United Kingdom · GBP
EV Charging Cost Calculator UK
Work out what it costs to charge for a journey, top up a battery, or pay for a recorded charging session. Use your vehicle's energy figures and the price you actually pay.
Your charging estimate
Choose the information you have. No vehicle, driving distance or charging-efficiency assumption is preselected.
Add session, parking or other charging fees
Estimated charging cost
- Source / billed electricity
- Electricity charge
- Additional charges
- Total cost per mile
- Total cost per 100 miles
Choose the method and measurement basis that match your inputs.
Enter the required information to calculate charging cost.
Vehicle purchase, charger installation and general household fixed charges are separate. Inputs stay in this tab; they are not sent, saved or put in the URL.
Choose the energy figure that matches your question
A charging bill or meter reading: enter the electricity recorded for the session. This is the clearest way to price electricity already billed. Do not increase it again for charging losses. Check the meter's measurement point and exclude unrelated household loads.
A journey or regular driving: multiply distance by consumption, or divide it by distance per kWh. For example, 100 miles at 30 kWh/100 miles is 30 kWh; 100 miles at 4 miles/kWh is 25 kWh. These are different illustrative vehicle inputs, not equivalent ratings. The calculator converts miles and kilometres when their selected units differ, using 1 mile = 1.609344 km.
Next identify whether that energy is already measured at the charge source or is battery energy used while driving. EPA/FuelEconomy.gov consumption figures include charging losses. If your figure excludes them, divide the battery energy by an explicit charging-efficiency fraction. Do not use a battery-to-wheel reading as billed energy without considering its boundary.
A battery top-up: approximate battery energy added = usable capacity × (target percentage − starting percentage) ÷ 100. Estimated source energy = battery energy added ÷ (charging efficiency ÷ 100). A displayed state of charge is an estimate; it is not a substitute for a charging bill.
A worked top-up example
A hypothetical 60 kWh usable battery going from 20% to 80% adds 36 kWh. At an assumed 90% charging efficiency, it needs 40 kWh from the source. The tariff then determines the electricity charge.
At 26.32p/kWh, 40 kWh costs £10.53 before additional fees. This fixed example uses the Ofgem GB Direct Debit, single-rate reference for 1 October–31 December 2026. Battery size and efficiency are illustrative too; they are not measurements or recommended charging limits. Editing the calculator does not change this example.
Home, public and off-peak charging
Use the price for the place and time you charge. Off-peak savings depend on the actual tariff, any subscription and the energy charged in each period. A lower unit price does not establish a fixed percentage saving for every driver.
If a session spans two prices, split its source energy between the periods and add the resulting charges. For a fee quoted per minute, calculate the applicable total separately before adding it. Check whether a quoted amount already includes tax or other fees so you do not count them twice.
At public DC charging, the station's billed measurement point may differ from a home AC setup. Meter mode prices the kWh actually billed. A battery-based estimate needs an efficiency assumption appropriate to that charging method; do not transfer a home AC assumption automatically.
What can change the estimate?
Driving speed, weather, cabin heating or cooling, terrain and load affect consumption. EPA test ratings provide a comparison basis, not a guarantee for a particular journey. Charger rating does not predict the average power over a complete session, so this tool does not estimate charging time.
Parked energy use, battery conditioning or other session overhead may not be included in a driving-consumption figure. Use a representative billed-energy reading when you need to capture the whole session. Do not add a second allowance for energy already covered by your measurement or efficiency assumption.
Per-mile and per-100-distance results include any additional charges you enter. They are undefined for zero distance, even if a fixed session fee remains payable. All displayed money is rounded; calculations use unrounded values.
Common questions
How do I calculate the cost of charging an electric car?
Multiply electricity billed in kWh by your rate per kWh, then add any separate session, parking or other charging fees. If you start with battery energy instead, divide it by your assumed charging efficiency before pricing the electricity. Do not add charging losses again to an energy reading that already includes them.
How do I estimate the charging cost for a journey?
Enter the distance and a consumption figure for your vehicle and conditions, with the correct units. Choose whether that figure describes electricity from the charge source or battery energy used while driving. The second option needs an explicit charging-efficiency assumption. Weather, speed, heating and terrain can change real consumption.
Do EPA electric-car efficiency figures include charging losses?
EPA and FuelEconomy.gov explain that their electric-vehicle consumption figures use energy from the charge source, including charging losses. Select the wall/billed-electricity basis for a relevant EPA kWh/100 miles figure. A dashboard reading or another test standard can have a different basis; check its documentation.
How much does a 20% to 80% charge cost?
Use usable battery capacity multiplied by 0.60 for an approximate increase in battery energy. For an illustrative 60 kWh usable battery, that is 36 kWh. At an assumed 90% charging efficiency, the estimated source electricity is 40 kWh. Multiply by your tariff and add applicable fees. These are example inputs, not a claim about your model or a recommended charge limit.
Why not multiply the charger rating by the time plugged in?
The rating is a power limit. The car can draw less, taper its charging power or stop before you unplug it. Energy recorded by the charger is more useful for pricing a completed session. This calculator estimates energy and cost, not charging time or the electrical installation you need.
Can I compare home and public charging?
Use the tariff and fees for the charging option being estimated. Public prices, time-based charges, parking, subscriptions and home EV tariffs can differ. If the charging method changes energy losses, use an appropriate new assumption. A home electricity benchmark is not a public-charging quote.
Can I use this for a plug-in hybrid or solar charging?
For a plug-in hybrid, enter only the electric-driving portion; petrol or gasoline is separate. For solar, use a marginal energy value that reflects your situation, such as forgone export revenue where appropriate. The tool does not calculate solar payback, demand charges or your complete vehicle ownership costs.
Sources and input guidance
- FuelEconomy.gov: EV consumption and charging losses — explains the charge-source measurement boundary and usable versus total battery capacity.
- EPA: fuel economy and EV range testing — charging losses in EPA measurements, test conditions and real-world variation.
- EPA electric-vehicle label: fuel consumption — interpreting kWh per 100 miles. Use the correct model, year and configuration.
- Ofgem unit rates and standing charges — GB household reference, 1 October–31 December 2026; excludes Northern Ireland.
Source review: 3 October 2026. Calculations use your inputs; no vehicle test results, public-charging prices or charging-efficiency averages are supplied. General electricity calculator · Report a correction.