With the UK becoming one of the best markets in the world for electric vehicles (EVs), it’s no wonder green car leasing is so popular with tourists looking to travel.
And the good news – with their wider adoption, the infrastructure in place for charging stations has also expanded. In 2023, there are now approximately 40,150 public electric vehicle charging devices available across the UK, meaning that the worry of being stuck with a low battery and no station in sight is a thing of the past.
Electric Vehicles for Travellers in the UK
The UK welcomed an estimated 31.2 million last year. Currently, the most visited cities include London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge, Cardiff and Birmingham.
For those looking to travel by car on arrival, LeaseCar, one of the UK’s most trusted leasing companies, takes a look at some of the advantages of electric vehicles that tourists can expect.
Let’s take a look…
The Rising Popularity of Electric Vehicles among Travellers
With the electric vehicle market on the rise, this new route of transportation needs to be encouraged amongst tourists who are planning on travelling around the UK.
Whilst the UK does offer numerous public transport options around the majority of its cities, the rural areas in the country tend to be less reliable for public transport.
In order to visit rural areas, hiring a car is the most reliable option for tourists to explore and discover the beauty of the British countryside and its less built-up areas.
Britain offers some of the most beautiful road-trip destinations. From the stunning waters of the Lake District to the popular beaches of the southwest coast to the peaceful highlands of Scotland, to experience the UK and all its glory, going green in your choice of cars is becoming the go-to route.
Depending on your model of EV, you can travel up to 310 miles in your electric car with just one battery charge.
Advantages of Electric Vehicles for Travel Enthusiasts
There are various benefits of travelling in electric vehicles for travellers.
Free Parking
As a traveller, you will be relying on finding accessible and convenient parking spaces for your stop-offs. With an electric car, you will find that you have access to free parking in many locations, with convenient access.
An example of this is that, in Brighton, there are currently 147 locations where electric cars can be parked and charged for free.
Smoother Driving
Most electric cars are automatic. This is a positive for long road trips, which can benefit from more responsive acceleration and regenerative braking.
On top of this, electric vehicles usually have a low centre of gravity. This assists in improving the handling, comfort, and safety of your drive.
Reliability
A huge advantage of travelling in an all-electric vehicle is that you are in control of your journey. You won’t have to worry about your train being cancelled, getting stuck on a slow-moving coach, or missing your flight.
That is the beauty of leasing your own electric vehicle to get you from one destination to another.
Convenient Charging Infrastructure: Exploring the UK
With over 40,000 electric vehicle charging points available in the UK, across over 25,000 charging locations, travellers don’t need to worry about not finding a location to charge up their vehicle.
These charging points are most commonly found where you’d expect them – supermarkets, shopping centres, car parks, hotels, and service stations for the utmost convenience.
Accessing Fast-Charging Options and Planning Routes Accordingly
Charging your electric vehicle could take anything from 30 minutes to 10 hours. The amount of charging time it takes will depend on the vehicle’s battery size, how many miles you drove between charges, and the power rating of the charger being used.
The three types of electric vehicle chargers are:
Slow: 8-10 hour charge time – These charging points tend to be found at home or workplaces.
Fast: 3-4 hour charge time – These charging points are mostly found in public car parks or supermarkets.
Rapid: 30 min-1 hour charge time – These charging stations are mostly found at motorway service stations and petrol stations.
Looking for spots to charge your EV on your travels? There are many fantastic websites for electric car drivers to use if you are on a long motorway journey. ZapMap, in particular, offers you a UK-wide map of charging points that can help you locate and navigate yourself to the closest charging point.
Cost Savings: Fuel and Maintenance Expenses
In terms of the advantages of electric vehicles for travellers, one of the big ones is that choosing an EV can prove cost efficient – especially in the long run. With the soaring fuel prices, running an electric vehicle is naturally much cheaper than a petrol-run vehicle.
In fact, research suggests that an electric car costs just 11p per mile – half of what you’d be paying for the same distance in a petrol or diesel engine.
To add to that, there are also cheaper service and maintenance costs for your electric car as well as low or no vehicle tax.
Lower Maintenance Expenses and Potential Savings for Travellers
Choosing to travel to the UK in an electric car will lower your maintenance costs, which is one of the many advantages of electric vehicles for travellers.
Fewer Parts
An electric vehicle can cost up to 50% less in maintenance costs in comparison to a fuel-run vehicle. This is due to fuel-run vehicles containing more parts, which can get damaged or need replacing over time
Cost Efficient
Studies suggest that electric vehicles cost around 43% less to service and maintain than fuel-run vehicles. The only exception would be tyre wear, as electric vehicles still need to have their tyres looked after and changed regularly.
Car Battery Life
The majority of electric car models now come with a battery guarantee of around 100,000 miles. This amounts to around 12 years for an average driver. This means that travellers won’t need to worry about maintaining their battery on their travels.
Accessing Clean Air Zones and Emission Benefits
A clean air zone is a location where action is being taken by the Government in an attempt to improve the quality of the air in terms of pollution. These clean air zones tend to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The good news is that electric vehicles are exempt from these charges.
Research demonstrates that electric cars are much friendlier for the environment in comparison to fuel-run cars – one key reason being that electric vehicles emit far fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants than combustion engines.
Electric vehicles will play a big role in reaching the UK Government’s goal of reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
Exploring Hidden Gems: Electric Vehicle-Friendly Destinations
A recent study has revealed that London, Newcastle and Glasgow came out on top as the most electric vehicle-friendly cities in the UK. Doncaster also ranked high, with 173 EV-friendly places to stay per 100,000 people.
With an impressive 716 licensed plug-in vehicles per 100,000 people, the West Midlands is by some distance the region of the UK that has seen the highest uptake of EVs.
Other hidden gems found to rank high as EV-friendly destinations were Coventry, Portsmouth, Nottingham, Bournemouth, Luton, Aberdeen, Bristol and Liverpool.
However, bear in mind that, all you need is one hotel or Airbnb with an EV charging station in order to be set for your staycation. Airbnb now reveals that they have over 850,000 hosts that offer EV charging access. So, when planning your travels across the UK, look into finding accommodation with an EV charger for added peace of mind.
EV-Friendly Attractions and Activities in the UK
Across the UK, there are various attractions that tourists can visit, which can offer charging stations for electric vehicles. Some of these attractions include:
- The Wave
- Penbryn Beach
- Thorpe Park
- RHS Garden Bridgewater
- York Minster
- Blenheim Palace
- Roman Baths
- Chester Zoo
Reducing Carbon Emissions and Promoting Sustainable Travel Practices
Electric vehicles contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment. You can travel with a guilt-free conscience that you aren’t adding further pollution to the atmosphere.
In one year, just one electric vehicle on the roads can save an average of 1.5 million grams of CO2. This is the equivalent of four return flights from London to Barcelona.
Planning a trip around the UK, and want to lease an electric vehicle? LeaseCar is one of the most trusted online car leasing companies in the UK. If you have questions about how car leasing works, be sure to give their friendly UK-based team a call today at 0344 745 1818.
