For the environment
Choosing an electric car is just one step we can take to help reduce our environmental impact.
Electric & Hybrid Cars
Electric Cars at Sytner
With new petrol and diesel cars set to be banned from sale by 2030, this approaching deadline is seeing a real jump in the number of buyers making the switch to an electric car.
In 2022 more than 250,000 new EVs were registered, helped by the booming number of new models that are now available on forecourts – from compact hatchbacks through to large SUVs and sporting saloons.
Making the switch to electric power for your car brings a whole host of benefits, both environmental and financial, and it only adds to the attractiveness of these models.
So if you’re looking to join the growing number of people buying and driving EVs, take a look below to discover everything you need to know about electric cars.
Why Go Electric?
Electric cars are continuing to gain momentum, with more buyers looking to switch from a petrol or diesel vehicle to an EV instead. Year-on-year, sales for these battery-powered models continue to climb, with registrations of EVs increasing by 60 per cent in 2022 alone.
With well in excess of 600,000 EVs on UK roads already, there’s a whole range of reasons why buyers are making the change. Here we look at just some of the key reasons to consider going electric.
Lower home charging costs
If you can plug your car in at home, there are still savings that can be had by driving an EV.
Government & Council incentives
Various incentives are in place to help and encourage you to make the switch to an EV.
Affordable company car tax rates
If you're looking at getting a new company car, going electric makes a huge amount of sense.
Reduced repair costs
With fewer parts than a typical petrol or diesel car, repairs and servicing costs can be reduced.
Increased choice
The majority of manufacturers now offer an EV, or are due to introduce one soon.
Enjoyable to drive
If you like driving, then there's a good chance you'll enjoy an electric car from behind the wheel.
More spacious
An increasing number of electric cars are now produced around specific platforms that have been designed purely for EVs.
Great connectivity
Electric cars often showcase the latest technology, particularly when it comes to connected services.
Finding the right electric car for you
There was a time when there were only a handful of different electric cars on the market, but the choice has grown significantly in recent years. The majority of manufacturers now offer an EV, or are due to introduce one in the next few years.
So, whether you’re looking at a compact supermini or a large SUV, there’s now a variety of electric models available for you to choose from.
Compact electric cars make a huge amount of sense, as it’s often models like these that are used in and around cities, where charging infrastructure is at its best, and range isn’t quite so much of a priority.
The huge surge in popularity for SUVs has been reflected in the electric car segment. There are loads of options to choose from with Sytner, ranging from smaller models like the Audi Q4 e-tron, right the way up the larger BMW iX, which is absolutely jam-packed with technology and features.
It’s a sign of the times that manufacturers haven’t gone headfirst into developing electric saloons, but instead focused on battery-powered compact and SUV-style models instead. As a result, saloon electric cars aren’t quite as commonplace, but there are still a number of options out there should you want one.
Electric vehicles actually align themselves to sporty driving really rather well. Battery-powered set-ups deliver their torque instantly and, when compared with traditional petrol or diesel cars, make for a really exciting driving experience.
Electric power and performance are shaping up to be a match made in heaven. Thanks to their instant delivery of torque, even ‘regular’ electric cars feel significantly faster than their combustion-engined counterparts. But it’s those cars that focus on extracting real performance from batteries and motors that take things up a level.
Compact electric cars make a huge amount of sense, as it’s often models like these that are used in and around cities, where charging infrastructure is at its best, and range isn’t quite so much of a priority.
An electric car to suit your lifestyle
Not sure where to start? Take a look at our useful guides below, where we've rounded up a selection of the best electric vehicles available at Sytner Group today.
For city driving
Ideal for city and town driving, small electric cars make a lot of sense.
For the family
Spacious, practical and robust. All you could need to transport the family.
For the budget conscious
Electric cars at the more affordable end of the market.
For pure driving fun
The same level of fun and excitement as a combustion-engined car.
