Guide to Electric Car Charging Costs

How Do I Keep My Electric Car Charging Costs Down?

According to the RAC Foundation*, looking just at fuel, a petrol car costs 12-13p per mile to run. For a diesel, it’s roughly 10p per mile. But for the average fully electric car, the electricity cost per mile is between 2p and 3p if you charge at home on a cheap tariff.

That’s a massive saving over petrol and diesel cars. 10,000 miles in a petrol car would cost you about £1,250 a year, whereas it could be only £250 in an EV .

To put it another way: imagine you arrive at a petrol station and see the price per litre of unleaded is £1.20. You then drive to the next petrol station and the price is only 24p per litre. That’s effectively what an electric car does – it allows you to save a fortune on fuel.

In our easy to understand guide to EV charging costs below, we explain everything you need to know to secure the absolute lowest cost of electric motoring:

1. Types of Electric Car: Which EVs offer the best savings?
   
2. Home Electricity Tariffs: How can I reduce my fuel costs the most?
   
3. Smartphone Apps & Electricity Tariffs: Which technology is best?
   
4. Costs When Charging Away From Home: How much do I pay?
   
5. Rapid Chargers: Available networks & payment methods
   

* RAC Foundation report, 13^th February 2020

#1 Types of Electric Car: Which EVs offer the best savings?

To achieve the best savings, you should lease a 100% electric car known as a ‘BEV’, or Battery Electric Vehicle. These have large batteries which you plug in to charge.

The next best type of electric car for fuel savings is a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle or ‘PHEV’. These have a smaller battery which means you can’t get as much low-cost electricity into them. If you generally drive no more than about 30 miles in a PHEV per day, you can still make very good fuel savings. If you drive more than 30 miles a day in a PHEV, the internal combustion engine will kick in and you will be back to expensive petrol costs.

The third type of electric car is a conventional Hybrid Electric Vehicle or 'HEV', also known as a Self Charging Hybrid. Unfortunately, these have tiny batteries and you can’t plug them in. The upshot? You don’t benefit from low electricity prices to fuel your car. You’ll be visiting the petrol station just as regularly.

#3 Smartphone Apps & Electricity Tariffs: Which technology is best?

Unless you are on a flat rate tariff, it’s obviously important to charge your electric car when you are on the lowest rate to achieve the most savings.

Alternatively, you might want to charge when the electricity from the grid is at its greenest in terms of CO₂. You can automate this process in one of the following ways:

• Nearly all electric cars can be programmed to start and stop charging at specific times. You can set scheduling up sitting inside the car itself, or via an app (if the manufacturer has provided this functionality).
  
• Another approach is to program the charging point. You either use the charging point manufacturer app or log on to the manufacturer’s website to tell the charging point when you wish to charge your EV.
  
• In addition, there are now a few specialist apps popping up that control the charging point either for maximum savings or best for the environment.
  

#5 Rapid Chargers: Available networks & payment methods

Charging your electric car at a rate faster than 22 kW is known as rapid charging. You often use rapid chargers when you go on a long trip and need to charge up quickly en route. Charging speeds are normally 50 kW (common), 150 kW (becoming more common) or ultra fast 350 kW (rare). Tesla have their own exclusive network offering 150 kW (standard) and coming soon, 250 kW.

There are various rapid charger networks to choose from. Here is a table showing the main companies (including some that offer slower charging stations as well), how you can pay, together with charges. Prices change frequently, so double-check with the network provider before you charge: