EV charging cost calculator
What a charge actually costs is battery size times price per kWh. Set your tariff and efficiency to see the full-charge cost and the pence per mile, home versus public.
How EV charging cost works
The cost of a charge is simple: the energy you put in, measured in kWh, times the price you pay per kWh. A full charge of a 60 kWh battery needs about 60 kWh of energy, so on a 7p home tariff that is around £4.20, and on a 75p public rapid charger it is around £45. The car barely matters. Where and when you charge is what moves the bill.
Cost per mile is the figure to compare against petrol. Divide the price per kWh by your efficiency in miles per kWh. Cheap home charging lands near 2p a mile, while a typical petrol car sits closer to 14p a mile. Public rapid charging narrows that gap considerably, which is why a driver who cannot charge at home saves far less than the headline EV figures suggest.
Worked example
A 60 kWh car charged from empty to full at 7p per kWh costs £4.20. At 3.5 miles per kWh that full charge gives about 210 miles, so the cost per mile is 2.0p. Move the same charge to a 75p public rapid charger and the full charge jumps to around £45, roughly 21p a mile, more than a frugal petrol car.
Common questions
How much does it cost to fully charge an electric car?
Multiply the battery size in kWh by the price you pay per kWh. A 60 kWh battery on a 7p off-peak home tariff costs about £4.20 for a full charge. The same charge on a public rapid charger at 75p would cost about £45, so where you charge matters far more than the car.
Why is home charging so much cheaper than public?
Home off-peak tariffs can be under 10p per kWh overnight, while public rapid chargers often run 60p to 80p per kWh. That is a six to ten times difference for the same energy, so most EV running-cost savings come from charging at home when you can.
How do I work out cost per mile?
Divide the price per kWh by your efficiency in miles per kWh. At 7p per kWh and 3.5 miles per kWh, that is about 2p a mile. A petrol car doing 45 mpg at £1.40 a litre works out near 14p a mile, so home charging is far cheaper per mile.
Should I charge to 100%?
For daily use many manufacturers suggest charging to about 80% to protect the battery, and only going to 100% before a long trip. This tool lets you set the start and end percentage so you can cost a realistic top-up rather than a full charge.