Latest electric vehicles including prestige brands were showcased to city workers yesterday to promote the money-saving benefits of salary sacrifice. 

The event gave drivers a rare chanace to see latest EVs side by side – brands present included Tesla, Cupra, Polestar, Nissan, Ford, Kia, MG, Audi, Porsche and Mercedes

Held during the ‘eye of the storm’ for rail/tube strikes, the event was run by Novuna Vehicle Solutions for employees of its long-term customer, the Canary Wharf Group, bringing drivers up to speed on how salary sacrifice could help them snap up an EV. 

The event outlined that while the Plug-in Car Grant has been axed for EV purchases, drivers can lease an electric car for up to half the monthly cost of a vehicle using the salary sacrifice mechanism. 

Jon Lawes, managing director of Novuna Vehicle Solutions, commented: “Last week the Government elected to withdraw the Plug-in Car grant to new applications. However, a lot of motorists still don’t know that via salary sacrifice, employers can help drivers make the switch to electric, by putting a pre-tax portion of their salary towards paying the monthly cost. In an age of sky-rocketing inflation and petrol prices, plus an emphasis on living more sustainably, both the motor industry and the Government needs to be banging the drum on these initiatives as we work towards a net zero future.” 

In all, some 300 guests turned up to capitalise on a rare opportunity to see latest EVs side by side, including the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Mercedes EQE, Polestar 2, Audi e-tron and Porsche Taycan. Other vehicles included the Kia EV6, Nissan Ariya, Cupra Born, Tesla Model 3 and MG ZS EV.  

Jon Lawes continued: “The event has been a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the benefits of salary sacrifice to city workers keen to join the EV revolution. We have seen a fantastic turnout despite the travel disruption, and we are delighted that so many have come to learn more about this greener mode of travel which is very much the future for the industry.” 

It’s over 10 years since Novuna Vehicle Solutions launched its first salary sacrifice scheme, which continues to go from strength to strength, supported by favourable Benefit-in-Kind rates. The company currently has over 30 different schemes on offer and since 2010, it’s developed employee schemes with over 100,000 eligible employees which includes some of the UK’s biggest corporates.  

Of the eligible employees that Novuna has via its salary sacrifice schemes, approximately 5.5% opt into taking a car, with 100% of these an EV variant. The industry average for salary sacrifice uptake can range between 3% and 5%.