Drivers on various energy firms including British Gas, EDF, E.On, Ovo or Octopus Energy face higher charges to recharge EVs from October 1.
The vehicle charging point manufacturer Pod Point has shared how much drivers typically pay to charge up an electric vehicle.
Whilst the cost of petrol and diesel remained largely stagnant during July 2024, many motorists are making the switch to an electric car due to their claimed lower running costs.
However, whilst EV owners will never have to pay at the pumps, a spokesperson for Pod Point noted that they will see a considerable increase in their energy bills to charge at home.
They advised: “If you switch from a diesel or petrol to an electric car and start charging at home, you’ll inevitably see an increase in your electricity bill, simply because you’re using more energy than before to charge your EV.
“At the same time, you’ll be making savings as you no longer need to fill your tank at the petrol station. Your car’s fuel cost becomes part of your electricity bill.”
According to Pod Point, the average energy policy in the UK currently stands at 24.5 per kWh. Much like the size of a fuel tank on a petrol car, the amount drivers will pay to charge an electric car will depend on its battery.
Using that fee, the company worked out that those who completely charge a Nissan Leaf 3.ZERO e+, a popular choice for first-time electric car owners, will need to pay £15.19, whereas a Mercedes-Benz EQE, which features a larger battery, would cost £24.50 to fully charge.
Taking the average of £15 to £16 right now, unfortunately Ofgem has confirmed that energy prices will go up on October 1 by an average of 10 percent. That would increase a £15-16 charge to £17, bringing the average cost of a weekly charge for a year to £884.
Nevertheless, the spokesperson for Pod Point highlighted that plugging in at home is significantly cheaper than using a public charger, despite being significantly slower.
They added: “It’s generally cheaper to charge your electric car at home than at a charging station. The average cost for home charging is 32p per kWh and 48p per kWh for a public charging station.
“When it comes to home charging, you can leverage comparison sites and switch providers to get the best rate, keeping your kWh price low. You won’t find much of a price difference in comparable public chargers, so ‘shopping around’ for a cheaper public charger can sometimes be more effort than it’s worth.”
To make electric vehicles more enticing, a number of energy companies are promoting tariffs that can cut the cost of charging an EV.
These include the OVO Charge Anytime policy, which advertises a typical fee of just £200 per year for drivers to charge an EV, and Octopus Electric Vehicles, which uses vehicle to grid (V2G) technology to store power that can be used for other purposes.
Drivers on a broader range of policies can also charge up an electric car for less if they have an off-peak rate, with many of the latest home charging units able to switch on at certain times of day.
