How much it costs to run an electric car depends mostly on where you plug in. Charging at home on an off-peak EV tariff is the cheapest way to drive in the UK. Relying on rapid public chargers can cost more per mile than a petrol car.
Here's how the numbers stack up in October 2026.
The short version
| Where you charge | Typical price per kWh | Cost per mile* |
|---|---|---|
| Home, off-peak EV tariff | Around 7p to 9.5p | Around 2p to 3p |
| Home, standard price cap rate | 26.32p | Around 7.5p |
| Public Standard and Standard Plus (3kW to 49kW) | 54p average | Around 15.4p |
| Public Rapid and Ultra-rapid (50kW+) | 77p average | Around 22p |
| Petrol car at 45 mpg, for comparison | 174.71p a litre | Around 17.6p |
*Assumes an EV doing 3.5 miles per kWh. Sources and workings below.
Charging at home on the price cap
If you're on a standard variable tariff, your electricity price is limited by Ofgem's price cap. From 1 October to 31 December 2026, the average capped unit rate for electricity paid by direct debit is 26.32p per kWh, with a daily standing charge of 54.83p. Your exact rate depends on your region and how you pay.
You pay the standing charge whether you own an EV or not, so it doesn't add to the cost of charging.
No VAT on home electricity this winter
Home electricity normally carries 5% VAT. But from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, domestic electricity in Great Britain is zero-rated for VAT, according to HMRC. Ofgem's capped rates above already reflect this. In Northern Ireland, the 5% rate still applies.
Public charging is a different story: it is still charged at the full 20% VAT, as Fleet World reported when the home cut came in. That gap is one reason public charging costs so much more.
EV tariffs: the cheapest way to charge
Many suppliers offer tariffs with a much cheaper overnight rate for EV owners. A comparison from Electrifying.com, dated 2 October 2026, lists off-peak rates including:
- Intelligent Octopus Go: 7.6p per kWh, 11:30pm to 5:30am
- EDF GoElectric: 6.7p per kWh, 11pm to 6am
- E.On Next Smart: 8.1p per kWh, midnight to 6am
- Octopus Go and British Gas EV: 9.5p per kWh, five hours overnight
Most of these rates fall between about 7p and 9.5p per kWh. They suit households that can do most of their charging in the cheap window, and some need a compatible smart charger or car. Check the daytime rate too, since that's what you'll pay the rest of the time.
Zapmap puts the average EV tariff rate at 8.6p per kWh.
Public charging prices
The Zapmap Price Index tracks what drivers pay on the public network without a subscription. For August 2026 (published 4 September 2026), the weighted average pay-as-you-go price was:
- 54p per kWh for Standard and Standard Plus chargers (3kW to 49kW), typically found on streets, in car parks and at destinations
- 77p per kWh for Rapid and Ultra-rapid chargers (50kW and above), typically at motorway services and charging hubs
Zapmap notes that some operators run subscriptions, promotions or partner deals, so many drivers pay less than these headline figures. Prices also vary a lot between networks and even between sites on the same network, so it's worth checking before you plug in.
A worked example: cost per mile
To compare like for like, we need two assumptions.
- EV efficiency: 3.5 miles per kWh. This is our assumption for a typical family EV. Small cars may do better, and everything does worse in cold weather or at motorway speeds.
- Petrol car: 45 miles per gallon. Again, our assumption. Your car may be better or worse.
For petrol, we use the RAC's UK average of 174.71p a litre on 2 October 2026. A gallon is 4.546 litres, so that's about £7.94 a gallon, or around 17.6p a mile at 45 mpg.
For an EV at 3.5 miles per kWh, the cost per mile is the price per kWh divided by 3.5:
| Price per kWh | Cost per mile | Cost of 100 miles | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-peak EV tariff (7.6p) | 7.6p | 2.2p | £2.17 |
| Price cap rate | 26.32p | 7.5p | £7.52 |
| Public Standard / Standard Plus | 54p | 15.4p | £15.43 |
| Public Rapid / Ultra-rapid | 77p | 22.0p | £22.00 |
| Petrol (45 mpg) | 174.71p per litre | 17.6p | £17.65 |
In this example, charging at home on an EV tariff costs around an eighth of running the petrol car. Charging on the standard home rate still costs less than half. But if you did all your charging on rapid chargers at the average pay-as-you-go price, you'd pay more per mile than the petrol driver.
Most drivers mix the two, so your real cost sits somewhere in between.
What the law says about public charger prices
The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 came into force on 24 November 2023, according to the government's guidance. Among other things:
- Prices in pence per kWh. Operators must clearly display the total price in pence per kWh, either on the charger or through a separate device that doesn't need you to sign up first. The guidance says this must include any connection or other fee. Regulation 11 also says the displayed price can't go up once your charge has started.
- Contactless payment. Under regulation 5, new public chargers of 8kW or above, and existing rapid chargers (50kW or above), had to accept contactless within one year, so by 24 November 2024.
- Open data. Operators must publish data about their chargers, including location, connector type and pricing, according to the guidance.
- A free 24/7 helpline for drivers who run into problems.
Ways to pay less
- If you can charge at home, an off-peak EV tariff makes the biggest difference.
- Use slower public chargers when you have time. On average they cost far less per kWh than rapids.
- If you regularly use one rapid network, compare its subscription price against what you'd save.
PlugOrPump lists public chargers near you with their connectors, power and, where the operator publishes it, the price per kWh. Each price is labelled with where it came from: the operator's own open data, or community reports via Open Charge Map. Search by postcode and switch to "Plug" to see chargers near you, or filter to rapid chargers only.