EV charging cost in the UK: home vs public
EV charging cost is what you pay in electricity to recharge an electric car's battery. In the UK, charging at home on the Ofgem price cap costs 26.11p per kWh — about £17.41 for a full 60 kWh charge — while public rapid chargers cost 63–92p per kWh (around £37.80–£55.20 for the same charge). Compare 38 popular models below, or estimate your own.
Sources: Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (1 Jul–30 Sep 2026); EV Database — Useable battery capacity of full electric vehicles (cheatsheet); Zapmap — UK EV charging price index (weighted-average PAYG). Home cap period 1 July to 30 September 2026 (Ofgem price cap); public tariffs May 2026. Updated June 2026.
Quick answer (1 July to 30 September 2026 (Ofgem price cap)): charging at home costs 26.11p/kWh ≈ £17.41 for a full 60 kWh charge. Public slow/fast charging averages 54p/kWh and rapid/ultra-rapid charging is 63–92p/kWh ≈ £37.80–£55.20 for the same charge. Home is roughly 2× cheaper than rapid charging.
EV charge-cost estimator
Pick a car and a charge window. We apply the current Ofgem home electricity rate of 26.11p/kWh (1 July to 30 September 2026 (Ofgem price cap), AC losses included) and the real Zapmap public PAYG tariffs.
Adding 36.0 kWh (60% of a 60 kWh pack) to a Tesla Model 3 RWD
- At home
- £10.44
- 26.11p/kWh
- Public slow/fast
- £19.44
- 54p/kWh
- Public rapid
- £22.68–£33.12
- 63–92p/kWh
Home figure divides by 0.9 for AC onboard-charger losses (you draw more from the meter than lands in the battery). Public figures are billed per kWh delivered at the PAYG tariff (Zapmap May 2026). Usable battery capacity from EV Database.
Home vs public charging rates
What each kind of charging costs per kWh. Home is the standard Ofgem cap rate; public tariffs are Zapmap's weighted-average UK PAYG prices for May 2026.
| Where | Rate (p/kWh) | 60 kWh charge | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home (Ofgem cap) | 26.11p | £17.41 | 1 July to 30 September 2026 (Ofgem price cap) |
| Slow / Fast (3–49 kW) | 54p | £32.40 | May 2026 |
| Rapid / Ultra-rapid (50 kW+) | 63–92p | £37.80–£55.20 | May 2026 |
Home figures divide the usable kWh by a charging efficiency of 0.9 for AC onboard-charger losses; public figures are billed per kWh delivered. Zapmap UK EV charging price index — weighted-average PAYG price for standard / standard-plus (3–49 kW) chargers. Published as a single weighted average; no reliable network low–high spread in source, so low=high.
Cost to fully charge 38 EV models
A full charge (0→100% of the usable battery) at the current Ofgem home rate vs public rapid charging. Open any model for a calculator and a per-charge breakdown.
| Model | Usable battery | Home full charge | Rapid full charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | 60 kWh | £17.41 | £37.80–£55.20 |
| Tesla Model 3 Long Range | 79 kWh | £22.92 | £49.77–£72.68 |
| Tesla Model Y RWD | 60 kWh | £17.41 | £37.80–£55.20 |
| Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD | 79 kWh | £22.92 | £49.77–£72.68 |
| Tesla Model S AWD | 95 kWh | £27.56 | £59.85–£87.40 |
| Nissan Leaf (Standard Range, 52 kWh) | 52.9 kWh | £15.35 | £33.33–£48.67 |
| Nissan Leaf (Extended Range, 75 kWh) | 75.1 kWh | £21.79 | £47.31–£69.09 |
| Nissan Ariya 87 kWh | 87 kWh | £25.24 | £54.81–£80.04 |
| Volkswagen ID.3 (58 kWh) | 58 kWh | £16.83 | £36.54–£53.36 |
| Volkswagen ID.4 Pro | 79 kWh | £22.92 | £49.77–£72.68 |
| Volkswagen ID.7 (77 kWh) | 77 kWh | £22.34 | £48.51–£70.84 |
| MG MG4 (Long Range, 64 kWh) | 61.7 kWh | £17.90 | £38.87–£56.76 |
| MG MG4 (Extended Range, 77 kWh) | 74.4 kWh | £21.58 | £46.87–£68.45 |
| Kia EV6 (Standard Range) | 60 kWh | £17.41 | £37.80–£55.20 |
| Kia EV6 (Long Range) | 80 kWh | £23.21 | £50.40–£73.60 |
| Kia EV9 (99.8 kWh) | 96 kWh | £27.85 | £60.48–£88.32 |
| Kia EV3 (Long Range) | 78 kWh | £22.63 | £49.14–£71.76 |
| Hyundai IONIQ 5 (84 kWh) | 80 kWh | £23.21 | £50.40–£73.60 |
