Ready to switch to an electric vehicle?
Electric cars have come a long way since the first models launched, with more models to choose from, longer ranges and faster charging. But it can be a lot to get your head round.
Know what you’re after already? Then you can explore our electric vehicle tariff – Next Drive or browse our range of home EV chargers.
Need more info than that? Then here’s our quick guide of all of the things you’ll want to consider when buying an electric vehicle. Let’s jump in.
What are electric vehicles?
First things first, what do we mean by ‘electric vehicles’? Put simply, electric vehicles are those that run on electricity rather than petrol or diesel. There’s fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Plug-in hybrids can do short journeys using electricity and then use petrol or diesel for longer ones.
Electric vehicles run quietly and, as an extra bonus, there's no clutch or gears so they're ideal for city driving.
The two main types of electric vehicle:
Battery-electric vehicles.
These are your 100% electric cars such as the Nissan leaf or Renault Zoe.
They're charged using an external power source, for example a chargepoint at your home and have a range of approximately 100-300 miles on a single charge.
Plug-in hybrids.
Plug-in hybrids combine a battery, electric drive motor and an internal combustion engine.
This means they can drive using the engine or electric drive motor, with the motors having a range of around 50 miles.
The advantages of electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles offer lots of benefits over petrol cars. Here’s just a few:
Lower running costs.
An electric car will cost you less to fill up and drive, as well as being cheaper to service and maintain. An electric car costs £6 less than the average petrol car for every 100 miles. Using an average electricity cost of 34p per kWh, it costs £12 to drive 100 miles. Whereas it costs £18 to drive 100 miles in the average petrol car (using an average cost of petrol of £1.63).
Reduced noise pollution.
EVs are much quieter than petrol or diesel cars. Reduced noise pollution can make our cities and communities nicer places to live and work.
Convenience and accessibility.
If you’ve installed an EV charger at home, you can charge when you want and forget having to go to petrol stations. Away from home, the number of public charging stations is growing all the time too.
Cleaner environment.
EVs don’t release carbon exhaust fumes into the air whilst you’re driving, so they help to reduce air pollution and combat climate change. EVs also help us cut our reliance on fossil fuels. In fact, electric cars in Europe emit, on average, more than 3 times less CO2 than equivalent petrol cars.
No congestion charge.
EVs have reduced road charges. If you live in London or areas which have introduced Clean Air Zones to reduce pollution, you’ll avoid paying any charges in an electric vehicle.
Government grants and incentives.
Depending on your situation you could be eligible for government incentives and grants towards your EV including the Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) and the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS).
Smoother driving experience.
With fewer internal moving parts, EVs offer a smoother, quieter and more comfortable ride for passengers and drivers.
Road tax reductions.
If you’re driving a fully electric car rather than a plug-in hybrid, then your road tax is absolutely free. Plug-in hybrids get a discount over petrol or diesel cars too. These exemptions will change in April 2025.
Renewable electricity tariffs.
Our EV tariff, Next Drive, offers 100% renewable electricity.1 The majority of EV tariffs on the market also offer renewable electricity.
Energy independence.
If you have an EV, home EV charger, solar panels and a battery installed at your home, you can use any excess electricity you generate from solar to charge your electric car. This is a win-win for the forward-thinking energy consumer.
Future-proofing.
Petrol and diesel cars are being phased out in the UK, so by making the switch to an electric vehicle, you’ll be future-proofing your travel somewhat.
Learn more about the costs and benefits of electric vehicles.
A home EV charger with £50 off.
E.ON Next customers can enjoy a nifty discount when they install an electric vehicle charger at home. T&Cs apply.
Get an EV charger quoteNew vs used electric vehicles.
Electric cars have been on the market for a while now, so while costs are coming down, new EVs can still be a bit more expensive than their petrol equivalents. But as the popularity of EVs has grown, so has the used market, which has been booming in recent years. For the savvy buyer, there are opportunities to make great savings.
While there’s tonnes of information around about how to buy a used petrol car, information on buying a used EV can sometimes feel a bit thin on the ground. Luckily for you, we’ve pulled together our top tips for buying a used electric vehicle, along with a comprehensive guide on how to inspect a used EV before you buy it.
Busting electric vehicle myths.
As with any new technology, there are many myths about what electric vehicles can and can’t do. We find that more often than not, they’re more fiction than fact. Here’s some of the most common EV myths.
Charging my EV will be a nightmare.
There are now over 35,000 public EV charging locations around the UK, so it’s easier than ever to find somewhere to charge up. What’s more this number is growing all the time. The government has also committed to investing £200 million in 2025/26 to expand the UK’s EV charging infrastructure. See our handy guide to finding EV charging stations in the UK to learn more.
