Which suppliers offer the best electric vehicle tariffs?
Making the move from an internal combustion engine (ICE) to an electric vehicle means that you can reduce your overall fuel costs and minimise your carbon footprint while driving. Most EV owners primarily charge their vehicles at home while using EV charging points in fuel stations and supermarkets during longer journeys.
Electricity is much cheaper than diesel and petrol, but EV charging rates vary a huge amount between suppliers. Shopping around for the best electric vehicle supplier could save you hundreds of dollars every year.
How to find the best electric vehicle tariffs
The first thing to consider is how you plan to charge your vehicle. Most providers of electric vehicle tariffs offer various options including charging from solar, charging from storage, off-peak charging, and anytime charging.
Different options offer different advantages and disadvantages, but in terms of keeping costs low, charging from solar and off-peak charging can help you to bring down your EV charging bills. Anytime charging offers more flexibility but may mean paying a higher rate, but this is still more efficient if it means you can charge your vehicle sufficiently from home rather than using potentially costly public charging points. You can find out more about the different tariffs here.
Tips to keep your EV bills low
If you want to keep your electric charging bills minimal, follow these tips when looking for a new EV provider:
• Install solar if you can afford it
• Charge your vehicle at home as much as possible
• Choose off-peak charging to avoid peak rates
• Drive more slowly to reduce consumption
Keeping track of your emissions
Many people switch to electric vehicles to reduce their carbon footprint (learn more here). If you want to minimise your emissions, choose to charge from solar panels attached to the roof of the vehicle. This reduces the amount of electricity you need to draw from the grid and creates the lowest possible emissions, particularly when driving in the middle of the day. When you use grid power to charge your vehicle, the intensity of emissions varies depending on your location in the grid.
Shop around
The best way to make sure you’re getting the cheapest deal on EV tariffs is to shop around. Use price comparison sites to find out who offers the best rate on the type of EV charging you want for your vehicle. Using price comparison sites on a regular basis, such as every 12 months, could help you to minimise your EV charging bills in the long term.