Soaring fuel costs have widened the gap between diesel and electric


Pamela won't be smiling when she reads this!

The clearest money story right now is at the pump. Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), a think tank, finds that fuel price rises since the US-Iran conflict began have added £1.7bn to the cost of running the nation’s petrol and diesel cars in the first 100 days, leaving the average diesel driver paying £255 more than they would have in an electric vehicle (EV). Petrol drivers paid roughly £175 more, and collectively petrol and diesel cars cost over £6.3bn more to run than electric equivalents.

By 8 June, petrol averaged 157.93p a litre and diesel 180.92p, both well above pre-conflict levels even after easing slightly in recent days. Unsurprisingly, more than one in four cars sold in May (27%) was electric as drivers chased lower running costs.

For a mixed fleet, the lesson is to keep whole-life cost calculations current, since the running-cost advantage of electric for high-mileage drivers has grown sharply. It also strengthens the case for prioritising the highest-mileage routes when deciding which vehicles to electrify first.

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