How much does it cost to charge an electric car
How much does it cost to charge an electric car
Updated August 2026 with current grant amounts, prices and regulations.
When asking about how much it costs to charge an electric car in the UK, you may consider two options:
- absolute costs,
- relative costs.
Absolute costs show you how much money you spend to charge the battery in full. However, you can’t compare different EV makes and models by their absolute costs. For example, expenses of filling an 80 kWh battery are undeniably higher than filling a 50 kWh one.
In contrast, with relative costs, you get a great comparison base. For example, it is good to know about your expenses per mile. To clarify, this enables you to calculate your expenses for riding a certain distance.
Still, no matter what cost you consider, there is one thing you intuitively understand. The costs to charge at home, work, public EV charging points (including rapid ones) vary. So, let’s find out the difference. In this 2026 update we have refreshed the cars, the electricity unit rates and the public charging prices, all of which have changed a great deal since this article was first written.
Charging costs on a home-charge scheme
Charging at home is the cheapest and most-used option, and most electric car owners with off-street parking install an EV charging station for home use. Since June 2022 every new home charge point must be a smart unit under the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021, which is exactly what makes cheap overnight charging so easy. If you rent, own a flat or only have on-street parking, the EV chargepoint grant now covers £500 per socket (freehold houses with a driveway are not eligible) – see our EV chargepoint grant 2026 guide.
So, to calculate the cost to charge an EV at home in the UK, take the following points into consideration:
- Battery size (usable),
- Electric car efficiency, Wh/mi,
- Electricity unit rate.
The battery size and energy efficiency differ from car to car. Thus, to be more specific, we took some of the most popular electric cars on sale in the UK in 2026 and analysed their specifications.
Specifications of popular electric cars (2026 models)
| Make, model | Usable battery, kWh | Real range, mi | Efficiency, Wh/mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Electric Vehicles | |||
| Renault 5 E-Tech 52 kWh | 52.0 | 205 | 254 |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 60.0 | 275 | 218 |
| MG4 Long Range | 61.7 | 220 | 280 |
| Nissan Leaf 75 kWh | 75.1 | 285 | 264 |
| Kia EV3 Long Range | 78.0 | 280 | 279 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | 79.0 | 295 | 268 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (WLTP electric range)* | |||
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 22.7 (total) | 53 | 428 |
| BMW 530e | 19.4 | 62 | 313 |
Sources: EV Database UK (real-range figures for the battery electric cars), BMW UK, Mitsubishi Motors UK. * For the plug-in hybrids the manufacturers publish only the WLTP electric-only range, so their real-world efficiency is worse than shown here.
Here there are two points of conclusion. First, electric cars with higher battery capacity have a higher range. To clarify, they can ride a longer distance without recharging their battery. Second, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles have smaller battery size and lower efficiency, even on the flattering WLTP figures.
When it comes to electricity unit rates in the UK, there are two things to consider. First, energy prices differ between regions. Therefore, we will use the average prices in our estimations. Second, an EV owner may enjoy a dedicated EV tariff with differentiated rates (a cheap overnight window and a dearer daytime rate) or just pay the standard price-capped rate all day round. Domestic electricity carries only 5% VAT, which is one reason home charging is so much cheaper than public charging (20% VAT).
Average electricity rates in the UK, p/kWh (July 2026)
| Differentiated rates (EV tariff) | Standard rates (price cap) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Day unit rate | Night unit rate | Day unit rate | Night unit rate |
| 32 | 8 | 26.11 | 26.11 |
Sources: Ofgem (price cap 1 July – 30 September 2026, Direct Debit), Octopus Energy (typical EV tariff: 6-hour overnight window at 7-8p/kWh, daytime rate around 32p/kWh, varies by region)
As you can see, EV tariffs with differentiated rates offer very low prices for off-peak hours (typically six hours overnight at 7-10p/kWh) but a higher price for the rest of the day. The night rate is roughly a quarter of the day rate. In contrast, the standard tariff offers the same day and night unit rate that is somewhat lower than the day rate on an EV tariff. Thus, it is rational for EV owners to choose the tariff depending on their practice – and, with a smart charger that schedules charging into the cheap window, an EV tariff wins for almost everyone who charges at home.
So, how much does it really cost to charge various electric cars at home in the UK? Now we have come close to the answer.
Absolute EV charging costs
On average, to fill a 52-62 kWh battery (Renault 5, Tesla Model 3, MG4), EV owners’ spendings are the following:
- £4.16 – 4.94 providing they have an EV tariff and feed their cars overnight,
- £16.64 – 19.74 providing they have an EV tariff and charge their cars during peak hours,
- £13.58 – 16.11 providing they have a standard tariff.
