Tusker Alternatives for EV Salary Sacrifice in the UK (2026 Guide)
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Tusker is one of the most recognisable names in the UK salary sacrifice car market. Founded in 2007, it has established relationships with large public and private sector employers across the country, and its all-inclusive lease model covers the core running costs employees expect. For businesses already using Tusker, or evaluating it for the first time, it is a credible and well-known player in the market.
However, as everyone knows, the salary sacrifice market has grown (and advanced) considerably. What once differentiated Tusker - its all-inclusive package and established fleet relationships - is now standard across the market. Where providers diverge meaningfully is on the criteria that carry the most financial and operational weight for employers and employees in 2026: when employer protection begins, whether used EVs are available, how pricing is structured, and whether employees can salary sacrifice their charging costs as well as their car.
This guide covers what Tusker actually offers, where it falls short relative to the current market, and where providers (like The Electric Car Scheme) deliver distinct and measurable advantages, to help you make an informed decision before committing to an electric car salary sacrifice scheme.
What Does Tusker Offer?
Tusker operates as a fleet leasing company and salary sacrifice provider. Unlike broker-based models that source vehicles from multiple funders, Tusker has direct leasing relationships and manages its own vehicle supply. Its salary sacrifice scheme offers an all-inclusive monthly payment covering the car, fully comprehensive insurance, servicing, maintenance, breakdown cover, and road tax.
Tusker has experience working with large public sector organisations and private sector employers - including many household names. It supports both electric and hybrid vehicles, and provides HR and Finance teams with reporting tools and payroll support.
Lifestyle Protection
Tusker's employer protection product is called ‘Lifestyle Protection’. It covers employers for early lease termination resulting from redundancy, long-term illness, and parental leave.
This sounds great, but it’s worth bearing in mind that Lifestyle Protection only activates after the first three months of each lease. This means that for any employee who leaves or is unable to continue during the initial period, the employer carries the full financial risk of early termination. In a workforce where staff movement can occur at any time, a three-month exclusion period represents a meaningful gap in protection.
Vehicle Range
Tusker offers new electric vehicles and selected hybrid cars. It does not currently offer a used EV option through its salary sacrifice scheme. Although this seems small, this is a limitation that affects scheme accessibility for employees at lower salary levels or those who want a lower monthly outgoing without waiting for a new vehicle delivery slot.
Charging Integration
Tusker does not offer a dedicated salary sacrifice solution for EV charging costs. Employees who salary sacrifice a car through Tusker pay for their home, workplace, and public charging from their net income, without the additional pre-tax saving that a charging salary sacrifice product would deliver.
Pricing Model
As a direct leasing provider rather than a multi-funder broker, Tusker sets its pricing through its own vehicle supply relationships. Broker-based models, which source vehicles from a network of competing funders, can typically deliver more competitive pricing across a broader range of models - particularly where funder volume and market tension drive rates down.
Key Takeaways
Tusker's employer protection only begins after three months
No used EV option limits scheme accessibility for lower earners
No salary sacrifice solution exists for EV charging costs
The direct leasing model limits pricing competitiveness across models
How EV Salary Sacrifice Providers Differ: What to Evaluate
Not all electric car salary sacrifice schemes are equivalent. When evaluating Tusker or any alternative provider, the following criteria represent the most consequential points of difference.
When Does Employer Protection Start?
This is the most important question to ask any provider. As mentioned earlier, Tusker has a three-month exclusion period. This means that early terminations in the first 12 weeks of a lease fall entirely on the employer. For businesses with any staff turnover, this gap carries real financial exposure. Providers that offer Day 1 protection eliminate this risk from the outset of every lease.
Is There a Used EV Option?
When considering Tusker alternatives, it's worth noting that a salary sacrifice scheme limited to new electric vehicles primarily benefits higher earners. If you opt for a scheme that offers used EVs, you’ll naturally extend the full tax advantages of electric car salary sacrifice to employees at lower salary levels. This removes the need to commit to the higher monthly cost of a new vehicle. Also, rapid delivery of used stock can eliminate the waiting times often associated with new car orders.
Can Employees Salary Sacrifice Their Charging Costs?
