One of the most common questions new EV owners ask is:
“Is it cheap to charge an electric car at home where I live?”
The honest answer is: it depends heavily on your local electricity price.
The same EV can be very cheap to run in one country and noticeably more expensive in another, even if the car and your driving habits are identical.
In this guide, we’ll look at:
- The basic formula behind home charging cost
- How electricity prices differ between countries
- Example costs per full charge and per 100 km in the US, UK and Europe
- Why local tariffs and taxes matter more than the car itself
- How to plug your own country and numbers into a calculator
1. The universal formula: how home charging costs are calculated
No matter where you live, the core calculation is always the same:
Home charging cost = Energy used (kWh) × Electricity price (per kWh)
To work out your cost per 100 km (or per 100 miles), you need:
- Your electricity price in your country (per kWh)
- Your EV’s energy consumption (kWh per 100 km)
1.1 EV energy consumption
Most EVs have real-world consumption in these ranges:
- Small/efficient EVs: 13–17 kWh / 100 km
- Mid-size EVs: 16–20 kWh / 100 km
- Large SUVs/performance EVs: 20–25+ kWh / 100 km
For examples in this guide, we’ll mainly use:
18 kWh / 100 km as a typical mid-size EV value.
If your car is significantly more or less efficient than that, you can adjust the numbers later.
1.2 Electricity price per kWh
This is the part that changes the most between countries and even between households in the same country. It depends on:
- Local energy mix (gas, coal, nuclear, renewables, etc.)
- Taxes and environmental surcharges
- Grid and network costs
- Your specific tariff and supplier
Two neighbours in the same city can have noticeably different prices if they’re on different plans.
2. Why home charging costs vary between countries
Before we look at specific examples, it’s important to understand why there are differences.
Some key reasons:
- Energy sources and wholesale prices
- Countries that rely heavily on imported gas or coal can have higher electricity prices.
- Those with abundant hydro, nuclear or renewables may sometimes have lower or more stable prices.
- Taxes and policy
- Some governments add large environmental or network taxes to electricity.
- Others keep household tariffs relatively low but may tax fuel more heavily.
- Grid and network costs
- Maintaining and upgrading the grid is expensive.
- In some countries, a significant part of the bill is actually grid and distribution charges, not the energy itself.
- Currency and cost of living
- A price that feels high in one country might be normal in another when adjusted for income.
The result:
Even if every EV in the world had identical efficiency, cost per 100 km would still vary a lot from country to country due to electricity pricing.
3. Example: United States (US)
The US has a wide range of electricity prices depending on the state and utility. Some states have very cheap power, others are closer to European levels.
For illustration, let’s consider three simplified price levels:
- Low: 0.12 USD / kWh
- Medium: 0.18 USD / kWh
- High: 0.25 USD / kWh
We’ll use a mid-size EV with:
18 kWh / 100 km consumption
and a 60 kWh battery pack
3.1 Cost per 100 km (US)
Low price (0.12 USD / kWh):
18 × 0.12 = 2.16 USD / 100 km
Medium (0.18 USD / kWh):
18 × 0.18 = 3.24 USD / 100 km
High (0.25 USD / kWh):
18 × 0.25 = 4.50 USD / 100 km
Even in relatively high-priced US states, many gasoline cars will still cost more than this per 100 km in fuel.
3.2 Cost of a full charge at home (US)
60 kWh battery:
- Low price: 60 × 0.12 = 7.20 USD per full charge
- Medium: 60 × 0.18 = 10.80 USD per full charge
- High: 60 × 0.25 = 15.00 USD per full charge
In practice, you don’t go from 0% to 100% every day—most drivers top up from, say, 30–80%. But these numbers are useful to understand the scale.
4. Example: United Kingdom (UK)
The UK has historically had higher household electricity prices than many parts of the US, and prices have also been volatile in recent years. Still, home charging can be much cheaper than public fast charging or gasoline.
Let’s use three simplified price levels (per kWh, converted to roughly equivalent USD):
- Lower end (e.g. off-peak or good fixed deals): 0.25 USD / kWh
- Typical regular rate: around 0.30–0.40 USD / kWh
- Higher end: 0.45 USD / kWh or more
Again, EV consumption: 18 kWh / 100 km and battery: 60 kWh
4.1 Cost per 100 km (UK)
Lower end (0.25 USD / kWh):
18 × 0.25 = 4.50 USD / 100 km
Typical mid-range (0.35 USD / kWh):
18 × 0.35 = 6.30 USD / 100 km
Higher end (0.45 USD / kWh):
18 × 0.45 = 8.10 USD / 100 km
You can see how UK home charging can cost roughly double or triple the US low-price scenario—but it’s still usually cheaper than running a similar gasoline car, especially if fuel prices are high.
4.2 Cost of a full charge at home (UK)
60 kWh battery:
- At 0.25 USD / kWh: 15 USD per full charge
- At 0.35 USD / kWh: 21 USD per full charge
- At 0.45 USD / kWh: 27 USD per full charge
Night tariffs and EV-specific electricity deals can significantly reduce these costs if you can charge mainly during off-peak hours.
5. Example: European Union (EU) – Germany, France, etc.
Europe is very diverse in electricity pricing. Some countries are relatively moderate, others are among the most expensive in the world for household electricity.
Below are illustrative ranges, not exact prices for any specific month. Always check your own bill for precise numbers.
5.1 Germany: higher electricity prices
Germany is often cited as an example of a high-electricity-price market, due to taxes, levies and strong support for renewables.
