How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

One of the first questions you’ll want to answer when considering making the switch from fuel to an electric vehicle is how much does it cost to charge an electric car? 

Along with being kinder to the environment, the cost to charge an electric car in the UK compared to filling up with petrol or diesel can be significantly kinder to your purse strings too. In fact, charging your electric car in certain places can cost less than half the amount it takes to run your car on petrol, and certain charging points can even be free.

Here, we bring to light the costs associated with charging an electric car at home, in public, and at work too: 

How to calculate the cost of charging an electric car?

If the cost of filling up a car with petrol is determined by the size of the tank and pence per litre. The cost to charge an electric car fully is calculated by the size of the battery, how much kilowatt-hour (kWh) it can store, and the pence per kWh.

Tesla models hold the largest battery on the market at 100 kWh. A full charge for this vehicle at a cost of 10p per kWh would be:

10p x 100 = £10.00

Charging an electric vehicle at home

With most drivers charging their vehicles overnight so it’s ready to go in the morning, home charging is certainly the most convenient method of charging and it can be the cheapest too.

The average cost of a home charge for electric cars is 17p per kWh, reducing to 10p per kWh at night. With this average, you can look to pay between £9-£9.90 for a full charge.

Charging an EV at work

The cost to charge electric cars at work depends entirely on your employer. Some organisations have dedicated pod points which they assign for free, some charge a subsidised rate, and some charge the full going rate.

What’s clear is employers are constantly looking for ways to make their business greener and it’s becoming increasingly common to see electric charging points in staff car parks.

Charging your EV in public places

Once again, the electric car charging points cost depends upon where you are and the time you find yourself there. Many towns and cities are now prioritising the installation of charging points on their streets in order to reduce carbon emissions. In fact, by 2022, from supermarkets to office blocks, all new buildings in the UK will be required by law to install electric charging points.

There are a number of options available when charging in public:

• Pay as you go – this method simply requires you to plug into the charging point and pay via a contactless payment or an app.
  – Cost: 20p-70p per kWh (depending on charger type and location)
• Subscription – for example, BP’s Pulse Network. For £8 per month, you can get access to 8000 stations across the country.
  – Cost: roughly 23p per kWh at 50kW 
• Free to use – mainly found at public destinations such as restaurants or shopping centers.
  – Cost: Free

Charging your EV at rapid stations 

Rapid charge points are found mainly at motorway service stations and are among the most expensive options due to the speed at which they’re able to charge (expect an 80% charge in 30-45 minutes).

Rapid pod point costs can be around 25p per kWh which totals £6-£7 for 30 minutes of charging. 

If you’re wondering how much it is to charge a Tesla in the UK, they do offer free rapid testing via their Tesla Supercharger Network for pre-2017 models. Any cars manufactured after this will incur a cost of around 28p kWh.

Conclusion

Whilst some elements of purchasing an electric vehicle can be expensive, even after these costs are taken into account, an electric car will still be cheaper to run than a fuel-based car.

And with new mentioned government legislation, the gap between the cost in running electric and fuel cars will only widen.

To find out more about electric cars and the significant cost savings associated with them, get in touch with the team at Mint EV today.