Salary sacrifice now plays a central role in how people access electric vehicles across the UK and Europe. In the UK, salary sacrifice has grown rapidly as a funding route within fleet and personal leasing, rising from 8.6% to 11.9% of fleet funding year on year, according to a recent industry estimate.
Because many EV decisions now happen inside a finance calculator rather than a dealership, digital presentation has become the first place customers judge a vehicle’s quality. This is especially true for newer brands, especially those entering from China.
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Favourable tax treatment for EVs has made salary sacrifice a cost-effective route versus private purchase for many drivers. As a result, financial comparisons increasingly determine which models are even considered. That shift is putting new pressure on how EVs are presented online.
Buyers make decisions while looking at the numbers
Salary sacrifice places the financial calculation at the centre of the process. Monthly cost, tax treatment, insurance, servicing and running costs are all worked out on a calculator page. If that page feels disconnected from the vehicle itself, buyers hesitate or abandon the process.
Clear, accurate imagery helps keep people engaged long enough to understand the numbers. Studio images, interior detail and 360-degree views help the vehicle feel tangible, even when the customer has never seen it in person. Lifestyle photography goes further.
A/B testing shows that lifestyle imagery can convert materially better than studio-only shots, because it helps people picture how they would use the car day to day. When the calculator becomes the main decision point, these visuals take on the role the forecourt once played.
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By GlobalDataNew EV brands rely on digital clarity to build confidence
Many of the fastest-growing EV brands in Europe are still unfamiliar to buyers. Without brand history or physical inspection, customers rely almost entirely on what they see online.
Visual consistency matters more in this context. Buyers want to compare materials, cabin layouts, infotainment systems and trim levels without questioning accuracy. When one model is shown clearly and another is not, uncertainty creeps in. When every model is presented with the same level of clarity, comparisons feel fair and customers progress more easily.
This matters even more because access to salary sacrifice schemes varies by employer. There is growing evidence that employers now view salary sacrifice as highly important for recruitment and retention, meaning eligible drivers often move quickly once they see a compelling financial case. Any missing or unclear information becomes a barrier.
First impressions now happen before stock arrives
Many new EVs are promoted well before vehicles arrive in market. Photography often happens late, and delivery timelines shift. Buyers, meanwhile, act as soon as salary sacrifice schemes or employer benefits open up. If visuals are missing or inconsistent during this window, confidence drops and interest fades.
This challenge was encountered by Novated Lease Australia as it expanded its EV offering. Manufacturer images arrived at different times or lacked consistency, creating gaps across model pages and calculators. By consolidating studio shots, 360s and lifestyle imagery from a single, always-updated source, the company was able to publish new models as soon as specifications were confirmed.
After improving image consistency across calculators, model pages and campaigns, the business recorded a 95% uplift in overall performance, including longer session times and stronger calculator completion rates.
The calculation that decides the car
More drivers are choosing EVs through salary sacrifice because the financial case is clear. But this buying path also shifts the decision away from the showroom and into the calculator.
Leasing providers and retailers that treat the calculator and model page as their primary showroom give customers the confidence they need to proceed, particularly as new EV brands enter the market. For many buyers, the calculator is no longer a secondary tool. It is where the decision happens, and where the vehicle must prove itself.
