London road trips: Top 10 electric car journeys on a single charge

Time to go electric?

Whether you have already bitten the bullet or are still thinking about going electric, we have put together a guide to some of the best drives you can take from London on a single electric car charge.

Research shows the average single charge time for an electric vehicle in the UK is around 200 miles - not too shabby, and perfect for lending or borrowing a car with 1 day car insurance.

London is obviously fantastic, but that sort of charge could take you way out towards York in the north of England or even into Wales. So, if you fancy getting away from it all, check out our fantastic getaway ideas.

Pros and cons of electric cars

If you’re thinking of going electric, great! Doing your bit for the environment is brilliant and lowering vehicle emissions is incredibly important. 🌳

As well as this, you can benefit from purchasing benefits, scrappage bonuses and low running costs.

But there are some other things to carefully consider when getting an EV.

Charging points

There are now 42,000 charge points in more than 15,000 UK locations - not bad!

It takes around a minute to fill a car with petrol. But the average time to fully charge an average electric vehicle is extremely varied. Rapid charging is being introduced though, which should cut down long waits and allay fears of being stranded.

According to Autocar, slow charging could take up to 24 hours for a large vehicle, with even some small cars needing about 12 hours. Fast charging, however, running at either 7kW or 22kW (the higher wattage is usually found at public charging points rather than homes), can cut the charge time in half, roughly speaking.

Charging distances

You might also be concerned that a full charge doesn’t get you very far. This obviously needs to be balanced with how far you drive on a regular/daily basis. But 180 miles is quite a way.

You might want to think about insurance costs too. Check out our helpful guide here.

Charging

Most cars average around 200 miles on a single full charge, although it varies by make and model.

The Fiat 500 electric, for example, can travel 199 miles on a single charge - and it only needs a five minute charge to go for a 30-mile journey.

Lots of things affect how far you can go. Generally speaking though, the bigger the car, the bigger the battery, and therefore the greater the amount of charge it can hold. A high end car like a Tesla can travel around 350 miles on a single charge.

There are now more electric cars than ever before to buy in the UK. From small, city car-sized vehicles like the Fiat 500 and Skoda's Enyaq, to high-end, luxury models such as Tesla and Porsche.

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 was voted Auto Express’ Car of the Year award for 2021, if you’re considering your options.

Whichever you’re leaning towards, as battery technology continues to improve, electric vehicle range will become less of an issue across the board.

It's worth making a few checks before taking a journey in an EV. Here’s our advice:

• Checking your charge limit
• Check what charger your EV is compatible with
• Map out a few charging points on your route

Our top 10 EV road trips from Central London

1) Kent’s stunning scenery. A fairly short trip into Kent taking just over an hour and a 30-mile drive. Kent offers up beautiful villages, scenic drives and coastal walks. It’s known as The Garden of England for a reason.

2) The New Forest. In just under two hours and 80 miles you’ll find a haven of woodlands, wildlife, and coastline. There’s plenty of walking and cycling routes where you'll find everything from idyllic glades to open moors and cliff top walks.

3) Stonehenge. If you fancy something a bit different, drive over to Stonehenge in around two hours (it’s 85 miles away). This English Heritage site on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire is where you can walk in the footsteps of your Neolithic ancestors at one of the wonders of the world – it’s the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe, no less.

4) Mersea Island. Just over two hours and 75 miles away, Mersea Island lies between the estuaries of the Blackwater and Colne rivers, south of Colchester in Essex. You’ll find beach huts, ice cream, windsurfing and can even take a scenic boat trip from the harbour.

5) East Sussex. If you’re looking for a round trip on a single charge, this is a great option. It’ll take around two hours and 60 miles, so why not hot foot it to the coast? While there you can visit seaside towns aplenty, including Eastbourne, Hastings, Rye and the beautiful Camber Sands.

6) The Cotswolds. In around two hours you can be in the stunning Cotswolds, which is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) for good reason. Visit Great Britain describes it as a “ridiculously pretty series of villages amid rolling hills, full of chocolate box cottages and winding country lanes.” …which we think sums it up perfectly. It’s got fairly loose boundaries but begins around 85 miles from London.

7) The White Cliffs of Dover. It’s about two hours and 77 miles to these incredible cliffs on the south coast. This National Trust site is an iconic British landmark that faces out to France, and you’ll find the historic Leeds Castle close by.

8) The Isle of Wight. This is a 90-mile drive that takes just over three hours. The Isle of Wight is renowned for its stunning beaches and seafront promenades. Check out Ventnor Beach in particular, with its pretty vintage beach huts. And yes… you’ll need to get a ferry for the last leg of the journey!

9) Stratford-Upon-Avon. The home of Shakespeare is around two hours and just under 100 miles away. The pretty town in the Warwickshire countryside is steeped in culture and history with plenty of independent shops and restaurants.

10) Bournemouth. We think this is possibly the furthest round trip you can do in a single charge. In just over two hours and 100 miles you can reach this pretty coastal town in Dorset. With its stunning beaches, this town has a rich history steeped in literary inspiration and centred around the medicinal benefits of the sea air.

Get insurance

Whether you drive petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric, you need to be insured before you hit the road - and Cuvva's policies from 1 hour to 28 days might be able to help, with cover starting from just £11.90.

• Temporary car insurance for borrowing or lending a car in minutes.
• Learner driver cover for driving lessons, getting practice in with a supervisor, or taking the driving test.
• Drive away insurance for getting your new car home from the dealership.
• Temporary van insurance for moving home, dropping things to the recycling centre, or carrying a heavy load.

And it only takes a few minutes to get a quote.