Cazoo Alternatives for Getting an Electric Car in the UK (2026 Guide)
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Cazoo was once one of the UK's most recognisable automotive brands - a direct-to-consumer used car retailer that promised home delivery within 72 hours and built its reputation on simplicity and convenience. After going into administration in 2024, the Cazoo brand was acquired by Motors.co.uk and relaunched in April 2025 in an entirely new form.
Today, Cazoo operates as a used car search marketplace, aggregating listings from more than 5,000 UK dealers rather than buying and selling cars directly. It is no longer a retailer in its own right. It supports HP and PCP finance enquiries, offers a part-exchange tool, and provides car buying guides - but it does not sell new cars, does not offer leasing or salary sacrifice, and does not provide all-inclusive packages.
If you are looking for a Cazoo alternative in 2026, the right option depends significantly on what you actually need. This guide covers the main alternatives by purchase method, explains where each fits, and sets out why employed drivers looking to get an electric car may find that salary sacrifice through The Electric Car Scheme is a structurally stronger choice than anything available on a used car marketplace.
What Is Cazoo in 2026?
Following its relaunch, Cazoo is now a classified advertising and search platform for used cars and vans. It lists over 250,000 vehicles from dealerships across the UK, with strong coverage of electric and hybrid models. Users can filter by make, model, price, mileage, fuel type, and finance options, and can contact dealers directly through the platform.
Finance options shown on Cazoo listings include HP (Hire Purchase) and PCP (Personal Contract Purchase), arranged through individual dealers. The platform also features an AI-powered vehicle recommendation tool and a mobile app rated 4.8/5 on the Apple App Store.
What Cazoo does not offer: new cars, personal contract hire leasing, salary sacrifice schemes, all-inclusive packages covering insurance and servicing, employer benefits administration, or any form of tax-efficient employee benefit. It is a discovery and comparison tool for used car buyers - a strong one, but a narrowly defined one.
The Main Ways to Get an Electric Car in the UK
Before comparing Cazoo alternatives, it helps to understand what the distinct options actually are and what each delivers.
Outright Purchase
Buying a used or new electric car outright with cash or savings. You own the vehicle immediately, with no monthly payments and no finance obligation. You take on full depreciation risk and tie up capital, but there are no interest costs. Cazoo, Autotrader, and Motors.co.uk are all designed for this route.
HP and PCP Finance
Hire Purchase (HP) and Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) are the two most common used car finance structures. HP involves fixed monthly payments until you own the car outright. PCP involves lower monthly payments with a larger optional balloon payment at the end, at which point you can own the car, return it, or use equity toward a new deal. Both are available through dealers listed on Cazoo. Neither involves any Income Tax or National Insurance saving.
Personal Contract Hire (PCH)
Personal leasing means paying a fixed monthly sum to use a car for a set term, then handing it back. You never own the vehicle. Costs typically exclude insurance and servicing. There is no tax relief on PCH payments for private individuals, as the cost comes from taxed income. For employed drivers, this is structurally less efficient than salary sacrifice on the same vehicle.
Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
Electric car salary sacrifice is a different mechanism entirely, and it does not appear on Cazoo or any used car marketplace. It is an employer-administered benefit where an employee gives up a portion of their gross salary in exchange for an all-inclusive electric car lease. Because the payment comes from pre-tax income, the combined Income Tax and National Insurance saving is substantial. With BiK tax at 3% for 2025/26, electric car salary sacrifice is the most tax-efficient way for an employed UK driver to get an electric car. Most employees save 20–50% compared to a personal lease or PCP on the same vehicle.
Cazoo vs Salary Sacrifice: A Direct Comparison
| Vehicle type | Used cars only | New and used EVs |
|---|---|---|
| Finance options | HP & PCP via dealers | Salary sacrifice (pre-tax) |
| Income Tax saving | None | Yes - deducted pre-tax |
| NI saving | None | Yes - employer & employee |
| BiK tax | N/A | 3% for 2025/26 |
| Typical saving vs standard | Market price / dealer margin | 20–50% vs personal lease |
| Insurance included | No | Yes (fully comprehensive) |
| Servicing included | No | Yes |
| Breakdown cover | No | Yes |
| Charging savings | No | Yes - via The Charge Scheme |
| Employer protection | N/A | Complete Employer Protection from Day 1 |
| Setup cost for employer | N/A | Free |
Cazoo Alternatives by Use Case
Best Alternatives for Used Car Search
Autotrader is the UK's largest used car marketplace, with a broader inventory than Cazoo and well-established price guidance tools. For buyers comparing used electric cars across many dealers, it remains the dominant platform.
Motors.co.uk is Cazoo's parent company and operates its own marketplace in parallel. If you are searching through Cazoo, you are effectively already operating within the Motors ecosystem. Both platforms draw from similar dealer networks.
Cinch, now operated by Constellation Automotive Group, offers a more curated selection of used cars with a fixed-price, no-haggle buying model and home delivery. For used EV buyers wanting a streamlined, low-friction purchase, it is worth comparing alongside Cazoo.
For any of these platforms, the core limitation is the same: you are paying from taxed income, receiving no Income Tax or National Insurance relief, and purchasing outside any employer benefit framework.
Best Alternatives for Personal Leasing (PCH)
Personal Contract Hire brokers such as LeaseLoco and Lease Fetcher aggregate deals from multiple leasing companies, allowing side-by-side comparison of monthly costs, initial payments, and contract terms across a wide range of new electric vehicles. For private individuals who want a fixed-term lease on a new EV without the commitment of purchase, these are strong options.
The key limitation: PCH payments come from net income, with no tax advantage. For employed drivers, salary sacrifice on a comparable vehicle will almost always produce a lower effective monthly cost.
