When trying to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, you may be reevaluating everything you have in your life and how you can make it greener. One huge impact on the environment can be household cars, and especially if you have more than one car within a household, increasing the carbon footprint. While it’s not always possible to eliminate your car altogether, there are ways you can be a more eco-friendly driver, and one of these is considering the switch to an electric vehicle.
- Less Impact on the Environment
One of the most obvious benefits of an electric vehicle is the reduction of exhaust fumes which can be damaging to the environment. Not only will you be helping to reduce air pollution for the natural world around you, but also improving air quality for those living within the world.
2. Cheaper to Run
Electric cars can be significantly cheaper on mileage compared to cars that require fuel, meaning you could be making the same journeys every day for considerably less — and it all amounts to extra savings in your pocket!
3. Easier to Maintain
With electric vehicles, there is less that can go wrong, as there are fewer components that make up an electric car compared to a standard motor. This means you’ll have less depreciation to worry about and fewer parts to have problems with over time.
4. Reduction in Legal Costs
Taxing and insuring any vehicle is a must, but for electric cars, this can be significantly cheaper. For cars that are pure electric, you may not have to pay any road tax whatsoever, and for hybrids, this can be significantly less. Not only that, but certain insurance companies may also look more favorably on eco-friendly vehicles, so it’s always worth doing a comparison for prices, like with Root Insurance.
5. Easy to Charge at Home
You’ll no longer have to worry about stopping at a fueling station during a busy day or trying to find emergency fuel when you misjudged your tank. With an at-home charging port, you can easily charge your vehicle when parked up, meaning fewer trips out (and less impact on the environment by eliminating trips to gas stations).
6. A Smoother Drive
If you regularly need to drive in built-up areas like cities or suffer through stop-start commutes, electric cars are smoother and quieter, meaning perfect for moving efficiently through busy streets without having to worry about a loud engine or a car that takes a strain with the stop-start. Electric cars provide a lot of power from the moment you put your foot on the accelerator.
Extra Tips for Eco-Friendly Driving
As well as considering an electric vehicle, you may also want to try:
- Taking a bicycle instead to work, or walking wherever you can, even if it’s only once or twice a week
- Carpooling if you can with others to reduce the number of vehicles on the road
- Taking public transport instead of renting a personal vehicle when taking a trip