Petrol vs Electric Cost Calculator
Cut through the noise. We calculate exactly how much it costs to fuel a combustion car versus charging a battery electric vehicle, based on your specific tariff.
Fuel Comparison
Average UK car is ~45 mpg
Average EV is ~3.5 miles/kWh
The Truth About EV Running Costs
Five years ago, driving an electric car cost practically nothing. Supermarkets offered free charging, public rapid chargers cost pennies, and home electricity was incredibly cheap. Today, the landscape is much more complex, and blind assumptions can be costly.
The Charging Location Trap
The financial argument for an EV almost entirely collapses if you do not have a driveway or dedicated off-street parking where you can install a home charger.
Why? Because a public rapid charger on the M1 motorway currently charges around 75p to 85p per kWh. At that price, an EV costs roughly 22p per mile to drive. A standard petrol VW Golf doing 45 MPG costs about 16p per mile to drive. If you rely on public rapid charging, petrol is significantly cheaper.
How to Win with Electric
To unlock the massive financial benefits of an EV, you must be able to charge at home, overnight, on a bespoke EV electricity tariff.
Companies like Octopus Energy offer tariffs that plunge your electricity rate down from ~24p to 7p per kWh between 11:30 PM and 5:30 AM.
When utilized correctly, an EV charger on your driveway essentially acts as a petrol pump that sells fuel for £0.20 a litre.