Cost to charge an electric car in Japan (2026)
As of August 6, 2026, charging an electric car at home in Japan costs about ¥335–¥616 per 100 km (¥31/kWh, including the ~12% AC charging loss) across the 15 electric models we price — versus about ¥1,189 of petrol for a typical 7 L/100 km car. Home charging only; every model below links to its full cost page.
Per 100 km at home — Japan
| Electric model | kWh/100km | Per 100 km at home |
|---|---|---|
| Honda N-ONE e: (G) | 9.5 kWh/100km | ¥335 |
| Nissan Sakura (X) | 11.1 kWh/100km | ¥391 |
| Mitsubishi eK X EV | 11.1 kWh/100km | ¥391 |
| Lexus RZ350e version L (FWD) | 12 kWh/100km | ¥423 |
| BMW iX1 eDrive20 M Sport | 13.4 kWh/100km | ¥472 |
| BYD Dolphin (Standard) | 13.5 kWh/100km | ¥476 |
| Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron advanced | 13.6 kWh/100km | ¥479 |
| Toyota bZ3 / compact BEV class | 14 kWh/100km | ¥493 |
| Tesla Model Y (RWD) | 15 kWh/100km | ¥528 |
| Toyota bZ4X (G, FWD) | 15.5 kWh/100km | ¥546 |
| Hyundai Kona Electric | 15.5 kWh/100km | ¥546 |
| Nissan Leaf (B5 S, 3rd gen) | 16 kWh/100km | ¥564 |
| BYD Atto 3 | 16 kWh/100km | ¥564 |
| Toyota bZ4X (Z, AWD) | 17 kWh/100km | ¥599 |
| Nissan Ariya (B6) | 17.5 kWh/100km | ¥616 |
A typical 7 L/100 km petrol car: ¥1,189/100 km.
Home vs public charging in Japan — the 5 cheapest EVs to charge
Public and DC fast charging in Japan is billed per session by each network and varies widely, so we model it the way the kernel does on every cost page: 2.5× the home rate — about ¥78/kWh against ¥31/kWh at home. That is a planning estimate, not any network's tariff. Here is what it does to the 5 cheapest-to-charge models we price in Japan:
| Electric model | Per 100 km at home | Public (≈2.5× home) | Extra per year if all-public |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda N-ONE e: (G) | ¥335 | ¥837 | +¥40,159 |
| Nissan Sakura (X) | ¥391 | ¥978 | +¥46,923 |
| Mitsubishi eK X EV | ¥391 | ¥978 | +¥46,923 |
| Lexus RZ350e version L (FWD) | ¥423 | ¥1,057 | +¥50,727 |
| BMW iX1 eDrive20 M Sport | ¥472 | ¥1,180 | +¥56,645 |
- Honda N-ONE e: (G) is the cheapest EV to charge in Japan — ¥335 per 100 km at home — and at the public estimate (¥837) it still beats the ¥1,189 of petrol a 7 L/100 km car burns over the same distance.
- A Nissan Sakura (X) draws 11.1 kWh per 100 km, so home charging runs ¥391; at the public estimate (¥978) it still beats the ¥1,189 of petrol a 7 L/100 km car burns over the same distance.
- For the Mitsubishi eK X EV, public-only charging would add about ¥46,923 a year at 8,000 km/year over charging at home (¥391 vs ¥978 per 100 km); even then it stays under the ¥1,189 a 7 L/100 km petrol car needs.
- A Lexus RZ350e version L (FWD) draws 12 kWh per 100 km, so home charging runs ¥423; at the public estimate (¥1,057) it still beats the ¥1,189 of petrol a 7 L/100 km car burns over the same distance.
- For the BMW iX1 eDrive20 M Sport, public-only charging would add about ¥56,645 a year at 8,000 km/year over charging at home (¥472 vs ¥1,180 per 100 km); that puts it level with a 7 L/100 km petrol car's ¥1,189.
Even at the 2.5× public estimate, all 5 of these models still undercut the ¥1,189 of petrol a typical 7 L/100 km car burns per 100 km — in Japan the charging case survives without a driveway. Our 5-year totals on each model page assume 80% home / 20% public charging at this same multiple — these two columns are the ends of that range.