How Much Does an Electric Car Cost Per Mile? (UK, 2024)
Electric cars cost between 2p and 26p per mile to run - how much does yours cost?
On average, it costs between 2p and 26p per mile to charge some of the most popular EV models in the UK.
The cost per mile will vary depending on the type of electric car you drive, as well as the type of electric charger you use.
How Much Does an Electric Car Cost Per Mile?
According to research performed by Which?, the typical charging cost per mile (based on the efficiency of 3.1 miles per kWh) is as follows:
- Home (off-peak/EV Rate): 2p
- Home (Standard Rate): 7p
- Home (Standard Rate from October 1st 2024): 8p
- Public Ultra-Rapid Charging: 26p
They state that the typical medium petrol car costs 15p per mile, based on paying 142.28p for a full tank of petrol.
As your EV doesn’t take petrol, but rather units of electricity, this is how much it will typically cost you per kWh:
- Home (off-peak/EV Rate): 7p
- Home (Standard Rate): 22.36p
- Home (Standard Rate from October 1st 2024): 24p
- Public Ultra-Rapid Charging: 79p
How Far Can a kWh Take an Electric Car?
According to LeasePlan, this is the formula you need to calculate Wh/km to MPkWh:
- Divide the Wh/km figure by 10 to convert it to kWh/100km (if necessary)
- Divide the result by 62 to get kWh/mile (100km is 62 miles)
- Divide 1 by that result to get a figure in MPkWh
Credit to LeasePlan. You can read more on their website.
However, every electric car will differ depending on a variety of factors. When manufacturers calculate the range of an electric vehicle, they use the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).
This is a laboratory test that simulates different road types. EVs are fully charged and before and after the test to measure the energy used.
There are a variety of different measurements used around the globe, such as watts-hours per kilometre (Wh/km) and kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres (kWh/100km). In the UK, it is usually measured using MPkWh (miles per kilowatt hour).
How Much Does Each EV Model Cost Per Mile?
Using the LeasePlan EV Cost Per Mile Calculator, here are the top 10 UK EV models from 2023, and how much they cost to run per mile*.
|
Electric Car |
Cost Per Mile |
|
Tesla Model Y |
6.79p |
|
MG4& |
7.49p |
|
Audi Q4 e-tron |
8.05p |
|
Tesla Model 3 |
7.83p |
|
Polestar 2 |
6.42p |
|
Volkswagen ID.3 |
6.98p |
|
Kia Niro EV |
7.19p |
|
BMW i4 |
7.63p |
|
Volkswagen ID.4 |
7.31p |
|
Skoda Enyaq |
7.43p |
*according to the Cost Per Mile Calculator by LeasePlan. Information is indicative.
How Has the Cost Per kWh Changed Throughout the Years?
Over time, the cost per unit of electricity has increased. It reached its peak in the second quarter of 2023, where it reached 33.6pence per kWh.
The cost per kWh has doubled since 2010, rising from 12.7pence per kWh, to 24.5pence per kWh in quarter two of 2024.
The increase in cost of electricity has been attributed to rise in gas prices, a reduced power supply, government policies and environmental taxes.
You can keep the costs down by signing up for an EV tariff and using the cheaper, off-peak hours to charge your EV.
Data courtesy of NimbleFins, in partnership with gov.uk.
Please find the original article here.
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