Decision-makers fail to recognise cost benefits of electric cars, says Fleet Evolution

Fleet decision-makers are failing to recognise the cost benefits of electric cars, says Fleet Evolution.

The fleet management company has produced a deck of playing cards which display the fuel costs of different electric, hybrid, petrol and diesel models.

It used these to ask personnel and fleet decision-makers at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) annual conference to take part in a game of 'higher or lower' to estimate if one model had a higher or lower fuel cost than the model of the next vehicle.

Fleet Evolution said 100 delegates took part in the game and many struggled to identify whether hybrids were more or less economical than conventional petrol or diesel models, or whether any were more efficient that EVs.

Andrew Leech, managing director of Fleet Evolution, said: “It was a bit of an eye-opener for us.

“Although we had chosen a quite lighthearted way of making the point, the message was a very serious one about the fuel costs of the different categories of cars.

“And it seems, based on our results, that we still have a long way to go in the EV education progress.”

Leech said that many quite senior decision-makers expressed real shock that an all-electric Tesla Model S cost just £222 to cover 10,000 miles, compared to £2,357 for a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe E300 AMG over the same distance.

He added: “There seemed to be genuine surprise amongst delegates that a Hyundai Kona EV cost just £89 for 10,000 miles, while the cost of a petrol Kona model was 18 times higher at  £1,650 over the same 10,000 mile cycle,” he said.

Electric vehicles – cost per 10,000 miles @ 4p per kWh

Petrol models  - fuel cost per 10,000 miles @£1.32 per litre

Diesel models - fuel cost per 10,000 miles @£1.38 per litre

Make	Model	Fuel cost per 10,000 miles
SEAT Leon	Hatchback 1.6 TDI SE 5dr DSG	£1,232
Citroen C4 Cactus	Hatchback 1.5 BlueHDi Feel 5dr	£1,232
Mini Countryman	Hatchback 2.0 Cooper S D ALL4 5dr Auto	£1,301
Mini Countryman	Hatchback 2.0 Cooper D 5dr More articles on: Fleet Evolution fuel and fuel cards electric and hybrid vehicles Author: Andrew Ryan Features editor andrew.ryan@bauermedia.co.uk 01733 468308 Andrew Ryan is the features editor at Fleet News. He has been a journalist for more than 20 years and has specialised in the fleet industry for the past 12. Comments (0) Login to comment Comments No comments have been made yet. Most read Group test: 400-mile EV winter range challenge Electric vehicles 19 Dec Traffic warning with gridlock predicted on major motorways congestion 16 Dec GWM confirms pricing for Haval Jolion Pro SUV Car News 18 Dec ‘No grey area’ on private use for double cab pick-ups (video) Tax and Legislation 17 Dec Vauxhall Movano Hydrogen to go on sale in spring 2025 Van News 18 Dec Renault 5 E-Tech first drive | The compact EV we've been waiting for 19 Dec EU electric vehicle market declines | Demand up 40% in China registrations 17 Dec Roadside drink-driving bans supported by a third of drivers safety and risk management 19 Dec Driver charged after lorry crashes onto railway line safety and risk management 19 Dec Show more Show less To get the latest Fleet News content direct to your inbox Register to receive our newsletter