Advert
The average price of a new EV has fallen below that of a petrol car, including discounts and government grants, according to Autotrader’s latest figures. This has now happened for two consecutive months, with March’s price gap at £296 and April at £455 (£43,296 vs £42,841 for EVs).
New data from Autotrader and Zapmap also shows annual electric vehicle (EV) fuel cost savings in April were the highest (£960) since records began in November 2023, following spikes in petrol prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East.
Electric was the most popular fuel type for new cars on Autotrader’s platform for the first time ever in April 2026, taking 29% of all new car enquiries.
The findings follow months of rising petrol prices which have driven spikes in EV interest on Autotrader.
Also, new data from Octopus Electric Vehicles shows that electric cars have hit another major tipping point in the UK: many models now cost the same as – or even less than – petrol cars on a monthly lease.
The median monthly lease price for an EV is now £369, compared with £409 for the median petrol car listed on a popular comparison site.
That means drivers can now go electric and save upwards of £1,600 over the course of their lease on monthly payments, before taking into account volatile petrol prices and benefiting from lower running costs.
For years, EVs were seen as the pricier option. But falling battery costs, more manufacturers entering the market, and a surge of new lower-cost electric models are rapidly changing the picture. What was once premium is quickly becoming mainstream, with many cars now being available for less than £300 a month.
Drivers can typically save thousands over the course of a lease through cheaper charging, fewer moving parts and lower maintenance costs compared with petrol cars.
Autotrader, ChargeUK and the SMMT have also released the quarterly update of the Electric Cars: The Facts campaign designed to combat misinformation surrounding electric vehicles.
Updates to The Facts include:
• Zapmap reports annual fuel cost savings are at their highest since records began in November 2023 when comparing a typical 80/20 split of home/public charging to petrol prices, with an annual saving of £960.
• There are now 40 new EVs with a recommended retail price (RRP) below £30,000, up from 38 in January.
• More than one in four (26%) used EVs on Autotrader are now priced £15,000 and below. 45% are now £20,000 and below – up from 40% in January.
• The average range of a new EV is now over 300 miles, up from 290 in January, with some models able to do 500 miles on a single charge.
• An updated methodology for how the public charging network is counted, changing from the number of charging points (which can include multiple chargers) to the number of charger plugs available – currently 120,338.
The Department for Transport has recently changed the way it reports on the number of charge points in the UK, switching from the number of charging devices – which can contain multiple individual EV chargers – to the number of individual chargers (also can be described as an electric vehicle supply equipment EVSE). This means the total has jumped to 120,338 in April.
