How to Charge Your EV as Cheaply as Possible in the UK

Compare EV charging costs using your actual electricity tariff, charging locations and driving needs. This guide explores ways to plan home and public charging, with a calculator to test how different charging habits affect running costs.

1. Get a smart EV tariff (the biggest win)

For anyone with a home charger, an EV-specific electricity tariff is by far the most effective way to save. These tariffs provide very low overnight electricity rates designed specifically for charging:

Octopus Go

• Off-peak rate - ~7p/kWh between 00:30-05:30 (5 hours) as of May 2026. Rates adjust quarterly in line with the energy price cap
• Peak rate - standard variable rate (~26p/kWh from July 2026 Ofgem cap), charged at all other times
• Best for - drivers with a smart charger who can schedule their charging overnight
• Fully charging an empty 60kWh battery costs around £4.50

Intelligent Octopus Go

• Off-peak rate - ~6.9p/kWh as of May 2026, available during a 6-hour window (23:30-05:30)
• Octopus also schedules charging outside this window when grid demand is low, adding more cheap charging hours
• You'll need a compatible car or charger (Tesla, Ohme, Hypervolt, Wallbox, etc.)
• Best for - drivers with a compatible setup. Choose your required charge level and time; the system handles the rest

Other EV tariffs

• OVO Charge Anytime - works similarly to Intelligent Octopus, supporting selected EVs
• British Gas Electric Drivers - an overnight off-peak EV rate. Check current prices, which change quarterly
• Octopus Flux - for homes with solar + battery. Export at a high peak rate and import cheap electricity overnight

On a cheap overnight EV tariff, a typical EV costs 2-3p per mile. A petrol car doing 40mpg costs roughly 16-18p per mile. That's an 85-90% reduction in fuel costs.

2. Set up scheduled charging

Every modern EV and smart charger allows you to schedule charging start times. On an EV tariff, this is essential: setting the schedule helps you avoid accidentally charging when the peak rate applies.

• In-car scheduling - enter departure time and charge limit in your car's infotainment system. The car determines when charging starts
• Charger app scheduling - choose charging start/stop times through your wallbox app (Ohme, Zappi, Pod Point, etc.)
• Intelligent Octopus - choose your target and leave the system to schedule charging

Tip: set your charge limit to 80% for daily use. This protects battery longevity and means charging completes faster (the last 20% is much slower).

3. Cheap public charging

Some public chargers cost considerably less than motorway rapids:

• Tesco (Pod Point) - 7kW and 22kW chargers at most stores. Charging is no longer free: around 44p/kWh currently, but still cheaper than motorway rapids and convenient during a shopping trip
• Lidl - Pod Point chargers at many stores. Charging is no longer free; the Lidl Plus app offers lower rates than contactless payment
• IKEA (GRIDSERVE) - chargers at most UK stores. No longer free: currently around 49p/kWh, whatever the charging speed
• Workplace - many employers provide free charging. If yours doesn't, suggest it: installation costs are covered by the Workplace Charging Scheme
• Hotels and B&Bs - many properties now provide guests with free destination charging

Free chargers are usually 7kW, so use them to top up while you shop, work or sleep. Fit charging around something you're already doing rather than making special trips: your time is worth more.

4. Solar panels + EV

An EV complements solar panels perfectly, whether you have them already or are considering them:

• Excess solar - use surplus daytime solar generation to charge your car. It is effectively free fuel
• Solar diverters - devices such as the Zappi (by myenergi) send surplus solar to your car automatically, rather than exporting that electricity to the grid
• Typical generation - a 4kW solar array in southern England produces around 3,500-4,000kWh/year. Theoretically, this equals 12,000-14,000 miles of EV driving. In practice, however, only part of that solar generation charges the car; the remainder supplies your home or is exported

5. Minimise public rapid charging

Public rapid charging typically costs 65-85p/kWh on motorway networks. Here's how to reduce your reliance:

• Charge at home before every journey - even 30 minutes of cheap overnight charging avoids a stop at an expensive rapid charger
• Use slower public chargers when time allows: they cost 30-50% less than rapid chargers
• Subscription plans - some networks reduce per-kWh rates in exchange for a monthly fee:
  • BP Pulse subscription - lower rates at their chargers
  • Bonnet - an aggregator app discounting charging across multiple networks
• Tesla Superchargers - often among the cheapest rapid options, including for non-Tesla cars. Find current pricing in the Tesla app

6. Drive efficiently

Your driving habits can influence EV running costs much more than you might expect:

• Speed - EVs are at their most efficient at 50-60mph. At 70mph, energy consumption increases by 20-30%. At 80mph, it can be 40-50% higher
• Regenerative braking - recover energy as you slow down by using one-pedal driving mode
• Preconditioning - heat or cool the cabin while plugged in, drawing on grid electricity rather than the battery
• Tyre pressure - under-inflated tyres create more rolling resistance, cutting range by 3-5%

The sums: model your own annual charging costs

Adjust the sliders to reflect how you drive and charge. The biggest influences on the result are Home %, the rapid proportion of public charging, and your annual mileage.

The main takeaway is that home charging on a smart EV tariff costs an order of magnitude less than petrol. Even if you mainly charge in public, with occasional rapid stops, an EV usually costs less per mile, although the advantage shrinks quickly. Only the all-rapid extreme realistically leaves an EV behind on running costs alone.

Check whether a home charger and an EV tariff suit your parking arrangements and household electricity use. To compare electric cars by their listed efficiency figures, use our search tools to filter cars by consumption (Wh/km).