If you’re able to, then getting an EV charger at home offers the ultimate in convenience as you’ll be able to charge whenever you want. You’ll even be able to sign up to an EV tariff like our Next Drive tariff, offering cheaper charging overnight.
EV myths vs EV reality - The charging nightmare.
Perhaps you're worried about how long it takes to charge an electric car at home? Or you don't know where to find a public charger? Well we're here to update your thinking.
Electric vehicles accelerate slowly.
We’re not sure where this one came from, but it’s far from the truth. Electric vehicle motors offer instant torque, so they can accelerate quickly. In fact, on average, all-electric cars can do 0-62 mph in 7 seconds. Premium models like Tesla’s Model 3 are even pacier – their long range version of this model takes just 4.2 seconds to go from 0-60 mph.
EV myths vs EV reality - Stuck in the slow lane
Come for the ride as we bust some of the most common myths around EVs, like electric car top speeds. Rather than being slow compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts, blink and you may miss the fastest electric car whizz by.
Electric vehicles aren’t good for long distances.
95% of car journeys in the UK are less than 25 miles. That’s a breeze for most EVs, which usually have ranges of between 150-300 miles. At the higher end that’s enough for a trip from Bristol to Newcastle (292 miles).
But what if you are making that long trip? Well that’s where the UK’s growing network of public charging locations comes in. And with the E.ON Drive Comfort App you can find your nearest rapid or ultra-rapid public charging easily and be back on the road, fully charged in a flash.
EV myths vs EV reality - The car with no range.
How far can an electric car go? Ever wondered why you don’t see abandoned EVs clogging the road networks? It’s time for a spot of enlightenment, as we bust some of the most common myths around electric vehicles - like electric car range.
Get support buying your electric vehicle.
Found your perfect electric car but not sure you can afford it? The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) can provide grants to reduce the costs of plug-in vehicles and electric charging points.
Their electric vehicle grants include support for cars, vans, motorcycles and moped and the grant is automatically deducted from the retail price when the vehicle is purchased. So no extra paperwork.
You can also get grants of up to £350 towards the cost of installing an EV charger at your home.
To make things easier, E.ON will even apply for the grant on your behalf.
Getting to grips with EV chargers.
What are your options for charging your electric vehicle?
This really comes down to two options – charging at home with your own charger, or relying on public charging stations. Whether you’re able to have a charger installed at home depends on your budget and whether your property is suitable for an EV charger. We’ll cover what you might need to consider for this later, but first, we’ll run through the key differences between home and public EV charging options.
Home vs public charging stations.
With a home electric vehicle charging point, you’ve got the power to charge your car when you need to. This saves you time searching out and driving to public charging points and waiting while your car charges. Plus, with our app, you can schedule your charging and take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity rates too.
If your home’s not suitable for an EV charger, or you don’t have the budget for it, then don’t worry - all is not lost. As we’ve covered, the network of public electric vehicle charging stations in the UK is expanding rapidly. For example, E.ON is building a network of over 13,000 ultra-rapid charging stations across the UK. These charging points are speedy. They can give your electric car a 100 mile range in as little as 10 minutes.
All sorts of other businesses are stepping up to the plate too – EV charger networks are partnering with gyms, hotels, supermarkets and restaurants so you can charge up while you shop, sleep, eat out or workout.
How to find your nearest public charging stations.
You can use dedicated apps to sniff out a handy public charging point near you, like our E.ON Drive Comfort App or Zap Map. You can even search for locations on Google Maps and Bing Maps – just type in ‘ev charger’ and it’ll show you all the locations available near you.
What are the different types of EV chargers?
The key thing that differentiates electric vehicle chargers is their speed. EV charger speeds generally fall into four categories – slow, fast, rapid and ultra-rapid. The type of EV you have and how much time you have to charge your car will determine which of these charger types meets your needs best. Here’s a quick breakdown of how these categories work.
Slow - usually 3kW to 6kW.
Fast - usually 7kW to 22kW.
Rapid - from 50kW to 100kW.
Ultra-rapid - from 100kW to 350kW.
Slow chargers are great when you have plenty of time for a charge. They can take around 8-10 hours for a full charge, while fast chargers are normally 7-22kW and can take approximately 3-4 hours.
Rapid chargers can charge your car in around 30-60 minutes, but are only compatible with rapid-charging function EVs.
To dive deeper into the world of charger types, connectors and cables, see our full guide to electric vehicle charger and connector types.
