Nearly 19k EVs on Egypt’s roads, and for city drivers the switch is getting easier to justify

More drivers are going electric, and if most of your driving is in the city, the numbers can work in your favor. Nearly 19k electric vehicles (EVs) are now on the road, close to three times as many as at the start of the year, Ahmed Zein, head of the electric vehicle division at the Automotive Dealers Association, tells us, citing the latest official figures he has reviewed. Charging operator Infinity-EV has seen “a major take-off” in network use over the past year, from private drivers and fleets alike, Marketing Director Karim El Gazzar tells us. EVs cost less to run than petrol cars and are closer to them on price than they used to be, though resale value and where you’ll charge still give buyers pause.

Most owners still keep a petrol car for the long drives: Pure EVs are mostly bought as a household’s second car rather than its main one, automotive importer and Cars by Maged host Maged El Tawil previously told us. Buyers are happy enough on the daily commute and the school run, less so on the open road, where chargers are fewer and the lines are longer, he said.

Buying an EV won’t cost you much more than a petrol car anymore: EVs are exempt from customs duty and pay only 14% VAT and a 1% development levy, which Zein says has brought prices close to those of petrol cars as the USD has climbed. BYD leads EV sales and registrations, followed by Volkswagen’s ID.4, he adds. At the premium end, a gap remains: the electric Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ sells for EGP 3.82 mn against EGP 3.39 mn for the petrol CLA 200, a 12.7% premium by our math.

The savings show up every time you plug in: Slow AC charging saves up to 66% on petrol per km and DC fast charging up to 35%, El Gazzar says, comparing an EV using 18 kWh per 100 km with a petrol car burning 8 liters. Fast charging costs EGP 7.80 / kWh, Zein says, but most owners charge at home on regular household electricity tiers. For a daily commuter, a fuel bill of c. EGP 3k a month can drop to almost nothing.

Your mechanic and the traffic department will see less of your money too: A premium petrol car needs a service every 10k km at EGP 10-20k per visit, while an EV needs a check every 60k km, mainly of the brakes and battery cooling. EVs also cost much less to register. Add it up and a family running two EVs can save EGP 70-100k a year on fuel and maintenance, depending on how much they drive, we’re told.

You’ll give some of it back when you sell: Older used EVs start at c. EGP 600-700k and two- to three-year-old cars at c. EGP 1.2 mn, Zein says. Values are weaker partly because the same model is sold here in European, Chinese, and agent-imported specs at very different prices, and longer-range models arriving will hit today’s cars too, we’re told. Even so, EGP 300-400k saved on fuel and maintenance over three to four years can outweigh c. EGP 100k lost on resale, by an owner’s count.

Before you pick a car, pick the seller: Cars built to Chinese specs don’t plug straight into the public network, which runs on European standards: CCS2 for fast charging and Type 2 for slow AC, according to El Gazzar. Chinese adapters that fit the European chargers at public stations were only recently allowed into the country, Zein says. Buying from the official agent gets you a service network and a warranty: Mercedes, for one, covers its batteries for 8-10 years, depending on the model. Then match the rated range to how you drive, and check how fast the car can take a charge.

Your building may be the biggest hurdle: Installing a home charger runs c. EGP 26k for a straightforward setup and up to EGP 60k depending on the charger and the building’s wiring, El Gazzar says. Villa owners with parking have it easy. Apartment residents may need parking access, building approval, and an electrical upgrade, which is why Infinity is working with compounds and developers. Without a home charger, they rely on petrol-station chargers, which can be busy or out of service.

Heading to the coast? Plan your stops: Infinity runs more than 850 charging points across 20 governorates and says it has 90% of the chargers on the Cairo, Alexandria, and North Coast routes. Around seven companies run fast chargers on intercity routes, including the Alamein road, Ain Sokhna, and the Upper Egypt road, Zein says. Drivers still check availability before setting off and may have to wait their turn. A 20-80% charge on a 60 kWh battery takes 25-50 minutes depending on the charger, El Gazzar says.

Is everyone ready to go fully electric? Not quite. Demand for range-extended EVs is growing, Zein says. They run on electricity most of the time, with a small petrol generator along for the ride to top up the battery when nerve or range runs short. Getting past that halfway house takes several things at once, El Gazzar says. Key catalysts include cheaper cars, charging you can count on, a way for apartment residents to plug in at home, and enough confidence in range, batteries, and resale value to make the petrol car redundant, he adds.