Best Alternative for Employed Drivers: Electric Car Salary Sacrifice
For UK employees, the most important Cazoo alternative to understand is electric car salary sacrifice — not because it competes with Cazoo directly, but because it operates on a fundamentally different financial basis that Cazoo cannot replicate. You can use the salary sacrifice calculator to model what you would actually pay on your own salary.
Through a salary sacrifice scheme, your employer leases the car on your behalf and deducts the cost from your gross salary before Income Tax and National Insurance are applied. For a higher-rate taxpayer, the combined saving on a £500/month gross sacrifice is typically around £190–£240 per month, depending on their NI position. Over a three-year lease term, that is a saving of £6,800–£8,600 compared to paying for the same car from take-home pay.
The package is also fully all-inclusive: insurance, servicing, maintenance, tyre replacements, breakdown cover, and road tax are all bundled into the single monthly deduction. There is no equivalent to this on any used car marketplace.
The Electric Car Scheme: The Leading Specialist Alternative
The Electric Car Scheme is the UK's leading dedicated electric car salary sacrifice provider, and the most comprehensive alternative to buying or financing through a marketplace like Cazoo. Named Best Salary Sacrifice Provider 2025 by Car Sloth for the second consecutive year, and EV Salary Sacrifice Provider of the Year 2026 by SME News, it operates as a multi-funder broker — sourcing vehicles from a network of leasing companies to deliver best available prices across every budget.
Key features that go beyond anything a used car marketplace can offer:
Complete Employer Protection from Day 1. The Electric Car Scheme protects businesses from the first day of every lease against resignation, redundancy, illness, parental leave, and vehicle damage — with no excess and no exclusion periods. Employers can offer the scheme as a benefit without taking on residual financial risk.
The Charge Scheme - salary sacrifice for EV charging. The only salary sacrifice solution for ongoing EV charging costs. Through The Charge Scheme, employees save 20–50% on all charging — at home, at work, and at public chargers — using a single app and card. This is a saving entirely unavailable to buyers using Cazoo or any other marketplace.
New and used EVs. The scheme covers both brand-new electric cars and a growing used EV range, with used cars available for delivery within 14 days. This bridges the gap between the affordability of the used market and the tax advantages of salary sacrifice.
Free for employers to set up. There is no cost to the business to run the scheme. Employer NIC savings on reduced gross salaries — an average of £1,920 per car per year - typically make the scheme self-funding or net positive.
5-star Trustpilot rating. Independently verified by thousands of employers and employees across the UK.
Which Option Is Right for You?
Cazoo is a strong choice if you are a private buyer looking to search and compare used cars across a large network of UK dealers, and intend to pay outright or through dealer-arranged HP or PCP finance. Its AI search tools and broad inventory make it a competitive marketplace for used EV discovery.
Autotrader and Cinch are the strongest direct alternatives to Cazoo for used car search, offering comparable or broader inventory with different buying experiences.
LeaseLoco and Lease Fetcher are the best options if you want to compare personal leasing deals on new electric cars without going through an employer scheme.
The Electric Car Scheme is the right choice if you are an employed driver - particularly one paying Income Tax at 20% or 40% - because the structure of salary sacrifice means you are paying for your electric car with money that would otherwise go to HMRC. No used car marketplace can match that. Get an instant quote to model your saving, or book a demo if you are an employer considering setting up a scheme.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cazoo still operating in 2026?
Yes. Following its administration in 2024, Cazoo was acquired by Motors.co.uk and relaunched in April 2025 as a used car search marketplace. It now aggregates listings from over 5,000 UK dealers, with more than 250,000 vehicles available, including a large selection of used electric cars. It is no longer a direct-to-consumer retailer.
Does Cazoo offer electric car salary sacrifice?
No. Cazoo does not offer salary sacrifice, leasing, or any employer benefit scheme. It is a used car search and comparison platform that connects buyers with dealers, supporting HP and PCP finance enquiries. For salary sacrifice, you need a dedicated provider such as The Electric Car Scheme.
What is the cheapest way to get an electric car in the UK?
For employed drivers, electric car salary sacrifice is typically the lowest-cost monthly route to a new or used EV. Payments come from gross salary before Income Tax and National Insurance, with BiK tax at just 3% for 2025/26. Most employees save 20–50% compared to a personal lease on the same vehicle.
Can I get a used electric car through salary sacrifice?
Yes. The Electric Car Scheme offers used EVs through salary sacrifice, with delivery available within 14 days. This makes the full tax benefits of salary sacrifice accessible to employees who want a lower monthly payment, not just those looking at brand-new vehicles. See the used electric car salary sacrifice range for current availability.
What is the BiK rate for electric cars in 2025/26?
The Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rate for fully electric vehicles is 3% for 2025/26. It increases incrementally, reaching 9% by 2029/30 - still well below the maximum 37% rate for high-emission petrol and diesel cars.
How does salary sacrifice work for an employer?
An employer offers a salary sacrifice scheme as an employee benefit. The employer leases the car on the employee's behalf; the employee gives up a portion of gross salary to cover the cost. Both parties benefit: the employee pays less tax, and the employer saves Employer National Insurance Contributions on the reduced gross salary. The Electric Car Scheme is free to set up and provides Complete Employer Protection from Day 1 to eliminate financial risk.
What makes The Electric Car Scheme different from other salary sacrifice providers?
The Electric Car Scheme is the only major provider offering salary sacrifice for EV charging costs through The Charge Scheme, saving employees a further 20–50% on home, workplace, and public charging. It also provides Complete Employer Protection from Day 1 - with no excess, no exclusion periods, and cover from the first lease day - and has been independently recognised as the UK's best salary sacrifice provider for two consecutive years.
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Last updated: 02/03/2026
Our lease 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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