The recurring cost of charging an EV is a substantive expense. When considering Tusker alternatives, it's worth evaluating how charging costs are handled. A salary sacrifice scheme that only covers the vehicle means employees pay for home, workplace, and public charging from their net, post-tax income
However, The Charge Scheme (an add-on product built by The Electric Car Scheme team) offers a salary sacrifice solution that includes charging costs. This allows employees to save on Income Tax and National Insurance on every charge, extending the pre-tax saving well beyond the car itself. This is a key differentiator when comparing Tusker and different options. Where a provider offers a salary sacrifice solution for charging costs, employees save Income Tax and National Insurance on every charge - extending the pre-tax saving well beyond the car itself.
How Is Pricing Structured?
Direct leasing providers set their prices based on their own supply arrangements. However, multi-funder broker models, offering a potential alternative to Tusker, source vehicles from a network of competing leasing companies. This often generates more competitive pricing and potentially better rates for employees. To determine which Tusker alternative is worth considering, running like-for-like quotes across different providers (using the same vehicle, lease term, and mileage) is the most reliable method of comparison
What Do Independent Assessments Say?
Third-party awards, verified Trustpilot ratings, and named client case studies provide a signal that self-declared marketing claims cannot. When evaluating any salary sacrifice provider, the weight of independently verified recognition is worth factoring into your decision.
Key Takeaways
Day 1 employer protection eliminates early termination financial risk
Used EVs extend salary sacrifice access across all salary bands
Charging salary sacrifice extends pre-tax savings beyond the vehicle
Multi-funder broker models typically deliver more competitive pricing
Tusker vs The Electric Car Scheme: A Direct Comparison
| Tusker | The Electric Car Scheme | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 | 2020 |
| B Corp certified | No | Yes |
| New EVs | Yes | Yes |
| Used EVs | No | Yes — delivery within 14 days |
| Hybrid cars | Yes | Yes (selected models, up to 30% savings) |
| All-inclusive package | Yes | Yes |
| Employer protection | Lifestyle Protection — after 3 months only | Complete Employer Protection from Day 1 — no excess, no exclusions, no waiting period |
| Salary sacrifice for charging | No | Yes — The Charge Scheme saves 20–50% on all EV charging |
| Pricing model | Direct leasing company | Multi-funder broker |
| Key awards | Established fleet provider | Best Salary Sacrifice Provider, Car Sloth 2024 & 2025; EV Salary Sacrifice Provider of the Year, SME News 2026 |
| Setup cost for employer | Free | Free |
| Trustpilot rating | Excellent – 4.6 stars | Excellent — 4.8 stars |
Key Takeaways
The Electric Car Scheme offers Complete Employer Protection from Day 1
Only The Electric Car Scheme offers salary sacrifice for charging costs
Used EVs are available through The Electric Car Scheme within 14 days
The Electric Car Scheme holds a higher Trustpilot rating than Tusker
Why The Electric Car Scheme Is the Leading Tusker Alternative
The Electric Car Scheme is the UK's leading dedicated electric car salary sacrifice provider. It operates as a multi-funder broker, sourcing new and used electric cars from a network of leasing companies to deliver the best available pricing across every budget.
What Are The Main Differentiating Features When Comparing The Two?
Complete Employer Protection from Day 1 - With No Exclusion period.
Tusker's Lifestyle Protection only begins after three months. The Electric Car Scheme's Complete Employer Protection covers employers against resignation, redundancy, illness, parental leave, vehicle damage, and failure to pay fees from the first day of every lease. There is no excess, no exclusion period, and no requirement to opt into a premium tier. For employers with any degree of staff movement - including organisations in sectors with higher turnover - this represents a significant and measurable risk reduction compared to Tusker.
The Charge Scheme: The Only Salary Sacrifice Solution For EV Charging In The UK
Tusker offers no charging integration beyond the vehicle itself.
The Charge Scheme allows employees to salary sacrifice the cost of EV charging - at home, at work, or on public networks- through a single app and card, with the cost deducted from gross salary before Income Tax and National Insurance are calculated. Employees save a further 20–50% on all charging costs.
For an employee charging regularly at home and occasionally in public, this can represent an additional saving of £500–£1,000 per year on top of the vehicle saving itself. No other major UK salary sacrifice provider offers this.
New And Used EVs With Fast Delivery
Tusker's scheme is limited to new electric vehicles. The Electric Car Scheme offers both new electric cars and used EVs through salary sacrifice, with used vehicles available for delivery within 14 days.
