Are electric vehicles cheaper to run? For most UK drivers who can charge at home, the answer is yes, and often by a wide margin. For drivers who rely on rapid public chargers, the answer is less clear, and in some cases an EV can cost more per mile than an efficient petrol car. The difference comes down to one thing more than any other: where your electricity comes from.

This guide breaks the running costs into parts you can check against your own life. We look at energy cost per mile, the price of a full charge, road tax, insurance and servicing. Then we put it together into a simple yearly comparison and a checklist to help you decide.

Are Electric Vehicles Cheaper to Run on Fuel Alone?

The easiest way to compare is cost per mile. For an EV, you divide the price of electricity per kilowatt hour (kWh) by how many miles the car travels on one kWh. A typical EV manages around 3.5 miles per kWh in mixed real world driving. For a petrol car, you work from the pump price and its miles per gallon.

Using typical UK figures, charging at home on an overnight EV tariff of about 7p per kWh works out at roughly 2p per mile. At a standard home rate of about 28p per kWh, the cost is around 8p per mile. A petrol car returning 40 mpg costs about 16p to 19p per mile, depending on the pump price. Public rapid charging at around 75p per kWh works out at about 21p per mile, which is more than that petrol car.

If you prefer metric, you can convert these to cost per km by dividing by 1.61. So 2p per mile is about 1.2p per km, and 8p per mile is about 5p per km. That is the figure people usually mean when they search for how much an EV costs per km.

How Much Does EV Charging Cost at Home?

How much EV charging costs at home depends on three things: your tariff, the size of your battery, and how full it is when you plug in. At a standard rate of about 24p per kWh, filling a typical 60kWh battery from empty would cost around £14.40. On an EV tariff of 7p to 10p per kWh, the same full charge costs roughly £4.20 to £6.

In daily life you rarely charge from empty. Most drivers top up from around 20% to 80%, which is 60% of the battery. On a 60kWh pack that means 36kWh. At 7p per kWh, that top up costs about £2.50. That is why home charging on a smart tariff feels almost free to many owners.

Are Electric Vehicles Cheaper to Run If You Rely on Public Chargers?

This is where the answer changes. Public rapid chargers often cost between 65p and 85p per kWh. At those prices, an EV can cost more per mile than a petrol car with good fuel economy. If you live in a flat without off street parking and do all your charging at motorway services, the savings can disappear.

There is a middle ground, and most EV owners live in it. If you charge at home most of the time and use rapid chargers only on long trips, your blended cost stays low. One analysis found that with 80% home charging and 20% rapid charging, the average works out at around 10p per mile. That compares with about 15p per mile for a petrol car doing 45 mpg.

Slower public chargers are usually cheaper than rapid ones. Supermarket chargers, on street lamp post chargers and workplace charging can sit well below rapid prices. Some employers even offer free charging. If you cannot charge at home, finding one cheaper regular option near where you live or work makes a big difference to your running costs.

Are Electric Vehicles Cheaper to Run Once You Add Tax, Insurance and Servicing?

Energy is the biggest running cost, but it is not the only one. Here is how the others compare.

Road tax

EVs used to be free to tax. That changed in April 2025, and electric cars now pay Vehicle Excise Duty like other cars. The standard rate is now around £200 a year. Cars with a list price over £40,000 also pay an extra supplement for several years. On road tax alone, EVs have lost their old advantage, though they are no worse off than an equivalent petrol car.

Insurance

Are electric vehicles cheaper to insure? Usually not yet. EV insurance is often 10% to 25% more expensive than for a similar petrol model. Insurers point to higher purchase prices, specialist repair work and the cost of checking a battery after even a small accident. The gap is shrinking as more insurers build EV specific policies and more garages learn to repair them.

Servicing and maintenance

This is where EVs pull ahead again. An electric car has no oil to change, no spark plugs, no clutch and no exhaust. Regenerative braking also means the brake pads wear more slowly. Servicing typically costs around £130 to £200 a year, compared with £300 to £500 for a petrol car. Tyres can wear a little faster because EVs are heavier, so it is worth budgeting for that.

Are Electric Vehicles Cheaper to Run Once You Count the Purchase Price?

Running costs are only half the picture. Are electric vehicles more expensive than petrol cars to buy? In most cases, yes. EVs still tend to cost more to buy new, and depreciation can be higher on some models. That means your total cost of ownership depends on how long you keep the car and how many miles you drive. A high mileage driver with home charging usually recovers the higher purchase price faster through fuel savings. A low mileage driver may take much longer to break even.

The used market has changed the maths for many buyers. Three to five year old EVs from mainstream brands are now widely available at much lower prices than when new, and the running cost savings stay the same. We cover this in depth in our guide to electric vehicle depreciation in the UK.

How Design Helps You Keep Running Costs Low

From a product design point of view, the cost of running an EV is shaped by software as much as hardware. The cheapest electricity is useless if the car makes it hard to use. Look at how easy it is to set a charging schedule, whether the car works with smart tariffs, and whether its app shows you the real cost of each charge rather than just kilowatt hours.

Good interfaces also help you drive more efficiently without thinking about it. A clear efficiency display, an honest range estimate and simple controls for regenerative braking all nudge you towards cheaper miles. When you compare EVs, test the app and the charging menus as seriously as you test the ride.

Are Electric Vehicles Cheaper to Run for You? A Quick Checklist

So, are electric vehicles cheaper to run in your situation? Work through these questions honestly. If you can answer yes to the first two, an EV is very likely to save you money on running costs.

If you cannot charge at home, you can still make an EV work, but you need to plan your charging carefully. Look for cheaper slow or on street chargers near home, supermarket charging you can pair with your weekly shop, or charging at work. Apps such as Zapmap show prices and locations so you can compare before you drive.