Why Every EV Leasing Scheme Needs a Charging Bolt-On
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In 2026, launching an EV leasing scheme without a built-in charging is already outdated. Corporate fleet strategy has evolved. If you’re managing a fleet in 2026, you’ll know that organisations are being measured not just on benefit provision, but on usability, accessibility, and real-world cost efficiency.
When employees assess electric car leasing through salary sacrifice UK, they are evaluating the total cost of ownership (not just the lease payment). That includes:
Benefit-in-kind exposure
Insurance and servicing
And (most importantly), charging
For employees without off-street parking, reliance on public charging introduces cost volatility. Public rates can exceed petrol equivalents, and this uncertainty undermines the perceived value of the benefit.
From an HR and payroll perspective, this creates operational friction:
Charging reimbursed separately from the lease
Manual mileage verification
Expense claims routed through finance
Payroll adjustments disconnected from energy usage
ESG tracking is fragmented across systems
In this article, we’ll explain why integrating a charging bolt-on, like The Charge Scheme, is now essential to increasing scheme uptake, simplifying fleet administration, and futureproofing your EV strategy.
The Gap In EV Salary Sacrifice Schemes… And How A Charging Bolt-On Fixes It
Giving someone an EV without a charging solution is a bit like giving them a phone without data. It technically works, but it doesn’t feel complete.
When charging sits outside the scheme, employees have to:
Pay retail rates for public charging
Manage receipts or reimbursements
Second-guess their savings
Do the maths themselves
This friction adds up and ultimately can reduce car scheme uptake.
We’ve seen it repeatedly: the biggest drop-off in participation often comes from employees who don’t have access to home charging because they’re interested in electric car leasing, but unsure about running costs.
When you introduce salary sacrifice charging, this uncertainty disappears. Employees can save 20–50% on charging costs, whether they charge at home, in public, or at work. The cost comes from gross salary, just like the lease. It feels unified, and this can have the power to change behaviour! Charging doesn’t just make the scheme more generous. It makes it workable.
Key Takeaways
Uptake is often limited by charging uncertainty
Employees without driveways are the biggest adoption gap
Salary sacrifice charging restores confidence
Integration increases participation
Add Charging Without Changing Your Car Scheme
At The Charge Scheme, one of the first questions we hear from HR teams is: “Does this mean we have to change our leasing provider?”
The short answer is no. The Charge Scheme is designed to sit alongside your existing EV leasing scheme, whether that’s a traditional company car scheme or a modern EV salary sacrifice set-up. It works as a bolt-on - not a replacement.
That means:
Your current leasing partner stays in place
Your existing agreements remain unchanged
Payroll continues as normal
Employees simply gain access to tax-efficient charging
If you already offer electric cars through salary sacrifice, charging can be added in without disrupting what’s already working for your company!
Key Takeaways
No need to switch leasing providers
No contract changes required
Works with existing EV salary sacrifice structures
Designed as a universal charging bolt-on
How To Simplify Payroll And Fleet Admin In 2026
When charging sits outside your EV salary sacrifice scheme, HR and payroll teams effectively end up managing two parallel systems.
On one side, you have the vehicle lease - structured, predictable, and processed through salary sacrifice. On the other hand, you have charging costs - often handled separately through fuel cards, expense claims, or manual reimbursements.
That separation might seem minor at first, but over time it creates friction:
Employees submit receipts or mileage logs
Finance teams verify business versus personal use
Payroll teams manually adjust payments
Reporting becomes fragmented across different platforms
Individually, none of these tasks are overwhelming. Collectively, they add up. They create extra touchpoints, more room for error, and more internal queries.
However, integrating salary sacrifice charging changes that dynamic.
Instead of treating charging as a separate reimbursement process, it becomes part of the same structured benefit as the car itself. Employees pay for charging using the app and card. Each month, they submit their mileage through a simple portal. The system then calculates the actual charging cost and provides payroll with clear instructions for gross salary adjustment.
From a payroll perspective, this means that charging is processed within the same framework as the vehicle sacrifice. From an HR perspective, it removes the need to oversee a separate reimbursement cycle. From a reporting perspective, data sits in one place rather than across spreadsheets and card statements.
In Fleet Management 2026, sustainability initiatives are expected to be scalable. That requires systems that are joined up behind the scenes and that aren’t just attractive on paper!
Key Takeaways
Separating lease and charging creates unnecessary admin
Reimbursements and manual adjustments increase payroll workload
Integrating charging brings lease and energy into one structure
A unified system reduces friction for HR, payroll and finance
Workplace Charging, Public Charging And Home Charging - One Joined-Up Approach
Real charging behaviour is mixed. Some employees charge at home overnight on an EV tariff. Others rely almost entirely on public networks because they don’t have off-street parking. Some split their charging between home and the office. And increasingly, workplace charging forms part of the weekly routine.
