Summary
The cost to charge an electric car in the UK varies between home, work and public charging.
For a typical electric car with a 60kWh battery and ~200 mile range:
- Charging at home: Costs about £15.10 for a full charge. *
- Charging at work: Many employers will install workplace charging points and typically offer free access throughout the day.
- Charging at public locations: Public charge points at supermarkets or car parks are often free to use for the duration of your stay.
- Rapid charging: Rapid charging points are normally found at motorway service stations and typically cost £11.25 for a 30 min, ~90 mile charge. **
* Costs calculated at 28p/kWh based on usable battery is ~54kWh (90%).
** Charging at 50kW, receiving 3.5 miles per kWh. Assumes tariff of 45p/kWh applicable to most rapid chargers.
Tip: Electric cars very rarely need a “full” charge, as they never arrive completely empty and usually just need a top up.
Cost to charge an electric car at home
Charging an electric car at home costs about £15.10 for a full charge* and is the most convenient and cost-effective way to keep your car fully charged. Most drivers will charge their electric car overnight, waking up to a full battery every morning.
- Average domestic electricity rate in the whole of the UK is about 28p per kWh**.
- Fully charging a 60kWh electric car will cost around £15 (depending on where you live) and give you about 200 miles of range.
By switching to an electricity tariff designed specifically for EV drivers, like Octopus Energy’s Go Plan you could reduce this to just 7.5p per kWh and charge up for under £5 while you sleep***.
*Costs calculated at 28p/kWh based on usable battery is ~54kWh (90%).
**Please note, energy prices vary and can go up and down. To find your current cost per kWh, please check your electricity bill or contact your provider.
***EV charging based on using a 7kW home charger and Octopus Energy’s Go Plan tariff at 7.5p/Kwh off-peak.
Find out more about the home charging options available and how fast you can charge your car.
Tip: Charging at home is best done through a dedicated home EV Charger, from £650. Find out more about the benefits of a home charger.
Cost of charging at home – 3 example electric cars:
| Battery size | Approximate “real-world” electric range | Cost to fully charge* | Cost per mile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nissan LEAF (2018) | 40 kWh | 168 miles | £11.20 | 6.67p |
| Tesla Model S 100D | 100 kWh | 388 miles | £28.00 | 7.22p |
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (2019) | 13.8 kWh | 28 miles | £3.86 | 13.8p (electric mode**) |
* You can calculate the cost to fully charge your own car by using the formula:
Tariff (e.g. 28p/kWh) * Battery size (e.g. 100kWh) / 100 = Cost to fully charge (e.g. £28.00).
** Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a plug-in hybrid – this is the cost per mile, when running solely on electric power.
Don’t see the model you were looking for in this table? Browse other EVs here.
Tip: Dual-rate electricity tariffs allow you to get much cheaper electricity overnight. For example, for a 5 hour period overnight, Octopus Energy’s GO Plan costs just 7.5p/kWh. This would make it cost as little as 1.5p per mile to drive the Tesla Model S.
Cost to charge an electric car at work
The cost of charging an electric car at work can vary between organisations with some choosing to provide free charging while others set a paid tariff.
- Some employers offer free charging as a staff incentive.
- Others opt for a time-based tariff to encourage sharing of charging stations.
- Another model is to offer free employee charging for a set period of time and a fee after this time to encourage employees to vacate charging spaces.
Tip: More and more businesses around the UK are installing electric car charging facilities. Employee demand is one of the key drivers along with the sustainability benefits and reduced fleet costs.
Cost to charge an electric car at public chargepoints
Charging your electric car while out and about is a great way to top up your battery and many locations offer free charging to their customers or visitors.
- On most modern networks you can use a free-to-download mobile app to find EV charge points and start your charge.
- Some older public chargepoints require an RFID card (similar to a contactless debit card) to start charging which can be ordered online.
- For app-enabled chargepoints, if the host has set a tariff, you will be able to pay for your charge in app.
Tip: Use a mapping service like the Zap Map App to find places to charge and remember to check which authentication method the chargepoint network uses before you travel.
Cost to charge an electric car at rapid chargers
Rapid chargers are typically found in motorway service stations and range from being free to one of the more expensive ways to charge.
- The Tesla Supercharger Network has points across the UK which are often free to use for owners of Tesla electric vehicles. (15 sites now available for all cars)
- Other sites can be found around the UK and typically have an associated tariff that is chosen by the operator.
Tip: Rapid charging is unlikely to be a part of your day-to-day charging routine, as your other charging will fulfil most of your needs, usually at lower cost. But access to well placed rapid chargers is critical for longer journeys.
