Frequently Asked Questions

1.Why drive electric?
Here at The Eco Garage we believe wholeheartedly that electric fuelled vehicles are the future. Electricity is a fuel which is here to stay, you can charge off the grid or gain the electric via 'Green' routes like wind turbines and solar.

Electric vehicles (EV) are cleaner, quieter and cheaper to run than conventional vehicles.

EV's will put the fun back into motoring and let you stand out from the crowd. The Prime Minister is investing up to £100m into Britain's greener motoring with low carbon initiatives, charging posts and dedicated parking areas for EV's.

We all have a duty to reduce our carbon usage and electric vehicles will power you into actively reducing your carbon foot-print.
More designs for electric vehicles are hitting the market than ever before. Here at The Eco Garage as battery technology improves we will be launching new and exciting models and customer lead services to help you make the right choices for your needs and lifestyle.

2.What are the Financial Benefits for me the Car Driver?
No Road TAX (vehicle excise duty)
With an electric vehicle there is no exhaust pipe, so no exhaust fumes / CO2 Because of this there is no Road Tax. All you have to do is apply for the tax disc as usual but - pay nothing.

Cheaper Car Insurance. Lowest Insurance (Group 1)
So a year's car insurance will be around the £200-300.00 depending on your driving history and age.

Exempt from London (where next?) Congestion Charge.
At present there is no congestion charge within the Sussex and Kent region, but our view here at The Eco Garage is that it will come. And we think that makes good sense. Keeping the 'smokey' cars and trucks from our cities and towns will give us all a better and healthier and quieter shopping and working environment.

Ease of Parking
Most electric vehicles are smaller and lighter than their petrol equivalent. You will be able to slip in to the smallest of spaces and when the on street parking posts arrive in greater numbers you will get a dedicated parking space in which to charge your vehicle.
In some parts of the country parking is often free or heavily discounted.

Charging posts are currently being considered for many cities and towns near you in the South East. Although if your work commute is of a short distance then why not charge at home overnight? Or why not approach your employer and ask them to install charging posts at work: They may even be eligible for a grant to help with installation costs and at the same time will be reducing the company's carbon footprint.

What are the Benefits to My Company in Running an Electric Vehicle?

Electric vehicles have the lowest rate of effective tax and they can also obtain a 100% year one write down for your business, effectively saving you money.

With Zero emission vehicles there are increased tax advantages for businesses, private individual owners and the environment as a whole, so it's a win, win, win result!

Grants are available for companies working towards carbon reduction why no check out www.carbontrust.co.uk

3.How do I Get to Test Drive an Electric Vehicle?
There are several ways to get in the driving seat of an electric vehicle:
You can complete the form on the contacts page and tick the 'test-drive' box and we will make contact with you shortly to arrange a test drive.

Alternatively, you can visit us at The Eco Garage and we can arrange a test drive or phone us on the numbers found on the contacts page. Either way we look forward to hearing from you very soon.

4.What About Servicing my Vehicle?
The servicing of your vehicle will be completed by fully factory trained technicians. Services can be completed either at a place of your choice (work, home etc) or back at The Eco Garage.

The servicing charges are a little smaller than you would expect from a standard garage, due to the fact that our electric vehicles use no oil, oil or air filters, petrol, diesel or any other dirty expensive consumables.

* Please note that the Mega mutlitrucks will require lifting off ground level so this work needs to be undertaken at The Eco Garage.

5.What About Long Distance Journeys?
Battery technology is constantly improving but the dream of driving to Cornwall or Scotland in any EV is still in the future.
For long distance driving hybrid cars are a compromise. Although they are not as environmentally friendly than driving a 100% electric vehicle they do win on long motorway driving.
So you can see Aunty and Uncle in Glasgow more often - lucky them!

Keep watching our website for news of new models and fuel information.