If your benefit only supports one of those scenarios, it starts to feel inconsistent.
For example, if employees can save on home charging but not on public charging, those without driveways immediately feel excluded. If workplace charging is supported but public charging isn’t, employees who travel regularly may see less value.
That’s why The Charge Scheme supports home, public and workplace charging within the same structure. Employees don’t have to adjust their behaviour to fit the benefit. The savings apply wherever they plug in.
A joined-up charging approach:
Removes perceived unfairness between housing types
Ensures employees in flats or city centres aren’t disadvantaged
Strengthens engagement across your whole workforce
Supports a more credible long-term EV infrastructure strategy
When charging works in every real-world scenario, the benefit feels reliable. And reliability is what drives long-term participation in an EV salary sacrifice scheme
Key Takeaways
The Charge Scheme
Supports home, public, and workplace charging
Creates consistent savings
Strengthens EV infrastructure strategy
Improves benefit credibility
How Does Charging Integration Improve Employee Participation?
Ultimately, this comes down to behaviour. Employees without home charging represent one of the largest untapped groups within many EV salary sacrifice schemes. When public charging looks expensive, they hesitate.
When those costs are reduced by 20–50% through salary sacrifice, that hesitation falls away.
The result is measurable:
Broader participation across different housing types
Higher overall car scheme uptake
Stronger fleet electrification rates
Faster progress towards sustainability targets
Charging isn’t a cosmetic enhancement to an EV leasing scheme. It directly influences who feels confident enough to opt in.
Key Takeaways
Charging savings unlock wider participation
Expands access beyond driveway owners
Strengthens electrification targets
Improves long-term scheme success
The Bottom Line
An EV leasing scheme without charging addresses the vehicle, but not the reality of driving it. Employees need to consider the full picture, whereas HR teams think about usability, and finance teams think about predictability.
When charging sits inside the same structure as the lease, the scheme becomes simpler, clearer, and more compelling. That’s why every EV lease now needs a charging bolt-on - and why The Charge Scheme was built to provide it.
Frequently Asked Questions: EV Charging costs
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Yes. The Charge Scheme is designed to bolt onto your existing EV leasing scheme or company car scheme. You don’t need to switch providers or renegotiate contracts.
Charging simply layers onto your current salary sacrifice structure, meaning your vehicle agreements stay exactly as they are.
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No, charging is processed within your existing payroll cycle. Each month, payroll receives clear instructions for the gross salary adjustment, just like the vehicle sacrifice.
There’s no need to create a separate payroll stream or additional payment process.
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Employees submit their mileage through a simple online portal.
The system calculates the charging cost automatically, removing the need for manual spreadsheets or reimbursement forms. It’s designed to be quick for employees and straightforward for payroll teams.
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The structure mirrors standard EV salary sacrifice protections.
If an employee leaves, any outstanding adjustments are reconciled through final payroll. Employers are not left covering charging costs outside the agreed salary sacrifice arrangement.
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Yes, like most salary sacrifice UK benefits, the charging cost is deducted from the employee’s gross salary. Employers simply process the payroll adjustment.
In many cases, there may also be National Insurance efficiencies, depending on your setup.
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Outstanding charging adjustments are handled within the final payroll reconciliation, in line with existing salary sacrifice processes.
There’s no separate recovery mechanism required.
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If employees pay for workplace charging, those costs can be included within the scheme.
This creates a consistent structure across home, public and workplace charging, rather than managing different systems.
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Employers receive structured reporting on charging usage and electrification trends.
This supports internal sustainability tracking, ESG reporting and broader Net Zero goals.
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Yes, the scheme covers home, public and workplace charging, ensuring consistent tax-efficient savings wherever employees charge.
Last updated: 25/02/26
Our pricing: is based on data collected from The Charge Scheme Calculator. All final pricing is inclusive of VAT. All deals are subject to credit approval and availability. All deals are subject to excess mileage and damage charges. Prices are calculated based on the following tax saving assumptions; England & Wales, 40% tax rate. The Charge Scheme is a product of The Electric Car Scheme™ – a trusted, trademarked brand dedicated to making electric driving more affordable. All rights reserved. The Electric Car Scheme is the trading style of The Electric Car Scheme Limited (company number 12646157, ICO number ZB030706, VAT number 439430195) and The Electric Car Scheme Holdings Limited (company number 13295877, ICO number ZB252629). Head office & registered address: The Shipping Building, 254 Blyth Road, Hayes, UB3 1HA. The Electric Car Scheme Limited provides services for the administration of salary sacrifice employee benefits. The Electric Car Scheme Holdings Limited is a member of the BVRLA (10608) is authorised and regulated by the FCA under FRN 968270, is an Appointed Representative of Marshall Management Services Ltd under FRN 667174, and is a credit broker and not a lender.
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