Then, to feed the larger 75-79 kWh cars (Nissan Leaf, Kia EV3, Tesla Model Y), average costs are the following:
- £6.01 – 6.32 providing they have an EV tariff and charge their cars overnight,
- £24.03 – 25.28 providing they have an EV tariff and top up the battery during peak hours,
- £19.61 – 20.63 providing they have a standard tariff.
The absolute average cost to charge an EV at home, £
| Make, model | With differentiated rates | With standard rates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Overnight | Day/overnight | |
| Battery Electric Vehicles | |||
| Renault 5 E-Tech 52 kWh | 16.64 | 4.16 | 13.58 |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 19.20 | 4.80 | 15.67 |
| MG4 Long Range | 19.74 | 4.94 | 16.11 |
| Nissan Leaf 75 kWh | 24.03 | 6.01 | 19.61 |
| Kia EV3 Long Range | 24.96 | 6.24 | 20.37 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | 25.28 | 6.32 | 20.63 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | |||
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 7.26 | 1.82 | 5.93 |
| BMW 530e | 6.21 | 1.55 | 5.07 |
When it comes to plug-in hybrids, the absolute charging costs for the 19-23 kWh batteries are as follows:
- £1.55 – 1.82 if having an EV tariff and overnight charging,
- £6.21 – 7.26 if having an EV tariff and filling the battery during peak hours,
- £5.07 – 5.93 if having a standard tariff.
Relative EV charging costs
On average, the cost of riding 100 miles for electric car owners when they feed their EVs at home are the following:
- £1.74 – 2.24 if they have an EV tariff and feed their cars during off-peak hours,
- £6.98 – 8.96 if they have an EV tariff and charge their cars during peak hours,
- £5.69 – 7.31 if they have a standard tariff.
Note that a bigger battery does not mean a bigger cost per mile: the Tesla Model Y and Nissan Leaf, with the largest batteries here, cost about the same per 100 miles as the small Renault 5, because what matters is efficiency in Wh/mi.
The relative average cost to charge an EV at home, for every 100 miles, £
| Make, model | With differentiated rates | With standard rates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Overnight | Day / overnight | |
| Battery Electric Vehicles | |||
| Renault 5 E-Tech 52 kWh | 8.13 | 2.03 | 6.63 |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 6.98 | 1.74 | 5.69 |
| MG4 Long Range | 8.96 | 2.24 | 7.31 |
| Nissan Leaf 75 kWh | 8.45 | 2.11 | 6.89 |
| Kia EV3 Long Range | 8.93 | 2.23 | 7.28 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | 8.58 | 2.14 | 7.00 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | |||
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 13.70 | 3.42 | 11.18 |
| BMW 530e | 10.02 | 2.50 | 8.17 |
As for the hybrid owners, they have to pay noticeably more for every mile driven on electricity – and in the real world the gap is wider than the table suggests, because their range figures are WLTP rather than real-world. To clarify, the efficiency of their cars is well below that of the battery electric cars.
Charging costs on a workplace charging scheme
Charging at work has been increasing its affordability and popularity over recent years. That is to say, with the Workplace Charging Scheme (£500 per socket for up to 40 sockets, covering up to 75% of purchase and installation, extended to March 2027 – see our Workplace Charging Scheme 2026 guide), many large, medium-sized, and small businesses install EV charging stations to provide charging facilities to their employees. Companies can also claim 100% first-year capital allowances on charge point equipment.
When it comes to the cost to charge an electric car at work, there are three options depending on which the employer adopts:
- Free facilities,
- Facilities with a time-limited tariff,
- Facilities with shared costs.
The first option is used as benefits organisations provide to their personnel. In this case, the EV owner charging cost is zero. To clarify, the organisation pays charging bills out of its budget and includes these costs into its expenses (and, unlike fuel, workplace charging of an employee’s own car is not treated as a taxable benefit in kind).
The time-limited tariff is used when an employer encourages employees to share workplace charging facilities. In other words, an organisation installs a certain number of EV stations but does not cover its employees’ needs in full. Therefore, it specifies a time period (for example 4 hours a day) when an employee can use the facility for free. Thus, as the period ends, the employee has to pay the costs out of their own pocket. Generally, the specified period is enough to top up the battery and employees do not use the station longer than the time period. Thus, in this case, the EV owner charging cost is zero as well.
