EV drivers could face £1,000 hike in energy bills, warns Rightcharge

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers could face an increase in household energy bills of more than £1,000 a year if they don’t use a suitable electricity tariff for vehicle charging.

Energy prices in the UK increased on April 01, 2021, so many households - including those with drivers who charge company vehicles at home - will now have larger electricity utility bills to pay, according to vehicle home charger and energy comparison site Rightcharge.co.uk.

But fleet drivers can avoid price hikes by seeking a more generously priced EV-friendly energy tariff to cover charging electric vehicles. 

For example, a fleet driver covering 20,000 miles annually will expect to pay £2,599 a year on a Standard Variable Tariff from one of the big six energy suppliers from April 2021. This includes £1,454 for charging their car.

But users who switch to a lower-cost alternative EV energy tariff could pay only £1,349 a year - with just £459 of that amount on vehicle charging. That’s a huge saving of £995 on charging a vehicle at home, with another £255 saved on household energy bills. So that’s a total saving of £1,250 a year.

Charlie Cook, founder of Rightcharge.co.uk, said: “Compared to a standard tariff, having an EV-friendly energy tariff is incredibly cheap - to the point where a homeowner can charge their car at home and reduce their total energy bills at the same time. A fleet driver who does 20,000 miles a year can save up to £1,250 a year, so drivers really can’t afford to miss out on the savings available if they change to the right deal.

“If all the current 1.04 million business contract hire drivers switched to electric cars and an EV-friendly energy tariff on the same mileage parameters, the potential saving is more than £1 billion on vehicle charging alone, plus a further £265 million on home energy costs.”

Rightcharge.co.uk compares EV-friendly energy tariffs for users by including their car charging needs as well as their home requirements, so customers can reduce the cost of running an EV.

Cook added: “We believe many EV drivers just don’t realise that while costs have gone up they can still save. Our price comparison website offers them the choices to make the best decisions.”