What Is the Cost Per Mile of an Electric Car in the UK?

Charging an electric car at home on an off-peak EV tariff costs around 2 to 3 pence per mile. On the standard Ofgem rate that rises to roughly 6 to 8 pence per mile. On a public rapid charger you are looking at 20 to 24 pence per mile, which is close to or above what a typical petrol car costs to fuel. The GOV.UK Advisory Electricity Rate sets the official benchmark at 7p per mile for home charging and 15p per mile for public charging from 1 June 2026. The single biggest variable is where you charge, and this article shows how to work out your own figure using your tariff and your car’s real miles per kWh.

What is the cost per mile of an electric car right now?

The pence per mile figure for an EV comes down to one thing: your electricity price divided by how efficiently your car uses it. Because those two inputs vary widely, so does the answer.

Here is where things stand for electric car cost per mile in the UK as of mid-2026:

• Home standard tariff: The Ofgem energy price cap is 24.67p per kWh from 1 April to 30 June 2026. At a typical real-world efficiency of 3.5 to 4 miles per kWh, that works out to roughly 6 to 7p per mile.
• Off-peak EV tariff: Octopus Intelligent Go charges around 7p per kWh overnight (regional variations put some areas between 5.49p and 6.99p). At 4 miles per kWh, that is roughly 2 to 3p per mile, the cheapest realistic scenario for most drivers.
• Public rapid and ultra-rapid charging: The Zapmap UK charging price index for April 2026 shows rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (50kW and above) averaging 79p per kWh on a PAYG basis, equating to around 23p per mile. Rapid prices rose roughly 3p per kWh month on month in April 2026.

These headline figures make it clear why the phrasing “electric cars are cheap to run” needs a qualifier: they are cheap to run if you charge at home.

How do you calculate the cost per mile of an EV?

The formula is straightforward and you can apply it to any car and any tariff in under a minute.

Cost per mile = price per kWh divided by efficiency in miles per kWh

Step 1: Find your electricity rate. Check your energy bill or your tariff’s published rate. The standard Ofgem cap rate for Q2 2026 is 24.67p per kWh.

Step 2: Find your car’s real efficiency. Look at the lifetime miles per kWh reading on your trip computer, not the manufacturer’s brochure figure.

Step 3: Divide. For example: 24.67p divided by 4 miles per kWh equals 6.2p per mile.

A worked example using an off-peak rate: 7p divided by 4 miles per kWh equals 1.75p per mile.

Two important adjustments to make: real-world efficiency is lower than the official WLTP figure in cold weather and at motorway speeds, and you lose roughly 10 to 15% to charging losses during the energy transfer. Both mean your actual per-mile cost is a little higher than a brochure calculation suggests. Always use your car’s lifetime trip computer reading rather than the official efficiency number when you want an honest figure.

Home charging cost per mile: the cheapest case

Home charging is where EVs make their strongest financial argument, particularly on an off-peak tariff. On the Ofgem cap of 24.67p per kWh, a typical EV returning 3.5 to 4 miles per kWh costs around 6 to 8p per mile for home charging. The GOV.UK Advisory Electricity Rate for home charging is 7p per mile from 1 June 2026, a useful official benchmark for company-car drivers and anyone who wants a single round number.

On an off-peak EV tariff you can do significantly better:

• Octopus Intelligent Go’s overnight rate is around 7p per kWh, giving roughly 2 to 3p per mile at 4 miles per kWh. That is around a third of the cost of fuelling a typical petrol car.
• The off-peak window is guaranteed between 23:30 and 05:30, with additional smart-charging slots scheduled by the app, so a home wallbox set to charge overnight is all you need to access the rate.

A smart tariff plus a home wallbox is what unlocks the lowest figures. If you only have a three-pin socket, smart-tariff charging is harder to automate, though still possible with a timer plug.

Public charging cost per mile: where the saving shrinks

Public charging costs substantially more than home charging, and the gap between them is wide enough to change the financial case for owning an EV entirely.

