How much does it cost to charge an electric vehicle?

Electric car charging calculator

Try our calculator to see how much it'll cost to charge your electric vehicle.

Choose your vehicle make, model and trim from the dropdowns below and then choose your charger power output and cost of your electricity per kWh for a charge cost.

How much does it cost to charge an electric vehicle (EV)?

Exactly how much you save really depends on how you can charge your car.

Whether you recharge at home or at a public chargepoint will make a big difference to your running costs, but it’s still likely to cost less than filling up a petrol or diesel car.

The cost of charging and running your EV will also depend on its make, model and battery size – some will need a bigger charge and use more electricity to run.

How much does it cost to charge my car at home?

Plugging in your car at home is the cheapest way to power up.

Whether you recharge at home or at a public chargepoint will make a big difference to your running costs, but it’s still likely to cost less than filling up a petrol or diesel car.

The Energy Savings Trust says that filling up a petrol Nissan Micra for 10,000 miles per year would cost £1,415 – a cost of 14p per mile. It has calculated the cost of charging an EV at home, at a public chargepoint or at a mix of both:

So, on a cost per mile basis - an EV could see you more than cut your fuel bill in half if you always charge at home.

How much does using electric car charge points cost?

Public chargepoints at supermarkets are sometimes free to use.

The cost of chargepoints at other locations varies but the most expensive are the rapid chargepoints generally found at motorway service stations (although some are even still free to use here).

Pod Point has partnered with Volkswagen and Tesco to provide chargers at 300 stores across the country. Their fast (7-22kW) charge points are free to use. But there is a cost for using their more powerful rapid chargers.

Pod Point also has 22kW and 50kW chargepoints at over 150 Lidl stores. They cost 25p/kWh, which amounts to around £6-7 for 30 minutes of charging (about 100 miles of range).

Will an EV make my electricity bill higher?

You’re bound to see a rise in your electricity bills when you switch to driving an electric car and regularly charge it at home.

But you won’t have to pay up for petrol or diesel any more and your overall spend on driving will be less. 

It’s a good idea to take a look at your energy provider because it may be worth switching. 

According to the Energy Savings Trust electric car owners could save £300 a year by moving to a cheap fixed-rate energy tariff of £0.14/kWh.

Lots of energy companies are keen to attract EV owners. Some have introduced tariffs specifically geared towards helping EV drivers save on electricity and the cost of charging their cars at home overnight with lower unit prices from midnight and for four or five hours on average. 

Others offers incentives for switching, such as discounts on the cost of home chargers, or cash rewards credited to your account.

This handy energy tariff tool from the government’s Go Ultra Low website could help you find a tariff for EVs.