How much cheaper is charging an EV at home than using public chargers?

On the rates this calculator uses — 26.11p/kWh at home against 73p/kWh on a public rapid charger — home charging works out at roughly 7.8p per mile against 21.9p per mile. On 8,000 miles a year that is a difference of about £1,125.

How long does a home EV charger take to pay for itself?

It depends on your mileage and how much public charging you currently do. The calculator projects the cumulative saving over 25 years and marks the year the charger has paid for itself. For a typical 8,000-mile driver replacing public charging, it is usually well inside the first two years.

Do I need an EV before installing a charger?

No. The calculator asks whether you already have an EV because it changes nothing about the installation, only the timing. Plenty of people fit a charger ahead of a car arriving, and it is usually cheaper to do it alongside other electrical work.

EV Charging Cost Calculator

See what charging at home costs against public rates, on your own mileage, and when the charger pays for itself. Takes about two minutes.

Compares home charging at 26.11p/kWh against public rapid charging at 73p/kWh, projected over 25 years.

How the Calculator Works

Every figure it uses is listed below. No black box.

Cost Per Mile, Both Ways

Home charging at 26.11p/kWh works out around 7.8p a mile. A public rapid charger at 73p/kWh is about 21.9p a mile. That gap is the whole argument for a home charger, and it is the number most quotes never show you.

Your Charger, Your Price

Pick from the units we actually fit — Zappi, Ohme, Hypervolt, Andersen and Easee — and the price updates with cable run, distance from the fuse box and any warranty extension. Installed, including VAT.

When It Pays For Itself

The 25-year projection assumes home electricity rises 5% a year and public charging 4%. The chart marks the year your cumulative saving has covered the cost of the charger.

Calculator Assumptions

These are the defaults. Your own mileage and tariff will move the numbers, sometimes a lot.

Variable	Value Used	Note
Annual mileage	8,000 miles	Close to the UK average for a private car
Efficiency	0.3 kWh per mile	Roughly 3.3 miles per kWh — a mid-size EV in mixed driving
Home electricity rate	26.11p/kWh	Ofgem cap, 1 July – 30 Sept 2026. An EV tariff overnight can be a quarter of this
Public charging rate	73p/kWh	Typical rapid charger. Slower on-street posts are cheaper
Home price inflation	5% per year	Applied across the 25-year projection
Public price inflation	4% per year	Applied across the 25-year projection
Projection length	25 years	Matches the working life of the electrical installation

What It Cannot Tell You

Worth knowing before you treat the number as gospel.

Your Actual Tariff

If you move to an EV tariff and charge overnight, your real cost per mile can drop to around 2p. The calculator uses a standard rate, so treat its saving as the conservative case.

Your Consumer Unit

Some installs need a board upgrade or an earthing change first. We can only tell you that from a survey, and we would rather find it before you have paid for anything.

How You Really Drive

Someone doing 20,000 miles with no driveway has a completely different answer to a 5,000-mile commuter. Change the mileage and watch the payback move.

Want the Real Number?

The calculator gets you close. A survey gets you a fixed price in writing — including anything your consumer unit needs before a charger goes on it. We are based in Milton Keynes and install across Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, and we will travel further for the right job. If you are further out, ask anyway.

Get a Fixed Price Call 07516 762540

No obligation • Fixed pricing • MCS & NAPIT certified • Based in Milton Keynes