The cost depends on your electricity tariff and how you charge. Here are the real numbers for a typical 60kWh electric car:
Home charging costs:
- Standard variable tariff (approx 24p/kWh) — around £14 for a full charge, giving roughly 200 miles of range - Smart EV tariff like Octopus Intelligent Go (7p/kWh overnight) — around £4.20 for the same full charge - Solar charging with a Zappi — effectively free when using excess solar generation
For comparison — Filling a similar-sized petrol car costs £70-£80. Even on the most expensive home tariff, charging an EV is roughly 80% cheaper per mile than petrol or diesel.
Cost per mile:
- EV on standard tariff — approximately 7p per mile - EV on smart tariff — approximately 2p per mile - EV on solar — effectively 0p per mile - Petrol car — approximately 15-18p per mile
Public charging — Rapid chargers at motorway services cost 60-80p/kWh, making a full charge £36-£48. Destination chargers at supermarkets and car parks are often 30-50p/kWh or sometimes free.
Our recommendation — Install a dedicated home charger, switch to a smart EV tariff, and schedule charging overnight. Most of our customers spend £20-£30 per month on charging, compared to £150-£200 per month on petrol.