u/Alicia2022_1

Hi all,

I’ve seen similar posts before, but I’d really appreciate some advice on my specific situation.

I’m considering a company salary sacrifice EV scheme and trying to decide if it makes sense for me. I’m an additional rate taxpayer in the UK (base salary £100k+, plus ~100% bonus most years), so tax efficiency is a big factor.

Since it will be my first car, I am not looking for fancy / expensive cars. The ones I’m looking at are:

MG4 (long range / standard trim)

Renault 5 E-Tech

BYD Dolphin Surf

All come out at roughly £350–£370/month after tax savings via salary sacrifice.

The main issue is charging:

I live in outer London in a flat with no private parking, so I’d be fully reliant on public charging. There’s a Lidl about a 10-minute walk away with 7kW and 50kW chargers, but the parking limit is 90 minutes, so I’d likely mostly use the 50kW fast chargers (~£0.62/kWh). There are also a few on-street lamppost chargers nearby, but availability seems hit-and-miss.

I don’t commute by car — it would mainly be weekend use and occasional longer trips.

So I’m trying to work out:

Does salary sacrifice still make sense once you factor in public charging costs?

Is living without home charging realistically manageable in London?

Which of these three EVs would you pick in my situation?

Would really appreciate any real-world experiences or advice.

Thanks!

Hi all,

I know variations of this have been asked before, but I’d really appreciate views on my specific situation.

I’m an additional rate taxpayer (base salary £100k+, with ~100% bonus most years). Reducing my income below £100k isn’t really an option for me, so I end up paying a significant amount of tax.

I’m now considering my company’s salary sacrifice car scheme for an EV, as it seems like a relatively tax-efficient way to get a car.

However, there are a few practical concerns:

I live in outer London in a flat with no private parking, I’d have to rely entirely on public charging. Local chargers (from Zapmap) seem to average around £0.76/kWh, which feels quite expensive. I don’t commute by car — this would mainly be for weekends and occasional trips.

So I’m trying to figure out:

Does the tax saving still make this worthwhile given the charging costs?

How much of a hassle is relying solely on public charging in practice?

Would be great to hear from anyone in a similar position.

Cheers!

Hi all,

Does anyone here run an electric car without home charging? How feasible is it to rely on public chargers day-to-day, and what’s your experience been like?

I live in a flat in outer London with no private parking, and I’m considering getting an EV through my company’s salary sacrifice scheme. Just trying to work out if it’s a sensible move or more hassle than it’s worth.

Cheers!