How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
The details surrounding EV charging and the cost involved are still hazy to some; we address the key questions here
One of the biggest incentives to switching to an EV (electric vehicle), claimed environmental benefits aside, is the reduction in running costs.
Of course the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, fuelled by increased energy prices, has meant that drivers of EVs and ICE cars alike are taking a bigger hit to the wallet, but inflated fuel costs are still battering owners of the latter harder than those of the former.
This is particularly true when it comes to charging from home, where electricity prices are lower than you’ll typically pay at a public charging station. This is particularly relevant when you consider that more than 90% of EV drivers do most of their charging domestically.
Not only does this allow them to access energy more cheaply, it means they can leave home each morning with a ‘full tank’, having topped-up overnight when electricity should be at its cheapest.
Yet there’s no denying the gap between running an EV and an ICE machine is narrowing, a situation that’s not helped by the much higher initial purchase price of an electric car over it’s fossil fuel-fired equivalent - as an example, you’ll pay £11,000 more for a battery-powered Peugeot e-208 compared to an otherwise identical petrol version.
Then there’s the increased cost of using the network of public chargers, with some of the rapid DC units that can add as much as 80% battery capacity in well under half an hour costing drivers nearly as much as filling the tank of a traditional ICE machine. Of course, there are cheaper options, but they’re not as quick and usually not as conveniently located.
So, with the UK Government still planning to ban the sale of all pure ICE cars by 2030, and various global events continuing to rock energy markets, it’s more important than ever to take a deep dive into the costs of charging an EV.
So, here’s Autocar’s complete guide to doing just that.
*How much will it cost to charge my car at home?*
As we’ve already seen, the vast majority of EV drivers plug-in at home where it’s not only cheaper, it’s far more convenient as it allows you to start everyday with a fully charged car. Obviously it depends on the car you’re charging and your electricity supplier’s tariff, but even with the recent hikes in electricity prices, you will still be saving cash on every refill compared with a traditional petrol or diesel car.
For example, when plugging in a 64kWh Kia e-Niro with a claimed 281-mile range, it should cost around £20 for a full charge, based on the current average cost of 34p per kWh (according the Government's Energy Price guarantee as of the first quarter of 2023).
Now, that’s a lot more expensive than a year or two ago when off-peak tariffs were as little as 12p per kWh, but based on the car’s claimed range of 285 miles, then twenty quid isn’t bad for a tankful - you’d expect to pay around a third more to fuel an equivalent petrol hatchback over the same distance.
Better still, invest in one of the latest ‘smart’ wallboxes and you can use an app on your phone to programme the unit to only charge when electricity is cheapest, typically overnight.
Moreover, if your home has solar panels, some chargers can use this ‘free’ energy to charge your EV, further reducing bills. There are even trials running for bi-directional charging that allows you to ‘sell’ any surplus power from your EV back to the grid.
How much will it cost to install a car charging point at home?
It's possible to use the factory-supplied three-pin plug charger when refilling your EV's cells, but charging times are lengthy and most manufacturers claim this device is for emergency use only.
Either way, if you’re committed to EV ownership and you have access to a driveway or garage, it’s always best to use a dedicated wall-mounted unit, which can charge at up to 7kW, more than twice as fast as the three-pin alternative.
There are a number of different manufacturers to choose from, plus a choice of tethered (with a charging cable permanently attached) or untethered (allowing you to choose different sockets and cables for different cars) layouts.
Regardless of which one makes most sense for your EV, you will need a qualified electrician to check your household wiring is up to the task and then to install the box.
The good news is that the government is keen (although becoming less so by the day) for motorists to go green and is offering some decent subsidies, so if you have a unit fitted by an authorised installer, the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV) will stump up 75% of the overall cost up to a maximum of £350.
Of course, the prices vary, but with the grant, you can expect to pay around £400 for a home charger.
The not-so-good news is that the government pulled the plug on the funding for this scheme for home-owners who reside in single-unit properties (bungalows, detached, semi-detached and terraced housing) in April 2022. As a result, you're now only eligible for the grant if you're the owner of a flat or apartment with dedicated off-street parking or live in rented accommodation (and have the landlord’s permission).
If you live in Scotland, bear in mind that the authorities there will add an extra £400 on top of the OZEV funding.
Also keep in mind that if you're a homeowner in a single-unit property and still haven’t bought your EV, a number of manufacturers are still offering a free wallbox and installation when you buy one of their electric models.
*How much will it cost at a public charging station?*
It's possible to use the factory-supplied three-pin plug charger when refilling your EV's cells, but charging times are lengthy and most manufacturers claim this device is for emergency use only.
Either way, if you’re committed to EV ownership and you have access to a driveway or garage, it’s always best to use a dedicated wall-mounted unit, which can charge at up to 7kW, more than twice as fast as the three-pin alternative.
There are a number of different manufacturers to choose from, plus a choice of tethered (with a charging cable permanently attached) or untethered (allowing you to choose different sockets and cables for different cars) layouts.
Regardless of which one makes most sense for your EV, you will need a qualified electrician to check your household wiring is up to the task and then to install the box.
