Cost to charge an electric car in the UK (2026)
As of August 6, 2026, charging an electric car at home in the UK costs about £6.20–£8.84 per 100 miles (£0.26/kWh, including the ~12% AC charging loss) across the 27 electric models we price — versus about £17.42 of petrol for a typical 40 mpg car. Home charging only; every model below links to its full cost page.
Per 100 miles at home — the UK
| Electric model | kWh/100mi | Per 100 miles at home |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | 20.9 kWh/100mi | £6.20 |
| Nissan Leaf | 22.2 kWh/100mi | £6.59 |
| MG4 EV | 22.7 kWh/100mi | £6.74 |
| Hyundai Inster | 23 kWh/100mi | £6.82 |
| Kia EV6 | 23.3 kWh/100mi | £6.91 |
| Volkswagen ID.3 | 23.3 kWh/100mi | £6.91 |
| Vauxhall Corsa Electric | 23.3 kWh/100mi | £6.91 |
| BMW i4 eDrive35 Sport | 23.7 kWh/100mi | £7.03 |
| Tesla Model Y | 23.8 kWh/100mi | £7.06 |
| Polestar 2 | 23.8 kWh/100mi | £7.06 |
| Renault 5 E-Tech | 24 kWh/100mi | £7.12 |
| Kia EV3 | 24 kWh/100mi | £7.12 |
| BMW iX1 eDrive20 Sport | 24 kWh/100mi | £7.12 |
| BMW iX2 eDrive20 M Sport | 24.5 kWh/100mi | £7.27 |
| Skoda Elroq 60 | 24.9 kWh/100mi | £7.39 |
| BYD Dolphin Surf | 25 kWh/100mi | £7.42 |
| Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 25.6 kWh/100mi | £7.60 |
| Skoda Enyaq 85 | 25.7 kWh/100mi | £7.63 |
| Renault Megane E-Tech EV60 | 25.9 kWh/100mi | £7.68 |
| BYD Seal Design RWD | 26.2 kWh/100mi | £7.77 |
| Kia Niro EV | 26.3 kWh/100mi | £7.80 |
| Cupra Born V2 | 26.6 kWh/100mi | £7.89 |
| Audi Q4 e-tron 45 | 26.6 kWh/100mi | £7.89 |
| Ford Explorer EV Standard Range RWD | 26.6 kWh/100mi | £7.89 |
| Volvo EX30 Single Motor ER | 27 kWh/100mi | £8.01 |
| BYD Atto 3 Evo | 27.7 kWh/100mi | £8.22 |
| BYD Sealion 7 Comfort RWD | 29.8 kWh/100mi | £8.84 |
A typical 40 mpg petrol car: £17.42/100 miles.
Home vs public charging in the UK — the 5 cheapest EVs to charge
Public and DC fast charging in the UK 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 £0.65/kWh against £0.26/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 the UK:
| Electric model | Per 100 miles at home | Public (≈2.5× home) | Extra per year if all-public |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 | £6.20 | £15.50 | +£1,116 |
| Nissan Leaf | £6.59 | £16.47 | +£1,186 |
| MG4 EV | £6.74 | £16.84 | +£1,212 |
| Hyundai Inster | £6.82 | £17.06 | +£1,228 |
| Kia EV6 | £6.91 | £17.28 | +£1,244 |
- Tesla Model 3 is the cheapest EV to charge in the UK — £6.20 per 100 miles at home — and at the public estimate (£15.50) it still beats the £17.42 of petrol a 40 mpg car burns over the same distance.
- A Nissan Leaf draws 22.2 kWh per 100 miles, so home charging runs £6.59; at the public estimate (£16.47) it lands about level with the £17.42 of petrol for a 40 mpg car.
- For the MG4 EV, public-only charging would add about £1,212 a year at 12,000 mi/year over charging at home (£6.74 vs £16.84 per 100 miles); that puts it level with a 40 mpg petrol car's £17.42.
- A Hyundai Inster draws 23 kWh per 100 miles, so home charging runs £6.82; at the public estimate (£17.06) it lands about level with the £17.42 of petrol for a 40 mpg car.
- For the Kia EV6, public-only charging would add about £1,244 a year at 12,000 mi/year over charging at home (£6.91 vs £17.28 per 100 miles); that puts it level with a 40 mpg petrol car's £17.42.
Even at the 2.5× public estimate, all 5 of these models still undercut the £17.42 of petrol a typical 40 mpg car burns per 100 miles — in the UK 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.