How much it costs to charge an electric car depends almost entirely on where you charge it. Home charging and public rapid charging are not just different in convenience — they are dramatically different in cost. Understanding the gap is essential before making any decision about EV ownership.

This guide uses real 2026 UK tariff data and the actual battery sizes of popular electric cars to produce per-charge and per-mile figures across every common charging scenario. No estimates, no ranges — just current numbers.

Home charging: what it actually costs

The vast majority of EV miles in the UK are charged at home. It is the cheapest, most convenient, and most predictable way to keep an electric car topped up.

Standard home tariff

The average UK home electricity tariff sits at around 24–28p per kWh in 2026 following the energy price fluctuations of 2022–24. On a standard tariff, here is what a full charge costs for the most popular EVs:

Car	Battery size	Full charge cost (26p/kWh)	Approx range
MG ZS EV	51kWh	~£13.30	~170 miles
Nissan Leaf	40kWh	~£10.40	~140 miles
Vauxhall Mokka Electric	50kWh	~£13.00	~165 miles
Tesla Model Y RWD	75kWh	~£19.50	~280 miles
Hyundai IONIQ 5 77.4kWh	77.4kWh	~£20.10	~270 miles
Kia EV9	99.8kWh	~£25.90	~320 miles

Note: you will rarely charge from completely empty. Most EV drivers top up from 20–30%, so real charge costs are typically 60–80% of the full figures above.

Overnight EV tariffs: the cheapest way to charge

Several UK energy suppliers offer dedicated EV tariffs with significantly cheaper off-peak rates during overnight hours — typically midnight to 5am or 11pm to 7am. Current off-peak rates from major suppliers:

• Octopus Go: from around 7–10p/kWh off-peak (rates vary by region and quarter)
• OVO Drive Anytime: from around 9–12p/kWh EV-specific rate
• E.ON Next Drive: competitive off-peak rates, check current offers
• British Gas Electric Driver: off-peak EV rate typically 9–13p/kWh

At 10p/kWh, a full charge of the Tesla Model Y's 75kWh battery costs approximately £7.50 — giving a per-mile cost of around 2.7p. That is the number EV advocates usually cite, and it is real — but only available if you have home charging, a smart charger, and are on the right tariff.

A 7kW home wallbox is the standard installation for overnight charging, filling most EVs from near-empty in 8–11 hours. Installation typically costs £800–1,200 including the unit and labour.

Public charging: what it actually costs

Public charging prices have risen substantially since 2021 and now vary significantly by network, charger speed, and location. Here are the current rates for the UK's major public networks as of 2026:

Slow and fast chargers (3–7kW, 7–22kW)

Typically found in supermarket car parks, destination chargers, and some on-street locations.

• Pod Point (supermarket): often free or subsidised by the retailer
• Osprey 7kW: around 45–55p/kWh
• Ubitricity (on-street lamp posts): around 45–55p/kWh

At 50p/kWh, the cost per mile for an IONIQ 5 is approximately 13–14p — more than home but still meaningfully cheaper than rapid charging.

Rapid chargers (50–150kW)

Found at motorway services, retail parks, and dedicated charging hubs.

• bp pulse rapid: around 65–75p/kWh
• Pod Point rapid: around 65–70p/kWh
• Osprey rapid: around 69–75p/kWh

At 70p/kWh, per-mile cost for the IONIQ 5 rises to approximately 18–20p — approaching petrol territory.

Ultra-rapid chargers (150kW+)

Motorway hubs, Gridserve Electric Highway, Tesla Supercharger network.

• Gridserve Electric Highway: around 79–85p/kWh
• Tesla Supercharger (non-Tesla): around 73–79p/kWh
• Tesla Supercharger (Tesla owners): around 62–68p/kWh
• Osprey ultra-rapid: around 79–85p/kWh

At 82p/kWh, per-mile cost for the IONIQ 5 reaches approximately 22–23p — more expensive per mile than petrol for an efficient family SUV.

Mixed charging: what most drivers actually experience

Most EV drivers do not rely exclusively on home charging or exclusively on public charging. The realistic picture for a typical UK driver is a blend:

• 80% of miles charged at home at standard tariff rates
• 15% charged at public rapid chargers on longer journeys
• 5% charged at destination/slow chargers (often free at hotels, retail parks)

On that split, using the IONIQ 5 as the example:

• Home (80% of 10,000 miles at 7p/mile): £560
• Rapid public (15% of 10,000 miles at 19p/mile): £285
• Destination (5%, assume free): £0
• Blended annual total: approximately £845

Versus petrol at 16p/mile over 10,000 miles: £1,600.

The saving in this realistic mixed scenario is around £755 per year — meaningful, though less dramatic than the headline home-charging-only figures suggest.

For drivers without home charging who rely primarily on public rapid chargers, the blended cost approaches or exceeds petrol. That is the honest reality of EV economics in 2026.

How to reduce your charging costs

Switch to an overnight EV tariff. This is the single biggest lever available to home-charging EV owners. Moving from a standard 26p/kWh tariff to an overnight EV tariff at 10p/kWh cuts your home charging costs by more than half.

Use a smart charger. A smart wallbox automatically schedules charging during off-peak hours. Most modern home chargers include this functionality; older dumb chargers do not.

Charge to 80% not 100%. Battery longevity is maximised by keeping charge between 20% and 80%. Charging to 80% is also faster, since charge speed slows significantly above 80% on most EVs. Only charge to 100% before a long journey.

Plan rapid charging stops strategically. On long journeys, stopping at Tesla Superchargers (the cheapest rapid option for Tesla owners) or Gridserve hubs tends to offer better value than motorway service area chargers from other networks.

Take advantage of free charging. Many supermarkets, hotels, and retail parks offer free or subsidised charging. Building these stops into regular routines can meaningfully reduce annual charging costs.

For more on whether switching to electric saves money overall, see our guide to whether it is cheaper to run an electric car than a petrol car. And if you are choosing an EV for long-distance driving specifically, our guide to best electric SUVs for long distance driving covers charging network coverage by model.