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Autotrader’s expert busts electric car myths
Editorial Director Erin Baker joins The Times’ Feel Better About Money podcast to share insight on going electric
Words by: Dan Trent
Published on 1 May 2025 | 0 min read
The cost of buying and running electric car is still seen as a big barrier for drivers who might otherwise be ready to run one. And in a cost of living crisis these worries might have you playing it safe and postponing that switch to electric.
These issues and more have been explored on the Feel Better About Money podcast from The Times, with a little myth-busting help from Autotrader’s Editorial Director Erin Baker and her long-standing combination of professional and personal experience testing and living with electric cars. Erin joins James Court from Octopus EV and hosts Lucy Andrews and Holly Mead to rattle through all the common concerns car buyers express about going electric, be that the perception of higher purchase costs, the faff of charging and whether the batteries on used models will still deliver the claimed range they had when they were new. And how many ‘doo-dads’ it takes to charge an electric car, and what their comparative costs are when doing so at home or out on the road! All will be revealed… From the Autotrader side Erin shares market insight about the discounting and deals currently available on new electric cars, in part motivated by manufacturers’ need to sell more of them to comply with the government’s ZEV Mandate. You can also hear her thoughts on buying a used electric car, and how the choice for buyers is increasing in scope, quality and affordability. Along the way Holly, Lucy, James and Erin also explore wider issues of running costs, buying incentives like salary sacrifice schemes, tax changes and other jargon buyers need to navigate when crunching the numbers compared with a regular petrol, diesel or hybrid. Inevitably there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to suit all needs but, if you’re open to persuasion and ready to hear the experts break the buzzwords down into real-world language, it’s well worth half an hour of your time. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
These issues and more have been explored on the Feel Better About Money podcast from The Times, with a little myth-busting help from Autotrader’s Editorial Director Erin Baker and her long-standing combination of professional and personal experience testing and living with electric cars. Erin joins James Court from Octopus EV and hosts Lucy Andrews and Holly Mead to rattle through all the common concerns car buyers express about going electric, be that the perception of higher purchase costs, the faff of charging and whether the batteries on used models will still deliver the claimed range they had when they were new. And how many ‘doo-dads’ it takes to charge an electric car, and what their comparative costs are when doing so at home or out on the road! All will be revealed… From the Autotrader side Erin shares market insight about the discounting and deals currently available on new electric cars, in part motivated by manufacturers’ need to sell more of them to comply with the government’s ZEV Mandate. You can also hear her thoughts on buying a used electric car, and how the choice for buyers is increasing in scope, quality and affordability. Along the way Holly, Lucy, James and Erin also explore wider issues of running costs, buying incentives like salary sacrifice schemes, tax changes and other jargon buyers need to navigate when crunching the numbers compared with a regular petrol, diesel or hybrid. Inevitably there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to suit all needs but, if you’re open to persuasion and ready to hear the experts break the buzzwords down into real-world language, it’s well worth half an hour of your time. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!