The Electric Car Scheme
vs Tusker
Compare EV Salary Sacrifice Schemes from The Electric Car Scheme and Tusker
Choosing a salary sacrifice provider is a strategic decision. Pricing, vehicle availability, risk protection and operational simplicity all determine whether the scheme is accessible, scalable and cost neutral. Both The Electric Car Scheme and Tusker support employers that want to offer electric cars through salary sacrifice. The key differences are in pricing competitiveness, used and hybrid availability, early termination protection, service, charging and how each provider enables employer National Insurance savings.
At a Glance: Key Differences Between The Electric Car Scheme and Tusker
The Electric Car Scheme offers new and used electric and hybrid vehicles and sources across the wider leasing market. Tusker offers new petrol, diesel, hybrid and electric vehicles and primarily sources through its own supplier and funding arrangements.
The Electric Car Scheme compares lease pricing across multiple leasing providers to identify competitive market rates on electric and hybrid vehicles. Tusker uses a more vertically integrated sourcing model, which can influence the range of vehicles and funding options available at any given time.
The Electric Car Scheme includes Complete Employer Protection as standard, with no caps, no excess, no exclusion periods, and cover where employees do not pay early termination charges or vehicle damage costs. Tusker offers employer protection with defined exclusion periods, usage caps and excesses that may apply in certain scenarios.
The Electric Car Scheme provides an integrated charging solution through The Charge Scheme, allowing employees to salary sacrifice home, workplace and public charging costs. Tusker offers home charging solutions but does not provide salary sacrifice for full charging costs in the same way.
Both providers offer schemes that can operate at no net cost to the employer. The Electric Car Scheme allows employers to retain or reinvest Employer National Insurance savings to support employee affordability, depending on employer preference.
The Strongest Prices for Employee Electric Cars
The Electric Car Scheme aggregates lease rates from leading leasing companies across the UK and benchmarks them through a single pricing engine. Employees access the best available market price at the time of order, rather than pricing from a single funder. This approach supports access to a broad range of vehicles across both new and used. Tusker primarily procures vehicles directly rather than sourcing from a panel of funders, which can result in a narrower pricing range and reduced access to some models.
Vehicle Selection Comparison by Provider
The Electric Car Scheme
Electric and plug in hybrids below 75 g per km CO2
Hundreds of used EVs and hybrids available at any time, often 30-40% cheaper than new equivalents
A wide selection of vehicles through access to multiple leading leasing partners
Tusker
Offers electric, hybrid, petrol and diesel cars
Used cars are not available at the same scale
Fewer vehicle options for employees in the 20 percent tax band
For larger organisations with a high proportion of employees in the basic rate tax band, broader access to used and hybrid vehicles can make the scheme accessible to a significantly wider share of the workforce, not only higher earners.
Risk and Early Termination Protection Comparison
92% of senior HR professionals believe salary sacrifice carries risk if an employee leaves their organisation while they still have a car. Strong early termination protection is therefore essential for large organisations when considering an EV salary sacrifice scheme.
The Electric Car Scheme’s: Complete Employer Protection
The Electric Car Scheme includes Complete Employer Protection as standard from day 1. This protects the employer from early termination charges when a lease has to end early due to unforeseen circumstances such as resignation, redundancy, dismissal, parental leave, long term sickness, death and more.
How does Tusker’s early termination protection compare?
Tusker protection works differently:
Exclusion periods apply in some scenarios such as redundancy and parental leave
Excess of up to one monthly rental may apply
Annual caps apply for returns
No protection if an employee does not pay early termination fees
This can create unplanned financial exposure for larger employers with high staff numbers or varied workforce profiles.
| Event | The Electric Car Scheme | Tusker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resignation | From 3 months* | From 3 months | |
| Redundancy | Yes from Day 1 | From 3 months | |
| Dismissal | Yes from Day 1 | From 3 months | |
| Parental Leave | Yes from Day 1 | From 3 months | |
| Long Term Sickness | Yes from Day 1 | From 3 months | |
| Loss of Licence | Yes from Day 1 | Yes | |
| Death | Yes from Day 1 | Yes | |
| Excess to pay | None | None | |
| Caps or limits | None | None | |
| If employee doesn't pay for ET fees | Yes | From 3 months | |
| If employee doesn't pay for damage | Yes | No |
Service, Technology and Portals Comparison
Both The Electric Car Scheme and Tusker provide employee portals, employer support, and integrations. The differences are in breadth, flexibility and how the technology is built for large employers.
The Electric Car Scheme
Employer Portal that brings together approvals, payroll reporting, live order tracking, financial data and sustainability reporting in one place
Employee Portal for browsing cars, building quotes, adding insurance and charging, placing orders and managing leases over time
Integrations with all major benefits platforms and payroll providers, using API and SFTP connections, plus Single Sign On for employees
Dedicated Customer Success Manager for every employer, with launch support, webinars, communications packs and ongoing optimisation
Our technology is designed to minimise admin, remove manual uploads and double entry and provide real time visibility of uptake, savings and carbon impact.
How does Tusker compare?
Tusker provides an online portal and support services. Its platform offering differs in scope and may not include the same range of employer-side integrations or tools designed for large enterprise scale requirements. As with any provider, information security or procurement assessments may require further review depending on organisational standards.
Charging: EV Charging Salary Sacrifice Comparison
For many employees, charging is the largest ongoing cost of EV ownership. The Electric Car Scheme treats charging as part of the benefit rather than an afterthought.
Employees can salary sacrifice all EV charging at home, at work and in public through The Charge Scheme, and save around 20 to 50% on charging costs over the life of the lease
Employees can add home charge point installation within salary sacrifice and receive access to preferred tariffs such as OVO Charge Anytime with free miles included
Combined, this charging package can deliver up to £4,405 of value per employee over a typical lease term
Tusker does not currently offer a charging salary sacrifice model that includes home, workplace and public charging. Providing access to these charging options can support employee adoption of electric vehicles.
Cost to Run and Employer NI Sharing
Both The Electric Car Scheme and Tusker can operate at no net cost to the employer, with lease costs recovered through salary sacrifice and the associated tax savings.
The Electric Car Scheme
• Lease costs are offset through employee salary sacrifice
• Employer National Insurance contributions reduce as gross salaries decrease, alongside VAT recovery on eligible lease elements
• Employer National Insurance savings are retained by the employer by default
• Employers can choose to retain or reinvest up to 100 percent of these savings to reduce employee pricing
Tusker
• The scheme can also operate at no net cost to the employer
• There is less flexibility in how Employer National Insurance savings are applied to reduce employee costs
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 Tusker?
For organisations comparing The Electric Car Scheme with Tusker, the choice comes down to breadth of offering, protection and control.
Broader vehicle availability, including electric and plug in hybrid vehicles and a large used EV range
Access to a wide selection of vehicles across the market, supported by market based pricing on key models
Employer protection included as standard, with no caps, no excess and cover from day one
Salary sacrifice charging support covering home, workplace and public charging
Technology, portals and integrations designed to reduce administrative effort
A scheme that can operate at no net cost to the employer, with flexibility over how Employer National Insurance savings are applied
If you would like to review how this compares with your current or proposed scheme, The Electric Car Scheme can provide a tailored comparison based on your organisation’s requirements. 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.