Electric cars are becoming increasingly cheaper

Electric cars are becoming increasingly cheaper

LeasePlan, the leading fleet management and car-as-a-service specialist, has published its annual “Car Cost Index”. This collects the monthly mobility costs for vehicles of all classes in 18 European countries. The Car Cost Index 2020 shows that medium-sized electric vehicles are already cost-competitive with classic combustion engines in most of the countries examined, including Austria. In this country, the average cost of electric cars - without taking government subsidies into account - is 718 euros, around 130 euros lower than last year.

LeasePlan's Car Cost Index shows the actual monthly running costs of cars in 18 European countries, including fuel, depreciation, taxes, insurance and maintenance. In Austria, the situation is as follows: Operating a medium-sized electric car in this country costs an average of 718 euros, excluding subsidies, in 2020. In the previous year, the costs were 854 euros. According to the LeasePlan Car Cost Index, Austria ranks in the upper middle range of the cheapest countries for electromobility.

614 euros per month

In comparison, the average monthly total running costs for petrol vehicles are 685 euros and for diesel vehicles 672 euros. The driving costs for electric vehicles are already competitive with classic combustion engines, even without taking government subsidies into account. If these are taken into account, the monthly costs are reduced to around 614 euros, which means that the operation of electric cars is already more economical than that of conventional cars. With the temporarily available investment bonus, the costs are reduced even further.

 "Austria has brought a bundle of measures to promote e-mobility onto the roads. This is an important step towards environmentally friendly mobility. Our analyzes show: Tax advantages and subsidies provide a clear incentive to switch to e-mobility. They make electric vehicles significantly cheaper and in some cases already make them more economical than classic combustion engines," says LeasePlan Austria Managing Director Hessel Kaastra. It is now important to further expand the necessary charging infrastructure so as not to slow down these positive developments. “The Austrian government is asked to act quickly and thus make a switch to environmentally friendly mobility possible for everyone,” said Kaastra.

For Europe, the Car Cost Index 2020 also shows that medium-sized electric vehicles are now cost-competitive with gasoline and diesel vehicles in most of the countries examined.