Brits spend 597 hours per year in their cars, according to Bristol Street Motors analysis. The breakdown is as follows:

430 hours to and from schools and colleges
134 hours commuting to and from work
16 hours to and from the supermarket
7 hours to GPs or hospital

Because of the significant amount of time spent in your car, it's important to feel comfortable; otherwise, you might experience issues such as lower back pain, muscle tightness, or fatigue. These discomforts could potentially have adverse effects on your health.

Electric cars tend to be pricier than petrol or diesel cars due to their incorporation of new technology and hardware, both internally and externally. There is an increased focus, particularly now, on the significance of your car's comfort. Typically, within electric vehicles (EVs), controls and buttons are managed through an oversized screen, catering to drivers familiar with conducting tasks on their mobile phones.

We have compiled a list of the top five most comfortable electric cars you can salary sacrifice at The Electric Car Scheme.

What makes a car comfortable?

Understanding the elements contributing to a car's comfort might seem straightforward, yet this plays a crucial in the overall performance of a car. Consumer Reports published an interesting article outlining the aspects consumers prioritize when evaluating car comfort.

Ride quality, indicating how effectively a car absorbs road bumps or maintains a smooth ride, holds significant importance. SUVs generally require firmer suspension systems to ensure stability and control for their taller bodies.
Noise levels in electric vehicles (EVs) are notably reduced compared to those in petrol or diesel cars, although this factor remains important in the overall assessment.
Considering both front and rear seat comfort is crucial when evaluating the overall comfort of a car.
The ease of use of the infotainment system holds paramount importance, given its reliance for every journey. An inconvenient system can become a daily annoyance.
Interior space encompasses both boot and cabin space, determining whether a car can comfortably accommodate five adults or is suitable only for the maximum capacity of occupants for shorter durations.

Top 5 of the most comfortable cars to salary sacrifice

Genesis GV70

Ride Quality - According to online evaluations of the Genesis GV70, the electric variant consistently maintains a smooth and refined driving experience. Despite weighing 2,310kg, rendering it heavier than standard models, the vehicle operates quietly. It holds the distinction of being the fastest GV70, capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds in Boost mode and 4.8 seconds in Standard mode.

This image is sourced from Auto Express

Interior space - Internally, the car looks impressive. It boasts electric seat adjustment for both the driver and front passenger. Additionally, it offers a heated steering wheel, heated seats, and rear climate control. Occupants in the front enjoy ample legroom and headroom, complemented by electric height and cushion tilt adjustments, along with a memory function in the driver's seat. However, the rear space is relatively constrained, partly due to the transmission tunnel encroaching upon the middle seat area, albeit offering abundant headroom. The boot provides 503 litres of space with the rear seats up, while an additional 20 litres are available in the front due to the absence of an engine.

Genesis GV70 available at The Electric Car Scheme

The Genesis GV70 is available to lease with The Electric Car Scheme. You could save £445 every month from your income tax and national insurance savings meaning you would only have to pay £678 per month because of salary sacrifice!

Vauxhall Mokka-e

Drive Quality - The car showcases impressive performance in towns and on motorways. Its swift acceleration and responsive controls facilitate effortless starts and stops. Notably, it operates quietly at higher speeds on the motorway, offering commendable visibility and ensuring a comfortable and dependable driving experience, irrespective of one's typical driving habits.

This is image is sourced from Vertu Lease Cars

Interior Space - Overall, the interior is practical with decent material quality. The front seats provide ample accommodation, offering various adjustment features, and the steering wheel also allows for adjustments. However, the back seats, especially for taller individuals, lack the same level of comfort.

Interior Mokka E The Electric Car Scheme — Nevertheless, smaller passengers will find it easy to get comfortable. The boot space measures 310 litres behind the rear seats, while the Ultimate trim presents the flexibility to adjust the boot floor height.

