How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

Charging costs depend on where you plug in. Home charging on an EV tariff is usually far cheaper than public rapid chargers.

The sum

Cost of a charge = kWh added × price per kWh

For example, adding 40 kWh at 75p per kWh costs £30.00. Most electric cars travel roughly 3 to 4 miles per kWh, so 40 kWh is around 120 to 160 miles.

Home charging

Charging at home is normally cheapest, especially on an electricity tariff with cheap overnight rates for EVs. Check your own tariff's price per kWh and put it into the sum above.

Public charging

Public chargers vary a lot. Slower on-street and destination chargers are usually cheaper per kWh than rapid and ultra-rapid chargers at motorway services and hubs. Some charge extra for parking, overstaying or connecting, and some prices change with the time of day or if you're a member.

Live public charging prices

Charging networks must publish their prices as open data under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023. Spotapump collects them every 6 hours from the networks that publish openly. Choose EV charging on the live map to see the lowest price per kWh at each site near you, including VAT. We're adding more networks over time.

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