The cost of an electric car is not limited to its purchase price. When changing vehicles, it is important to take into account a range of expenses, such as maintenance, the cost of charging or even insurance. How much does an electric car really cost? What is the financial assistance for the purchase? The answers in detail.
The purchase price of an electric car
The Price of an electric car depends on the model chosen and its condition: new or used.
- New electric car
On the electric mobility market, the range of cars is constantly expanding. The higher the power and the longer the battery life, the higher the price. The choice of your electric vehicle will depend above all on your budget and your needs. At present, the price starts from €17,000 for the cheapest cars, such as the Dacia Spring for example, and can go up to over €30,000 for more powerful models, such as the Renault Zoe or the Opel Corsa-e. The most expensive cars are the Tesla Model S, the Porsche Taycan, or even the Audi e-tron GT with budgets that can exceed €200,000.
- Used electric car
The second-hand market is not to be outdone and includes many recent electric cars with low mileage. To make the right choice, it is advisable to check the condition of the battery first. It is best to ask the seller to provide you with a battery status report. Even if the batteries are guaranteed by the manufacturers for 8 years (or 160,000 km), if the former owner has charged a lot on super chargers, the batteries will be more damaged than if he mainly charged on accelerated chargers.
Did you know that?
For the purchase of a new or used electric car, you can claim financial assistance from the State, in particular the conversion bonus and the ecological bonus, the amount of which depends on your income and the daily distance you will travel between home and work. For a reference tax income (RFR) of less than or equal to €13,489, the aid amount is €5,000. This support can be increased up to €1000 if you live in a Low Emission Zone (LEZ).
There are also additional bonuses depending on where you live. For example, the Greater Paris Metropolis offers An aid up to €6,000 for the purchase of a new or used vehicle. Just keep in mind that subsidies decrease, or even disappear, as soon as the price of your vehicle exceeds a certain limit. This ceiling is currently €60,000 for electric vehicles.
You can find all the amounts at the following address: https://www.asp-public.fr/sites/default/files/content/aides/documents/bonus-eco/BAREMES_BONUS_PAC.pdf
The interview
Unlike an internal combustion vehicle, an electric car has a limited number of mechanical parts to monitor. It is not affected by operations such as draining, changing the oil or air filter, or even the revision of the exhaust pipe or the gearbox. As for the brake pads, they won't require a lot of changes since you'll often brake with the energy recovery system that recharges the batteries. However, it will be necessary to change the air conditioning system filter. If maintenance remains mandatory, it is therefore considerably simplified... and cheaper. Generally, it is estimated that its cost is between 20 to 30% lower than for an internal combustion car.
Insurance
Since the electric car is generally used for short trips, insurance companies are more likely to offer insurance contracts at advantageous rates. For example, the comparator les furets.com noted — through the study of millions of quotes made on the site — that the average insurance price for an electric car is €405/year, compared to €670/year for an internal combustion car, with the same guarantees.
However, it should be noted that the cost of insurance depends on the model to be insured and on your insured profile.
The refill
Choosing a combustion car model over an electric one will certainly make you invest a large amount of money in the purchase, but it will cost you much less in the long term in terms of the use of this vehicle, including in maintenance (see “2. Maintenance”) only in “fuel”.
For example, with a medium-sized car that consumes 8 liters per 100 km, and the price per liter at 2€, until now you used to pay 16€ per 100 km.
With an electric car and if you fill up at home with a kWh of around 17.40 ct, the same 100 km will only cost you €3.48, which is between 4 and 5 times cheaper. If you fill up the same amount on a supercharger, the 100 km will cost you €13.80 without counting the possible overrun if you do not unplug your vehicle quickly after refueling (it can go up to €1 /min).
If you are recharging at home, consider equipping yourself with a Qobox wall charger S which can charge your car between 2 and 6 times faster than a reinforced plug.
The charging station
If you are switching from an internal combustion vehicle to an electric car, buying a wallbox is an investment that should not be overlooked. A terminal like Qovoltis (Qobox S or Qobox T) is an efficient and secure solution to benefit from optimal charging at home and to save energy. If charging at a public station helps with a long trip or an additional charge, it is 4 to 5 times more expensive than charging at home and is not an attractive option in the long term. Indeed, beyond the additional cost, you will damage your vehicle's batteries more quickly and the resale price will be affected.
To help individuals finance the purchase and installation of a charging station, the State offers two schemes: the €300 tax credit and the VAT reduced to 5.5%.
Also to read: Installing an electric charging station: what assistance are you entitled to?
With the development of technologies around electric mobility and the fall in manufacturing costs (especially batteries), The price of an electric car will decrease sharply over the next few years. An opportunity to invest in a vehicle of the future and to drive greener for many years!
Sources: Qovoltis, Caroom, Selectra.
