Uswitch, the price comparison service, updated two of its electric vehicle guides on 26 November 2024. The pages, written by Ben Gallizzi, Senior Content Editor for Energy and Electric Vehicles, set out average electricity unit rates, worked examples of the cost of a full charge and home charging times for a range of models1.
The cost guide uses an average unit rate of 28.3p per kWh for a medium energy user and an average usable battery size of 62.5 kWh, giving a cost of £17.68 to charge a car fully at home1. Worked examples at that rate range from £8.06 for a Honda e with a 28.5 kWh usable battery to £30.50 for a Mercedes EQS 450+ at 107.8 kWh1. The guide also gives an example time-of-use rate of 4.5p per kWh, at which the same cars would cost £1.28 and £4.85 respectively to charge fully1. It notes that suppliers on such tariffs charge more for peak electricity, and that most cars need longer than the cheap overnight window to charge fully1.
| Model | Usable battery | Cost at 28.3p per kWh | Cost at 4.5p per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda e | 28.5 kWh | £8.06 | £1.28 |
| Nissan Leaf | 37 kWh | £10.47 | £1.66 |
| Porsche Taycan GTS | 83.7 kWh | £23.68 | £3.76 |
| Mercedes EQS 450+ | 107.8 kWh | £30.50 | £4.85 |
A separate home charging unit adds £250 to £1,000 depending on how it is obtained1. On public charging, the guide cites Pod Point rapid chargers at 26p per kWh at Lidl, which it says would cost about £6 or £7 for half an hour, providing roughly 100 miles of range1. It states that there are nearly 29,000 public charging stations and just over 5,000 rapid chargers in the UK as of January 2022, and estimates around 300,000 home charging units installed1.
The charging time guide gives home charging times from empty to full, including 5 hours 15 minutes for a 28.5 kWh battery at 6.6 kW, 3 hours for a 52 kWh battery at 22 kW and 11 hours 45 minutes for a 107.8 kWh battery at 11 kW2. It notes that the Porsche Taycan GTS and Mercedes EQS 450+ figures assume a three-phase grid connection, which most homes do not have; on a single-phase supply the maximum charging power is 7.4 kW, giving 13 hours 30 minutes for the Porsche and 17 hours 15 minutes for the Mercedes2. Most public charging points have a rate of 7 kW, offering up to 30 miles per hour of charging, with some at 22 kW offering up to 90 miles2.
"According to Zap Map, there are nearly 29,000 public EV charging stations and just over 5,000 rapid chargers in the UK as of January 2022"
Why it matters for households
The figures show how far the cost of running a car at home depends on the electricity unit rate a household pays. At the average rate used, a full charge costs several times what it does on an example off-peak rate, so the tariff a home is on shapes the running cost more than the car does. The charging time figures set out the other half of the picture: a home's grid connection and the charger's power output, not just the battery size, determine how long a car sits on charge. For homes without a three-phase supply, the largest batteries take substantially longer to fill. The guides also note that public rapid charging is priced per kWh at a higher rate than home charging, and that free public points exist at some locations1.
What happens next
No further update dates or planned revisions are given in either guide. The public charging figures cited are dated January 2022, and neither page states when they will next be refreshed1.