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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO CHARGE AN ELECTRIC CAR?

Charging up at home is the cheapest and most convenient way to fill your EV’s battery level, and this is why 90% of electric car owners choose to charge up at home. The average cost of electricity per kWh is currently 14p (you can find out what your electricity tariff’s unit cost is by checking your energy bill).

The cost of charging your electric car at home depends on a few factors.

  • The average cost of electricity per kWh (14p).
  • The battery capacity of your electric vehicle.

The easiest way to calculate the average charging cost is by using the following method:

cost-of-charging

How much does it cost to charge my electric car?

Using the average energy price of 14p per hour charging and battery capacity you can easily estimate the cost to fully charge your vehicle.

Unit rate (kWh)

The unit rate is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh) and this is the price you pay for every unit of electricity that you use. Usually this is a single rate that is charged no matter what time of day or night. A dual rate is usually associated with Economy 7 where you pay one rate (usually higher than average) for daytime electricity and a lower discount rate for around 7 hours off peak night time.

Cost of a kWh in the UK

The lowest cost of a kWh unit of electricity in the UK is about 12 pence, but kWh prices can go as high as 23p with a zero standing charge tariff. Knowing the price of a unit of electricity is only useful if you have a way to compare it to other similar tariffs. The cost of an economy 7 tariff is going to differ from the cost of single rate electricity as part of a dual fuel tariff.

Charging Tariffs

Although some people with economy 7 electricity tariffs do already make the most of cheap overnight electricity to charge their electric cars, there has also been a recent emergence of EV charging tariffs. These new tariffs are available exclusively to electric car and van drivers. They offer incredibly low cost of off-peak electricity, sometimes dipping below 5p per kWh, which can reduce your motoring costs dramatically, cutting charging costs in half in some cases.

 

Fluctuating energy prices within a tariff could lead you to think it’s too complicated to work out how much it costs to charge an electric car, this simply isn’t the case. Especially as you can program your car to only charge up between certain times, perfect for leaving it plugged in overnight to charge when your carefully chosen tariff kicks in.

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