Search electric & hybrid cars by brand
Owning an electric car
Frequently asked questions
There are quite a few battery-assisted cars on sale today and choosing between them can be a little bit tricky. However, you can largely divide them into sensible groups, meaning that it’s less of a strain to work out which one is right for you.
In the early days of electric vehicles, they weren’t able to offer all that much range. At points, 100 miles was seen to be a decent amount, which isn’t really enough for average-mileage drivers. However, this has radically changed in recent years, with the range of many models going up considerably.
Many of the latest EVs are able to deliver well over 300 miles, while top-end models can go for close to 400. It means that they’ve got more than enough in the ‘tank’ for long-distance drives and you shouldn’t have to worry about charging up too frequently.
Sadly, this is an area where EVs struggle. If you go incredibly low on charge in an EV, it’ll usually enter a ‘limp’ mode where power will be reduced and your top speed will be limited in order to help extend the charge as much as possible.
However, if your car goes completely flat, you won’t be able to move it without some help. You can’t refill it with a jerry can, after all, but many breakdown services are now able to arrive at the scene with a battery pack which can give an EV enough charge to reach a nearby charge point. Failing that, it’ll need to be towed away.
A few years ago, the UK’s charging infrastructure wasn’t the best, but it has really come on in leaps and bounds recently. Gridserve is one of the largest operators and has taken over the chargers that you’ll find at motorway service stations, though a wide sweep of operators have installed units up and down the country.
Their speed has increased, too. A little while back a 50kW charger – which will take around two hours to fully charge an EV – were the quickest you could get, but these days much faster units which can deliver more than 120kW of charging power are becoming more commonplace. According to leading charger mapping service Zap Map, there are now more than 37,000 charging units at just over 22,000 locations. That means close to 61,500 connectors to use.
It’s often thought that if too many electric cars plugged in to charge at once then the National Grid would be overwhelmed and blackouts would ensue. However, it has been confirmed that this isn’t the case.
The National Grid has stated that the increase in green energies, as well as the progression of ‘smart’ energy management, means that there will be more than enough electricity to supply electric car demand.
Compared with petrol and diesel cars, electric vehicles feel quite a bit quicker. Even more ‘entry-level’ EVs are quite sprightly – particularly from a dead stop. The difference lies in the way their power is delivered; in a petrol or diesel car, there’s a small delay in between the press of the throttle and the engine delivering its power, whereas in an EV it’s instantaneous.
This makes them great fun to drive, particularly if you need to nip in and out of busy traffic.
Yes! Many modern electric vehicles can now be used to tow. Though, as with regular petrol and diesel vehicles, towing capacities vary between models, but there should be an option for you if you require an EV that’ll tow.
Just remember that the car’s claimed range will be affected by towing, so it’s worth bearing this in mind when you’re looking at that ‘headline’ range.
Yes, you’ll still need to have your EV regularly checked out by a trained professional, but you won’t have to be braced for large bills in quite the same way as you might with a petrol or diesel car. Because EVs have fewer moving parts there’s considerably less to go wrong, with aspects such as head gaskets, oil filters and complicated automatic gearboxes all taken out of the equation.
You’ll still need to have some key areas checked over, mind you, such as the brakes, wheels and tyres from time to time. You may also need to have an EV’s coolant – which helps to keep the battery at its optimum temperature – topped up from time to time.
Electric car batteries are outlasting many manufacturers’ expectations. For example, early versions of the Nissan Leaf are still going strong after 10 years on the road with only slightly diminished range. Most manufacturers also offer strong warranties on their EV batteries, so you’ll be covered should the battery’s capacity drop beyond what it should be.
Many companies are looking at battery recycling, too. One of the most prominent avenues for battery recycling is with ‘second life’ schemes, which will see these used batteries converted into energy storage devices, either for domestic or business purposes.
Yes! In most instances, electric and water aren’t a famously good mix, but there’s no problem with taking an EV into a car wash.
Likewise, thanks to protected sockets and cables, you’re perfectly safe to plug or unplug your electric vehicle from a charger when it’s raining.