This means businesses with a diverse workforce can offer one scheme that works for employees at every salary level - not just those who can afford a brand-new car. For HR and Reward teams looking for improved scheme uptake and internal equity, multi-funder broker pricing is a substantive advantage.
Multi-Funder Broker Pricing
Because The Electric Car Scheme sources vehicles from a network of competing leasing companies rather than its own supply, pricing is subject to genuine market tension across funders. Employees access the best available rates at any given time. Run a like-for-like quote using the salary sacrifice calculator to see the difference for your specific vehicle and salary band.
B Corp Certified And Independently Verified
The Electric Car Scheme is a certified B Corp, meeting rigorous independently verified standards for social and environmental performance. For businesses with published ESG commitments or Scope 3 emissions targets, partnering with a B Corp-certified provider adds credibility to sustainability reporting. Tusker does not hold B Corp certification.
Market-Leading Independent Recognition
The Electric Car Scheme has been named Best Salary Sacrifice Provider by Car Sloth in both 2024 and 2025 - the only provider to receive this recognition twice - and EV Salary Sacrifice Provider of the Year 2026 by SME News. We also hold a 4.9-star Trustpilot rating from thousands of independently verified employer and employee reviews.
Key Takeaways
Complete Employer Protection covers Day 1 with no exclusion period
The Charge Scheme saves employees 20–50% on all charging costs
Multi-funder broker pricing delivers market-competitive rates throughout
B Corp certification supports ESG reporting and sustainability commitments
What Does Tusker Do Well?
Tusker is not without genuine strengths, and for certain employer profiles, it remains a credible option.
Its tenure in the market (over 15 years) gives it established relationships with large public sector organisations, particularly in local government and the NHS, where procurement and due diligence processes favour providers with long track records. Its fleet leasing background means it can integrate salary sacrifice alongside traditional company car fleet management for employers who need both.
Tusker also supports hybrid vehicles, which may be relevant for employers with employees whose driving patterns or workplace locations make a fully electric car impractical at present. For those employees, a hybrid salary sacrifice option provides a transition route before committing to a pure EV.
However, these strengths do not address the core gaps identified above. Employer protection that begins after three months, no used EV option, and no charging salary sacrifice solution are structural limitations that affect the financial value and risk profile of the scheme for employers and employees in 2026, regardless of Tusker's tenure or fleet credentials.
Other Tusker Alternatives Worth Considering
Octopus Electric Vehicles
Octopus EV is the salary sacrifice arm of the wider Octopus Energy Group. It bundles EV leasing with Octopus energy tariffs and home charger installation, which suits employers and employees already within the Octopus ecosystem. Like Tusker, however, Octopus EV only begins employer protection after three months, so the Day 1 protection gap applies equally.
Its charging integration is tied to Octopus Energy products, which limits utility for employees who are not Octopus customers or who charge primarily on public networks. There is no salary sacrifice solution for charging costs equivalent to The Charge Scheme.
Loveelectric
Loveelectric is a B Corp-certified salary sacrifice broker operating a multi-funder model with new and used EVs (Reloved®) and a Zero Risk Guarantee covering employers from Day 1. It is a credible EV-specialist alternative for employers who want broker pricing and used EV access.
Key limitations to note:
The Zero Risk Guarantee is funded through a fee charged to employees rather than absorbed by the provider, and the minimum employee salary threshold of £27,000 may reduce inclusivity for lower earners.
Loveelectric does not offer a salary sacrifice solution for charging costs.
It is also worth noting that Perkbox announced an acquisition of Loveelectric in December 2025 - employers should confirm service continuity before committing.
Zenith
Zenith is a large corporate leasing and fleet management company offering salary sacrifice alongside broader fleet services. Its all-inclusive scheme includes payroll integration and fleet management tools suited to organisations already running centralised company car programmes.
Because Zenith operates as a direct leasing company rather than a broker, pricing reflects its own vehicle supply rather than competitive funder tension. Used EVs are not available, and there is no salary sacrifice solution for charging costs. Zenith is most relevant for large corporates where fleet integration takes priority over maximising employee savings.
