Tusker says that more than 45% of all new orders over the past 30 days have been for pure electric vehicles (EVs).

The vehicle leasing company, which specialises in salary sacrifice, says that more than 60% of its total orders are for vehicles emitting 75g/km of CO2 or less, so-called ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs).

The company's average CO2 for each vehicle ordered in October was less than 46g/km.

It has reported a significant increase in order take, with year-on-year orders, growing 10% from 2019 to 2020, with October up 33% on last year.

Paul Gilshan, Tusker’s CEO, said: “While it’s been a tough year for our industry, Tusker has seen fantastic growth underpinned by our electric offering.

“Salary Saving schemes are the cheapest all-inclusive way to drive electric without paying a deposit upfront and I am proud that we continue to make affordable new cleaner vehicles available to so many different employees across the UK.”

Tusker enters this second lockdown in England with optimism for further growth. Tusker’s online ordering system and no-contact delivery processes will continue as they have done since the summer.

Tusker operates salary sacrifice schemes at more 250 companies within the UK.

The fortunes of salary sacrifice schemes for cars has ebbed and flowed over the years to reflect changes in the tax climate, but experts believe they are now “perfect” to help employees move into electric vehicles.

The introduction of new benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rates in April, which included a 0% rate for battery electric vehicles (BEVs), make salary sacrifice “effectively perfect” for perk drivers who want electric cars, according to David Raistrick, senior manager at KPMG in the UK.

He told Fleet News earlier this year: “There are fantastic savings to be had for the employee and employers from successfully introducing salary sacrifice arrangements.

“Now is really the time to think about these arrangements – they should really take off again.”

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