Myth busting 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 vehicle, 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.

Yes of course – it’s really important to do this and we’d recommend speaking to your local Van Centre 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.

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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 vehicle once you come to change or sell it.

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 cost simulator tool will guide you through the decision-making process! 

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. 

Insuring an EV is no different to insuring a petrol or diesel vehicle. Your individual premium will be determined by a number of factors related to you and your vehicle. However, it’s important to check that your insurance covers everything you need for your EV.

With Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Van Insurance you can be confident that the following EV specific elements are already included in our comprehensive cover:

• Battery damage following an insured incident
• Accidental damage, fire or theft protection for charging cables and home chargers
• Accidents caused by electric charging cables when attached to your EV.

You can find out more about Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Van Insurance or get a quote here

Our insurance is subject to eligibility and underwritten by UK Insurance Limited.

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 vehicle. 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 – for details, click here.

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 vehicle and where you live and drive.

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 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.

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 vehicle – see following question.

If you’re charging from a home wallbox, we advise installing an Ohme intelligent charger and switching to Octopus Intelligent Go to save you money on your home charging costs. Learn about our Octopus Energy partnership here and discover Ohme home charging systems here.

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! 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. Intelligent Octopus). 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. 

As a Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles customer, you may be eligible for a free home charger as part of the vehicle finance package (UK retail customers 18+, subject to suitable location for standard installation); if not, costs start at a preferential rate for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles customers of £925, or £975 including standard installation for the most popular tethered Ohme Home Pro, plus you’ll get all the advice you need – click here to find out more.

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 vehicles 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 vehicle's charging capacity. 

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 vehicle 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.

Bi-directional charging essentially allows you to use your vehicle battery as a power source. This could be ‘Vehicle to Load’ that allows you to use the vehicle'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.

While many Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles 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.

Typically, Electric Vehicle drivers would charge their vehicle  to between 20% and 80%. Like a mobile phone, charging is quickest the first 20% and once it passes 80% it slows to protect the battery’s longevity. You can of course charge it to 100% ahead of longer journeys but it is not recommended to leave the vehicle at 100% charge for long periods.

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

Yes – with many newer vehicles 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 vehicle 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 Commercial Vehicle Van Centre, which has specially trained high voltage technicians to keep your vehicle 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 local Van Centre 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 our simulator tools and don’t forget that a wide range of service plans are also available too. For details, click here or talk to your Van Centre.

Just like all our vehicles, all new electric Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles come with 3 years’ breakdown cover, provided by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles 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.

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

If you’re involved in an accident, it’s important that the battery is checked and repaired by a Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles 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 vehicles; we’ll let you know if anything needs doing and work with you to arrange an appropriate time for it to be done.

All new electric Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles come with our standard 3 year/40,000 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 Commercial Vehicles, we’ll perform a multipoint check and produce a battery health certificate. The Approved Used electric Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will benefit from the balance of the  warranty, which is supplied when the vehicle 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). Find out more here.

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

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