Question 1

How do I join The Charge Scheme?

Accepted Answer

Your employer needs to have The Charge Scheme in place. Once they do, you'll receive an invitation to sign up. You create an account, download the app, and we send you your Charge Card in the post. Setup takes just a few minutes.

Question 2

What do I need to sign up?

Accepted Answer

Your work email address, details of the electric car you drive, and how you normally charge it: at home, at work, in public, or a mix. If you only charge at home or use free chargers, we'll ask you to confirm that when you sign up.

Question 3

How long does setup take?

Accepted Answer

The app and account take minutes to set up. Your Charge Card is posted to you and works as soon as it arrives, and there's nothing else to install.

Question 4

Can I use The Charge Scheme with any electric car?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It works with any electric car regardless of make, model, or how you got it: company car scheme, salary sacrifice, or privately owned.

Question 5

Do I need a company car to use it?

Accepted Answer

No. The Charge Scheme covers the cost of charging, not the car. As long as your employer offers the scheme and you drive an EV, you can use it.

Question 6

Does my employer see my charging data?

Accepted Answer

Your employer receives the payroll instruction needed to apply the salary sacrifice. They don't need your individual charging session history to run the scheme.

Question 7

What is The Charge Scheme card?

Accepted Answer

It's an RFID charging card that gives you access to the public charging network through our app, powered by Plugsurfing. One card replaces multiple charging apps. Tap to start and stop a session, and it's automatically recorded for your salary sacrifice saving.

Question 8

Where can I use the Charge Card?

Accepted Answer

At over 70,000 public charging points across the UK available through our app and card.

Question 9

Can I charge at home?

Accepted Answer

Yes, any tariff, any charger. Home charging is covered by the scheme and calculated from your monthly mileage submission.

Question 10

Can I charge at the office?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you pay for workplace charging, it's covered too, with any provider. Simply plug in and save while you work.

Question 11

What if my workplace charging is free?

Accepted Answer

Free charging has no cost to sacrifice, so there's no saving on those sessions. Your savings come from the charging you actually pay for.

Question 12

Do I need a home charger?

Accepted Answer

No. Plenty of members have no driveway and rely entirely on public charging, and that's exactly where the biggest savings are.

Question 13

Can I use my own charging apps as well?

Accepted Answer

You can, but charging paid for outside The Charge Scheme app and card isn't captured in the same way. Using the card keeps everything in one place.

Question 14

How much can I save?

Accepted Answer

Between 20% and 50% on your charging costs, depending on your tax position. In practice that's typically £300-£1,000 a year on personal charging costs.

Question 15

What do the rates look like before and after?

Accepted Answer

Ultra-rapid and rapid (50kW+): around 24p per mile drops to about 17p. Fast (8-49kW): 20p drops to about 14p. Home tariff on Ofgem capped rates: 8p drops to about 5p. A dedicated EV tariff such as OVO Charge Anytime: 2p drops to about 0.5p. For comparison, diesel sits at around 17p per mile.

Question 16

Can you show me a worked example?

Accepted Answer

A Tesla Model 3 (3.6 miles/kWh) on a four-year lease at 15,000 miles a year, for a higher-rate taxpayer: charging solely at home would cost £4,200 over the term, with £1,260 of tax savings, so you pay £2,940. Charging solely in public would cost £12,833, with £3,850 of tax savings, so you pay £8,983. Both are a 30% saving.

Question 17

Does my tax band change how much I save?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Salary sacrifice saves you the income tax and National Insurance you would have paid on that portion of your salary, so higher-rate taxpayers save more than basic-rate taxpayers.

Question 18

Is there a fee?

Accepted Answer

Employees pay a small scheme fee, which is included in the payroll instruction. The scheme is free for employers to implement and run.

Question 19

How can I work out my own saving?

Accepted Answer

Use our quote tool to calculate your personal charging savings based on your mileage, car efficiency and how much of your charging you do at home.

Question 20

Why is charging worth saving on at all?

Accepted Answer

Public charging has risen sharply. Rapid and ultra-rapid charging now costs more per mile than petrol or diesel. Salary sacrifice brings it back below the cost of running a combustion car.

Question 21

Why do I need to submit mileage?

Accepted Answer

Your mileage lets us calculate the real cost of all your charging, public and non-public, so the correct amount can be sacrificed through payroll.

Question 22

How long does submitting mileage take?

Accepted Answer

About 10 seconds a month through our portal.

Question 23

What happens if I forget to submit my mileage?

Accepted Answer

We'll remind you. If a submission is missed, the charging for that period is picked up in the next cycle once your reading is in.

Question 24

How do I actually pay for my charging?

Accepted Answer

You don't pay separately. That's the point of salary sacrifice. You charge using the app and card, and your employer makes a gross salary deduction before tax and National Insurance are calculated.

Question 25

How does it show up on my payslip?

Accepted Answer

As a gross deduction, applied before income tax and National Insurance. That's what produces the 20-50% saving.