The shared-cost tariff implies the costs are divided between an employer and its employee who uses a workplace station. In the example below we assume the employee pays half of a typical 26p/kWh unit rate, i.e. 13p/kWh – so the cost to charge an electric vehicle at work is still about half of what it costs at home on a standard tariff.
The absolute average cost to charge at work, £
| Make, model | Free facilities | Time-limited tariff | Shared costs (13p/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Electric Vehicles | |||
| Renault 5 E-Tech 52 kWh | 0 | 0 | 6.76 |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 0 | 0 | 7.80 |
| MG4 Long Range | 0 | 0 | 8.02 |
| Nissan Leaf 75 kWh | 0 | 0 | 9.76 |
| Kia EV3 Long Range | 0 | 0 | 10.14 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | 0 | 0 | 10.27 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | |||
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 0 | 0 | 2.95 |
| BMW 530e | 0 | 0 | 2.52 |
Cost for charging EV at public EV charging stations
So, let’s calculate how much it costs to charge an electric car at public charging stations.
Nowadays, more and more restaurants, shopping centres, supermarkets and other public entities provide their customers with charging facilities. Some of them still provide these for free to attract EV owners and get their loyalty as a customer, although free public charging is far rarer than it was a few years ago. Of course, it is unlikely you will be able to charge your car battery in full, but a free top up option is very attractive, isn’t it?
Besides, in the UK, there are a large number of public EV charging networks that provide slow, fast, rapid and ultra-rapid options. Also, there are many services to find public stations. For example, such services as Zapmap and AE Charging Point provide a filter search and route planning to make things easy.
Depending on the exact network and the stations it has, you may need a mobile app or an RFID card to start using the station – but under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 every new charger of 8 kW and above must accept contactless card payment, prices must be displayed clearly in p/kWh, and rapid networks must hit 99% reliability. Public charging also carries 20% VAT, against 5% at home.
The tariffs greatly vary. So, we will use two typical mid-2026 pay-as-you-go prices: about 80p/kWh at rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (most networks sit between 65p and 85p) and about 50p/kWh at fast AC chargers (typically 40-60p/kWh).
Cost to charge an EV at a public charging station, £
| Make, model | Full battery, rapid (80p/kWh) | Per 100 miles, rapid (80p/kWh) | Per 100 miles, fast AC (50p/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Electric Vehicles | |||
| Renault 5 E-Tech 52 kWh | 41.60 | 20.32 | 12.70 |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 48.00 | 17.44 | 10.90 |
| MG4 Long Range | 49.36 | 22.40 | 14.00 |
| Nissan Leaf 75 kWh | 60.08 | 21.12 | 13.20 |
| Kia EV3 Long Range | 62.40 | 22.32 | 13.95 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | 63.20 | 21.44 | 13.40 |
| Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles | |||
| Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV | 18.16 | 34.24 | 21.40 |
| BMW 530e | n/a (AC only) | n/a (AC only) | 15.65 |
Sources: Zapmap public charging price data, mid-2026. Note that many plug-in hybrids, including the BMW 530e, cannot use DC rapid chargers at all.
So, filling a 52-62 kWh battery at a public rapid charger costs:
- £41.60 – 49.36 when charging a full battery,
- £17.44 – 22.40 per 100 miles (or £10.90 – 14.00 per 100 miles at a fast AC charger).
Feeding an electric car with a larger battery costs more in absolute estimation. In our example, for the 75-79 kWh Nissan Leaf, Kia EV3 and Tesla Model Y, it costs as follows:
- £60.08 – 63.20 to fully charge a car at a rapid charger,
- £21.12 – 22.32 per 100 miles at a rapid charger, or £13.20 – 13.95 at a fast AC charger.
At last, owners of hybrids with 19-23 kWh batteries have to bear the following expenses:
- £9.70 – 18.16 to fully charge a battery (fast AC for the 530e, rapid for the Outlander),
- £15.65 – 34.24 per 100 miles.
To conclude, it is worth mentioning that feeding an electric car at public stations is by far the most expensive option unless their hosts provide free facilities: at around 80p/kWh a rapid charge costs roughly ten times more per mile than overnight home charging on an EV tariff, and it is no longer clearly cheaper than petrol. So, it is unlikely to be a daily-use option. Though, it is very useful (and often the only) option when taking a long ride. For a fuller side-by-side comparison see our home vs public EV charging costs 2026 article, and if you are still charging from a three-pin socket, a home charging station is what unlocks the cheap overnight rates in the first place.