EV Home Charging Costs in the UK 2026

What it actually costs to charge an electric car at home in 2026, on standard, Economy 7 and dedicated EV tariffs.

Updated: November 2026 — Power Guardian UK Editorial Team. Electricity is priced at the Oct–Dec 2026 average rate and petrol at the October 2026 UK average.

Charging an EV at home is the cheapest way to drive in 2026 — but only if you pick the right tariff. Here's the real cost per mile.

Cost per mile by tariff

| Tariff | Unit rate used | Cost per kWh | Cost per mile (3.5 mi/kWh) | |---|---|---|---| | Standard variable, Oct–Dec 2026 (anytime) | 26.32p | 26.32p | 7.5p | | Economy 7 (overnight, typical) | 14p | 14p | 4.0p | | Octopus Intelligent Go | about 7.5p (off-peak, varies by region) | 7.5p | 2.1p | | Public rapid charger | 75p | 75p | 21.4p | | Petrol (45 mpg @ £1.74/L) | — | — | 17.6p |

Cost to fully charge popular EVs at home

| Car | Battery size | Standard tariff (26.32p) | Intelligent Go (7.5p) | |---|---|---|---| | MG4 | 64 kWh | £16.84 | £4.80 | | Tesla Model Y | 75 kWh | £19.74 | £5.63 | | Ford Capri EV | 77 kWh | £20.27 | £5.78 | | BMW i4 | 84 kWh | £22.11 | £6.30 | | Kia EV9 | 99 kWh | £26.06 | £7.43 |

Annual cost (10,000 miles/year)

| Tariff | Annual electricity cost | |---|---| | Standard variable (26.32p) | £752 | | Economy 7 (mostly overnight, typical) | £400 | | Octopus Intelligent Go | £214 | | Public rapid only | £2,140 | | Petrol equivalent | £1,758 |

Bottom line: At 10,000 miles a year, a dedicated EV tariff saves around £540 a year against a standard variable tariff, and around £1,540 a year against running a 45 mpg petrol car.

Does charging slowly save money?

No — energy used is the same. Slow charging (3kW) is just gentler on the battery long-term.