The Electric Car Scheme vs
Zenith
Compare EV Salary Sacrifice Schemes from The Electric Car Scheme and Zenith
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 Zenith
Focus: We only do EV salary sacrifice. Zenith is a large fleet management and leasing company that also offers salary sacrifice.
Pricing: We get quotes from several leasing companies for every order. Zenith funds its cars from its own book.
Vehicles: We keep a large range of used EVs in stock. Zenith offers both new and used cars on salary sacrifice.
Employer protection: Our protection starts on day one, with no caps or excess. Zenith doesn't publish its protection terms, so you would need to confirm them directly.
Charging: Employees can pay for home, workplace and public charging through salary sacrifice with us. Zenith offers home charging but doesn't include charging in salary sacrifice.
The Strongest Prices for Employee Electric Cars
Zenith funds its cars mainly from its own book. The Electric Car Scheme gets prices from several leasing companies for every order and picks the best one.
The Electric Car Scheme
Electric cars and plug-in hybrids under 75g CO2/km
Hundreds of used electric cars in stock at any time
Prices sourced from several leasing companies
Zenith
Offers new and used cars on salary sacrifice
Funds its cars mainly from its own book
A wider choice of used and plug-in hybrid cars helps make the scheme affordable for more employees, including those on lower salaries.
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.
| Event | The Electric Car Scheme | Zenith |
|---|---|---|
| Resignation | ✓Covered from day 1 | Not publicly disclosed. Zenith does not publish its early-termination protection terms. Employers need to request them in writing to compare on a like-for-like basis. |
| Redundancy | ✓Covered from day 1, no excess or cap | |
| Dismissal | ✓Covered, no excess or cap | |
| Parental leave | ✓Covered, no excess or cap | |
| Long-term sickness | ✓Covered, no excess or cap | |
| Loss of licence | ✓Covered | |
| Death | ✓Covered | |
| Employee non-payment | ✓Covered, scheme absorbs the loss |
The Electric Car Scheme figures reflect Complete Employer Protection. Zenith's terms are not published; confirm directly before comparing.
Service, Technology and Portals Comparison
The Electric Car Scheme
Salary sacrifice Employer Portal: approvals, payroll reporting, live order tracking, sustainability reporting
Employee Portal with quotes, insurance, charging, orders and lease management
API/SFTP/SSO integrations into benefits and payroll platforms
Dedicated Customer Success Manager per employer
Zenith
A fleet management platform built for running vehicle fleets
Salary sacrifice runs through employer and employee portals within that platform
Connects to HR and payroll systems
The Electric Car Scheme's technology is built to cut admin, avoid manual uploads and double entry, and show uptake, savings and carbon impact in real time.
Charging: included in the benefit, or arranged separately
Charging is one of the largest ongoing costs of running an EV, so how a scheme handles it makes a real difference to what employees actually save. The main distinction between the two providers is structural: The Electric Car Scheme lets employees salary-sacrifice charging itself, through The Charge Scheme, so the same tax efficiency that applies to the car also applies to charging. Zenith supports home charging through install partners, but charging isn't salary-sacrificed end to end.
The Electric Car Scheme
Home, workplace and public charging can all be salary-sacrificed, not just the home charge-point.
Employees typically save 20–50% on charging costs over the lease, through the same salary sacrifice mechanism as the car, so the exact figure depends on tax band.
A home charge-point install can be included within salary sacrifice.
Up to £4,405 of charging value per employee across a typical lease, based on our standard assumptions for mileage, lease length and tariff (individual results vary).
Zenith
Home charging solutions available through charge-point install partners.
Workplace and public charging not salary-sacrificed end to end.
Charging savings depend on salary band, annual mileage, home vs public charging split, and the tariff in place. Employees on any scheme can still charge their vehicle; the difference is whether those costs can be met from pre-tax salary.
How to take advantage
If charging savings matter to your workforce, ask for a charging-inclusive quote. We'll show the vehicle and charging savings side by side for your salary-band mix, so you can see the full value, not just the lease. Book a call or run an instant quote.
Cost to Run and Employer NI Sharing
Both schemes can operate at no net cost to the employer, because the employer National Insurance saved on sacrificed salary offsets the cost of running the benefit.
The Electric Car Scheme makes it easy to decide what happens to that saving. You can pass it to employees to lower their monthly cost and widen take-up, retain it to keep the scheme fully cost-neutral or fund wider people and climate initiatives, or split it between the two. Many employers share a large share with employees to maximise affordability and participation while keeping a portion back. Whichever you choose, the split is visible and simple to manage in-platform.
The Electric Car Scheme compared with Zenith
Zenith and The Electric Car Scheme are both credible routes to EV salary sacrifice, and the right choice comes down to what your organisation needs. Zenith brings the scale and infrastructure of one of the UK's largest fleet businesses, which suits larger organisations with established fleet operations. The Electric Car Scheme is built specifically around EV salary sacrifice, and that focus shows up in the four areas most likely to affect cost and risk: how vehicles are priced, the depth of used-EV choice, when employer protection starts, and whether charging is part of the benefit.
Where The Electric Car Scheme stands out:
Purpose-built for EV salary sacrifice. The product, platform and support model are designed around the benefit itself, rather than salary sacrifice sitting within a wider fleet offering.
Every order quoted across a multi-funder panel. Pricing is tested against the market on each order to find the best available monthly, rather than drawn from a single funding book.
Deep in-stock used-EV range. Broad used and plug-in hybrid choice widens access across salary bands, making the scheme work for basic-rate employees, not just higher earners.
Unconditional, day-one employer protection. Published terms, live from day one, with no exclusion periods, no excess and no caps, so there's no ambiguity around early-termination risk.
Charging included through salary sacrifice. Home, workplace and public charging, not just a home charge-point install.
Salary sacrifice native platform with a dedicated Customer Success Manager. Approvals, payroll reporting, live order tracking and sustainability reporting in one place, with a named contact per employer.
How to take advantage
The clearest way to compare is on your own numbers. Tell us your headcount, salary-band mix and likely vehicle choice, and we'll build a tailored side-by-side against Zenith showing pricing, protection and charging for your specific workforce. Book a call with our Salary Sacrifice Specialists, or run an instant savings quote to see what your team could save.
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.