Primetime EV

Primetime EV
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News and updates from the world of EV. Join our club and get reduced rates on charging, leasing and more.

  1. 2d ago

    Diesel hits a record £2. Is an EV 9x cheaper now?

    00:00:00 Diesel record & EV news, October 2026 00:03:53 Is an EV really 9x cheaper than diesel? 00:10:25 Is EV insurance more expensive in the UK? 00:14:39 Are hybrids more reliable than EVs? 00:21:33 Does 0% VAT apply to EV charging? 00:25:30 Is the UK building enough EV batteries? 00:28:00 Q&A - Should I switch from diesel to an EV now? 00:31:37 Subscribe & Join the Club Diesel has hit a UK record of £2 a litre. Is an electric car really nine times cheaper to run in 2026? Plus EV insurance, 0% VAT on home electricity, your MOT comments and the UK battery gap. DIESEL HITS A RECORD The RAC says diesel averaged 199.18p a litre on 28 September, up 40% since February. Carbon Brief puts an EV on off-peak home charging at 2.3p a mile, against 21p for diesel. On the standard price cap it's 7p. On public rapid chargers, Zapmap's August average works out at about 23p a mile — level with diesel. EV INSURANCE: THE GAP IS £46 MoneySuperMarket's Electric Car Insurance Index, published 1 October, puts the average EV premium at £556 against £510 for petrol and £536 for diesel. The Renault 5 is cheapest at £418; the Jaguar I-Pace dearest at £922. THE VERDICT: YOUR MOT COMMENTS A correction on hybrids from last week's 47.4 million MOT test study. Hybrids lead the overall table, but hold the car constant and the lead disappears: the electric Hyundai Ioniq beats the hybrid, the Kia Niro is a dead heat. Over 80,000 miles, the electric Hyundai Kona fails 13% of MOTs against 17.8% for the petrol. 0% VAT AT HOME, 20% IN PUBLIC From 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, domestic electricity in Great Britain carries no VAT. Public charging stays at 20%. The Budget is on 28 October. And the UK's green fuel credit scheme, the RTFO, pays out for hydrogen but not electricity — worth 2.5–8.5p a kWh to charge point operators in Europe, according to ChargeUK. £7BN FOR BRITISH BATTERIES New AutoMotive says £7bn is committed to UK battery making, but confirmed factories cover 56GWh of the 115GWh a year needed by 2035. Join the free Primetime EV Club: primetimeev.com/club

    Diesel hits a record £2. Is an EV 9x cheaper now?

  2. Sep 25

    Used EVs: what 47 million MOT tests actually show

    A study of 47.4 million MOT tests has found high-mileage electric cars are around 25% less likely to fail than equivalent petrol cars — 16.5% against 22.1% between 90,000 and 120,000 miles, widening to 16% against 23.5% above 120,000. We also cover what the study doesn't show: no battery test, and 1.8 times the tyre defects.Plus: InstaVolt commits to CHAdeMO connectors across all 1,200 current and planned sites while rivals remove theirs; the five checks to make before buying any used EV; used EV demand up 150% in a year; and the ZEV mandate consultation that closes on 23 October.Primetime EV Live is an independent UK EV media network. Verified first-party audience. No paid amplification.00:00:00 What does Used EV Week mean for buyers?00:02:05 Are used electric cars reliable?00:06:40 Can you still rapid charge an old Leaf?00:10:29 How do I check a used EV's battery?00:16:30 Are used EV prices about to rise?00:19:00 What is the ZEV mandate consultation?00:20:40 Your questions on buying used EVsCheck your council: primetimeev.comJoin the Club, free: primetimeev.com/club

