Electric driving more economical than you think

Electric cars are considered expensive mainly because of their purchase price. Indeed, it is still quite a bit higher than that of a comparable gasoline car. This difference, however, is reduced by the government subsidy, which in 2023 is 2,950 euros for the purchase of a new electric car and 2,000 euros for a used electric car. You also get the subsidy with a private lease. Then the subsidy will be offset to a discount per month. The only requirement is that the electric car in question cost at most 45,000 euros.

Purchased? Then save immediately!

Once you have the electric car at your doorstep, the saving actually begins immediately. In fact, for fully charging the battery, you pay much less per mile driven than for filling up a fuel car. With today’s high fuel prices, you don’t even need to drive that much to be more economical with an electric car.

Calculation example electric versus gasoline

We include a math example. The Peugeot 208 is an example of an affordable car that is also available in all-electric trim. Suppose you are going to private lease the car and then for the gasoline version you will spend 309 euros per month. For a similarly equipped electric version, that would be 384 euros per month.

You would then say that you would be much more expensive with the electric version. However, you get a converted subsidy of 58.33 euros per month for the electric Peugeot. Then it costs only 325.67 euros per month. Then the difference is already a lot smaller.

At the pump/charging station, the real tipping point takes place. For the calculation example, we assume a monthly driving distance of 833 kilometers. The Peugeot is nice and economical with consumption of 1 on 15, but at the pump you pay 2.40 euros per liter (national recommended price). The electricity price is currently 0.14 euros per kW. For example, every month you pay 135 euros for fuel or 63.27 euros for electricity.

Below the line, the gasoline-powered Peugeot 208 will cost you 444 euros per month, while the electric Peugeot e-208  is the cheaper option at 388.94 euros.

Electric cars increasingly affordable

Fortunately, in addition, electric cars are becoming more affordable. Electric cars are also proliferating in the compact segment. The Dacia Spring, for example, which is already available from 20,850 euros (or 279 euros per month). While the range of these compact electric cars is often limited, it is already more than sufficient for the vast majority of Dutch car trips. Otherwise, for a small additional cost, a longer range is readily available. The Peugeot e-208, for example, is available from as little as 32,250 euros (or 384 euros per month) and, in its latest version, gets as far as 362 km on a full battery. By the way, the purchase amounts listed are still without a subsidy, so that will come off.

Used electric car

If you want to save even more on the purchase, you can also look at a used electric car. In fact, there are more and more of them, although the supply is still somewhat more limited than that of new electric cars. However, a used electric car is much more affordable, especially with the 2,000 euro subsidy. It is even possible to private lease a used car.

Buy or private lease?

Convinced? Then you are left with the choice of buying or private lease of the electric car. The advantage of buying is that the car is yours at once. With private leasing, you can spread out the amount, so you don’t have to save it together first. When buying, you may be cheaper, but remember that the private lease price includes insurance and maintenance. That way it can still be more advantageous.