As electric cars grow in popularity, you might be wondering what the advantages and disadvantages of driving one are. There are some definite electric cars pros and cons you should know about. It’s also a good idea to learn some of the key differences of electric cars vs gas cars. Luckily, we’re here to help you do an electric car comparison before you decide to either rent or buy an EV. Read on for some key information on the good and the bad of the growing popularity of electric cars.
Advantages of an Electric Car
If you’ve never gotten behind the wheel of an electric car, you’re really missing out. A fun, quiet ride and real get-up-and-go are some immediately noticeable benefits of an electric car. But there are others beyond that. For instance, in larger cities in Spain, you can only drive in key areas in the city center if you’re in a very low or zero-emissions vehicle. Read below for more benefits of driving an electric car.
- Efficiency: If you don’t have to pay or stop for gas, or take your car in for repairs, you can save a lot of time and money. On top of this, you get a quiet ride that cuts down on noise pollution, making an electric car an efficient choice.
- Cost: The cost of plugging in and charging an electric car is much cheaper than paying for gas. Plus, many countries give tax breaks or other incentives if you buy an EV.
- Emissions: You can’t beat zero exhaust emissions. You can help keep the air cleaner and people healthier by driving an electric car.
- Maintenance: Electric cars that run purely on batteries have fewer moving parts and are therefore easier to maintain. Even plug-in electric cars with a gas engine have lower maintenance costs because they use battery power when possible.
- Safety: Some electric cars have been found to be safer than those that are gas-powered. That’s due to a lower center of gravity making the car less likely to roll over, and the different parts used to make the vehicle can mean less risk for fires.
Disadvantages of an Electric Car
- Recharging: Not every city or country has ample recharging points, which can be a problem if you really need a charge. When you do find one you are often required to have a card and app for the company that owns the recharging station so you can pay for the service with your linked bank account or credit card.
- Driving range: How far you can drive on one charge depends on the electric car you’re driving and how fast. On average, you’ll get about 130 miles on a full charge before the car runs out of juice, although some models can travel far less.
- Time to recharge: An electric car needs a minimum of 4-6 hours to fully recharge, which is a hassle if you need to get back on the road. Faster charging will evolve as technology improves, but for now, it will be hard to go on a long road trip in an EV.
- Cost: While it generally costs less than filling a car’s tank with gas, recharging a vehicle is not free. Either you recharge at home and the cost is added to your electric bill, or there is the cost of the electric car charging station whether at home or on the road.
- Size: It used to be that if you wanted an electric car you had to settle for a 2-seater. There are now some larger all-electric car models available that seat 4 adults comfortably, but you’re still not going to find a large SUV that runs on a battery.
Renting an Electric Car with SIXT
Now that you know the disadvantages and advantages of electric cars, you might want to try one out. The best way to do this is to rent one and see if you like it. We offer green car rental in Spain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands with models like the BMW i3 and i8, Audi e-tron, and Jaguar I-Pace. In the Netherlands we even offer Teslas. And if you happen to be in key cities in Germany like Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, you can try out the Renault Zoe in our SIXT share fleet.
