Working out how much it costs to charge an electric car can be tricky because, let’s face it, the costs will vary depending on where you’re charging, when you’re charging and what charger you’re using! There are lots of variables.
But don’t worry, because we’re here to help. This article will be updated regularly as prices change, and we’ve just updated it to reflect the increased electricity rates that are hitting the UK in July 2026.
How to work out the cost of a full charge on your EV
The key bit of info that you need is the price per kWh of the electricity that you’re using, and also the usable battery capacity of the car you’re charging.
For instance, if you’re charging at home using a 9p per kWh off-peak electricity tariff, and your car has a 50kWh usable capacity, then just multiply 50 x 9, and you’ve got the cost of a full charge - £4.50. Bargain!
How can I charge my electric car for less money?
The first thing to know is that it’s nearly always cheaper to charge at home than it is to charge at a public car charger. If you can use an off-peak energy tariff, then you’ll be charging your electric car in the cheapest way possible. Plugging into an ultra-rapid public charger on the motorway tends to be the most expensive, while public kerbside chargers – and destination chargers that you find in supermarket and gym car parks – tend to be somewhere in the middle.
That’s why Electrifying has been campaigning for public charging rates to be reduced, as it seems very unfair to us that those drivers who can’t charge at home very easily are penalised with higher running costs.
But before we get into a rant, let’s take you through the basics of the costs of charging an EV in the UK.
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home?
As of July 2026, electricity prices have just risen in the UK – chiefly as a result of the America-Iran conflict causing fluctuating wholesale energy prices. So you now need to multiply
So, from this summer, customers on a default electricity tariff who pay monthly by direct debit will pay an average of 26.11 pence/kWh - up around 1.6p. The daily standing charge is now 57.19 pence per day. Those numbers are an average of prices across the UK and could be higher or lower depending on your circumstances.
That’s also the price assuming you’re not on a fixed rate, and if you’re charging at normal hours – and not using an off-peak tariff. So, if you’re charging at that rate, you’re charging that 50kWh usable battery capacity again, you need to multiply 50 x 26.11, and you have a charging cost of just over £13. That means that, if you’re getting a real-world range of 200 miles, it works out at 6.5p per mile – still well under half what it’ll cost you to fuel a petrol car doing 40mpg.
If you make use of off-peak home tariffs, you can cut that cost-per-mile by more than half, too – even with the recent 2026 energy price rises.
How much does it cost to charge an EV at a public rapid charger?
Public charging an EV will be more expensive than charging at home. But the costs of plugging in at a public EV charger varies dramatically depending on what sort of charger you’re using – and some of them also offer cheaper tariffs at off-peak times.
In general, you can expect a public rapid charger on a motorway to cost anything between 45- and 95p per kWh. You really do see big variations! Tesla Superchargers remain some of the cheapest public rapid chargers (especially if you’re charging a Tesla), while suppliers like Ionity and Shell tend to be some of the more expensive.
The slower AC public chargers that you find in lampposts and at the kerbsides, as well as in supermarket and shipping centre car parks, are designed for longer charging times and tend to be cheaper. They typically cost between 40- and 65p per kWh.
That means that public charging that 50kWh could cost anything from £20 to £47, which works out at 10- to 23.5p per mile if you’re getting 200 miles to a charge.
Remember that you will never really need a full charge from a completely empty battery to totally full – especially if you’re stopping for an on-the-go rapid charge. In practice, EV drivers tend to stop and charge for brief periods when they’re stopping for a rest break anyway, or will charge from around 20- to 80% as charging speeds get slow after that.
You guessed it… We’ve got guides on charging times, too. Check out our charging time calculator, to find out how long it will take to charge your EV at different charger types.
How to find your price per kWh
If you’re charging from a home charger, your price per kWh will be on your electricity bill – and on your online account or app, if you’re using those. You can always phone your provider to check, too. In fact, we’d encourage it, as they may be able to help you find a cheaper tariff if you’re not sure what electricity tariff you’re on.
If you’re charging at a public charger, the price per kWh will be shown on the screen on the charger before you start the charge. It will also show you the total cost of your charge, when you finish - although only for a few seconds! You may have to give your email address to get a receipt emailed to you, which is annoying, as public chargers don’t print physical receipts.
Using associated charging apps (most providers have apps, or there are general charging apps, such as Electroverse) can save you money and make it easier to keep track of how much you’re spending on public charging.
