Phil’s electric car salary sacrifice review with Tusker

Phil Hicks shared a glowing review of his new electric car on LinkedIn so we knew we had to get in touch to find out more. His post about the Tusker scheme and his new vehicle quickly gained plenty of traction – and it’s easy to see why.

When Phil, who works at Northumbrian Water, first discovered the Tusker car scheme, he was intrigued. Having looked at salary sacrifice options before, he’d always felt the numbers didn’t quite stack up. But when his organisation launched a new arrangement with Tusker, things suddenly looked very different.

“I’d looked at our previous salary sacrifice provider before,” Phil explains. “But after you’ve checked once or twice and it looks expensive every time, you know it’s just not an option for you. When the new scheme with Tusker went live, the value felt much better and the numbers started to add up.”

For Phil, the appeal was clear – access to a brand-new car, strong tax and National Insurance savings, and no upfront costs.

“The fact there’s zero deposit is a big thing,” he says. “Most people don’t have five or six thousand pounds sitting around, which is just lost money. It makes it much lower risk for the employee.”

Finding the right electric car

Once the scheme launched, Phil began exploring the range of cars available on the driver portal. He narrowed his choices down to a few options, including premium electric models like the Audi Q6 e-tron and Tesla Model Y.

But after hearing positive feedback from a friend and visiting a BYD showroom, Phil quickly realised he’d found the car for him.

“A friend of mine had a BYD Seal and was waxing lyrical about it,” Phil says. “When I went to the dealership, the build quality was immediately apparent.”

Phil chose the BYD Sealion 7, a fully electric SUV that combines strong performance, impressive range, comfort and premium features – all while offering excellent value.

“I preferred the layout with more physical buttons, and the design spec, build quality and cabin interior are excellent,” he explains. “Even on the standard trim you get big wheels and red brake callipers. The amount of kit you get for the value, I can’t knock it.”

Having driven premium cars previously, Phil was genuinely impressed by the driving experience.

“I was in a diesel BMW 5 Series for 10 years, so you can imagine this was a big switch.”

Making the switch to electric

The transition from diesel to electric turned out to be far easier than expected. “Charging at home has been dead easy,” he says. After installing a home charger linked to his energy provider OVO, charging quickly became part of his weekly routine.

“It’s seamless now,” Phil explains. “I just plug it in once or twice a week and that’s it.”

With a range of around 275 miles, the car easily covers his typical driving needs.

“It’s very unlikely I’ll drive more than that in a day,” he says. “And if I do, I’ll just charge it when I’m out and about.”

Lower running costs at home

The move to electric has also had a positive impact on the family’s running costs.

After seeing how well Phil’s EV worked day to day, his wife made the switch too.

“Off the back of me taking an electric car through Tusker, my wife has gone electric as well,” he says. “We’re now a two-electric-car household.”

Charging both cars hasn’t been an issue. “We’ve never had a problem,” Phil explains. “If we needed to charge both, we’d just swap them over for a couple of hours.”

A simple ordering experience

Phil ordered his Sealion 7 as a stock car, which he expresses was a perfect balance between value and availability.

“I’m so happy with it – really happy actually,” he says. “It’s even better than I thought it would be.”

He found the driver portal easy to use and helpful when exploring different options.

“The website was really self-explanatory,” he says. “You can play around with the mileage and how long you want the car for.”

“I bought my last car and kept it for 10 years,” he explains. “Now I’m quite looking forward to trying different models. For a small difference in the monthly amount, you can have a brand-new car again in three years.”

The ‘Hot Deals’ section on the website also stood out to him, highlighting cars offering particularly strong savings.

“It’s a great feature because it points you towards the best value options straight away.”

Like many employees at Northumbrian Water, Phil also receives regular emails showing the latest hot deals available through the scheme.

Smooth delivery and support

When the time came for delivery, the experience was just as smooth as the ordering process.

“The delivery worked really well,” Phil says. “They contacted me in advance and explained exactly when they’d be arriving.”

The agent also spent time walking Phil through the car’s features during handover.

“In a world where people say they’ll arrive at a certain time and nine times out of ten they don’t, everything worked exactly as planned.”

Would Phil recommend Tusker?

For Phil, the experience has been positive from start to finish, from the value of the scheme to the simplicity of the process.

“100% I’d recommend it,” he says. “You’re getting access to a brand-new car with no deposit, the tax benefits are significant, and the website gives you everything you need to narrow down your options.”

“I think the scheme will be really successful. There’s already quite a big uptake,” he says. “People hear about it through emails, the intranet and word of mouth.”

He’s even seen colleagues eager to join as soon as they’re eligible.

“I’ve got people on probation wanting to get signed off quickly so they can take a car through Tusker.”

For employees considering the scheme, Phil has one simple piece of advice.

“I’d certainly suggest you go into the portal and explore it,” he says. “It gives you enough information to narrow it down to two or three cars you might like.”

“If you’re wondering whether it’s really worth it, just compare the overall numbers and take into account the lack of deposit and delivery charges, and the fact that insurance, tax and maintenance are all included. The penny will drop — you’ll realise it really is worth it.”

Phil’s experience shows how the Tusker car scheme brings more to drivers than a brand-new car – it builds a community through employees, a more affordable way to a premium driving experience and the chance to enjoy new models along the way.

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