5 good reasons to buy an electric car

The acquisition of an electric vehicle is a project that generally raises many questions before taking action. Price, consumption, advantages, reliability, the question marks can quickly accumulate and disturb your decision. To guide you in your project, Promotelec explains why it is interesting to opt for an electric car today.

Last December, electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for more than 16% of the French car market, according to Avere , setting a real record with 37,250 new cars on the road. In an automotive sector hard hit by the health crisis, the electric vehicle segment held firm, posting results in line with the objectives set by the government in the sector’s strategic contract .

This growing interest of the French for these new means of transport can be explained by several reasons:

1) Affordable used models

The too high price of electric cars is often the main obstacle to the purchase of this type of vehicle. A dissuasive factor that tends to disappear thanks to the arrival on the market of the first used electric cars.

The second-hand market is gaining in volume each year, allowing customers to now have more choice and to take advantage of models at reduced prices (around 10,000 euros), and with low mileage. In addition, the purchase of a used electric vehicle now benefits from a State subsidy, in the form of an ecological bonus of 1000 euros, to help you finance your project.

2) Aids available

The government has set up two main aids to support you in the acquisition of an electric vehicle. The conversion bonus  is awarded in the event that the purchase of a new or used vehicle is made in exchange for the scrapping of an old vehicle, and its amount can go up to 5,000 euros.

As for the ecological bonus for new vehicles, it is paid as part of the purchase, or rental of at least two years, of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, with an amount of up to 7,000 euros.

3) Economical use

Charging an electric vehicle is much more economical than going to the gas pump. In addition to the possibility of charging your car for free at a public charging station, the price per kilometer of an electric car charged at home is around three to four times lower than that of a thermal vehicle, depending on the charging times, d after EDF . The energy company indicates that the cost of recharging an electric car at home will cost you approximately €1.5 to €4 for 100 km compared to €6 to €9 for a thermal vehicle.

4) Reliability

Even if we still lack perspective to properly assess the reliability of an electric car, the American association Consumer Reports has no doubt on the subject: electric cars are more reliable than internal combustion cars. These conclusions are the result of a  study  that highlights the advantages of electric vehicles over time: less maintenance required, long battery life, fewer breakdowns, electric vehicles would therefore allow you to drive for a long time, with complete peace of mind. .

5) Ecological impact

Considered as one of the drivers of the energy transition, electromobility nevertheless arouses debate among experts as to its real ecological impact. In particular, the battery, the manufacture of which requires the extraction of metals, which raises many environmental issues.

The virtuous aspect of the electric car is found more in its use which, in the long term, allows it to have a more interesting ecological balance than a thermal model. A study published last year by the NGO Transport & Environment indicates that the electric car pollutes almost five times less than a thermal car in France, where the energy mix is ​​low in carbon.