Cash purchase
You pay the full price and own the car outright from day one.
Car financing options explained
The structure you choose can matter more than the car. Each is explained by how it works, who it suits and what catches people out — with the providers named and the rates deliberately left to them.
Bank or credit-union loan
A lender advances the price; you own the car and repay over a fixed term.
Manufacturer (captive) financing
The brand’s own finance arm — Tesla Financing, Volkswagen Financial Services, Ford Credit, Toyota Financial Services and peers — lends against its own cars, often with promotional support baked in.
PCP (personal contract purchase)
Common in the UK and Ireland and spreading: you finance the difference between the price and a guaranteed future value, then choose at term end to pay the balloon, hand the car back, or roll into a new one.
Lease / PCH
Pure rental over a fixed term and mileage: no option to own, lowest commitment to the asset.
Salary sacrifice
Mostly a UK structure: the employee gives up gross salary for a leased car through the employer, paying tax only on a low benefit-in-kind value for EVs; specialist providers such as Octopus Electric Vehicles and the leasing majors administer schemes.
Car subscription
A rolling monthly fee bundling car, insurance, tax and maintenance with short commitment; offered by some manufacturers (Volvo pushed it early) and independents.
Related reading
EV Ground Truth
Electric cars reviewed on real range, charging behaviour and life-cycle emissions.
Travel Health Evidence
Jet lag, travellers' diarrhoea, food safety and eating with an allergy abroad.
Carbon Evidence
Personal carbon footprints, life-cycle assessment, and which changes actually move the number.
The EV Route
Planning an electric road trip around real range, real charge curves and where the chargers actually are.