Electric car charging cost calculator
Work out what a charge actually costs, and what that comes to per mile, at home or at a public charger.
Your details
Enter the battery size and the price you pay for electricity.
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Figures checked
Home against public charging
The price per kilowatt hour is what decides everything. An off-peak overnight tariff is often in single figures of pence, a standard domestic rate two to three times that, and a public rapid charger several times more again. The same car can cost two pence a mile at home and twenty at a motorway services.
Why the twenty to eighty range
Rapid charging slows markedly above about eighty per cent, so public charging is usually stopped there. At home, where time does not matter, charging further is fine, though many manufacturers suggest keeping a battery below full for daily use.
Charging losses
Roughly ten per cent of the electricity drawn does not reach the battery. In cold weather, where the car heats the battery before charging, the loss is larger. Any calculation that ignores this understates the cost, so it is included here.