Diesel cars may be cheaper than electric if you can’t park at home

MOTORISTS who do not have off-street parking may find that it is still more economical to run a diesel than an electric car, research from the AA has found.

The organisation said that rapid and ultra-rapid public chargers, which can take a car battery to nearly full in around 30 minutes or less, were more expensive to rely on than using diesel.

Slow and “fast” chargers beat combustion engines for cost but these require the driver to park up for several hours at a time, often overnight in the case of slow chargers.

This may not be practical for those who do not have such facilities near their homes and who might be forced to drive to more expensive rapid chargers.

Relying on rapid charging can also be detrimental to the life of a car battery.

Charging a car at home remains the cheapest option in most circumstances and is only likely to become more so as discounted tariffs for off-peak electricity usage spread, as well as smart tariffs which allow consumers to sell electricity back on to the grid at peak times. The AA found that, on average, it was half the cost of using an ultra-rapid charger.

The price of electric cars continues to fall but drivers will soon face tax rises since Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, announced last month that the exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty for electric cars would end in April 2025. To combat the disparity in charging costs, the AA is calling for a wider rollout of publicly available chargers and a cut in VAT to 5 per cent. Domestic electricity is only charged 5 per cent VAT, but public chargers come under the rate for businesses which is 20 per cent.

“Most people will opt for pay-asyou-go rates when away from home, especially if they top their EV up at rapid and ultra-rapid chargers,” said Jack Cousens, the AA’S spokesman for recharging.

“While the cost of recharging will always be cheaper than refuelling, EVS can lose out to diesel cars, when looking at the pence per mile cost.”