    Used EVs: what 47 million MOT tests actually show

  3. Sep 18

    No planning permission needed to charge on your street

    00:00:00 What's changed for EV drivers this week? 00:01:30 Do I need planning permission for a kerb charger? 00:07:30 Why is public charging taxed four times more? 00:12:00 Is the Polestar 5 worth £89,500? 00:18:45 Why did America's EV factory boom collapse? 00:22:30 Is the UK hitting its EV sales targets? 00:24:30 What does Costco charge for EV charging? Cross-pavement EV charging has been given permitted development rights in England. If you park on the street, that means no separate planning application for a charging gully across your pavement. But it is not law yet, and your council can still say no. We explain exactly where it stands.Also this week: from 1 October 2026 there is no VAT on domestic electricity, while public EV charging stays at 20%. That takes the gap between home charging and public charging to its widest ever. We look at what the Ofgem price cap actually does to your bill, and why HMRC is appealing a tribunal ruling that said public charging should be taxed at 5%.Then the Polestar 5, filmed at Salon Privé — £89,500, 800-volt architecture, 416 miles of WLTP range, and what 800V charging actually means for the cars you will be buying in five years.Plus: what happened to US electric car sales when America scrapped its $7,500 tax credit (they fell 46% in three months), and August's record UK EV registrations set against the ZEV mandate consultation that closes on 23 October.Primetime EV Live is an independent UK EV media network. Verified first-party audience, no paid amplification, no commercial influence on rate comparison data.CHECK YOUR COUNCILFind out whether your council funds, allows or refuses cross-pavement charging: primetimeev.comJOIN THE CLUBFree. Charging deals, weekly story summaries, and an alert the week your council changes its position.primetimeev.com/club · club@primetimeev.comSOURCESDepartment for Transport and EVA England (cross-pavement permitted development rights, September 2026)Ofgem price cap, October–December 2026 · HMRC · Zapmap (VAT)Polestar, Carwow, EV Database (Polestar 5)Reuters, 16 September 2026 · Cox Automotive / Kelley Blue Book (US EV sales)SMMT, August 2026 · New AutoMotive (registrations and ZEV mandate)#EVChargingUK #CrossPavementCharging #Polestar5 #EVNews #PrimetimeEV

    No planning permission needed to charge on your street

  4. Sep 11

    EV charging vs petrol, VW ID.Polo prices & a 2,413hp EV | Primetime EV Live

    00:00:00 EV charging vs petrol, ID.Polo, 2,413hp EV 00:01:20 Is EV charging still cheaper than petrol? 00:07:15 VW ID.Polo UK price: which one gets the grant? 00:11:40 Elektron Quasar: why fake gears in a hypercar? 00:20:15 Why do EV drivers avoid whole networks? 00:24:45 EV questions: cheapest rapids, grants, 800V 00:29:00 Subscribe & Join the Club EV charging vs petrol cost UK 2026. Cheapest rapid charging UK. VW ID.Polo UK price. Elektron Quasar hypercar. This week on Primetime EV Live — four stories in 30 minutes.IS EV CHARGING STILL CHEAPER THAN PETROL? Petrol hit a four-year high of 167p a litre this week — about 19p a mile at 40mpg. Home charging costs 2–8p a mile. Zapmap's August average for rapid charging, 77p per kWh, works out at 23p a mile, so the average rapid is still dearer than petrol. The break-even is about 64p per kWh — and Lidl just cut to 59p for Lidl Plus app users.VW ID.POLO: REAL UK PRICES. Full-range orders opened on 10 September from £23,945. Only the 52kWh versions qualify for the £1,500 Electric Car Grant, bringing the big-battery Life to £26,830 with up to 281 miles WLTP. Physical buttons and vehicle-to-load are standard.ELEKTRON QUASAR: OUR SALON PRIVÉ WALKAROUND. A German electric hypercar claiming 2,413hp, 1.65 seconds to 62mph and under 1.5 tonnes — with hydraulic steering, a mechanical diff, a simulated eight-speed gearbox and amplified real motor sound. 99 cars, from 2.6 million. Why the "EVs feel numb" complaint now reaches from a £18,995 Honda to a hypercar.WHY DO DRIVERS AVOID WHOLE CHARGING NETWORKS? A World EV Day survey of more than 3,000 drivers in Europe and North America found 76% would avoid an entire network after one warning from friends or family. Charging's real problem is trust, not price.──────────────────────────────⚡ FREE: Join the Primetime EV ClubCheapest charging rates · best lease deals · weekly EV digest. Direct to inbox, no algorithm.👉 primetimeev.com/club📧 club@primetimeev.com──────────────────────────────

    EV charging vs petrol, VW ID.Polo prices & a 2,413hp EV | Primetime EV Live

  5. Sep 4

    Your Council wants £120 per year to charge at home

    00:00:00 EV charging costs, battery health and the mandate 00:02:03 Cross-pavement charging: what does it cost? 00:10:10 How long do used EV batteries actually last? 00:16:00 ZEV mandate review: how do I respond to it? 00:21:55 UK EV sales August 2026: what did SMMT say? 00:24:39 Why are 98.7% of Norway's new cars electric? 00:27:13 EV questions: gullies, grants and battery tests 00:32:20 Subscribe & Join the Club Cross-pavement EV charging costs in the UK vary wildly by council, and almost none of them publish the figures. A Haringey resident says they were quoted £678 after subsidy for a charging channel through the pavement, plus a £120 annual licence fee — with the channel removed if they stop paying. Enfield charges £93 a year. Hertfordshire charges £200 just to assess an application. We work through what cross-pavement charging actually costs in 2026 and why the price changes at a borough boundary.Then used EV battery health. The AVILOO Certified EV Battery Report analysed over 500,000 tests across 20 models and found most batteries hold close to 90% at 93,000 miles — but two identical cars at identical mileage can differ by 13.5 percentage points, roughly 26 miles of range. The average is reassuring. The average is not the car you're buying.We also cover the ZEV mandate review — open to consumers, closing 23 October 2026, offering four routes to 2030 from 80% down to 50%. Plus SMMT's August UK registration figures, and Norway reaching a record 98.7% electric with just 30 petrol cars registered nationwide in a month.CHECK YOUR COUNCILOur cross-pavement checker tells you whether your council allows it, refuses it, or is trialling it.primetimeev.com──────────────────────────────⚡ JOIN THE PRIMETIME EV CLUB — FREECheapest charging rates · best lease deals · weekly EV digest. Direct to inbox, no algorithm.👉 primetimeev.com/club📧 club@primetimeev.com──────────────────────────────#EVCharging #CrossPavement #EVChargingUK #UsedEV #PrimetimeEV

