In the UK, EVs are cheaper than petrol cars, thanks to Chinese competition

Bargain alert: the UK’s biggest car site says the average electric car now costs £785 less than a petrol car — and the comments are absolutely flooring it. Fans say low‑cost Chinese models (allowed in the UK without extra tariffs) blew the doors off prices, while old‑guard brands got dragged for selling “land yachts.” One user cheered that cheaper imports forced everyone to cut prices, pointing to fun new models like Honda’s hot hatch arriving overseas, not America.

Policy hawks chimed in with the real tea: the UK’s zero‑emission sales rules slap carmakers with a £15k charge for every petrol car sold over target, so those generous EV discounts aren’t just kindness — they’re survival. Meanwhile, a state grant of up to £3,750 and Autotrader's listings of brand‑new EVs around £15k have commenters shouting “game on.”

But the thread got spicy. Industrial‑pride posters lamented, “Why aren’t we building our own?” while others shot back that Britain doesn’t have a major car giant to protect — so why block cheap wheels? Then came the plot twist: warnings that per‑mile road taxes for EVs could dull the savings anyway. TL;DR: bargains now, policy cliffhangers later. It’s price wars, tariff drama, and a national identity crisis — all in one electric comment section.