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One of the very best parts of owning an electric car is that you never have to visit a petrol station again. You will be able to plug in at home and wake up every morning to a full battery which could take you for 200 miles or more, but what is the electric car charge cost in the UK?
Besides the convenience, you will also be saving a huge sum of money. On average, the amount you will be spending on electricity to charge your car will be around a quarter to a third of the money you spent on petrol or diesel. For example, to charge a typical electric car with a 70kWh battery from empty to full will cost about £12 at current electricity prices. It won’t have the same range as a tank of petrol, but it’s less than ¼ of the price for perhaps half the range.
| Charging method | Typical cost for a 60 kWh battery |
| Home charging (standard tariff) | £15 - £20 |
| Home charging (EV tariff) | £4 - £7 |
| Public fast charger | £18 - £30 |
| Rapid or ultra-rapid charger | £25 - £45 |
Actual costs vary depending on electricity prices and the size of your vehicle's battery.
In most cases, an electric car is significantly cheaper to run than a petrol car, especially if you charge at home. Let's take a typical electric car with a 50kWh battery, such as a Vauxhall Corsa Electric or Peugeot e208. At an average home electricity rate of around 30p per kWh, a full charge would cost approximately £15 and provide around 200 miles of driving range.
By comparison, a petrol car achieving 50mpg would need around 4 gallons (18 litres) of fuel to cover the same distance. At current petrol prices, that would cost roughly £24 to £28. For drivers using an EV-specific electricity tariff, the savings can be even greater. Charging overnight on a cheaper off-peak tariff could reduce the cost of 200 miles of driving to as little as £5 to £7.
| Vehicle Type | Distance | Typical Cost |
| Electric car (home charging) | 200 miles | Around £15 |
| Electric car (EV tariff) | 200 miles | Around £5-£7 |
| Petrol car | 200 miles | Around £24-£28 |
It's worth noting that the savings can be smaller on long road trips. Most EV owners do the majority of their charging at home, where electricity is cheapest. However, when travelling longer distances, you'll often need to use public rapid or ultra-rapid chargers, which typically cost more per kWh than domestic electricity.
First, the good news. You can charge at work and the government won’t tax it as a benefit. Several supermarkets and other businesses will also provide free charging.
If you want to ‘rapid’ charge at a motorway service station or other convenient place and get the fastest recharge speeds, you’re usually going to have to pay for it. Costs vary massively too, so it’s worth checking before you connect and only topping up what you need to get you home rather than ‘filling’ the battery. In the worst case you could be charged around 70p per kWh, which is comparable to filling with petrol. Most rapid chargers cost around 30p/kWh.
Public charging prices also vary considerably depending on the charging speed and provider.
These chargers are commonly found in supermarkets, car parks, leisure centres and workplaces.
Typical cost:
Rapid chargers are often located at service stations and major routes.
Typical cost:
These are the fastest public chargers currently available and can add hundreds of miles of range in a relatively short time.
Typical cost:
While public charging is usually more expensive than charging at home, it remains a convenient option for longer journeys.
A full charge depends entirely on the battery size.
Here are some examples:
| Model | Battery Size | Home Charge Cost |
| Vauxhall Corsa Electric | 51 kWh | Around £15 |
| Peugeot E-208 | 51kWh | Around £15 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric | 65kWh | Around £19 |
| MG4 Long Range | 77kWh | Around £23 |
These figures assume a typical domestic electricity rate of around 30p per kWh.
Yes, free charging is still available in some locations.
You may find free charging at:
However, free charging points are becoming less common as charging networks expand and electricity costs increase.
The cost of driving 100 miles in an electric car depends on your vehicle's efficiency and how you charge it. Most electric cars cost between £3 and £5 per 100 miles when charged at home, while charging on a specialist EV tariff can reduce this to as little as £1.50 to £3. Public rapid chargers are more expensive and can increase the cost to around £8 to £15 per 100 miles.
A full charge typically costs between £10 and £25 at home, depending on the size of the battery and your electricity tariff. For example, a 50kWh battery may cost around £15 to fully charge on a standard domestic tariff, while larger batteries such as those found in long-range electric vehicles can cost over £20.
Yes, some locations still offer free EV charging. You may find free charging points at certain supermarkets, shopping centres, hotels, workplaces and public car parks. However, free charging is becoming less common as charging networks expand and electricity costs increase.
The cost of charging at Tesco varies depending on the charger type and location. Fast chargers typically cost around 40p to 60p per kWh, while rapid chargers can cost between 60p and 80p per kWh. It's worth checking the latest prices before charging, as rates can vary between stores and charging providers.
In most cases, yes. Charging an electric car at home is usually significantly cheaper than filling a petrol car with fuel. A typical electric car may cost around £15 to travel 200 miles when charged at home, compared to £24 to £28 for a petrol car achieving around 50mpg. Drivers using off-peak EV tariffs can reduce costs even further.
Yes. Rapid and ultra-rapid public chargers are generally more expensive than home charging. While home charging may cost around 30p per kWh or less on an EV tariff, rapid public chargers can cost between 60p and 90p per kWh depending on the network and charging speed.
Electric cars can still be cheaper to run on long journeys, although the savings are usually smaller. Long-distance trips often require the use of public rapid chargers, which are more expensive than charging at home. However, because most EV owners do the majority of their charging at home, overall running costs are often still lower than for a comparable petrol or diesel vehicle.
All information correct at the time of publication
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