Do car benefits work for non-office based employees?
In 2024, social enterprise Timewise warned there was a widening gap between desk-based workers and deskless workers: those working in healthcare, manufacturing, construction or retail, for example. While work has changed significantly for desk-based workers who have a degree of autonomy over when and where they work (hybrid, remote and so on), for those working in operational or manual roles, working hours and patterns appear frozen.
Timewise estimates that employees in deskless roles account for 40% of the UK workforce. These are the employees who have little choice over their working patterns and who have not benefited from post-pandemic perks around remote, hybrid and flexible working in the same way their desk-based peers have.
The challenge for HR is to bridge this gap, to ensure employee benefits are genuinely inclusive and accessible to all employees. This is where EV salary sacrifice schemes can play a key role in democratising employee benefits, particularly for non-office staff.
Logistical hurdles for non-office staff
Non-office staff face many logistical hurdles, particularly around the commute. Roles may involve shift work during antisocial hours, long working days, or they may involve accessing difficult-to-reach sites or visiting patients’ homes.
Add to this the burden of running older, unreliable vehicles along with rising fuel costs, high insurance premiums and maintenance, and it can make this work-based travel especially difficult.
And for those who commute via public transport, there are high ticket costs, train delays, cancellations or strikes and overcrowding during peak hours to contend with. With over a quarter of workers experiencing issues during their daily commute, it’s no wonder that transport difficulties during the commute are associated with poor mental health.
Having access to a reliable vehicle for non-office staff is therefore essential. Far from being a luxury reward, an EV salary sacrifice car benefit provides financial peace of mind and can help improve general wellbeing.
Breaking the salary sacrifice myth
Traditionally though, company vehicles were often viewed as luxury rewards reserved primarily for management or those within a certain pay bracket. This is no longer the case. In fact, these schemes actually aid financial inclusion and ensure as many employees as possible can benefit from driving an EV.
Salary sacrifice is tax efficient and provides an all-inclusive package which includes insurance, road tax, maintenance and breakdown cover all in one monthly amount. It’s therefore predictable, easy to budget, and removes the financial risk of unexpected repairs or maintenance.
EV salary sacrifice schemes are therefore open to anyone, providing the ‘sacrifice’ element doesn’t take an employee’s gross earnings below National Minimum Wage.
Through these schemes, more employees than ever have safeguarded access to brand new or preloved reliable EVs, an opportunity that might not otherwise be financially viable through private leases or other personal finance arrangements.
Daily charge question for non-office workers
But making the switch from ICE to EV can create additional anxieties for some staff, particularly around EV charging. For those who may not have access to home driveways with charge points, this can feel significant.
The public charging network is increasing in capacity and accessibility, particularly during off-peak or anti-social hours, which often fits in with shift workers’ daily schedules.
At the same time, modern EVs cover much longer ranges than previous models and some can run for a few hundred miles without needing a charge.
This shows that the transition to an EV is just as viable for non-office based employees as it is for office-based staff.
Driving retention and net zero targets
Providing EV salary sacrifice schemes for non-office employees has wider business benefits too. Sectors which rely on non office-based workers, such as construction, hospitality or social care, tend to experience high turnovers and attrition rates. But a high-value benefit like an EV car scheme can dramatically boost loyalty.
And there’s the environmental element. Many employees drive older personal cars or so-called ‘grey fleet’ cars for work trips. Transitioning these staff to EV salary sacrifice schemes improves the company’s environmental footprint and aligns directly with corporate net zero targets.
Redefining modern benefits
In 2026, modern benefits aren’t just about value for money and improving take-up across the office demographic. They must also appeal to the wider workforce, extending to hybrid workers, those on hourly rates and those with complex shift patterns.
Modern benefits must encapsulate true workforce inclusion and leave no employee behind.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Tusker
Tusker is the UK’s leader in salary sacrifice cars. Part of Lloyds Banking Group, it has more than 15 years’ experience in offering an affordable way for employees to drive a new, fully insured, and maintained car. Its scheme, which is available to over 1.8 million UK employees, offers a range of options, from pure electric cars to hybrids and even traditional petrol and diesel vehicles. It provides a tailored scheme for organisations’ individual needs.
