Encouraging friends and family to switch to an electric car
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Help your friends and family switch to an electric car
So you’re all-in on how great electric cars are – but are your loved ones? Lots of people don’t know anything about going electric, so why not help them out? This quick checklist can help people see if it’s right for them.
First, it’s a good idea to talk about why an electric car is such a great choice. It’s much greener than petrol or diesel, and you can often save money when you take everything into account like fuel and maintenance.
They’re also a joy to drive. There’s no engine clattering away, no gears to crank and it’s a really smooth, serene ride. Not only that, the power is instant – so they’re much punchier than petrol or diesel cars. Most people who drive them wouldn’t dream of going back.
Then you could run through these questions with your friends to help them decide whether they’re ready to make the switch.
Where do you usually park?
If you have a private drive or garage, you’re laughing. You can get a charger and be ready to go the next morning – and if it’s a smart charger, you can set it to charge when electricity is cheapest overnight if you’re on the right tariff. There are even government grants to help with the cost if you live in a flat, apartment or rental property.
If you don’t have a drive, it’s a little trickier but certainly not a deal breaker. There are over 55,000 public chargers and this is growing all the time.
Do you rent or own your home?
If you own your home, it’s super simple. You call the shots! If you rent and want a home charger, you’ll need to ask your landlord. They can get a government grant towards it so hopefully they’ll be on board, especially if you offer to pay or contribute.
Where do you live?
It actually doesn’t make that much difference, though. Electric cars are perfect for city driving because they don’t release pollution and particulates at the tailpipe – which is better for air quality and saves money in low emission zones. If you live in the countryside they’re also a great option – though you might want to look at longer-range models or check local chargers if you’re covering mega miles.
How many miles do you drive each day?
Most electric cars these days can easily go 200 miles on a single charge. And the good news is that most people don’t drive anywhere near as many miles as this daily. So range is very unlikely to be a reason not to go electric.
If you do regularly drive more than 200 miles a day, you’ll want an electric car that charges easily overnight and gives you decent mileage on a single charge. You can find out more in our Ultimate Guide to Range.
And do you ever go on longer trips cross-country or abroad?
Again, even if you take occasional trips the length of the British Isles or over to the continent, an electric car won’t let you down. There are lots of handy apps that helps you plan routes and find chargers right across Europe.
Do you regularly go somewhere with charge points?
This could be a supermarket, gym or even your workplace. Lots of these places now have chargers available (and some are even free), so it can be a good way to charge while you’re doing the shopping or having a workout.
How many people do you usually have in your car?
If you normally just have five or fewer people, including yourself, in the car, you can choose from pretty much any electric car. But if you need one that seats more people, they do tend to be pricier or have lower range. The good news is that the choice is getting better all the time. Some models you could check out include the Citroen e-space Tourer, Peugeot e-Traveller or Vauxhall Vivaro-e Life.
Lastly, do you need to tow anything heavy?
You won’t have quite so many options when it comes to choosing an electric car if you need to tow heavy things like caravans or trailers, but there are more options coming onto the market all the time. You could have a look at the Tesla Model X, the Audi Q4 e-tron or the Volkswagen ID.4 to see if they can tow the weight you need – and there are plenty more out there.
We hope that helps your friends and family make up their minds about going electric. Once they’ve decided they want to make the switch, there are a few more choices to make. Like whether they should lease or buy, if they want to install a home charger, and the really fun part – which car to get!
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