EV Charging Cost Calculator
Set your battery size and the charge range you want to cover. The calculator adds charging losses, because you pay for the electricity that goes into the charger, not the smaller amount that reaches the battery.
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Formula
How the cost of a charge is worked out
Take the share of the battery you are filling, multiply by the battery capacity to get the energy stored, gross that up for charging losses to get the energy drawn from the socket, and multiply by your price per kWh. That last step is why the answer is often a little higher than a quick mental estimate.
Why charging from 20 to 80 is the normal case
Most drivers rarely charge from empty to full. Lithium batteries charge fastest in the middle of their range and slow markedly above roughly 80 percent, so on a road trip stopping at 80 is simply quicker overall. For daily use, staying within a middle band is also gentler on long-term battery health, which is why many cars let you set a charge limit.
Home, workplace and public charging are three different prices
Home charging on a domestic tariff is the cheapest, and an overnight or off-peak tariff makes it cheaper still — often by more than half. Workplace charging is sometimes free. Public rapid charging is a convenience product priced accordingly, commonly several times the home rate.
Because of that spread, an annual charging cost is only meaningful if you weight it by where you actually charge. If four fifths of your charging is at home overnight and the rest is rapid, use a blended price rather than either extreme.
What affects the energy you actually need
Cold weather is the big one: cabin heating draws from the same battery, and a cold pack is less efficient, so winter consumption can rise by a quarter. Speed matters too, in the same way it does for a petrol car. Roof boxes and towing hit an EV harder than a combustion car because there is less range to give away.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fully charge an electric car?
Multiply the usable battery capacity by your electricity price and add roughly ten percent for charging losses. On a 75 kWh battery at 17 cents per kWh that is a little over 14 dollars at home. The same charge on a public rapid network can easily be three times as much.
Is it cheaper to charge at night?
On a time-of-use or overnight tariff, substantially. Off-peak rates are often less than half the daytime rate, and most cars and wallboxes can be scheduled to charge only during that window.
Why does the calculator add charging losses?
Your meter measures what goes into the charger, not what reaches the battery. The difference is lost mainly as heat. Around 10% is typical for home AC charging; DC rapid charging is usually somewhat more efficient at the charger but generates more heat in the pack.
Should I charge to 100% every night?
Generally no. Most manufacturers recommend a daily limit around 80 to 90 percent for lithium-ion packs and reserve full charges for long trips. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are an exception - those are often specified to be charged to 100% regularly.