For our illustration, let’s use:
- 0.35–0.45 USD / kWh as a broad range for household prices
EV consumption: 18 kWh / 100 km
Cost per 100 km:
- At 0.35: 18 × 0.35 = 6.30 USD / 100 km
- At 0.45: 18 × 0.45 = 8.10 USD / 100 km
60 kWh full charge:
- At 0.35: 60 × 0.35 = 21 USD per full charge
- At 0.45: 60 × 0.45 = 27 USD per full charge
Even at these prices, many drivers still save compared to gasoline—especially those who previously drove fuel-hungry cars.
5.2 France: lower average prices, but changing over time
France has historically had lower electricity prices than some neighbours thanks to its nuclear fleet, but prices have still seen volatility.
For illustration, suppose:
- 0.20–0.30 USD / kWh as a broad range
Cost per 100 km (18 kWh / 100 km):
- At 0.20: 3.60 USD / 100 km
- At 0.30: 5.40 USD / 100 km
Full 60 kWh charge:
- At 0.20: 12 USD
- At 0.30: 18 USD
5.3 Other European countries
Across Europe you’ll find everything from:
- Lower-priced countries similar to the cheaper US states
- To higher-priced countries similar to or above Germany/UK levels
The pattern remains the same though:
- Higher electricity prices → higher home charging cost per 100 km
- But also often higher gasoline prices, so EVs can still maintain a strong cost advantage overall
6. Example: other regions (brief overview)
While this guide focuses mainly on US, UK and EU markets, similar logic applies elsewhere:
- Canada: electricity is often cheaper than in Europe, especially in provinces with hydro power. Home charging costs per 100 km can be very low in those regions.
- Australia / New Zealand: household electricity prices vary, but many owners still find EVs cheaper to “fuel” than gasoline cars, especially with solar.
- Asia (e.g. Japan, South Korea): electricity pricing structures and policies differ, but the same formula applies—local price per kWh and vehicle efficiency determine home charging cost.
In all cases, your local electricity price (from your actual bill) is far more important than global averages.
7. How to compare your country to the examples
To see where your country fits:
- Find your price per kWh on your bill
- Divide total bill by total kWh for a simple effective price
- Or use the specific night/off-peak price if that’s when you charge
- Get your EV’s real-world consumption
- From the trip computer or official rating, adjusted by 10–20% if needed
- Plug into the formula
- Cost per 100 km = consumption × price per kWh
- Full charge cost = battery capacity × price per kWh
- Compare with examples in this guide
- If your price per kWh is similar to the US low range, your charging cost per 100 km will look similar to those examples
- If it’s closer to UK / Germany levels, expect numbers higher in that range
8. Why local tariffs matter more than country averages
Country-level averages can be misleading because:
- They blend many different regions and tariffs
- They often include both household and business tariffs
- They might not reflect special EV tariffs, night tariffs or fixed-price contracts available in your area
Two EV owners in the same country can have very different experiences:
- Owner A on a standard variable tariff
- Owner B on an EV-specific night tariff with cheap off-peak rates
Owner B might pay half as much per kWh for their EV charging as Owner A, even though they’re in the same country.
This is why it’s so important to:
- Look at your own bill and tariff options
- Consider time-of-use plans that reward night charging
- Recalculate your cost if you change plan
9. The impact of solar panels on “price per kWh”
In many countries, especially where solar is popular, some EV owners install roof-top solar panels.
If you charge your EV partly from solar:
- Your effective cost per kWh for that portion can be very low—sometimes close to zero
- You reduce the amount of energy you have to buy from the grid at retail prices
In practice:
- You might have a mix of paid energy (from the grid) and self-generated energy (from solar)
- Your average cost per kWh for EV charging becomes a blend of those two sources
For example:
- 60% of your EV charging from grid at 0.25 USD / kWh
- 40% effectively from solar at 0.05 USD / kWh (or opportunity cost similar to export price)
Effective price per kWh:
(0.6 × 0.25) + (0.4 × 0.05)
= 0.15 + 0.02
= 0.17 USD / kWh
Even in a country with relatively high grid prices, smart use of solar can bring your EV energy cost closer to the cheaper US-style examples.
10. Summary table (illustrative only)
Here is a simplified summary using our mid-size EV example (18 kWh / 100 km, 60 kWh battery), just to give a sense of scale.
These are illustrative bands, not official prices.
| Region / scenario | Price per kWh (approx.) | Cost per 100 km | Full 60 kWh charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| US – low-cost state | 0.12 USD | 2.16 USD | 7.20 USD |
| US – medium-cost state | 0.18 USD | 3.24 USD | 10.80 USD |
| US – higher-cost state | 0.25 USD | 4.50 USD | 15.00 USD |
| UK – off-peak / good deal | 0.25 USD | 4.50 USD | 15.00 USD |
| UK – typical regular rate | 0.35 USD | 6.30 USD | 21.00 USD |
| UK – high rate | 0.45 USD | 8.10 USD | 27.00 USD |
| EU – lower-priced country | 0.20 USD | 3.60 USD | 12.00 USD |
| EU – mid/high-priced country | 0.35–0.45 USD | 6.30–8.10 USD | 21–27 USD |
Remember: your actual numbers depend on your local tariff.
11. Key takeaways
- The formula for home EV charging costs is the same everywhere: energy used (kWh) × price per kWh.
- The biggest difference between countries is the price per kWh, which depends on local energy mix, taxes, grid costs and policy.
- The US often has lower household electricity prices than the UK and some EU countries, but many European countries also have higher gasoline prices, so EVs can still save money overall.
- Within each country, the tariff you choose (flat vs night, EV specials, solar integration) can be as important as the country average.
- To understand your own home charging cost, always start with your own bill and plug that price into an EV charging cost calculator.
Once you know your local price per kWh and your car’s consumption, you’ll have a clear picture of how expensive—or how surprisingly cheap—it is to charge your EV at home in your country.