EV Charging Cost Calculator: Cost per Mile and per Year
Work out what an electric car costs to charge per mile or km, for one charge and over a year, at home and at public and rapid chargers, and how much you save over petrol or diesel. In £ or €, for the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.
No sign-up required. Free to use, with every formula shown on this page. Prices last checked October 2026.
Work out your charging cost
EV Charging Cost Calculator
See what an electric car costs to charge per mile or kilometre, per charge and per year, at home and at public chargers, and how that compares with petrol or diesel.
1 Your car
Type of carYour car's display shows the average. Expect about 20% worse in winter.
2 Your driving
Distances inThe average car in Britain does about 7.000 miles a year.
3 Where you charge
An EV tariff with cheap night-time hours cuts the cost of charging at home the most.
The rest, 10%, at slower public chargers (supermarkets, car parks, streets).
4 Compare with a fuel car
FuelCharging costs you
a mile, with your charging mix
A year
0
A month
0
Saving vs petrol
0
Electric vs petrol, a year
Energy only. Servicing, tax, insurance and the price of the car are not included.
One charge from 10% to 80%
| Charger | Cost | Time | Miles |
|---|
How it's worked out: energy a year = distance × the car's consumption. Some power is lost while charging, so the meter counts about 10% more than reaches the battery on home and slower public chargers (AC), and about 5% more on rapid chargers (DC). Cost = energy × your mix of home, public and rapid prices. Charging times assume the car takes up to 11 kW on slower chargers, about 40 kW on average at a 50 kW rapid charger and about 90 kW at an ultra-rapid one; many cars charge slower than this. Default public prices: UK averages from the Zapmap Price Index (September 2026, pay as you go); EU figures are typical prices. Fuel: UK average, week to 4 October 2026 (Fuel Finder); EU average, EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, 5 October 2026.
Estimates only. Actual costs vary with your tariff, the chargers you use, the weather, your speed and how you drive.
How it works
Where the cost of charging comes from
Charging cost depends on three things: how much energy your car uses, how far you drive, and where you charge. Where you charge matters most. The sources and assumptions behind it are on our How we calculate page.
Energy used
Distance × your car's consumption gives the energy a year. A family EV doing 3.8 miles per kWh over 7,000 miles uses about 1,850 kWh. Some power is lost while charging: about 10% at home and on slower public chargers, 5% on rapid ones.
Your charging mix
Each kWh costs what the charger charges: your home tariff, or the public network's price. In the UK, pay-as-you-go public chargers average about 54p a kWh and rapid chargers about 79p, against 26p at home on the price cap and 7–8p on an EV night rate.
Against a fuel car
The calculator works out the fuel a petrol or diesel car would burn over the same distance at today's prices, so you can see the yearly saving. It covers energy only, not servicing, tax or the price of the car.
Examples
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
The same calculator for a few typical drivers in the UK, 7,000 miles a year unless stated.
Illustrative only, from the calculator above. Family car 3.8 miles per kWh, small car 4.0, SUV 3.3. Prices: home £0.26 a kWh (price cap) or £0.08 (EV night rate), public £0.54, rapid £0.79 (Zapmap, September 2026). Petrol car 45 mpg at £1.75 a litre (UK average, October 2026).
Tips
How to cut the cost of charging
Most of the cost is down to where and when you charge, not the car.
Get an EV night rate
Tariffs with a few cheap hours at night cut home charging by two thirds or more. They usually need a smart meter, and the cheapest ones a compatible wallbox or car. Run the dishwasher and washing machine in the cheap hours too.
Use rapid chargers for journeys
Rapid chargers cost about three times the home price, and nearly ten times a night rate. Keep them for long trips, stop at about 80%, and use network subscriptions if you rapid charge often.
Add solar
Roof solar panels can charge the car for free on sunny days, especially if you're home during the day. See what panels would make on your roof with the Solar Panel Calculator.
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions about EV charging costs
Common questions about what it costs to charge an electric car at home and on the road.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?
Multiply the battery size by your electricity price and add about 10% for losses. Charging a 60 kWh family car from 10% to 80% (42 kWh) costs about £12 at the UK price cap of 26p a kWh, or under £4 on an EV night rate of 8p.
How much does an electric car cost per mile?
About 7.5p a mile charging at home on the standard rate, 2p on an EV night rate, and 16–22p using only public chargers, for a family car doing 3.8 miles per kWh. A petrol car doing 45 mpg costs about 18p a mile at £1.75 a litre.
How much does it cost to charge at a public charger?
In the UK, pay-as-you-go prices averaged about 54p a kWh on slow and fast chargers and 79p on rapid and ultra-rapid chargers in September 2026 (Zapmap). A 10–80% rapid charge of a 60 kWh car costs about £35.
Is an electric car cheaper to run than petrol?
Usually, if you can charge at home. A family EV charged mostly at home costs about £150 (on a night rate) to £700 a year in energy for 7,000 miles, against about £1,240 for a petrol car. Relying on rapid chargers alone can cost more than petrol.
How long does it take to charge an electric car?
Adding 42 kWh (10% to 80% of a 60 kWh battery) takes about 20 hours from a 3-pin plug, 6–7 hours from a 7 kW home wallbox, and about 30 minutes to an hour at a rapid charger, depending on the car.
What is a good EV tariff?
One with a cheap overnight rate of about 7–10p a kWh in the UK, or the cheapest hours of a time-of-use tariff elsewhere in Europe. Check the hours suit you and what the daytime rate is, as some are higher than the standard rate.
Are the results exact?
No. Real costs vary with your tariff, the chargers you use, the weather (cars use about 20% more energy in winter), your speed and how you drive. The calculator gives a realistic estimate to compare options.