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Electric Car Salary Sacrifice Calculator

Calculate your savings on an electric car through salary sacrifice for 2025/26. See your BIK tax (3% of P11D), income tax and NI savings, effective monthly cost, and compare salary sacrifice vs personal lease vs PCP finance. Employer NI savings included.

£
Your salary before any deductions
£
List price inc. options, VAT, delivery. Check your quote.
£
Includes insurance, maintenance, road tax, breakdown cover
Yes
Most EV salary sacrifice schemes include fully comprehensive insurance
miles
Typical: 8,000-12,000. Affects lease cost.

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How to Use This Calculator

My Savings tab

Enter your annual gross salary, the car’s P11D value (list price including options, VAT, and delivery), the monthly lease cost (all-inclusive: insurance, maintenance, road tax, breakdown), and your tax band. The calculator shows your salary sacrifice amount, BIK tax at 3% of P11D, total tax and NI savings, and your effective monthly cost. The key figure is the monthly saving vs paying for the same car from your net (post-tax) salary.

Full Comparison tab

Compare three ways to get the same electric car: salary sacrifice, personal lease, and PCP finance. Enter the monthly costs for each option, plus insurance and maintenance for the personal lease and PCP routes (salary sacrifice includes these). The calculator shows the total cost over 2, 3, or 4 years for each option, including tax savings, NI savings, and BIK tax.

Employer Benefit tab

For HR and fleet managers: see how much your company saves in employer National Insurance on the sacrificed salary. Enter the average monthly sacrifice per employee and the number of employees on the scheme. The calculator shows per-employee and fleet-wide NI savings, plus the mutual benefit to employer and employee.

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The Formula

EV salary sacrifice savings come from three sources: income tax, employee NI, and the ultra-low BIK rate:

Monthly Sacrifice = Lease Cost (deducted from gross salary)

BIK Taxable Value = P11D Value × 3% (2025/26 EV rate)

Income Tax Saved = Annual Sacrifice × Tax Rate (20% / 40% / 45%)

Employee NI Saved = Annual Sacrifice × NI Rate (8% up to £50,270 / 2% above)

BIK Tax = (P11D × 3%) × Tax Rate

Effective Monthly Cost = Net Pay Reduction + BIK Tax ÷ 12

Employer NI Saved = Annual Sacrifice × 15%

The key to EV salary sacrifice is the OpRA rules: for ultra-low emission vehicles (0–75 g/km CO2), the benefit in kind is based on the P11D value at just 3%, not on the lease cost. This makes the arrangement extremely favourable compared to other salary sacrifice benefits.

A higher-rate taxpayer with a £40,000 EV on a £450/month salary sacrifice saves approximately £216/month in tax and NI, while paying just £100/month in BIK tax. The effective monthly cost is around £334 rather than £450.

Example

Sarah — Marketing Manager, 34, Manchester

Sarah earns £50,000 and wants a Tesla Model 3 via her employer’s salary sacrifice scheme. She is a higher-rate (40%) taxpayer.

My Savings tab

Gross salary£50,000
CarTesla Model 3 (Long Range)
P11D value£42,000
Monthly lease (all-inclusive)£480
Annual sacrifice£5,760
BIK (3% of £42,000)£1,260/year
BIK tax at 40%£504/year (£42/month)
Income tax saved£2,304/year
Employee NI saved£461/year
Effective monthly cost£272
Monthly saving vs net salary£208/month

Sarah gets a brand-new Tesla with insurance, maintenance, road tax, and breakdown cover for an effective £272/month — saving £208/month vs paying the £480 from her net salary. Over 3 years, she saves £7,488.

Full Comparison tab

Salary sacrifice (3 years)£9,792 net cost
Personal lease + insurance + maintenance (3 years)£24,120
PCP + insurance + maintenance (3 years)£25,920
Saving vs personal lease£14,328

Employer Benefit tab

Sarah’s employer saves per year£864 (15% of £5,760)
With 20 employees on scheme£17,280/year
Over 3-year term£51,840

Sarah’s employer saves £864/year in NI just from Sarah’s sacrifice. Across a fleet of 20 employees, that’s £51,840 over 3 years — at zero cost to the employer.

FAQ

Your employer leases an electric car and deducts the cost from your gross salary (before tax and NI). Because the deduction is pre-tax, you save income tax (20/40/45%) and employee NI (8%) on the sacrificed amount. You pay a small benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax of just 3% of the car’s P11D value for 2025/26. Most schemes include fully comprehensive insurance, maintenance, road tax, and breakdown cover in one monthly payment.
The BIK rate for zero-emission (pure electric) cars is 3% for the 2025/26 tax year, increased from 2% in 2024/25. HMRC has confirmed rates of 4% for 2026/27 and 5% for 2027/28. Even at 5%, electric cars remain dramatically cheaper than petrol or diesel company cars (typically 25–37% BIK). For a £40,000 EV, the 2025/26 BIK taxable value is just £1,200, costing a higher-rate taxpayer £480/year (£40/month).
OpRA (Optional Remuneration Arrangements) rules determine how salary sacrifice benefits are taxed. For most benefits, the taxable amount is the higher of the salary given up or the taxable value. However, ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs with 0–75 g/km CO2) are exempt from this rule. The BIK is based solely on the P11D value at 3%, regardless of the lease cost. This exemption is what makes EV salary sacrifice so tax-efficient: even if you sacrifice £500/month (£6,000/year), the taxable benefit on a £40,000 EV is just £1,200.
Mortgage: Salary sacrifice reduces your gross salary on paper. Most lenders use gross salary for affordability. Some will accept pre-sacrifice salary if your employer provides a letter confirming the arrangement can be reversed. Ask your broker.

Pension: If your pension contributions are based on “qualifying earnings” or “basic salary,” they may be calculated on the reduced salary. Check with your employer.

Maternity/paternity pay: Statutory maternity pay (SMP) is based on average weekly earnings in weeks 17–25 of pregnancy. Salary sacrifice reduces this. Many employers have a clause allowing you to opt out before the qualifying period.
At the end of a salary sacrifice lease (typically 2–4 years), you return the car to the leasing company. There is usually no option to purchase it. You can then start a new agreement with a different car, or stop the sacrifice and take your full salary again. Some schemes may offer a “lease extension” at a reduced rate. Ensure the car meets fair wear and tear standards (mileage within the agreed limit, no significant damage) to avoid end-of-lease charges.

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