It is the most-asked electric car question in Britain, and most answers you will find are either out of date or averaged into meaninglessness. So here is the real answer, from the live prices we track across more than 13,000 public charge points and 8,000 fuel stations: it depends almost entirely on where you plug in — the same kilowatt-hour of electricity can cost you 7p or 92p.
The 2026 price ladder
| Where you charge | Typical price | Full charge (60kWh) | Per 100 miles* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home, off-peak EV tariff | 7–9p/kWh | £4.20–£5.40 | ~£2.30 |
| Home, standard tariff | 24–27p/kWh | £14.40–£16.20 | ~£7.30 |
| On-street lamppost (fast AC) | 32.5–55p/kWh | £19.50–£33.00 | £9.30–£15.70 |
| Public rapid DC (50kW) | 61–79p/kWh | £36.60–£47.40 | £17.40–£22.60 |
| Ultra-rapid DC (100kW+) | 74–92p/kWh | £44.40–£55.20 | £21.20–£26.30 |
*Assumes a typical 3.5 miles per kWh. Public prices are pay-as-you-go energy rates including VAT, from our live data in July 2026; session fees and membership discounts vary.
Why the spread is so extreme
Home electricity is billed at domestic rates (5% VAT) and off-peak EV tariffs sell you overnight surplus for pennies. Public rapid charging carries commercial electricity costs, 20% VAT, hardware that costs tens of thousands of pounds per unit, and land rent — plus a premium for speed. The middle ground most drivers overlook is on-street lamppost charging: slow, but in some London boroughs it is priced from 32.5p/kWh — half the typical rapid rate.
What this means in petrol terms
At July 2026 prices, driving 100 miles in a typical petrol car (36mpg, E10 at ~150p/L) costs about £18.90. The same distance costs roughly £2.30 charged overnight at home, £9–£16 on a lamppost, and £17–£26 on the public rapid network. In other words: an EV charged at home is several times cheaper than petrol; an EV that relies entirely on rapid charging can actually cost more per mile than a petrol car. We publish this comparison live for every town we cover — see any town page, for example fuel & charging prices in London.
How to pay less
- Get an off-peak EV tariff if you can charge at home — it dwarfs every other saving.
- No driveway? Find your nearest lamppost charger — thousands exist across UK towns, mostly unmarked on major map apps. Our EV search lists them with live prices.
- Treat rapid charging as a top-up tool, not your default — and compare before you plug in, because rapid prices vary by over 30p/kWh between networks in the same area.
- Check membership rates if you use one network often — PAYG prices (which we display) are usually the ceiling.