Your driving & charging profile
mi/kWh
p
p
%
mpg
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Annual saving — EV vs petrol
£0
per year
£0EV annual fuel cost
£0Petrol annual fuel cost
0pEV cost per mile
0pPetrol cost per mile
For guidance only — not financial, tax or legal advice. Verify with a qualified professional.
About EV running costs in the UK
Is it cheaper to charge at home or use public chargers?
Home charging is significantly cheaper. At the Ofgem Q1 2026 rate of ~27.7p/kWh, home charging costs roughly 8p per mile. Public rapid chargers (50–150kW) typically charge 65–85p/kWh — around 20–25p per mile. If you rely heavily on public charging, your EV fuel cost advantage over petrol shrinks considerably or disappears.
What is a good EV efficiency figure to use?
Most modern EVs achieve 3–4 miles per kWh in mixed driving. Smaller city EVs (Mini Electric, Fiat 500e) can reach 4–5 mi/kWh. Larger SUVs and performance cars typically achieve 2.5–3.5 mi/kWh. Cold weather, motorway driving, and using the heater reduce efficiency by 15–30%.
Does an EV save money overall — including purchase price?
It depends on mileage and how long you keep the car. At 10,000 miles/year, EV fuel savings alone rarely offset the higher purchase price within a typical ownership period. At 20,000+ miles/year with mostly home charging, the economics improve significantly. Factor in lower servicing costs (no oil changes, fewer brake replacements due to regenerative braking) and the full picture improves further.
What about off-peak tariffs like Octopus Go?
Smart EV tariffs like Octopus Go offer rates as low as 7–10p/kWh overnight. If you can charge overnight on such a tariff, your per-mile cost drops to around 2–3p — roughly 10× cheaper than public rapid charging. This is where EVs become genuinely compelling financially. Enter your actual tariff rate in the calculator above.