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merchHow much does it cost to charge an electric car?
How much does it cost to charge an electric car? The myths debunked
The cost of charging any electric vehicle is dependent on numerous factors, some of which are continuously fluctuating; therefore, answering this question is little more complex. As such, it’s hard to give an answer which will be completely accurate for everyone. Some of the key factors involved in determining the cost are: vehicle battery size, vehicle weight and the type of charger used i.e. home or public chargers.
It’s also dependent on a households particular energy tariff and whether energy is used efficiently. For example, those drivers who are utilising flexible time of use tariffs such as Agile Octopus, could be making vast savings in comparison with another driver of the exact same vehicle.
The difference in electric vehicle battery sizes
Based on our selection of 40 of the best selling electric vehicles available right now, 54kWh is the closest representation of the current average battery size. However, it is worth noting another top 40 list of vehicles might generate a slightly different result.
Information available online generally focuses on a 60kWh battery. So when typing “how much does it cost to charge an electric car” into Google, the results will be subjective to that particular size of battery.
Battery sizes actually range from the popular Tesla Model 3 which sits at the higher end of the battery scale, boasting a 75kWh battery option right down to the Smart EQ Fortwo city car which has a smaller 17.5kWh.
Therefore the cost of charging your Tesla, compared to Smart EQ would be vastly different.
What factors affect the cost of charging an electric car?
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?
Charging your electric vehicle at home is the easiest and most cost effective way to charge. Most electric vehicle owners make plugging in their vehicles, as automatic as unlocking the doors when arriving home, where the vehicle would always be plugged in if not in use.
Dependent on the amount of battery used throughout the day, in most cases the charge will simply top up to full capacity. Topping up a vehicle every night will cost on average between £1.10 – £1.20 per day to maintain full charge. The cost to fully charge the battery from near empty (which is the equivalent of running to a petrol station on an empty tank) would be between £7.80 (average) – £8.50 .
However these daily costs could be much lower if you where utilising time of use tariff options and green energy solutions. Customers have been known to actually get paid to charge vehicles at times when there is surplus energy on the grid!
What is the cost to use a public charger?
Public charging infrastructure is currently still very much in it’s early stages with new companies, initiatives and technology changing at a rapid pace. This makes working out an average cost to charge using public charge points very difficult to pin point.
Equally, some of the factors that determine the cost of a charge, including the vehicle battery size and the time you have to spare, will influence how much you will pay at a public charge station i.e. you may only need to top up enough to get you home safely before fully charging with your home charger.
However, based on our own experience and research we’ve concluded that the average price to charge a vehicle from empty to near full at a public charging station is between £8.00 – £20.00, giving us an average of £14.00. This is the electric equivalent of spending £50.00 – £60.00 to fill up a tank of petrol, for which you can see the drastic difference in price between the fuel types.
Although, in many cases you may wish only fill up the amount you feel is required for the journey or days ahead. In some cases, charge points often have a time limit meaning you wouldn’t be able to get a full charge anyway. When these elements are factored in, a charge in a relative sense, may cost as little as £2.50 per session.
What is the cheapest way to charge an EV?
There are a number of ways in which you could keep charging costs down. Firstly, look at your current energy provider and check whether you are on the right tariff for you. Many home owners accept the first and cheapest standard tariff quotation they receive, however In order to really control and begin to utilise these tariffs, we’d recommend creating a myenergi account. Users can use the advanced tools and features to physically set automation rules and parameters to ensure the vehicle is always charging at the cheapest prices. Making the cost to charge an electric car even cheaper! standard tariffs are not always the most effective, dependent on the needs of your household.
This is especially true for EV drivers who can utilises new initiatives such as flexible tariffs and time of use tariffs. These tariffs offer customers far lower prices during off peak periods such as throughout the night and early hours.
This also happens to be the most likely time you are charging your EV. However to best utilise these tariffs and to enable you to make sure your charger only charges when the electricity prices are at there lowest, we’d recommend selecting an eco smart charger such as the zappi which enables you to utilise these tariffs properly. One service we’d highly recommend is Agile Octopus by Octopus Energy, a tariff very popular amongst EV drivers.
More electrifying answers!
Based on a 54kWh battery, the average cost to fully charge an electric car (from empty to full) is around £7.80. The average monthly cost to keep an EV charged would be around £31.00.
This data is based on fully charging your EV once per week at home. Another advantage is that EV’s are also exempt from paying Road Tax and they are also significantly cheaper to maintain.
EV’s are considered far cheaper than fossil fuel vehicles and EV owners can expect to save an average of £57.48 per month on fuel savings alone, which is a total average fuel saving of £689.76 per year.
It’s also handy to know that electric vehicles don’t require an oil & filter change during their service. This will save, on average, another £100 a year. That’s a £789.76 saving by removing the fossil-based components and elements of the combustion engine vehicle.
It is widely recognised that electric cars are cheaper to maintain because there are significantly less mechanical moving parts. Battery energy is not only clean by name but clean by nature, with no more oil spills, leaking engines or injectors and filters clogging up. The most expensive part of an EV to replace would be the battery; however, most manufacturers offer lengthy warranties of up to 10 years on their batteries.
EV’s, on the whole, are far less complex than their predecessor the combustion engine. The general mechanics such as wheels, steering wheels and brakes still need servicing and maintaining regularly to ensure optimum performance. Equally, the safety features of an electric vehicle still need checking annually in the form of an MOT test, for which the vehicle is required to pass to be legally on the road.
