealing the last spot. Don’t forget, there is always the option to install an EV home charger, too!

As for petrol cars, on top of the annoyance of having to queue for a pump, it is much more expensive – especially with prices being on the rise over the years – adding to the overall running costs of the car. It is not always guaranteed that there will be petrol available at your local station either, with the UK having faced multiple fuel shortages these past two years already.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

It’s no shock that petrol cars have a high environmental impact. Not only are fossil fuels required to run them, but they also have high CO2 emissions, both of which are especially detrimental given the current climate crisis. You may also face charges to drive in clean air zones because of this. Switching to an electric car, however, will reduce your carbon footprint immensely.

While there are fossil fuels used towards the production of the energy that charges EVs, they have zero tailpipe emissions. This means they emit no CO2 when driving – offering exemption from the clean air charges as a result! Furthermore, they can be charged using renewable energy, such as by installing a solar battery system to charge your vehicle at home, further reducing their environmental impact.

MAINTENANCE

EVs have fewer parts than that of petrol cars, which use an internal combustion engine. With no need to change oil, no engine to worry about, no valves that can clog up, electric cars require far less servicing and maintenance compared to petrol counterparts. Not only does this save time and money, but it also means that they deteriorate at a slower rate than petrol cars do, thus increasing their resale value.

AFFORDABILITY

This one should be easy to work out from reading all the points mentioned above, but there is no doubt that electric cars are the more cost-effective option. As well as being cheaper to run, you incur no road tax on driving electric vehicles, whereas this is a bill you must pay when driving petrol cars. Not only this, but if you charge your car at home using your own renewable energy (instead of using the national grid) then you will be charging your EV for free, as well as being green!

So, thinking of getting an electric car? Contact us at GE National today for a free quote on getting a Zappi EV charging system installed at your home.