The UK seems to be ‘smarter’ than Germany when it comes to EV charging.

EV sales in the UK are now outpacing those in Germany, according to a new analysis from the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) and UK drivers are saving over £540 a year more than those in Germany.

The analysis compared electric cars with petrol equivalents, using a selection of vehicles that are popular in both countries. The results showed that German drivers can save £970 a year from owning and running an EV over a petrol car. However, those savings jump to over £1,500 a year in the UK.

While petrol prices in the UK and Germany are broadly similar, smart meters allow some UK owners to charge their EVs using cheap, surplus power at night when electricity demand is lower. These ‘flexible’ tariffs allow EVs to be charged for as little as 7p/kWh, meaning they can be run for less than 2p per mile, compared to around 15p per mile for a petrol or diesel car.

In Germany the limited adoption of smart meters means such tariffs are not readily available, resulting in EV owners that charge their vehicles at home having to do so for 29p per kWh, equivalent to just over 7p per mile.

Commenting on the analysis Colin Walker, head of transport at ECUI, said: “We’re ahead of Germany in terms of market share for new EVs, which means a greater proportion of British drivers are taking advantage of the hundreds of pounds that can be saved by switching from petrol to electric driving. And thanks to smart net zero technology most drivers can charge on cheap electricity overnight while they’re asleep, allowing them to save hundreds of pounds a year more than the average German EV driver.”

However, he sounded a warning: “But with the UK Government weakening its policy on EVs there’s a risk more people will get talked into buying hybrids, which recent research [from T&E] has found are typically even more polluting, and expensive to run, than previously thought.”

---