Installing a home EV charger.
Choosing the right EV charger for your home.
Finding an EV charger to fit your needs takes a little bit of research. But not to worry, we’ve put together a helpful guide to the key things you’ll need to consider before booking your charger installation. In brief though, here’s a quick rundown:
Budget: What’s your budget? This will help narrow down your options from the outset.
Charging speed: How fast do you want to be able to charge? Will it be easy for you to charge overnight, or will you need a charger that can give you quick top-ups?
Features: Are there any smart features that you’d find particularly useful and that it would be worth investing in?
What type of journeys you’ll be doing: Will you be zipping around town mostly, or will you be doing lots of long road trips?
Compatibility and safety: Make sure that the charger you choose is compatible with your EV and is professionally installed.
Cable length: How long do you need your EV charger cable to be to reach your car?
Tethered or untethered: Tethered chargers have a fixed cable attached, whereas with untethered chargers you need to use your own separate cable. Which will work better for you?
Future-proofing: Technology advances quickly, so if you can afford to, it’s worth looking for EV chargers that are easy to upgrade or currently top of the range.
Choose the EV charger to suit you.
The sleek Wallbox Pulsar Max or Vestel EVO4?
Discover our range of chargers and pick the one that suits you and your EV best. They all offer:
£50 discount for E.ON Next customers, T&Cs apply.
Fast 7.4kW charging.3
Standard installation included.
3 year warranty.
Schedule charging with mobile app.4
Voice control with mobile app.4
Premium matte finish.
How to get an EV charger installed at home.
We offer a range of fast EV chargers and professional installation from E.ON. You can see our chargers and book an installation on our home EV charger page. Your quote will include both the charger and standard installation.
When you’re buying your charger we’ll ask you a few questions to make sure that your home is suitable. We’ll ask you to send us some photos of where you'd want to install the charging point and where you plan to plug in your electric vehicle.
We’ll arrange a time to install your charger when it suits you. Then all you need to do is make sure you’re at home when our installer visits.
What happens during installation?
On the day, your E.ON installer will fit your charger to a brick or plaster wall on your property. Then they’ll connect your charger to your fuse box. Standard installation covers a maximum cable run of 10m from your charger to your fuse box. If you need a longer cable for your installation, we can install it for you at additional cost.
Your installer will also neatly clip this cable flush to your wall and install a dedicated earthing spike. Finally they’ll check your charger is working correctly with your EV and register your charger’s guarantee with the manufacturer.
What are tethered and untethered EV chargers?
Tethered EV chargers and untethered chargers will both charge your electric car the same way, but they’re different in one key way. With Tethered EV chargers, the charging cable is permanently attached (a bit like a petrol pump). In contrast, with untethered EV chargers you’ll need to plug the charging cable into your electric car and the charging unit each time you want to charge.
Find out more about the pros and cons of tethered and untethered chargers.
Want to know about EV charger installation?
Watch our handy guide.
We’re here to walk you through what to expect during your EV home charger installation from E.ON. Including what to expect on the day, what's included, and answers to your questions.
Next Drive - our electric vehicle tariff for your EV charger.
Our Next Drive EV tariff gives you:
Lower-priced electricity at 6.7p per kWh when you charge between 12am and 7am.5
100% renewable electricity at no extra cost.6
Fixed energy prices for one year.
No exit fees.
More on Next Drive
What are smart EV Tariffs and how do they work?
Smart EV tariffs are time of use tariffs for EV owners, offering cheaper charging rates for off-peak hours. Our Next Drive tariff, for example, is a smart EV tariff. Smart EV tariffs use your smart meter, smart EV charger and connected devices like your phone to optimise your charging.
The most advanced smart EV charging and tariff options include vehicle to grid (V2G) technology. V2G technology allows EVs to both draw power from the grid and send it back too.
Smart charging and EV tariffs can help you get lower charging costs and offer more convenience and control. By reducing your reliance on fast public chargers, which can degrade your EV battery performance over time, they can also help you look after your battery’s health.
Smart EV tariffs can also reduce strain on the electricity grid during peak hours by incentivising off-peak charging. As an added bonus, this supports the UK’s transition to net zero as off peak electricity is more likely to be generated by renewable sources like solar and wind.
Support beyond your EV charger purchase.
Every EV charger we install comes with:
3 year product and workmanship warranty
24/7 support to help you solve any EV charging issues
Online charging guides at your fingertips
Fully trained EV support team
Confused about electric vehicle charging?
Our EV guides will help you with home charging, public charging and what types of connectors you need.