This is image is sourced from Parkers

Infotainment - Positioned at the centre of the dashboard, a 10-inch touchscreen is angled towards the driver, complemented by a 12-inch digital driver display extending to the right of the touchscreen. Noteworthy features include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Connectivity, a SatNav system, Bluetooth, and DAB Digital Radio. Despite its touchscreen functionality, the presence of buttons for specific functions enhances accessibility while driving.

Vauxhall Mokka-E with The Electric Car Scheme

Above, you can see the cost breakdown for the Vauxhall Mokka-e if you were to salary sacrifice via The Electric Car Scheme.

Mercedes EQE

Drive Quality - The Mercedes EQE has direct steering and an advantageous forward view, complemented by camera and sensor assistance, including an optional self-parking system, which proves particularly useful. Excelling on the motorway, the EQE's optional air suspension ensures a consistently comfortable ride. Its low aerodynamic profile contributes to a refined driving experience by minimizing wind and tire noise. Offering an estimated 300 miles of range on a single charge, the EQE is equipped with electronic driving assistants like radar-guided cruise control and lane-keeping steering, promoting straight-line driving between lane markings. The inclusion of an automated speed limiter further enhances driving convenience, contributing to the overall joy of driving the Mercedes EQE. However, in urban settings and on smaller roads, the EQE's performance is less favourable, and noticeable with some bumpiness and limited rear visibility. Nonetheless, it compensates with a commendable turning circle.

Interior Space - The vehicle offers ample storage capacity featuring adjustable cupholders, wireless phone chargers, and conveniently placed USB sockets located beneath the central screen. Praised for their comfort, the front seats are notably firm, providing ample support for extended journeys. Moreover, both the seat and steering wheel offer generous adjustment options for personalized comfort. However, the rear headroom is somewhat limited due to the standard panoramic roof, making it challenging to comfortably accommodate three people in the back. The boot space, initially at 430 litres, leans towards the smaller side. Nonetheless, folding the back seats expands the available space significantly to a capacious 895 litres.

Mercedes EQE Interior with The Electric Car Scheme — **Infotainment** - All EQE models feature a prominent 12.8-inch infotainment screen that elegantly reclines into the centre of the dashboard. Notably, the cabin design minimizes the presence of physical buttons, which some users might find fiddly.

This is image is sourced from Car Magazine

However, a fingerprint scanner button situated at the bottom serves as a convenient tool to access personalized presets for various functions such as heating controls, navigation settings, as well as toggling between sport or comfort configurations.

The Mercedes EQE is available at The Electric Car Scheme via our quote tool

Our quote tool allows you to input your salary, how many miles you think you’ll drive per year and how long you would like the lease to be and it calculates how much salary sacrifice will save you.

Hyundai Ioniq 5

Drive Quality - The Ioniq 5 offers four levels of regenerative braking, with the most potent setting allowing the car to come to a complete stop by simply lifting your foot off the accelerator. Featuring a soft suspension, it provides a comfortable driving experience enhanced by how quiet it is, contributing to an overall sense of comfort. The high-definition camera system proves extremely useful, displaying detailed images on the screens. Notably, the overhead view can be zoomed in, facilitating parking manoeuvres. Moreover, the Ioniq 5 boasts automated cruise control and lane-keeping assist.

This image is sourced from Top Gear

Interior Space - The Ioniq 5 interior presents a minimalist design with high-quality materials. The centre console's design maximises legroom and offers convenient movement, providing a spacious feel. While the entry-level model has manual seat adjustments, the top-of-the-range variant features electric height adjustment. Ample headroom and legroom in the rear make it ideal for passengers, with the completely flat floor enabling comfortable seating for an adult in the middle seat. Its 527-litre boot capacity is complemented by a 57-litre storage compartment at the front.

