Country Differences, Currencies and Public Charging Prices

by

When you start comparing EV charging costs across different countries, things quickly get confusing:

  • Electricity tariffs and taxes are different
  • Public fast charging prices vary a lot
  • Currencies and exchange rates change over time

This FAQ focuses on country differences, currencies, and public charging prices, so you can understand what numbers mean for you and use them correctly in EV charging cost tools and calculators.

1. Why do public fast charging prices vary so much between countries?

Public fast charging prices reflect more than just the cost of electricity. They also include:

  • Wholesale electricity price in that country or region
  • Grid connection and demand charges for high-power chargers
  • Hardware and installation costs (cables, transformers, civil works)
  • Land or parking rent for the charging site
  • Network operation and payment processing costs
  • VAT and other taxes

In a country with:

  • High electricity prices, high grid fees, and expensive land
    …fast charging will almost always be more expensive than in a country with:
  • Low electricity prices and cheaper infrastructure

Even within one country, some networks may be significantly more expensive because they offer:

  • Better locations (highway service areas, city centres)
  • Higher reliability and more chargers per site
  • Extra services such as covered bays or on-site staff

So, big price differences between countries—and even between networks in the same country—are normal.

2. Can I directly compare charging prices between countries just by converting currencies?

You can get a rough idea, but it’s not the full story.

Simple currency conversion (e.g. EUR to USD) tells you:

  • Which country has higher absolute prices in a common currency

But it doesn’t tell you:

  • How those prices feel compared to local wages and cost of living
  • How they compare to local gasoline/diesel prices

An EV fast charging price of 0.50 EUR/kWh:

  • Might be considered high in one country
  • But still be cheaper per kilometre than gasoline there, because fuel is also very expensive

When comparing internationally, it’s more useful to look at:

  • Cost per 100 km in each country (home and public charging)
  • Cost per 100 km for a comparable gasoline car in that same country

This tells you how attractive EVs are locally, instead of just comparing currencies.

3. Why do some countries show prices in kWh and others in minutes or sessions?

Different markets use different pricing models:

  1. Per kWh
    • Most transparent for EV drivers
    • You pay only for the energy you receive
    • Easy to compare with home charging
  2. Per minute
    • You pay for time plugged in
    • Good for networks that want to discourage slow charging or “parking on the charger”
    • Can be unfair for cars that charge slowly or when the charger is throttled
  3. Per session (flat fee)
    • One price per charging session, sometimes with time or kWh limits
    • Simple, but price per kWh changes with how much you manage to add
  4. Mixed models
    • A combination, e.g. base fee + per kWh + idle fee per minute after a certain time

For EV cost comparisons and calculators, per kWh pricing is easiest to work with.
If your local chargers price per minute or session, you may have to:

  • Look at your typical session (kWh added, time spent)
  • Estimate an effective price per kWh for your own usage

4. How do I estimate an “effective price per kWh” when my charger uses per-minute or per-session pricing?

You can do this with simple data from a few charging sessions:

  1. Note how much you paid for the session
  2. Note how many kWh you received during that session
  3. Divide:

Effective price per kWh = Total session cost ÷ kWh received

Example:

  • Session cost: 12 EUR
  • Energy delivered: 30 kWh

12 ÷ 30 = 0.40 EUR per kWh

Use this effective value in EV tools and calculators to approximate your public charging price.

If the charger only shows time and power, and not kWh, you can often read the kWh added from:

  • Your EV’s dashboard
  • The car’s mobile app

5. Why is home electricity cheap in some countries but public fast charging still expensive?

Because public fast charging has different cost drivers than home electricity:

  • High-power chargers (50–350 kW) require expensive grid connections and transformers
  • Fast charging sites pay demand charges or special grid fees in many countries
  • Hardware, installation, and maintenance costs must be recovered through kWh prices
  • Networks also pay for:
    • Site lease or land rent
    • Payment systems and roaming platforms
    • Customer support, backend software, and upgrades

So even if home electricity is cheap (for example, 0.12–0.15 per kWh), public fast charging can easily be 0.40–0.70+ per kWh.

That’s why most EV owners try to:

  • Use home/work charging for most energy
  • Use fast chargers only when needed on long trips or special days

6. What if my country is not listed in EV charging cost tools? Which values should I use?

If your country is not explicitly listed in a tool or guide, you can still get good estimates:

  1. Find your home electricity price per kWh
    • From your latest electricity bill (total ÷ kWh), or
    • From your off-peak price if you mostly charge at night
  2. Research typical public fast charging prices
    • Check websites or apps of major charging networks in your country
    • Look for per kWh rates or common per-minute packages
  3. Use these in the calculator:
    • Home price = your bill price or off-peak price
    • Public price = typical fast charger price in your region

Even if the tool uses examples for US/EU/UK, plugging in your own local numbers will give a meaningful result.

7. How do exchange rates affect international EV charging comparisons?

Exchange rates matter when you want to compare:

  • “How expensive is charging in Country A vs Country B in USD/EUR/GBP?”

But for your personal budget as a local driver, exchange rates are usually not important:

  • You are paid in local currency
  • You pay the charger and electricity bill in local currency
  • What matters is:
    • Your local cost per 100 km for electricity
    • Your local cost per 100 km for gasoline/diesel

Exchange rates are more relevant if:

  • You frequently travel and charge abroad
  • You’re planning to buy or import an EV in another currency zone
  • You want to compare EV running costs with people in other countries on social media

For day-to-day use, it’s enough to work in your own currency.

