The Electric Car Scheme vs
Select Car Leasing
Compare EV Salary Sacrifice from The Electric Car Scheme with Personal Leasing from Select Car Leasing
Choosing a salary sacrifice or EV benefit route is a strategic decision. Pricing, vehicle availability, risk protection and operational simplicity all determine whether the scheme is accessible, scalable and cost-neutral for your workforce.
At a Glance: Key Differences Between The Electric Car Scheme and Select Car Leasing
Structure: The Electric Car Scheme is EV salary sacrifice paid from gross salary; Select Car Leasing is primarily personal or business contract hire paid from net income.
Total cost: Employees can save 30–40% on an EV vs a Select Car Leasing personal lease because of income tax and NI savings on salary sacrifice.
Risk protection: The Electric Car Scheme includes Complete Employer Protection (redundancy, resignation, sickness, parental leave); personal leases place all risk on the individual.
Charging: The Electric Car Scheme salary-sacrifices home, workplace and public charging; personal leases don't include any tax-efficient charging bundle.
Vehicle choice: The Electric Car Scheme offers new and hundreds of used EVs plus PHEVs across multiple funders; Select Car Leasing offers wide multi-fuel personal leasing.
The Strongest Prices for Employee Electric Cars
Personal leasing is paid from post-tax income — salary sacrifice is paid from gross. For a 40% taxpayer, that's a 30–40% saving before any other benefit is counted.
The Electric Car Scheme
Electric and plug-in hybrids below 75g CO2/km
Hundreds of used EVs in stock at any time
Multi-funder leasing panel
Select Car Leasing
Wide multi-fuel vehicle range across personal and business contract hire
No salary-sacrifice option
No tax-efficiency advantage for electric vehicles
For larger organisations with a high proportion of employees in the basic-rate tax band, broader access to used and plug-in hybrid vehicles can make the scheme accessible to a significantly wider share of the workforce.
Risk and Early Termination Protection Comparison
92% of senior HR professionals believe salary sacrifice carries risk if an employee leaves while they still have a car.
The Electric Car Scheme's Complete Employer Protection
Included as standard from day 1
Covers resignation (3 months+), redundancy, dismissal, parental leave, long-term sickness, loss of licence and death
No excess fees, caps or annual limits
Cover continues even if the employee doesn't pay termination fees or damage costs
Select Car Leasing's protection
Early-termination fees fall entirely on the individual
No redundancy, sickness or parental-leave protection by default
GAP insurance and lifestyle protection sold as separate products
| Event | The Electric Car Scheme | Select Car Leasing |
|---|---|---|
| Resignation | Covered from 3 months, no excess or cap | Typically 3-month exclusion; excess may apply |
| Redundancy | Covered from day 1, no excess or cap | Exclusion period and annual cap common |
| Dismissal | Covered, no excess or cap | Often partial or excluded |
| Parental leave | Covered, no excess or cap | Often excluded or time-limited |
| Long-term sickness | Covered, no excess or cap | Often time-limited |
| Loss of licence | Covered | Varies by provider |
| Death | Covered | Covered |
| Employee non-payment | Covered — scheme absorbs loss | Often not covered |
Service, Technology and Portals Comparison
The Electric Car Scheme
Employer Portal: approvals, payroll reporting, live order tracking, sustainability
Employee Portal covering the full lease lifecycle and charging
API/SFTP/SSO integrations with major benefits and payroll platforms
Dedicated Customer Success Manager per employer
Select Car Leasing
Consumer-facing lease configurator and account portal
No employer-side portal or integration (individual product)
No payroll or benefits platform integration
Our technology is designed to minimise admin, remove manual uploads and double entry, and provide real-time visibility of uptake, savings and carbon impact.
Charging: EV Charging Salary Sacrifice Comparison
A personal lease doesn't include any tax-efficient charging package. The Electric Car Scheme bundles home, workplace and public charging into salsac.
The Electric Car Scheme
Salary-sacrifice home, workplace and public charging
20–50% savings on charging costs over the lease
Home charge-point install included in salary-sacrifice
Preferred tariffs (e.g. OVO Charge Anytime with free miles)
Up to £4,405 of charging value per employee across a typical lease
Select Car Leasing
Home charge-point install out of scope — arranged separately by employee
No tax-efficient treatment of charging
No workplace/public charging bundle
Cost to Run and Employer NI Sharing
Personal leasing offers no NI or tax efficiencies. Salary sacrifice generates employer NI savings that The Electric Car Scheme lets employers retain in full or reinvest into employee pricing.
Many employers choose to share a large proportion of their employer National Insurance savings with employees to support affordability and maximise participation, while retaining a portion to fund wider people and climate initiatives.
Why Choose The Electric Car Scheme Over Select Car Leasing?
30–40% saving vs a post-tax personal lease for higher-rate taxpayers
Employer-paid risk protection rather than individual liability
Integrated, tax-efficient charging
Dedicated employer tech and payroll integration
Flexible employer NI treatment
Deep EV and PHEV inventory, including used
If you'd like to see how The Electric Car Scheme compares with Select Car Leasing for your workforce, we can build you a tailored side-by-side based on your company's demographics and vehicle mix. Book a call with our Salary Sacrifice Specialists here.
Be the Hero and Make Net Zero the Obvious Choice for your Team
Reward your employees, attract the best talent and drive your sustainability goals - all with one simple, cost-free benefit: The Electric Car Scheme.