Fleets switching to electric vehicles will benefit from lower servicing and maintenance costs, new research from Cap HPI suggests.

The Renault Zoe is 27% cheaper to maintain than the Vauxhall Corsa 1.0T 90 Design, the research suggests

A study by the firm found that on average service and maintenance costs are 23% lower for electric vehicles than petrol vehicles over three years and 60,000 miles, while the gap widens for smaller vehicles. A Renault Zoe costs £1,100 to maintain over three years; down 26.5% on the £1,497 for a Vauxhall Corsa 1.0T 90 Design.

The research also found the Nissan Leaf costs £1,197 to maintain over three years, 19% lower than the Volkswagen Golf 1.0TSI 110 SE at £1,429.

Chris Plumb, senior valuations editor at Cap HPI, said: “An electric car motor has far fewer moving parts than a petrol or diesel engine. They also benefit from gentler driving styles that lead to lower wear and tear of brakes and tyres. While the purchase price is often higher at the moment, but coming down all the time, drivers will find an EV much cheaper to run with significantly lower costs to charge rather than visit the pump and lower maintenance costs.”