| Hyundai IONIQ 6 (84 kWh) | 80 kWh | £23.21 | £50.40–£73.60 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric (65 kWh) | 65.4 kWh | £18.97 | £41.20–£60.17 |
| BYD Atto 3 | 60.48 kWh | £17.55 | £38.10–£55.64 |
| BYD Dolphin (60.4 kWh) | 60.48 kWh | £17.55 | £38.10–£55.64 |
| BYD Seal (82.5 kWh RWD) | 82.5 kWh | £23.93 | £51.98–£75.90 |
| Polestar 2 Long Range | 79 kWh | £22.92 | £49.77–£72.68 |
| Polestar 3 Dual Motor | 102 kWh | £29.59 | £64.26–£93.84 |
| BMW i4 eDrive40 | 81.3 kWh | £23.59 | £51.22–£74.80 |
| BMW iX1 eDrive20 | 65.2 kWh | £18.92 | £41.08–£59.98 |
| Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 | 66.5 kWh | £19.29 | £41.90–£61.18 |
| Audi Q4 e-tron | 77 kWh | £22.34 | £48.51–£70.84 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E (Extended Range RWD) | 88 kWh | £25.53 | £55.44–£80.96 |
| Ford Explorer (Extended Range RWD) | 79 kWh | £22.92 | £49.77–£72.68 |
| Renault 5 E-Tech (52 kWh) | 52 kWh | £15.09 | £32.76–£47.84 |
| Renault Megane E-Tech EV60 | 60 kWh | £17.41 | £37.80–£55.20 |
| Vauxhall Corsa Electric (54 kWh) | 50.8 kWh | £14.74 | £32.00–£46.74 |
| Peugeot e-208 (54 kWh) | 50.8 kWh | £14.74 | £32.00–£46.74 |
| Volvo EX30 (Long Range) | 65 kWh | £18.86 | £40.95–£59.80 |
| Cupra Born (58 kWh) | 58 kWh | £16.83 | £36.54–£53.36 |
| Skoda Enyaq 85 | 77 kWh | £22.34 | £48.51–£70.84 |
Usable battery capacities from EV Database — Useable battery capacity of full electric vehicles (cheatsheet). Ofgem figures © Ofgem, Open Government Licence v3.0. Battery capacities © EV Database (independent aggregator). Public tariffs © Zapmap. All reproduced as factual reference data.
EV charging cost — frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home in the UK?
At the Ofgem price cap (1 July to 30 September 2026 (Ofgem price cap)) home electricity is 26.11p/kWh. A full charge of a typical 60 kWh usable battery costs about £17.41, including ~10% AC charging losses. Bigger packs cost proportionally more — see the table for 38 models.
Is it cheaper to charge an EV at home or at a public charger?
Home is much cheaper. Home electricity is 26.11p/kWh, while public slow/fast charging averages 54p/kWh and rapid/ultra-rapid charging runs 63–92p/kWh (Zapmap May 2026). For a 60 kWh charge that is roughly £17.41 at home versus £37.80–£55.20 on a rapid charger.
Why is the home charging cost higher than battery size × unit rate?
Home AC charging is not 100% efficient. The onboard charger and thermal losses mean you draw more from the meter than ends up in the battery, so we divide the usable kWh by a charging efficiency of about 0.9 before applying the unit rate. Public rapid DC charging is billed per kWh delivered, so no such divisor is applied to those figures.
What electricity rate are these EV charging costs based on?
Home figures use the Ofgem energy price cap electricity unit rate of 26.11p/kWh — the average across England, Scotland and Wales for Direct Debit customers, including VAT, for 1 July to 30 September 2026 (Ofgem price cap). A dedicated overnight EV tariff would be cheaper still, but we use the standard cap rate so the comparison is consistent and verifiable.
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Sources & method
Home electricity rate from Ofgem — Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges (1 Jul–30 Sep 2026) (cap period 1 July to 30 September 2026 (Ofgem price cap)). Usable battery capacities from EV Database — Useable battery capacity of full electric vehicles (cheatsheet), read 2026-06-25. Public PAYG tariffs from Zapmap — UK EV charging price index (weighted-average PAYG) (May 2026). Ofgem figures © Ofgem, Open Government Licence v3.0. Battery capacities © EV Database (independent aggregator). Public tariffs © Zapmap. All reproduced as factual reference data. Home full charge = (usable kWh ÷ 0.9) × 26.11p; public charge = usable kWh × the PAYG tariff. Ofgem · EV Database · Zapmap.