Electric Peugeot 2008 cost compares very well with petrol and diesel versions

PEOPLE think electric cars are costly conscience salvers for rich greenies.

Until very recently that was true. But not now.

Lots of this year’s electric models are directly comparable with the petrol cars normal people buy.

For example, you can’t get much more normal than a small crossover.

The Peugeot 2008 is available as a petrol, a diesel and an electric.
So you can easily compare costs.

No one buys a new car with cash. So we’ll look at the PCP plans from Peugeot’s website.

Let’s say £3,000 deposit, then repaying over 36 months for each of them, using the UK average annual mileage of 8,000.

All are in second-from-bottom Allure trim, with no options.

The electric e-2008 Allure has the highest list price, at £34,430, almost exactly ten grand more than the diesel.

But guess what? The Government want you to have an electric car and chip in £2,500 on that version.

Peugeot, too, is trying to increase electric sales at the moment, so gives you a deposit contribution of £2,600.

Plus, in three years’ time there will almost certainly be a strong demand for used electric cars.

So the depreciation isn’t predicted to be as fast on the electric as the petrol and diesel versions.

That also narrows the gap on the monthly payments.

Net result is you pay £326 a month for the petrol automatic, £334 for the diesel. And £360 a month for the electric.

OK, so it’s a bit more per month to get it on your drive. But trust me, the electric 2008 will be cheaper to run.

The petrol one will be nearly £100 a month to fuel up, never mind all those doughnuts you buy at the filling station.

Whereas the electric, at a home-charged 15p/kWh, is under £30. So you have more than offset the extra monthly PCP cost.

And that’s before we get to the other incentives.

Lower car tax, free entry to the London congestion-charge zone, cheaper car parking in many places and so on.

The electric one has a battery range of about 180 miles. Then it takes nearly an hour on a rapid charger.

So if you regularly do long motorway schleps, it’s not for you. You’ll want petrol or diesel.

But be realistic. How often do you do more than 180 miles in a day?

You’ll charge overnight or while you’re at work.

If you have a driveway, there is a healthy subsidy to install a charge socket.

That said, if you live in a flat and don’t have public overnight points near you then yes, approach an electric car with caution.

But if those two obstacles don’t apply to you, suddenly it’s the petrol or diesel car that’s the luxury. Not the electric.