How much does it cost to charge an Electric Vehicle (EV) at home?

One of the main reasons that people make the switch to electric cars, alongside the environmental concerns, is the desire to cut down on petrol costs. There is even the possibility that they may even save some money. 

There are of course, public charging stations, however in our opinion the best and most convenient way to charge your electric car is via a dedicated charging station installed in your home. 

This is something that we are able to install as qualified electricians. 

But, as well as the upfront cost of installing a dedicated charging port, you will also need to consider how much charging an electric car will add to your electric bill each month. 

Of course, we can never give an exact cost for how much it will cost to charge a car, as there will be a number of variations. But we can help with an approximate cost to help you budget for your electric vehicle charging port installation and charging costs. 

Related content: How much does it cost to install an Electric Charging port in your home?

What’s the best way to charge your Electric Car?

You technically don’t need a dedicated electric vehicle charging point. 

You can charge your car using a standard 3-pin charging point. However, this has a maximum power rating of 3kW, which means that for a typical 40kWh – 60kWh electric vehicle battery you have to be very patient and wait on average 17-20 hours for your battery to fully charge. 

This isn’t very convenient for most people, which is why we recommend that you install a dedicated charging port. 

In this blog we will look at how much it costs to charge your electric car using a dedicated charging port at home. 

Related content: How much does a certified electrician cost?

How much does it cost to charge your electric vehicle at home?

A dedicated charging port will typically deliver between 3.7 and 7kW of power, which significantly reduces the charging times. It takes approximately 8 hours to fully charge a car battery. 

Of course, the cost will mainly depend on how much your electric tariff is and how many miles on average you drive per month. 

The average domestic cost of electricity in the UK is £0.14p/kWh. 

If we assume the car has a 60kWh battery at a cost of £0.14p, then on average the cost to fully charge the car from flat will be £8.40. 

This will give you approximately 200 miles of driving range. So you’ll be able to figure out from this how often you would need to recharge your car. 

Remember, it’s really rare to have a fully flat battery on an electric car, in the same way it’s rare to have a full empty petrol tank. So, it is likely that you won’t have to fully charge your car each time and the cost will be a % of this. 

How much does it cost to install a dedicated Electric Vehicle charging port in your home?

On top of the cost to recharge your car, you’ll need to factor in the upfront installation costs. Installing dedicated Electric Vehicle charger stations for your home which can range between £300 – £1000. 

There are multiple grants available, which will help cover a large percentage of the installation costs. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) grant provides £350 off the cost of the supply and installation of a home charging station. In addition the Energy Saving Trust (EST) will provide up to £250 further funding. 

You can find out more about the grants available, and how to ensure you are eligible here. 

Related content: Is there a government grant available to install an EV charging port in Scotland

So, how much does it cost to charge your electric car?

Saving money on petrol is one of the main reasons why people opt to switch to electric vehicles. However, you still need to factor in the cost of charging your car at home. 

Exactly how much this will cost depends on your tariff, and how often you use your car, however it will be around £8.40 to charge your battery from flat to full on the average electric car. You can then figure out how many time you may need to charge it per month, and how much this will cost you.

If you are looking to install an electric vehicle charging station in your home, then this is something our team of qualified experts can help with. Plus, we are OLEV-approved, so you may be eligible for a grant to help you pay for this. 

Get in touch with us to discuss installing your charging port.