Electric FAQs

A good first question and the answer is probably yes! As you read through this guide, you’ll see there are some things to consider before you commit to switching to an EV. For example, you’ll have to think about how and where you’ll charge it and the kinds of journeys you do on a regular basis, but most people can make it work.

We are heading to an electric future and the products and UK charging infrastructure are evolving at pace.

Choosing an EV is fundamentally no different to choosing any other vehicle. You need to consider practicality, reliability, your budget and running costs as well as things like specification, colour and power.

Charging is of course the one big difference. Think about how far you usually drive in a day/week/month, and then whether you can charge at home or work or will need to rely on the public charging infrastructure.  There’s no right or wrong to this – you just need to understand the implications for your lifestyle.

You can find details of the maximum electric range (according to official test (WLTP) criteria) in the individual vehicle descriptions in the model pages. These figures are obtained under standardised test conditions, after the battery has been fully charged to 100%.

It’s important to note that, as with any car, the official test (WLTP) figures may not reflect real life driving results. What you actually achieve on the road will depend upon a number of factors including accessories fitted post-registration, variations in weather, driving styles, speed, vehicle and battery age and condition, vehicle load, and the starting charge of the battery.

But there’s plenty of things you can do to help maximise your range, such as pre-heating your electric vehicle when charging on a cold day, coasting, or using regenerative braking, and removing heavy items you don’t need to carry.

To see how different factors might affect your range, take a look at our range simulator tool.

Currently, because electric vehicles use newer technologies than their traditionally fuelled counterparts, their list prices may be more expensive. But you have to look at the total cost of ownership (TCO) which takes into account the cost of fuel (or charging), servicing, taxes and incentives, as well as the resale value of the car once you come to change or sell it.

We’ve got tools to help you compare vehicles, and also special offers on many vehicles in the range. Visit to the car comparator for more details. 

It’s also really important to remember that there are more variable charging costs with EVs. So, think about whether you can charge at home or at work, where you do the majority of your driving, how far you drive etc... But don’t panic – the running costs tool will guide you through the decision-making process! 

Yes of course – it’s really important to do this and we’d recommend speaking to your retailer to find out what you need to know. Initially it might feel different to a petrol or diesel model – quieter, smoother, faster to accelerate – and the controls might look a bit unfamiliar, but you’ll soon get used to it.

Yes of course – we offer a number of different finance packages so there is likely one to suit you. It’s a great way to spread the cost, you can include a service and maintenance package, and you’ll have the opportunity to stay updated on the latest developments and new models. Click here to see what’s available.

Essentially there are three ways to charge your electric vehicle:

• Via a 3-pin household wall socket, which is slow but available widely;
• Via a wallbox which can be installed at your home if you have e.g. suitable off-street parking available and is substantially faster and more practical than a 3-pin plug; 
• Via public or on the road charging points, which can be the fastest way to charge, especially where rapid or ultra rapid options are available. Availability of public charging is increasing all the time for the latest availability … Please visit Zap map for further details.

You can read more about the details on charging here.

Take a look at our running cost calculator to work out your estimated cost implications and compare those to the estimated costs of running a petrol/diesel model.

Running an electric vehicle may, in many cases, cost less than the equivalent petrol or diesel car – see following question.

If you’re charging from a home wallbox, we advise installing an Ohme intelligent charger and switching to OVO Charge Anytime to save you money on your home charging costs. 

On the road it’s more variable. To avoid paying over the odds when you need to fill up on a long journey, take a look at our We Charge plans which simplify and can reduce the cost of public charging, and make sure you plan ahead using EV route maps.

Yes – see previous question for charging options. The easiest and quickest way to charge at home is via a wallbox. We have a partnership with award-winning supplier of easy-to-use home chargers, Ohme. Not only do they make the installation and set-up as easy as possible, they also offer low-cost charging options via integration with smart EV energy tariffs (eg. OVO Charge Anytime). You will need to have off-street parking available and permission from the landlord if you rent your property as well as an initial assessment arranged by Ohme to check if you are a standard or non-standard installation. 

Even if you have a home charger fitted, there may be times when you need to charge on-the-go and so it’s good to know public charging has come a long way over the past few years, and continues to improve.

Rapid chargers (with direct current or DC and speeds from 23 kW) and Ultra rapid (from 100 kW) are generally found on major routes and are essentially the petrol stations of the electric world. All electric cars have a maximum charging speed, and all rapid chargers have a maximum output (both are measured in kilowatts (kW)), so try to find a charger which maximises your car’s charging capacity. Please see Zapmap for further details.

If you have a 60 kWh battery, it could take as little as 30 minutes to charge from empty to full at a 150 kW rapid charger (providing the charger is performing at that rate). At a 22 kW chargepoint, it could take around 3 hours. These are indicative minimum charge times for comparison only.  They may not reflect real world experience.

And don’t forget that ‘filling’ to 80% is not only quicker (the last 20% is designed to fill much more slowly) but is also better for your battery. You can set 80% as the maximum charging level via the car or the app.

In practical terms, it’s very simple to charge in public, and you can make your life easier by route planning and using apps like Zap-Map or the EV Route planner.

Yes of course! Like any Volkswagen car, it’s designed to be reliable and trustworthy. Of course we’d always recommend you visit a Volkswagen retailer, which has specially trained high voltage technicians to keep your car in great working order.

