EV Charging Cost Calculator
Find out what it really costs to charge your electric car. Enter your battery size, electricity price and efficiency to see the cost of a charge and your pence per mile — for home, off-peak or public rapid charging.
EV charging cost
Cost of a charge and pence per mile.
Cost = energy added × price per kWh, with a 10% allowance for charging losses. Real-world efficiency varies with speed, weather and load.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
The cost of charging an EV comes down to two numbers: how much energy you add (in kWh) and what you pay per kWh. Energy added is your battery size multiplied by the percentage you top up. So a 60 kWh car charged from 20% to 80% adds about 36 kWh, and at the Ofgem price cap of 26.35p per kWh that costs roughly £10.50 once a small allowance for charging losses is included. Switch to an off-peak EV tariff near 7p and the same charge is under £3.
A full charge of a 60 kWh battery costs about £17.60 at the 26.35p cap, £4.70 on a 7p off-peak tariff, or £52 at a 79p public rapid charger — including a 10% charging-loss allowance. At 3.5 miles per kWh that's roughly 8.4p, 2.2p and 25p per mile respectively.
EV cost per mile by electricity price
| Price per kWh | Cost per mile (3.5 mi/kWh) | vs petrol |
|---|---|---|
| 7p (off-peak) | ~2.2p | far cheaper |
| 15p | ~4.8p | much cheaper |
| 26.35p (cap) | ~8.4p | cheaper |
| 50p | ~15.9p | similar to petrol |
| 79p (rapid) | ~25.1p | dearer than petrol |
At 3.5 mi/kWh including a 10% charging-loss allowance. Petrol is typically 13–17p a mile — see the petrol cost per mile calculator.
Home vs public charging
The single biggest factor in EV running costs is where you charge. Charging at home overnight, especially on a dedicated EV tariff, is by far the cheapest way to run an electric car. Public rapid chargers are convenient on long trips but cost several times more per kWh, which is why the headline "EVs are cheap to run" only holds if most of your charging is at home. The electricity unit rate in the home options here follows the Ofgem energy price cap.
Mind the charging losses. A few percent of the energy drawn from the wall is lost as heat, more on slow trickle charging. This calculator adds a 10% allowance, so the cost reflects what actually lands on your bill rather than just the energy stored.
From a charge to a full picture
Once you know your pence per mile, you can compare an EV fairly against a petrol car and work out the fuel cost of any journey. For the electricity unit-rate side of your home bill, the electricity cost calculator and energy bill calculator help; for the petrol comparison, use the petrol cost per mile calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
It depends on the battery size and your electricity price. On the Ofgem cap (~26.35p/kWh) a full charge of a 60 kWh battery is around £17.60, including a 10% charging-loss allowance. On a 7p off-peak EV tariff it's about £4.70, while public rapid charging at 79p/kWh can cost £52 or more.
What is the cost per mile of an electric car?
At a typical 3.5 miles per kWh, electricity at the 26.35p cap costs about 8.4p a mile. On a 7p off-peak tariff it's roughly 2.2p, well below petrol at 13–17p. Public rapid charging can be 25p a mile or more.
Is it cheaper to charge an EV at home or in public?
Home charging is far cheaper, especially on an off-peak EV tariff overnight. Public rapid chargers cost several times more per kWh, so they're best kept for longer journeys.
How is the charging cost worked out?
Cost = energy added (kWh) × price per kWh. Energy added is the battery size times the percentage you charge, plus a small allowance for charging losses. Cost per mile is that energy cost divided by the miles it gives you at your efficiency.
What is a good price per kWh for charging?
A dedicated overnight EV tariff can offer around 7–10p per kWh off-peak, versus the standard Ofgem cap of about 26.35p. Public rapid charging typically runs 70–85p per kWh.