Meerkats, operatic catch phrases, whistling – you name it, if it is a little bit annoying then it has been in a car insurance advert.

And if your car insurance is up for renewal, even the most chilled of us can ratchet up to pretty fed-up faster than the Blacklane sales team can find the nearest happy hour.

I’m the kind of customer these companies really dislike. I did all my research, gritted my teeth at the adverts, and ended up renewing my car insurance with the same company as before.

It turns out that looking for the best option for an electric vehicle (EV) is hard and expensive work. Not only is my insurance up for renewal, but I also had to raid the Dunderdale family piggybank for road tax.

Anyone who drives an EV will be very aware that some of the financial cushions to having a greener vehicle are disappearing. The veto on road tax stopped in April. Because I needed an EV to fit the family in, I also now cross over the threshold to pay the luxury car tax as there’s no affordable and spacious EV. It’s an expensive double whammy, giving me twice as much to moan about.

I’m in sales. I never want to feel out-negotiated. Yet right now I’m backed into a corner with essential purchases far more expensive than if I’d chosen a less environmentally friendly car.

My frustrations with EV ownership getting a little less attractive are the same as those experienced by business travellers and buyers. Making a more responsible decision too often comes with extra price tags or compromises.

If I want to be conscious when it comes to my travel, sometimes I’m faced with supplements, surcharges and even having to forfeit loyalty scheme points to access greener airline fuels and offset hotel room stays.

More sustainable choices can be presented as optional extras. But for a travel manager who has emissions reduction targets, they are not at all optional.

We need to be careful we aren’t creating an industry where trying to buy greener becomes an annoyance, or travel buyers see sustainability programmes as too tricky to access.

When I finally stop moaning about car tax and insurance, I remember I have quite a lot to be smug about. Not only do I have a shiny – albeit more expensive than I planned – EV at home, I also get to be the guy who walks into pitches for a business where the EV comes at no extra cost, and carbon offsetting is covered as standard. Perhaps the happy hour round is on me after all.

Now, if someone could just have a word with my annoying car insurance people…

Jason Dunderdale is Global Director of Sales for chauffeur specialist Blacklane