8. Why is the same charging network cheaper in one country and more expensive in another?

Many large charging networks operate in multiple countries. Prices differ due to:

  • Different wholesale electricity prices and grid fees
  • Local tax rates and regulations
  • Competition levels (more competitors → more pressure to keep prices lower)
  • Differences in site costs (land rent, labour, construction)

Even if the brand is the same, each country is effectively a separate market. So it’s normal to see:

  • One network considered “premium but fair” in Country A
  • And “very expensive” compared to local competitors in Country B

Always compare networks within your own country rather than assuming a single brand has the same pricing philosophy everywhere.

9. I drive across borders (e.g. EU road trips). How should I plan for different prices?

If you’re taking international road trips in your EV:

  1. Check home vs destination prices
    • Look up typical fast charging prices in each country you’ll visit.
    • Some apps and sites show country-level “average DC price”.
  2. Install multi-country charging apps
    • Use major networks or roaming apps that work in many countries.
    • Check if they offer country-specific pricing or roaming surcharges.
  3. Estimate trip cost with a buffer
    • Use your EV’s consumption and distance to calculate needed kWh.
    • Multiply by typical public charging prices in the countries you’ll cross.
    • Add 10–20% buffer for detours, weather and higher prices at some sites.
  4. Prefer cheaper countries for big top-ups (if practical)
    • If one country on your route has noticeably cheaper fast charging, plan longer charges there and shorter ones in more expensive areas.
  5. Watch for idle fees and time limits
    • Some countries/networks are strict about moving your car when charging is finished.
    • Factor possible idle fees into your cost and time planning.

10. Are EV-specific electricity tariffs common in all countries?

No. EV-specific tariffs are more common where:

  • Smart meters are widely deployed
  • Utilities are actively promoting off-peak usage
  • EV adoption is already significant

In some countries you’ll see:

  • Dedicated EV home tariffs with cheap night rates
  • Packages that combine EV charging + heat pump
  • Special offers from energy suppliers partnering with car manufacturers

In other countries, you may have only:

  • Basic flat-rate or tiered tariffs
  • Limited or no EV-specific offers (yet)

If you don’t see EV tariffs advertised:

  • Ask your supplier whether one exists (sometimes they’re not heavily promoted)
  • Check if time-of-use tariffs can be used effectively with EV charging
  • If competition exists, compare several suppliers—some quietly include EV-friendly options.

11. How do taxes (like VAT) affect public charging prices in different countries?

Public charging prices generally include taxes such as:

  • VAT / sales tax
  • Energy taxes or environmental levies

The exact tax rate varies by country and sometimes by:

  • Type of customer (household vs business)
  • Type of charging (public vs home)

This means:

  • A country with high VAT on energy will show higher end-user prices even if pre-tax energy is similar to another country.
  • When you see a price like “0.45 EUR/kWh” on a charger, it usually already includes VAT—what you see is what you pay.

For cost comparison and budgeting, it’s easiest to:

  • Use the prices as displayed on the charger or in the app
  • Assume taxes are already reflected in the per kWh price

12. Is public charging always more expensive than home charging?

In most cases, yes, but there are exceptions:

Public charging is usually more expensive because:

  • It includes extra infrastructure and service costs
  • You’re paying for speed, location and convenience, not just energy

However, it can be cheaper or competitive when:

  • You have very high home electricity prices
  • Your public charging is on:
    • A special discount plan or subscription
    • Workplace chargers that are free or heavily subsidised
    • Hotel/supermarket chargers offered as a perk

Some drivers with free workplace charging barely charge at home at all and have extremely low energy costs.

13. What’s the best way to think about EV costs if I live in a country with very expensive electricity?

If you live in a high-electricity-price country:

  1. Focus on cost per 100 km, not just the price per kWh
    • High electricity + very high gasoline/diesel can still make EVs cheaper per km.
  2. Optimise what you can control:
    • Use night/TOU tariffs if available
    • Charge as much as possible during off-peak hours
    • Use workplace or solar charging if you have access
  3. Avoid relying too much on expensive fast charging:
    • Plan trips to minimise kWh bought at the highest prices
    • Use fast chargers as “range extenders”, not your main energy source
  4. Choose an EV with good efficiency:
    • Lower kWh/100 km makes a bigger difference when each kWh is expensive.

Even in expensive electricity markets, careful tariff choice and good charging habits can keep EV running costs reasonable, especially compared to gasoline.

14. I see “average country prices” online, but my own bill is very different. Which should I trust?

Always trust your own numbers over country averages.

Country averages:

  • Mix different regions, tariffs and contracts
  • Don’t reflect your specific supplier and plan
  • Can lag behind recent price changes

Your actual situation depends on:

  • Your exact tariff and supplier
  • Whether you use flat, tiered, TOU or dynamic pricing
  • How much you charge at home vs in public

So when using an EV cost calculator:

  • Plug in your real home price per kWh from your bill
  • Plug in your usual public charging price from your apps
  • Ignore generic “average country price” if it doesn’t match your reality

15. Key takeaways

  • Public charging prices vary widely between countries because of differences in wholesale prices, grid costs, taxes, land and competition.
  • Per kWh pricing is simplest for comparison; when networks use per-minute or per-session, it’s worth calculating your effective price per kWh.
  • Currency conversion alone doesn’t tell the full story—what matters most is local cost per 100 km vs gasoline in your own country.
  • If your country isn’t listed in tools, you can still get accurate results by plugging in your own home and public prices.
  • EV-specific and night tariffs are powerful when available; if not, focus on finding the best regular tariff and charging at the cheapest times.
  • Always base your planning on your own bill and typical chargers, not just country averages or headline numbers from social media.

With these principles, you can interpret country differences correctly, avoid confusion about currencies and tariffs, and get realistic expectations for your EV charging costs—wherever you live or travel.

Leave a Comment