    Your Council wants £120 per year to charge at home

  6. Aug 28

    UK Energy Price Cap Rises 4%. Does Fuse Energy Beat It?

    00:00:00 What the Ofgem price cap rise means for you 00:01:05 Why is the Ofgem price cap rising 4%? 00:08:18 Is Fuse Energy cheaper than the price cap? 00:18:18 Your energy and EV charging questions answered 00:21:29 Join the Primetime EV Club This week Ofgem confirmed the energy price cap rises 4% from 1 October, to £1,723/year typical. We break down what's actually driving it - gas up 8%, electricity barely moving thanks to the VAT cut landing the same day and what it means for EV owners charging at home.Then: a full breakdown of Fuse Energy, the £200m-backed challenger supplier claiming that owning its own power stations means cheaper bills. We test that claim against real tariff pricing, independent complaints data, and the EV-specific product Fuse doesn't appear to have yet.Chapters in the episode notes. New episodes every Friday, 11am.

  7. Aug 14

    Does Anyone plug in a PHEV?

    00:00:00 Used EV sales record — what's actually worth buying?00:02:04 Best used EVs 2026 — MG4 vs Kia Niro vs Model 300:07:11 Why is £130m going into UK EV technology?00:09:31 Do people actually plug in their PHEVs?00:14:55 Is EV insurance still more expensive than petrol?00:17:15 Your EV charging questions answered00:21:05 Subscribe & Join the Club

  8. Aug 7

    Cheaper Charging vs the ZEV Mandate, Renault's Record July & EV Charging Bootcamp Ep5 | Primetime EV Live

    00:00:00 EV news this week: four stories, one final Bootcamp episode 00:01:53 Could cheaper public charging beat the ZEV mandate?00:08:15 Is the UK EV market growing or just being discounted?00:13:55 How do you actually pay for public EV charging?00:20:00 Does Burnham's VAT cut actually help EV drivers?00:25:28 Who's building new public chargers in the UK right now?00:28:20 Your EV charging questions answered 00:33:15 Sign off & Primetime EV Club CTA EV charging cost UK 2026. ZEV mandate 2026. Public charging VAT UK. This week on Primetime EV Live — four stories and the FINAL EV Charging Bootcamp episode in one show.CHEAPER CHARGING vs THE MANDATE. New YouGov/ChargeUK polling found EV consideration jumps from 25% to 37% if public charging beats petrol on price — beyond the 33% 2026 ZEV mandate target. ChargeUK's case: don't weaken the mandate, cut the price.RENAULT'S RECORD JULY. SMMT figures show UK EV registrations up 44.5% year-on-year to a record 27.5% market share. Renault posted a record 53% EV mix — over half its UK sales — led by the Renault 5, July's best-selling EV outright.EV CHARGING BOOTCAMP — EPISODE 5 OF 5: PUBLIC CHARGING (FINALE). How to find a charger, pay without six apps, and the etiquette that avoids arguments at the plug. The full five-episode series wraps here — next up, a compiled Complete Guide.BURNHAM'S VAT CUT. Home electricity VAT falls to 0% from October — but public charging VAT stays at 20%, widening the gap between driveway owners and everyone else.ALLEGO'S £86M INVESTMENT. Up to 1,400 new UK ultra-rapid chargers by 2030, backed by Meridiam, London-priority.──────────────────────────────⚡ FREE: Join the Primetime EV ClubCheapest public charging rates every month · best lease deals · weekly EV digest👉 primetimeev.com/club 📧 club@primetimeev.com──────────────────────────────

    Cheaper Charging vs the ZEV Mandate, Renault's Record July & EV Charging Bootcamp Ep5 | Primetime EV Live
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News and updates from the world of EV. Join our club and get reduced rates on charging, leasing and more.

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  • Creator
    Primetime EV
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Primetime EV
  • Show Website
    Primetime EV