The Electric Car Scheme vs
Select Car Leasing
Compare EV salary sacrifice from The Electric Car Scheme with Select Car Leasing's salary sacrifice and contract hire
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
Focus: The Electric Car Scheme does one thing - EV salary sacrifice. Select Car Leasing is a broad leasing broker offering personal and business contract hire alongside an EV and PHEV salary sacrifice scheme through Select Fleet Solutions.
Risk protection: The Electric Car Scheme includes Complete Employer Protection as standard from day 1, covering resignation, redundancy, dismissal, parental leave, long-term sickness, loss of licence and death, with no exclusion periods, excess or caps. Select Car Leasing states that financial risk can be covered within the scheme, but does not publish the terms, exclusions or excesses.
Charging: The Electric Car Scheme salary-sacrifices home, workplace and public charging. Select Car Leasing facilitates home charge-point installation through partner hardware providers but does not advertise salary-sacrificed charging.
Employer technology: The Electric Car Scheme publishes API, SFTP and SSO integrations with major payroll and benefits platforms. Select Car Leasing offers fleet management software, a driver app and a dedicated account manager, but publishes no payroll or benefits platform integrations.
Vehicle choice: Both offer new and used electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Electric Car Scheme is EV-only with hundreds of used EVs in stock; Select Car Leasing's wider range spans multi-fuel contract hire outside the salsac scheme.
The Strongest Prices for Employee Electric Cars
Both providers source vehicles across a panel of funders rather than a single lessor, so headline rates on a like-for-like new EV will often be close. The difference shows up in what sits around the vehicle.
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, priced per order
Employer NI saving retained in full or reinvested into employee pricing, at the employer's choice
Select Car Leasing
EV and PHEV salary sacrifice through Select Fleet Solutions
New and used lease vehicles available
Competitive tendering across 10+ of the UK's largest leasing companies
Wider multi-fuel range available outside the salary sacrifice scheme via personal and business contract hire
Quoted salary sacrifice pricing from Select Car Leasing excludes vehicle insurance and early termination protection.
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
Complete Employer Protection already covers every reason an employee might leave a scheme early: resignation, redundancy, dismissal, parental leave, long-term sickness, loss of licence, death. No exclusion periods. No excess. No caps or usage limits.
Employee Life Event Support extends that same protection to employees. When life changes, the car can be returned too. It's the most comprehensive risk package in UK EV salary sacrifice, and the only one that protects both sides of the agreement from day one. If an employee faces a serious illness, a bereavement, or a sudden drop in household income, they can return the car without penalty.
Select Car Leasing's protection
On their salary sacrifice scheme, the lease sits between the funder and the employer. Select Car Leasing state that if an employee leaves, they hand the car back to their employer, and that all financial risk can be covered within the scheme.
The terms of that cover - what triggers it, any exclusion period, excess or annual cap- are not published.
Quoted pricing excludes early termination protection, so cover appears to be a priced add-on rather than standard inclusion.
GAP insurance is sold as a separate product.
On personal and business contract hire, early termination charges fall on the contracting party in the normal way.
| Event | The Electric Car Scheme | Select Car Leasing (salary sacrifice) |
|---|---|---|
| Resignation | Covered from day 1 | States car is returned to employer; cover terms not published |
| Redundancy | Covered from day 1, no excess or cap | Not published by Select Car Leasing |
| Dismissal | Covered, no excess or cap | Not published by Select Car Leasing |
| Parental leave | Covered, no excess or cap | Not published by Select Car Leasing |
| Long-term sickness | Covered, no excess or cap | Not published by Select Car Leasing |
| Loss of licence | Covered | Not published by Select Car Leasing |
| Death | Covered | Not published by Select Car Leasing |
| Employee non-payment | Covered — scheme absorbs loss | Not published by Select Car Leasing |
| Early termination protection | Included as standard, no additional cost | Excluded from quoted pricing |
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
Fleet management software and a driver app for self-managed fleets
Dedicated account manager and administrator, plus implementation support
Consumer-facing lease configurator and account portal
No published payroll or benefits platform integrations (API/SSO)
Our technology is designed to minimise admin, remove manual uploads and double entry, and provide real-time visibility of uptake, savings and carbon impact. The distinction is integration depth: managing a fleet inside a supplier's own software is not the same as your salary sacrifice data flowing into the payroll and benefits systems you already run.
Charging: EV Charging Salary Sacrifice Comparison
Both providers can get a charger onto an employee's driveway. Only one puts the electricity through salary sacrifice.
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 installation facilitated through partnerships with UK charging hardware providers
No advertised salary-sacrificed charging
No published workplace or public charging bundle
Cost to Run and Employer NI Sharing
Salary sacrifice generates employer National Insurance savings under either provider. The question is what happens to them.
The Electric Car Scheme lets employers retain those savings in full or reinvest them into employee pricing, and we publish how that works. Select Car Leasing does not publish its employer NI treatment.
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?
EV salary sacrifice is all we do — not one line in a broad leasing brokerage
Risk protection published in full, included from day 1, with no exclusions, excess or caps
Charging salary-sacrificed, not just installed
Published payroll and benefits platform integrations, not supplier-side fleet software
Employer NI treatment set by you, and documented up front
Deep EV and PHEV inventory, including hundreds of used vehicles
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.