The Zapmap April 2026 price index gives a clear picture:

• Standard and standard-plus public chargers (3 to 49kW): averaged 54p per kWh, equating to around 16p per mile at 4 miles per kWh.
• Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers (50kW and above): averaged 79p per kWh, equating to around 23p per mile. Specific networks vary: Tesla Superchargers are 62p per kWh for all drivers and 44p per kWh for Tesla owners; Sainsbury’s Smart Charge is 72p per kWh; Believ is 66p per kWh (April 2026, figures vary, verify current data).

The GOV.UK Advisory Electricity Rate for public charging is 15p per mile from 1 June 2026. That official figure tracks the lower end of real public charging costs; PAYG rapid rates are already above it.

The honest conclusion here: if you cannot charge at home and rely on public rapid charging for most of your miles, the per-mile cost advantage over petrol is slim at best and can disappear entirely. The cost-per-mile case for EV ownership is built on home charging.

EV cost per mile vs petrol: the comparison

Petrol at around £1.35 to £1.70 per litre and 40 miles per gallon works out to roughly 17p per mile for a typical car. A slightly less efficient car at 35 miles per gallon is closer to 21p per mile (figures are approximate for mid-2026 and will move with fuel prices).

The table below puts every charging scenario alongside petrol in one place, assuming a typical EV returning 4 miles per kWh.

Charging method	Price per kWh or fuel price	Cost per mile (typical EV ~4 mi/kWh)
Home off-peak EV tariff (e.g. Octopus Intelligent Go)	~7p/kWh	~2 to 3p
Home standard tariff (Ofgem cap Q2 2026)	24.67p/kWh	~6 to 7p
Public standard charger, 3 to 49kW (Zapmap Apr 2026)	54p/kWh	~16p
Public rapid charger, 50kW+ (Zapmap Apr 2026)	79p/kWh	~23p
Petrol, 40mpg (~£1.50/litre, typical mid-2026)	~£1.45 to £1.70/litre	~17p
Petrol, 35mpg	~£1.45 to £1.70/litre	~21p

Figures assume approximately 4 miles per kWh and prices current to mid-2026. Petrol pence-per-mile varies with pump prices.

An EV on an off-peak home tariff is roughly six to eight times cheaper to fuel than a 40mpg petrol car. On a standard home tariff the advantage narrows but remains meaningful at two to three times cheaper. On public rapid charging the saving nearly disappears. Zapmap’s April 2026 data shows rapid PAYG at 79p per kWh already puts per-mile costs above a typical petrol car at current pump prices.

Which EVs are cheapest per mile?

The tariff you are on is the main lever, but the car’s efficiency in miles per kWh is the second one, and it can shift the per-mile figure substantially. On an identical home tariff at 24.67p per kWh, an EV returning 4.5 miles per kWh costs around 5.5p per mile while one returning 3 miles per kWh costs around 8.2p per mile. That difference compounds over a year of driving.

Smaller, lighter cars and aerodynamically efficient saloons consistently return more miles per kWh than large, heavy SUVs. A compact hatchback or a sleek saloon on the same electricity tariff will cost less per mile than a large SUV, regardless of which brand makes it.

Efficiency matters as much as your tariff: a car returning 4.5 miles per kWh costs noticeably less per mile than one managing 3, which is exactly why our pick of the cheapest electric cars to run leans on the most efficient models. If keeping per-mile costs low is a priority, starting with an efficient car and a smart home tariff gives you the most control over your running costs.

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For a full picture of EV ownership costs beyond charging, including tax, servicing and depreciation, see our EV running costs and tax guide.

Useful Resources

GOV.UK Advisory Fuel Rates https://www.gov.uk/guidance/advisory-fuel-rates

Zapmap UK EV charging price index https://www.zapmap.com/ev-stats/charging-price-index

Octopus Intelligent Go https://octopus.energy/smart/intelligent-octopus-go/

Ofgem energy price cap explained https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/energy-price-cap-explained