Again, this is dependent on your car and the way you use it, because there are numerous options when it comes to public charging stations. For instance, if you only need to charge when out and about infrequently, then a pay-as-you-go method is possible, costing between 20p and 70p per kWh, depending on whether you’re using a fast or rapid charger, the latter costing more to use.
Instavolt works on this principle, requiring nothing more than contactless payment as when you need to top up, when it charges 75p per kWh. Other providers will charge an hourly rate (effectively a parking charge) plus a kWh charge for electricity consumed.
If you travel further afield more frequently, providers such as BP Pulse offer a subscription service with a monthly fee of just under £8, which gives you discounted rates (the brand reckons on a 20% saving compared to pay as you go) on many of its 9000 chargers, plus free access to a handful of AC units.
You’ll need a smartphone app to access them (or an RFID card for some of the older units), but once connected, you will be billed at 63p per kWh on the rapid (50kW and 150kW) chargers and 44p per kWh on the 7kW devices.It’s also possible to use many of the chargers on a pay-as-you-go basis with a contactless bank card, with a rate of 59p per kWh for 7kW AC chargers or 79p per kWh for 50kW and 150kW chargers.
Rival oil company Shell has its Recharge network, which has been rolling out 50kW and 150kW rapid chargers at its filling stations across the UK. These can be used on a contactless pay-as-you-go basis on a flat rate of 79p per kWh for its 50kW Rapid chargers and 85p per kWh for its 150kW and 175kW Ultra Rapid chargers, which is around double the cost compared to a year ago.
These prices remain unchanged if you sign up to the Shell Recharge account, which bills you monthly for your use but also allows you to use more than 250,000 chargers from more than 250 providers across Europe. It’s also worth noting there’s a £20 pre-authorisation requirement on your card each time you plug in, but Shell also claims all electricity for its chargers comes from renewable sources.
It’s also worth noting that some hotels and shopping centres offer free charging to customers. The widespread use of smartphone apps for all providers makes it easy to see where the charging points are, how much they cost to use and and whether they’re free, so you can easily tap into a provider that suits your needs and budget.
Many manufacturers also offer simplified charging by giving access to numerous providers under their own charging scheme. For instance, Audi’s E-tron Charging Service account gives access to nearly 20 different energy firms, while all new E-tron models come with a voucher that covers the first 1000 miles worth of charging for free.
Tesla owners get their own dedicated rapid-charging Supercharger network, plus a number of Destination fast chargers at locations such as hotels. Owners of a Tesla Model S or Tesla Model X registered before 2017 are eligible for free charging, while some owners received 6000 miles of free charging if they bought their cars between 15 December 2022 and 12 January 2023.
For all other Tesla owners, there will be a charge, which has jumped steeply in the last year from 28p per kWh to around 70p per kWh. Tesla also charges ‘idle fees’ if you remain parked-up once your car is charged. If the Supercharger station is more than 50% full, you will be charged 50p for every minute you’re parked in a fully charged car, rising to £1 if the station is completely full.
Tesla has recently made some of its UK Superchargers available to owners of other brands of EV. At present, the cost of charging at these locations with a non-Tesla vehicle is about 77p per kWh, which is about the average for rapid charging at other providers, although the delivery rate of up to 250kW is higher than most.
If you’re not in a hurry and don’t always have access to a domestic charging wallbox, then the increasing number of lamppost charging units will be of interest. The Shell-backed Ubitricity is currently one of the largest providers with 7000 street-side chargers available, making it the biggest network in the UK.
With electricity trickling in at around 5.5kW it’s not the fastest, but you’ll pay 40p per kWh during the day and 37p per kWh between midnight and 7am. There’s a 35p connection charge and a £25 pre-authorisation fee to ensure you’ve got the funds for a full charge.
*How much does it cost for motorway charging?*
You will pay a little more to charge at a motorway service station, largely because most of the chargers there are fast or rapid units. Until recently, Ecotricity was the only provider at these locations, with around 300 chargers available, but it has now been joined by companies such as Ionity.
In the case of Ecotricity, it has sold its Electric Highway network of chargers to Gridserve, which promises greater investment and more 350kW rapid chargers.
Over the rest of the Electric Highway network, there’s the existing choice of both AC and DC charging options, all with a 45-minute maximum use time. There are only a handful of the 22kW AC fast chargers left, and these cost 49p per kWh.
The rapid DC chargers offer 120kW, 180 kW or 350kW charging and can be all be used on a pay-as-you-go basis at both its motorway services locations and Gridserve Forecourts, which are essentially standalone hubs of main trunk roads and provide amenities such as cafes and newsagents. The firm also recently revised its prices, with all DC charging rated at the same 69p per kWh, although its pre-authorisation requirement has been slashed to just £1, with the exception of its Super Hub and Rugby Services in Warwickshire, where the fee is £35.
Rival firm Ionity costs a little more for pay-as-you-go customers, with a price of 74p per kWh, but commercial tie-ins with EV manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz entitles drivers of these cars to lower rates. On the plus side, all of its chargers are capable of charging at up to 350kW.