How much does it cost to charge your electric car?

Enter your mileage and how you charge. See your monthly cost, cost per mile, and which UK EV tariff would save you the most. Rates are September 2026 figures – always check the supplier before switching.

Your driving and charging

Car and mileage
miles
mi / kWh

Most EVs manage 3–4 mi/kWh. Check your car's trip display.

Where you charge
80%

The rest is public charging.

p / kWh

Rapid chargers are typically 75–85p. Slower destination chargers 45–60p.

%

Energy lost as heat between socket and battery. 8–12% is normal.

Home tariff
p / kWh
p / kWh
90%

With a scheduled charger, 85–95% is realistic.

Compare with petrol
mpg
£ / litre

What you'd pay on each tariff

Monthly cost with your inputs above. Standing charges and your household's daytime usage aren't included, so treat this as the charging-only difference.

    Rates checked . Peak rates vary by region – use your bill for exact figures.

    Best fit for how you charge

      Switch to an EV tariff

      Most drivers save £300–500 a year moving from the price cap to an overnight EV tariff. You'll need a smart meter.

      Compare EV tariffs

      Get a home charger installed

      A 7 kW smart charger lets you schedule charging into the cheap window automatically. Typical installed price is £800–1,100.

      Get charger quotes

      Cut public charging costs

      If more than a third of your charging is public, a network subscription or credit card with charging rewards often pays for itself.

      Find cheaper chargers
      Advert space – add your AdSense code here once approved

      How the calculation works

      Your annual miles divided by your car's efficiency gives the energy that reaches the battery. We add charging losses to get what you actually pay for at the socket. That energy is split between home and public charging using your slider, and the home part is split again between the off-peak and peak rates of your tariff. Everything is then divided by twelve.

      Cost per mile is the simplest way to compare options: an EV on a 7p tariff costs about 2p a mile, a public rapid charger about 25p a mile, and a 42 mpg petrol car about 15p a mile at £1.38 a litre.

      Common questions

      How much does it cost to fully charge an EV at home?

      A 60 kWh battery charged from empty needs about 66 kWh from the socket after losses. On the price cap (26.32p from 1 October 2026) that's around £17. On an 8p EV tariff it's about £5.

      Which EV tariff is cheapest?

      The lowest headline off-peak rates in September 2026 are EDF GoElectric (6.99p), Utility Warehouse (6.9p, with conditions), Intelligent Octopus Go (8p) and E.ON Next Drive Smart (8.5p). The right one depends on the length of the cheap window, the peak rate you'll pay for the rest of the house, and whether your car or charger is compatible. Use the comparison above with your own numbers.

      Do I need a smart meter?

      Yes. Every time-of-use EV tariff needs a working smart meter so the supplier can bill the cheap hours separately. Most suppliers will fit one free when you switch.

      Is public charging worth it?

      For occasional long trips, yes. As a main way of charging it is roughly the same cost per mile as petrol. If you can't charge at home, look at workplace charging, lamp-post chargers (often 40–55p) and network subscriptions that lower the per-kWh price.

      Where do the numbers come from?

      Tariff rates are taken from supplier websites and independent comparisons in September 2026 and rounded. Peak rates vary by region, so enter your own from your bill for an exact figure. Nothing here is financial advice.