Expert's £379 overspending warning for '82% of these motorists'

Electric vehicle owners across the UK have been issued a stark warning over their finances. Research from Uswitch has shown that more than four-fifths (82 per cent) of electric vehicle owners are throwing away £379 a year due to the cost of charging their vehicle.

The money comparison site highlighted that all motorists need to do is switch from a standard variable tariff to a specific electric vehicle tariff or a time-of-use deal. As a result, drivers could be saving themselves £4 per charge. Based on the average UK driver’s annual mileage of 7,400 miles, this results in £552 a year on a price-capped tariff and £173 a year on an EV or time-of-use tariff – an annual saving of £379.

Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Every household has different needs when it comes to their energy consumption, whether you own an electric vehicle or prefer to run appliances at night, so it’s important to find the right tariff for you. Time-of-use tariffs have been around for a long time, with many households enjoying cheaper energy at night through deals like the Economy 7 tariff.

“They’re really coming into their own with the rise of electric vehicles, and charging your car at night is a great way to save a significant amount of money. It’s shocking to find that a huge number of electric vehicle owners aren’t using a tariff that could reduce their annual charging bill by hundreds of pounds."

A time-of-use tariff charges different prices for electricity at different times of the day and is favourable for drivers who charge their vehicles overnight. In some cases, the tariff can charge as little as 7p per unit of electricity - less than a third of the current 22p cost on a price-capped tariff.

Mr Gallizzi added: “Too few