Infotainment - Positioned on top of the dashboard are two 12.3-inch digital screens, with one dedicated to displaying driving data while the other serves as the infotainment hub. User-friendly and supplemented by buttons along the bottom edge, the system allows seamless navigation between functions without the need to access the main menu, enhancing usability. As with the aforementioned vehicles, the infotainment system supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, alongside Bluetooth, DAB radio, and wireless charging capabilities.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 is available to salary sacrifice at The Electric Car Scheme

Above shows the salary sacrifice breakdown for the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

BMW i7

Drive Quality - Carwow praises the BMW i7 as one of the top-performing electric vehicles in terms of driving experience. Its forte lies in long motorway drives, where the vehicle excels. The air suspension automatically lowers at high speeds, enhancing aerodynamics for improved efficiency. According to Carwow, it is acclaimed as "one of the smoothest, most comfortable cars you can purchase, offering an exceptionally relaxing driving experience during extended journeys." The i4 model is equipped with a 102kWh battery pack, boasting an official range of 388 miles on a single charge. Charging at a rate of 22kW takes just over six hours to complete.

Interior Space - The front seats of the i7 provide exceptional comfort, boasting ample legroom and headroom. Felt-lined door bins effectively prevent items from rattling inside them, and additional storage is available under the armrest for added convenience. Rear-seat passengers also enjoy generous legroom, but the seating configuration is more suited for two individuals rather than accommodating three. However, they benefit from dedicated USB charging sockets positioned at the centre on the back of the front seats.

BMW i7 Interior Salary Sacrifice — The i7 impressively offers 500 litres of boot space, which is 25 litres more than what the petrol 7-series provides. Furthermore, it features a glass roof equipped with LED lights that serve as part of the carbon mood lighting, enhancing the overall interior ambience.

This image is sourced from Professional Driver

Infotainment - The infotainment system has the big curved digital display (12.3 inches) which is already in the iX electric SUV and it stretches across more than half of the dashboard. It is touchscreen but there is also a rotary controller, which is less distracting when driving. Interestingly, there is also an optional theatre screen which is 31 inches, which folds out of the ceiling to give rear passengers

This image is sourced from BMW Group

If you decide to add the Theatre Screen, you may also choose to add the surround-sound system which is part of the Technology Plus Pack.

BMW i7 Saloon available at The Electric Car Scheme

The BMW i7 Saloon is available to salary sacrifice for £881 because you save £567 in income tax and national insurance savings. You do have to pay a small fee towards the benefit-in-kind tax, which on this car specifically is £98. So in total you would spend £881 a month for the BMW i7 Saloon.

Learn more about electric car salary sacrifice with The Electric Car Scheme

Instead of leasing a car the normal way, salary sacrifice allows employees to lease electric cars via their employers. Government tax incentives promote sustainable choices, but they can be complex and difficult to access. The Electric Car Scheme makes it simple to access these incentives to transition to Net Zero. Employees can access an electric car by sacrificing a portion of their pre-tax salary. Usually, when leasing cars, the employee would pay with their net salary (after tax). With salary sacrifice, the employee deduces this from their gross salary (before tax), meaning this comes from income tax and national insurance.

Employers can attract and retain top talent, improve their ESG goals and save money in the long term by providing this as an employee benefit. As an employer, you can give employees access to a huge range of electric cars.

You can read more about what salary sacrifice is, how it works and the benefits for both employees and employers in our blog: are salary sacrifice schemes a good idea?

Learn more about how you, as an employer, can implement the scheme here or browse the wide range of cars available to salary sacrifice here.

Our pricing is based on data collected from The Electric Car Scheme quote tool. All final pricing is inclusive of VAT. All prices above are based on the following lease terms; 10,000 miles pa, 36 months, and are inclusive of Maintenance and Breakdown Cover. The Electric Car Scheme’s terms and conditions apply. All deals are subject to credit approval and availability. All deals are subject to excess mileage and damage charges. Prices are calculated based on the following tax saving assumptions; England & Wales, 40% tax rate. The above prices were calculated using a flat payment profile. The Electric Car Scheme Limited provides services for the administration of your salary sacrifice employee benefits. The Electric Car Scheme Holdings Limited is a member of the BVRLA (10608), is authorised and regulated by the FCA under FRN 968270, is an Appointed Representative of Marshall Management Services Ltd under FRN 667174, and is a credit broker and not a lender or insurance provider.

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