Question 26

Does salary sacrifice affect my pension or mortgage application?

Accepted Answer

Salary sacrifice reduces your gross pay, which can affect pension contributions calculated as a percentage of salary, and some lenders assess affordability on gross pay. If you're unsure, check with your HR or payroll team before you join.

Question 27

What if I only charge at home or use free chargers?

Accepted Answer

You can still join, but you can only save against 7p per mile, the current recommended government EV rate. We'll ask you to confirm these details when you sign up.

Question 28

What if I change my car?

Accepted Answer

Update your vehicle details in your account. Efficiency differs between cars, so keeping this accurate keeps your calculated charging cost correct.

Question 29

What if I leave my employer?

Accepted Answer

The salary sacrifice ends with your employment. Any outstanding charging is settled through your final payroll.

Question 30

Can I leave the scheme?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Let us know and we'll stop the payroll instruction from the following cycle.

Question 31

What if I lose my Charge Card?

Accepted Answer

Get in touch and we'll cancel the old card and send you a replacement.

Question 32

Which businesses can offer The Charge Scheme?

Accepted Answer

Any UK business with a company car scheme is eligible. You book a call with one of our Salary Sacrifice Specialists and we get you set up.

Question 33

Does it work alongside our existing car scheme?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The Charge Scheme bolts directly onto ANY company car scheme, whoever your provider is.

Question 34

What if we don't have a car scheme?

Accepted Answer

You can implement one through The Electric Car Scheme, the award-winning team behind The Charge Scheme, and add charging on top.

Question 35

How long does it take to launch?

Accepted Answer

Setup is quick, with no hardware to buy and no infrastructure to install. Book a demo and we'll walk you through the timeline for your payroll cycle.

Question 36

Do we need to install chargers at our offices?

Accepted Answer

No. The scheme covers home, workplace and public charging with any provider. Workplace chargers are a nice-to-have, not a requirement.

Question 37

What does it cost the business?

Accepted Answer

Nothing. The Charge Scheme is free to implement and free to run for employers. Employees pay a small scheme fee.

Question 38

Who handles employee onboarding and support?

Accepted Answer

We do. Administration and employee onboarding are handled by our team, the same team behind The Electric Car Scheme's 5-star service.

Question 39

How much admin sits with our team?

Accepted Answer

Applying the monthly payroll instruction we send you. We calculate the real cost of charging, so there's no guesswork or manual reconciliation for your team.

Question 40

Who supports employees with charging problems?

Accepted Answer

Our team supports employees directly on the app, the card and their charging queries, so it doesn't come back to HR.

Question 41

What are the steps each month?

Accepted Answer

One: employees set up the app and Charge Card and pay for public charging with it. Two: they submit their mileage each month through our portal, which takes about 10 seconds. Three: we calculate all public and non-public charging costs instantly. Four: we send you the payroll instructions to salary sacrifice the cost of charging and the employee scheme fee.

Question 42

How does the payroll deduction work?

Accepted Answer

It's a gross salary deduction, applied before income tax and National Insurance are calculated. That's what delivers the employee's 20-50% saving.

Question 43

How does this help with business mileage?

Accepted Answer

We calculate the real cost of charging for your employees, which removes the admin and guesswork around reimbursing business mileage for EV drivers.

Question 44

What about employees who only charge at home or use free chargers?

Accepted Answer

They can still take part, but savings are limited to the current recommended government EV rate of 7p per mile. Employees confirm this when they sign up.

Question 45

What records do we keep?

Accepted Answer

Your normal payroll records, plus the monthly instructions we provide. We retain the underlying charging and mileage calculations.

Question 46

Will it increase uptake of our car scheme?

Accepted Answer

That's one of the main reasons employers add it. Charging cost is a major blocker to switching to electric, so removing 20-50% of it makes the car scheme far more attractive.

Question 47

How does it support our net zero goals?

Accepted Answer

It increases the incentive for employees to drive electric, boosting your company's green credentials and accelerating the shift away from petrol and diesel.

Question 48

What do other employers say?

Accepted Answer

Shaw Education Trust and Europa Worldwide Group both describe it as a zero-cost addition to their benefits package that removed a real barrier for staff considering an electric car. You can read their stories on our homepage.

Question 49

How much do employees typically save?

Accepted Answer

£300-£1,000 a year on personal charging costs, depending on their tax band, mileage and how much of their charging is done in public.

Question 50

How do I speak to someone?

Accepted Answer

Book a demo with one of our Salary Sacrifice Specialists. We'll answer your questions and show you how the scheme would work for your business.

Question 51

Where can I get more detail to share internally?

Accepted Answer

Download the explainer. It covers the savings, the process and the payroll mechanics in a format you can share with finance, payroll and leadership.

Question 52

Can we see the numbers for our own employees?

Accepted Answer

Yes, use the savings calculator, or ask us on a call and we'll model it for a typical driver at your business.

Help Centre

Getting started

Charging and the Charge Card

Savings and costs

Mileage and payroll

Changes and leaving

Still need help?