How much does it cost to charge electric vehicles UK 2024?

Electric Vehicles (EV) are becoming increasingly popular in 2024 along with a growing charging network, but before making your purchase there are vital pieces of information that you need to know that you may not have considered. Such things as:

• What is the range on a full charge?
• How long does the battery pack last?
• How expensive is maintenance?
• Where are the nearest charging stations?

Perhaps, the most important question on everyone’s mind is this:

How much does it cost to charge an electric vehicle in 2024?

So, let’s take a look at the UK average cost of electricity for charging an electric vehicle at home and whilst out on the move. 

1) Public charging stations

Electricity costs are an ever-increasing problem for all of us and despite initial charging being free to encourage the purchase and use of electric vehicles these are becoming incredibly scarce as more and more vehicles are demanding the facilities. 

UK PUBLIC CHARGING FACILITIES

A great guide to your nearest EV charging facility is ZAPMAP who have a fantastic app that lets you find your nearest charging facility whilst on the move. 

If you are planning on charging at supermarkets, the list below is the most up to date rates I can find in July 2024. 

• Tesco UK - £0.44 pence per KWh up to £0.69 pence per KWh depending upon charging rate
• Sainsburys UK - £0.75 pence per KWh flat rate.
• Costco UK - Charging Sessions start at £0.50 pence per KWh.
• ASDA UK - ASDA are slashing their EV chargers from store car parks and look as if they may exit the market in 2024. They now only have EV chargers at less than 2% of their stores. 
• BP UK - Costs for non-subscribers start at £0.59 per KWh for the use of a 7KW charger and increase for faster charging equipment. 
• SHELL UK - Costs start at £0.59 pence per KWh for 5kw on street charging and rising to £0.91 per KWh for faster charging methods. 

Based on these rates the national average appears to be around £0.48 for slower charging rates.

2) Charging at home

Whilst all you EV owners can charge your vehicles whilst out and about, it may be cheaper and much more convenient to charge vehicles at home. Not all EV drivers want to spend vast amounts of time sat in a supermarket or forecourt car park charging station when you could be sat in the comfort of your own home relaxing whilst your home charging supply takes care of the rest. 

Obviously, this is going to affect your electricity bill somewhat but with some planning, charging can be carried out when electricity rates might be cheaper during off-peak hours.  Achieving a lower cost for charging your vehicle is better all round. 
Fast Charging is not usually available at home without a massive cost of upgrading the mains supply so we will focus on the maximum rate that home chargers can achieve and costs associated with that. 

We also won’t worry about the initial set up costs of installing an EV charger at home or upgrading the supply if its not quite capable. 

3) What is the fastest speed of charging at home?

Fast chargers at home can achieve around 7 KWh whereas public charging stations have the ability to achieve up to a blistering 350 KWh charging speed. Not all vehicles can take a charge at this rapid rate though.

7 KWh could theoretically give 84KWh of charge over 12 hours to your vehicle which is likely enough for any daily driver. 
The speeds of home charging equipment can vary though and does depend upon the type of charger. Let me explain. 

4) Varying home charging speeds

Modern electric car charging equipment monitors the mains supply in your home. Despite the installation of a rapid charger at home (7KW) charging equipment will not allow the mains incoming power to be overloaded and as such it will ‘throttle back’ the electricity supply to your electric vehicle to prevent any overloads from occurring. 

When you turn on many home appliances or take a shower using an electric shower, the home charger for your vehicle may limit the supply to your vehicle to prevent overload from occurring. 

5) UK at home EV Charging costs

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO CHARGE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE at home is the question you all want the answer to. 

The average cost of UK electricity at home is around £0.25 per KWh between 1st April and 30th June in 2024 according to the ecoexperts.

This is around half the national average compared to charging your vehicle at public chargers.

If your home has solar panels, you could potentially reduce the average price of a vehicle charge even more by using this energy during the day. With battery storage, your vehicle could be charged at night from any solar stored energy from the daylight hours. 

6) Electric Utilities Companies

The time of day could make a difference to your charging costs, some energy suppliers reduce the cost of electricity per kilowatt hour at off peak times such as late evening through to early morning. 

Where electricity is available at a reduced rate, the KWh price can fall as low as £0.09 off peak in 2024 so check with your utility company what rates are available for your circumstances. Charging at off peak times can cost a lot less than paying peak charges.

7) What about Charging Losses?

According to Car and Driver there are average losses across EV vehicles that need to be considered of around 12%-15%. This also applies at public car charging stations as the laws of physics don’t change at home or away. 

Let’s say for example that your EV has a 100kwh battery pack it may require 112-115 KWh of electricity in order to be fully charged. 

There are other things that affect a full charge taking place and the efficiency of the transfer such as:

• The ambient temperature
• The battery condition

The ambient temperature

Where ambient / battery temperatures are at extremes of hot or cold, charging times, miles of range and overall charging capacity can be affected. A slightly faster charge is also possible in milder climates compared with very cold environments. 

Battery condition

The electric vehicle’s range can be greatly diminished when the battery is nearing the end of its life or in poor condition. The amount of energy required to charge the battery will increase as the aging battery struggle to take a full battery charge and hold it. This effectively decreases the KWh size of the battery.

The overall fuel costs will increase as this happens adding to your electric bill. Electricity consumption goes up whilst energy efficiency comes down making a gas-powered car look more appealing at that moment. 

8) Summary

Whilst the types of chargers that are available as public EV chargers are not always available at home, it is far more economical to charger a vehicle at home especially off-peak where the average rate is drastically cheaper than public charging costs. 

The cost of the electricity, the convenience and the overall actual cost make charging at home a no-brainer. When considering HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO CHARGE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE we should bear in mind that public charging will always cost more but can offer greater convenience and in a pinch, when you are stuck, a few extra KWh from a public charger can get you back to your home charging equipment.