Key Takeaways
The Electric Car Scheme leads to protection, pricing, and charging savings
Loveelectric and Octopus EV both lack a charging salary sacrifice solution
Zenith and Novuna suit large corporations with existing fleet infrastructure
Confirm employer protection start dates with every provider before committing
Frequently Asked Questions: Tusker Alternatives
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Both offer all-inclusive electric car salary sacrifice schemes with a single monthly payment covering the vehicle, insurance, servicing, maintenance, tyres, breakdown cover, and road tax.
The key differences are:
Tusker's Lifestyle Protection only begins after three months, whereas The Electric Car Scheme provides Complete Employer Protection from Day 1 with no exclusion periods and no excess
Tusker does not offer used EVs, whereas The Electric Car Scheme offers new and used electric cars with used vehicles available within 14 days
Tusker has no salary sacrifice solution for EV charging, whereas The Electric Car Scheme's Charge Scheme saves employees 20–50% on all charging costs
The Electric Car Scheme operates as a multi-funder broker, which typically delivers more competitive pricing than Tusker's direct leasing model.
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Tusker's Lifestyle Protection begins after the first three months of each lease. This means employers carry the financial risk of early termination during the initial period of any new lease.
The Electric Car Scheme's Complete Employer Protection begins from Day 1, covering resignation, redundancy, illness, parental leave, vehicle damage, and non-payment of fees from the very first day - with no exclusion period, no excess, and no cap on terminations.
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No. Tusker's salary sacrifice scheme is currently limited to new electric vehicles.
The Electric Car Scheme offers both new and used electric cars through salary sacrifice, with used EVs available for delivery within 14 days - extending the tax advantages of salary sacrifice to employees at lower salary levels or those who prefer a lower monthly payment.
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No. Tusker does not offer a salary sacrifice solution for EV charging. Employees pay for home, workplace, and public charging from their net income.
The Charge Scheme allows employees to salary sacrifice the cost of all EV charging - at home, at work, and in public - saving a further 20–50% on their charging bills through a single app and card.
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The Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rate for fully electric vehicles is 3% for the 2025/26 tax year. It will rise to 4% in 2026/27, 5% in 2027/28, 7% in 2028/29, and cap at 9% in 2029/30 - still far below the maximum 37% rate for high-emission petrol and diesel cars.
This sustained advantage makes EV salary sacrifice highly cost-effective throughout the next four years, regardless of which provider you choose.
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Most employees save between 20% and 50% compared to a personal lease, depending on their income tax band, National Insurance contributions, and the vehicle they choose.
Use the salary sacrifice calculator for a personalised figure.
When exploring Tusker alternatives, it's worth carefully checking how quoted savings are calculated. Some providers may present higher figures that don't fully account for increasing Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rates throughout the lease term.
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Salary sacrifice reduces your gross salary, which can affect affordability assessments for new mortgage applications. However, EV salary sacrifice operates as a business contract hire - it does not affect your personal credit score.
Read our full guide to salary sacrifice and mortgages for more detail.
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No. The Electric Car Scheme is free to set up for employers.
The scheme is cost-neutral: the Employer National Insurance savings generated by reduced gross salaries offset all running costs.
On average, The Electric Car Scheme generates around £1,920 in NI savings per car per year for employers. Confirm cost-neutrality with any prospective provider before committing.
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Independent assessments point to The Electric Car Scheme as the UK market leader. It has been named Best Salary Sacrifice Provider by Car Sloth for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025), and EV Salary Sacrifice Provider of the Year 2026 by SME News - with evaluation criteria spanning pricing, employer protection, EV range, charging integration, inclusivity, and customer experience.
For a full comparison of the leading UK providers, see the best electric car salary sacrifice providers in the UK (2026).
Should I Choose Tusker As My Salary Sacrifice Provider?
Tusker remains a credible provider for large employers (particularly those in the public sector) with established fleet requirements and a preference for a well-known name. For those employers, Tusker's tenure and direct fleet relationships carry weight!
However, for employers who want Day 1 employer protection without a three-month exclusion period, access to used EVs to make the scheme accessible, and a salary sacrifice solution for charging costs, The Electric Car Scheme is the clear choice!
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SEE AVAILABLE CARSEcs Business Toolkit
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How the Scheme WorksFind out how salary sacrifice can work for you or your business.
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Complete Employer ProtectionAll employers and drivers are protected from day 1.
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Our ImpactWe are an award-winning B Corp - find out about how we do good.
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Case StudiesJoin thousands of employers already offering The Electric Car Scheme.
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Last updated: 20/03/2026
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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