It’s time your business experienced electric
There was a time when range was the biggest concern about electric vehicles
. Research from Vimcar now shows that, even now, nine out of ten fleet vehicles cover fewer than 186 miles per day.
However, the range and potential of EVs has grown exponentially in recent years, particularly for businesses. Furthermore, driving an EV could reduce your running costs, in addition to offering benefits such as impressive refinement, rapid performance and the ability to precondition your cabin.
To give you a real opportunity to experience how well an electric car would suit your business, Kia is giving you the chance to test drive a Niro
EV or EV6
for two days as part of its 48-hour Test Drive campaign.
To find out more about why EVs are enjoying such popularity with business users, and why it’s worth signing up for a test drive, we sat down with John Hargreaves, Head of Fleet and Remarketing at Kia UK.
How has EV take-up grown in the fleet sector over the past few years?
“EV take-up in the fleet sector has grown significantly in the past three years. If we go back to 2021, we were looking at an EV industry percentage of about 14% for fleet. It's now well over 20%. In fact, fleet is the sector which has really driven overall electric vehicle growth.”
Indeed, the fleet sector’s appetite for EVs has grown rapidly in recent years, partly thanks to continuing tax incentives (more on that below). In fact, in November 2023, more than 77% of the EVs registered were taken by businesses and fleets.
What are the biggest benefits of running EVs for fleet or business?
“There’s a benefit to the employee, who is getting a big saving in their BIK company car tax
bill. That currently stands at 2%. What does that mean in real terms? It might mean £65 a month compared to £265 a month if the employee was driving a petrol equivalent car. Also, because of employer NIC contributions of 13.8%, again based on the BIK ratings of the car, there is a significant saving.
“And I would say the other benefit is that there is a green credential to running an electric vehicle, as opposed to an internal combustion car.
“So, there’s a financial benefit, and an environmental benefit”
The BIK tax saving for electric cars cannot be understated. Even a relatively low-emission vehicle that emits 100g/km of CO2 attracts a 25% tax rate vs. just 2% for an EV. That can equate to thousands of pounds saved over a three-year cycle. To get a better idea of just how much you could save, try Kia’s Company Car Tax Calculator
.
How do EVs compare on price?
“There's no doubt that the upfront cost of an EV is higher. Where you make your main saving is your whole life costs, with EVs being slightly cheaper to maintain and also providing a substantial saving when it comes to cost of electricity versus cost of petrol. If you look at figures from AA Drive Tech, you're looking at a 44% saving driving your miles powered by electricity compared to petrol.”
How does maintenance differ with electric vehicles?
“Generally, electric vehicles cost less to maintain than petrol equivalents. They are a simpler mechanical proposition, and although there are certain elements which are more expensive, overall, the cost of maintaining an electric vehicle is less than a petrol equivalent.”
The Kia Business Service Promise
provides a range of benefits that make servicing and maintenance simple and convenient. The Promise includes fixed-price repairs and competitively priced dealer servicing with a fixed national labour rate. All work is completed by Kia Trained Technicians using Genuine Kia Parts. A free vehicle health check is included with every visit, as well as free software updates (excluding maps).
How easy is it to make the switch to electric?
“Switching to an electric vehicle is easy. The fundamental thing is installation of a home charger. There are multiple suppliers for that now. It's a very easy thing to arrange. And even if you don't have home charging facilities, the infrastructure and the public charging
infrastructure is so good that it really is an easy change to make.”
Getting a home charger installed is simple with Kia Home Charge Solutions
. There are options to suit your requirements. Once installed by professionals, you benefit from 24/7 support and a two-year warranty. Kia Charge makes public charging easier too. It gives you access to 27 UK charging networks, and many more in 27 other European countries with one easy-to-use app and card. There’s also an optional subscription for discounted charging.
When it comes to EVs, what would you say people worry about unnecessarily?
“People are often concerned about range with EVs. And certainly, if you go back to the earlier EVs, which did have fairly limited abilities to drive long distances, that was probably a legitimate concern. Now, if you look at electric range
and consider the fact that a lot of our cars will be comfortably in excess of 300 miles, it really shouldn't be an issue.
“If you analyse journeys, it's rare for people to drive more than 300 miles at a time. And I think that range anxiety is something that people still refer to but probably don't really need to be concerned about.”
99% of car journeys in the UK are under 100 miles. The Kia Niro EV is able to travel 285 miles between charges, while the EV6 can achieve up to 328 miles on a full battery – the equivalent of driving from London to Cardiff and back again. And, at compatible chargers, the EV6 can be topped up from 10% to 80% in just 18 minutes*.
What do you personally like about electric cars?
“The main thing that strikes you when you first get into an electric car
is the performance.
The acceleration from a standing start is absolutely outstanding. And then, the other thing that strikes you is the noise or the lack of noise. It's a very quiet, relaxing, driving experience.
And no doubt there is also that feel-good factor of you’re driving something that is genuinely a clean, less-harmful vehicle.”
As well as striking performance and refinement, the Niro EV and EV6 boast a long list of high-tech features such as an augmented reality head-up display, Remote Smart Parking Assist, large dual screens and the ability to precondition your cabin, so that it’s warm and defrosted by the time you leave on a winter’s morning. They are also equipped with a comprehensive suite of advanced safety technologies such as Blind-Spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Forward Collision Avoidance Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert that makes it easier to reverse out of parking bays.
Can you tell us a bit about Kia’s 48-hour Electric Test Drive ?
“The 48-hour Test Drive
is running from 1st February to the end of March. It's focusing really on the Niro EV and EV6, and it's designed to give people a really easy, convenient experience of the car so they can thoroughly appraise it over a two-day period. It's easy to do.
“You can either sign-up online or you can contact us through a phone number, but they will arrange everything for you. The car can be delivered to and collected from a convenient location. So, it's a good, realistic opportunity to experience an EV and see what it’s like to live with it. It should be very convenient for the customer as well.”
What key factors should I evaluate during my test drive?
“During the 48-hour test drive, there are a few key things to get used to. The first will be the performance of the vehicle, which is quite striking when you first get in an electric car. Secondly, there’s needing to know how to use a charging point and having to plan ahead a little bit more if you are taking a long journey.”
The 48-hour test drive is also a great opportunity to try some of the advanced features on Kia’s electric cars. For example, there’s Remote Smart Park Assist, which can park the car after you’ve exited the vehicle. There’s also Highway Driving Assist, which can automatically alter your speed to maintain the gap to the vehicle in front – even in stop-start traffic – making longer journeys much more relaxing.
What do you do after the test drive?
“Historically, we have found that when people have test driven an EV, they've been very impressed with it. What we intend to do is to keep your details and you'll be contacted either directly by Kia or by your local dealer to follow up. You will then have the opportunity to decide on the best means of acquisition for you, whether it is a finance package or an outright purchase position.”
To take part in Kia’s 48-hour Test Drive
, simply sign up online or call our dedicated Kia Business Team on 080 8141 6880. The team will be able to arrange a 48-hour test drive of a Niro
EV or EV6
, so that you have plenty of time to test the vehicle at your own convenience.
48 hour electric test drive
Images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be to full UK specification. Features shown are not standard across the Kia model range and availability will vary dependant on model. For further details please refer to the individual model specification sheets.
*In order to achieve the maximum charging speed, EV6 must use an 800-volt electric vehicle charger that delivers at least 240kW of electricity. Actual charging speed and charging time may be influenced by the battery temperature and exterior weather conditions.