Yes – with many newer cars and EVs having ‘connected’ technology, minor updates and improvements can be done remotely or ‘over the air’ (OTA) – just like you might do with software updates on your phone. And do make sure you’ve downloaded and connected your car to the app for maximum convenience – for details on how to do this and the benefits, click here.

We’d always recommend you visit a Volkswagen retailer, which has specially trained high voltage technicians to keep your car in great working order for all service and maintenance requirements. You can find out more about what gets checked in an EV service here.

Use our online service booking tool or contact your retailer to discuss any servicing concerns.  

Compared to a petrol or diesel vehicle, it generally costs less to service an EV, because there are fewer moving and mechanical parts.

To understand your EV service intervals and approximate costs take a look at the comparator tool – Volkswagen - Car Comparator, and don’t forget that a wide range of service plans are also available too. For details, click here or talk to your retailer.

All new Volkswagen electric cars come with our standard 3 year/60000 mile warranty plus an 8 year/100,000 mile high voltage battery [degradation]  warranty, whichever comes first, click here for full details and T&Cs. There’s lot of advice on how to look after the battery to help maximise its effective lifespan – click here for details.

Over time, like most lithium-ion batteries we use every day, such as in our smartphones, the capacity of EV batteries will reduce with use and charging. If you’re buying an Approved Used electric Volkswagen, we’ll perform a multipoint check and produce a battery health certificate. The Approved Used electric Volkswagen will benefit from the balance of the  warranty, which is supplied when the car is new and covers battery degradation to 70% over a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first, subject to the terms, conditions and exclusions set out in the warranty). 

The technology and batteries in electric vehicles are improving all the time, but there are some great used EVs available. Buying a Volkswagen Approved Used EV means you’ll get the peace of mind you get with buying an approved petrol or diesel car, plus a battery health check (see above for details). Check out our used stock for available vehicles.

Electric vehicles are designed to be safe. In fact, because many of them are new to market, they incorporate the Volkswagen's latest safety technology.

If you’re involved in an accident, it’s important that the battery is checked and repaired by a Volkswagen high voltage technician who’s trained to work on EVs.

Recalls or service campaigns for EVs are managed in exactly the same way as for petrol and diesel cars; we’ll let you know if anything needs doing and work with you to arrange an appropriate time for it to be done.

Currently, the government has a number of incentives in place which mean you’ll pay much less Benefit in Kind on an EV compared to a petrol or diesel car. Visit our website to find out more.

There are a number of incentives in place for certain EV drivers, relating to VED (car tax) and BiK (as above), for installing homechargers, as well as for parking and travel. At the moment electric vehicle drivers do not have to pay road tax although this is currently planned to change from April 2025 (in any case you must still get the vehicle taxed). And if you rent or own a flat, you can get a grant for installing an EV chargepoint.

Before you decide to purchase an EV it’s worth finding out what’s available for your specific chosen vehicle, and bear in mind this will vary depending on how you fund your car and where you live and drive.

Insuring an EV is no different to insuring a petrol or diesel vehicle, and your individual premium will be determined by a number of factors.  Our partners at Volkswagen Financial Services are specialists in Volkswagen vehicles and can offer competitive rates. Speak to your retailer or generate a quote.

Just like all our vehicles, all new electric Volkswagen models come with 3 years’ breakdown cover, provided by Volkswagen Roadside Assistance in partnership with the AA. And like our specialist technicians, our roadside team have access to the latest knowledge and training around EVs to give you peace of mind.

For more details of our roadside assistance packages and T&Cs, click here.

EVs have no tailpipe emissions and we do all we can to minimise any impacts. Click here to find out more.

While many Volkswagen EVs have been designed with bi-directional technology, the interfaces and wallboxes are not currently available to enable this. Instead, we’re focusing at the moment on intelligent charging functionality which maximises energy usage while minimising costs.

Bi-directional charging essentially allows you to use your car’s battery as a power source. This could be ‘Vehicle to Load’ that allows you to use the car’s battery to charge devices, such as a scooter or e-bike; ‘Vehicle to Home’ that allows you to transfer energy back into your house from your vehicle, utilising dynamic energy tariffs to draw on stored electricity during peak periods; or ‘Vehicle to Grid’ that enables the transfer of electricity back from your EV into the grid.

Yes! Vehicles available on the scheme will vary from time to time, along with the corresponding rates and APs. To find out more, click here.

Charging your electric car is very safe, even in damp and rainy conditions. As long as your electric car and the charging station meet strict legal standards, no electricity will flow until a secure and fully safe contact has been established.

You can also safely take your car through a car wash and open the bonnet in the rain. And your electric car is as safe as any other when there is lightning.

They are as dependable and safe as every other Volkswagen, and equipped with the most technologically advanced safety systems.  For more information about our safety ratings see https://www.euroncap.com/en/ratings-rewards/latest-safety-ratings.

Maximising the life of the battery plays a central role in our sustainability strategy.  Find out more about how we reuse, remanufacture and recycle batteries here.

The Volkswagen app allows you to turn on the air conditioning remotely (provided the car is plugged in) to warm up or cool down the car before you get in. So if it looks chilly outside, you can warm the car up from the comfort of your own home.