Electric Car Home Charging Costs: The Complete Guide

Electric Cars: The Basics

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If You Are An Electric Car Owner, Energy Bills Will Matter More!

Many of us are guilty of this: you have received yet another mundane household electricity bill. In a blink of an eye, the bill is discarded in the bin! Well, as an electric vehicle (EV) owner, the luxury of ignoring your electricity bills is now over. There is no doubt, in that, the running costs of a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) on zero-emission electric mode is significantly cheaper, than a petrol or diesel internal combustion engine (ICE). But paying attention to energy bills will be imperative in exploiting this fantastic advantage of cheaper electric driving.

ashvin suri e-zoomed founder — **You Can Recharge An Electric Car For £5 (Ashvin Suri, Founder e-zoomed)**

No doubt, recharging an EV battery is significantly cheaper than filling a tank of fuel. An electric car battery costs up to £14 to fully charge, compared to between £50 to £80 for a full tank of petrol. Home charging tariff rates vary, but 14p/ kWh is an average. A typical 60kWh EV battery, will therefore cost up to £8.50 to fully charge, delivering a range up to 200 miles. Put another way, every 100 miles in an EV costs at an average £4.25. In some cases, the cost of home charging could be as low as £3.64. Running a pure electric car can cost as little as 2 pence per mile (the actual EV charging and running costs depend on the capacity of the battery (kWh), the tariff and time of charging).

Now, let’s assume you are an average UK driver i.e. you drive 8,000 miles per annum. Simple back-of-the-envelope calculation (given the above tariff and range assumptions), would suggest, an annual increase in your household electricity bill by approximately £350. Yes, far less expensive than annual fuel costs, but still a significant annual increase on your electricity costs. The average annual household bill for a two to three bedroom house is £590. And for a one to two bedroom flat is £403. Therefore, owning and charging an EV at home could increase your electricity bill by 60%, if not more.

According to clean energy supplier, Good Energy (an e-zoomed partner), households with an electric car, use at an average 5,500 units of electricity per year, compared to 3,100 units for households without an EV. That is a whopping 77% increase in annual units consumption. This correlates with the above suggested increase of 60% or more in your annual electricity bill. So, bottom-line, it pays to research and find the best deal and to not discard the next electricity bill in the bin!

Green Energy Plans

Ask most green car owners, which is the best way to charge an electric car. The answer is usually a resounding “there is only one way to charge an electric vehicle (EV), and that is using clean and renewable energy”. Indeed this is correct, as zero-tailpipe emission electric driving can only be achieved by using green energy to charge an EV. We have come a long way in the UK, since the inception of ecotricity, one of the first energy companies in the UK, to promote renewable energy and also an e-zoomed partner.

ecotricity green energy UK — **You Can Switch To Green Energy Via e-zoomed**

Today, there are loads of other niche to mainstream suppliers, also keen to meet the growing appetite of green consumers to include electric car owners. A quick look online and you will see more than 35 green plans on offer with suggested annual savings up to £225 per year and more! There are a number of green energy suppliers in the UK and our top three are ecotricity, Good Energy and Bulb.

There is a general misconception in the market, in that, green energy plans costs significantly more than conventional (dirty) fuel plans. This is not true. By choosing the right plan with the right tariff, clean energy tariffs can be just as competitive, if not more competitive, compared to dirty fuel. The devil is always in the detail. We would suggest you first assess off-peak tariff plans, as in all probability, you will charge the EV overnight. Don’t forget to install a smart meter. It will help reduce costs.

EV Tariff Plans

However energy companies, have now gone a step further. Recognising the impending increase in EV adoption in the UK, they have commenced offering green energy plans specific for EV owners. So before you go ahead with a specific green energy tariff plan, we would suggest getting quotations from as many as possible. Frankly, it is quite easy. It is done online and within minutes. Below are some fantastic companies offering EV specific energy plans!

Top Electric Car Charging Tariffs In The UK

If we assume an annual electricity consumption of 6,500 kWh per household, to include green electricity for charging an electric car, by way of example:

Ecotricity will cost approximately £1,081 annually (does not include the Electric Highway offer or other offers).
OVO Energy will cost approximately £1,142 (does not include other offers).

Ecotricity

Ecotricity, a leading UK green energy supplier and an e-zoomed partner. Ecotricity has demonstrated leadership for over three decades in the growth of the green energy retail market in the United Kingdom. The company commenced supplying green electricity in 1996. The green energy company also demonstrated its leadership in the electric vehicle charging sector with the launch of the Electric Highway, the national EV charging network.

Ecotricity offer an EV specific 100% green electricity tariff called the ‘Fully Charged Bundle’. According to the company, the Fully Charged Bundle can save an electric car owner up to £215 in the first year. Ecotricity also offers Fully Charged Bundle customers ‘half price’ charging on the Electric Highway public charging points (15p/kWh instead of 30p/kWh, with no connection fee or monthly subscription).

Tariff Name:	Green Electricity + EV
Standing Charge:	37.03p per day
Unit Rate:	14.56p
Tariff Type:	Variable
Price Guarantee:	30^th September 2021
Exit Fees:	No exit fees

Good Energy

Good Energy is another example of a leading and visionary green energy company in the UK. Good Energy is also an e-zoomed partner. The company was founded in 1999 by Juliet Davenport, an inspirational figure in the green energy industry. Since then, the company has achieved a number of awards and accolades. The company was one of the first to offer an EV energy tariff dedicated to electric car drivers. The company launched its first electric vehicle tariff in 2017.

Good Energy named twice as the Sunday Times ‘Best Green Company’
Wiltshire Wildlife Trusts ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Environment 2009’
The Observer’s ‘Ethical Award for the Best Online Retail Initiative’
In 2012, Davenport was named as ‘PLUS CEO of the Year’
In the 2013 New Year Honours List, Davenport was awarded an OBE

Tariff Name:	Good Energy Electric Vehicle (EV Driver 4) Tariff
Standing Charge:	29.79p per day
Unit Rate:	16.27p
Tariff Type:	Fixed
Price Guarantee:	30^th June 2022
Exit Fees:	N/A

OVO Energy

OVO Energy was launched in 2009. OVO means ‘new beginnings’ in Latin. The company has come a long way from a barn in the Cotswold’s to become one of the largest energy suppliers in the UK. The company is committed to the electric vehicle sector and claims to have installed the first domestic vehicle-to-grid EV charger in 2018. For electric car owners, the company offers the EV Everywhere tariff. The tariff is backed by 100% green energy. With the tariff the company offers the choice between a free smart charger or a free Polar Plus membership.

Tariff Name:	EV Everywhere
Standing Charge:	23.71p per day
Unit Rate:	15.38p per kWh
Tariff Type:	Fixed
Price Guarantee:	2 years
Exit Fees:	£30 exit fee

EDF Energy

EDF Energy is one of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers in the UK. The company is owned by EDF, the energy business owned by the French government. EDF generates electricity from various forms of energy generation technologies to include, fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable energy.

EDF has launched an EV tariff for electric car owners, the GoElectric tariff powered by 100% renewable energy from renewable sources like wind, solar, biomass and tidal and hydroelectric. The tariff offers half price electricity evenings and weekends at 8p per kWh (9 pm to 7 am (off-peak) on weekdays and all weekend – 98 hours half price off-peak).

Tariff Name:	EDF GoElectric
Standing Charge:	27.14p per day and upwards (depending on UK region)
Unit Rate (Single Rate):	11.70p per kWh and upwards (depending on UK region)
Unit Rate (Two Rate):	Peak rate: 16.54p per kWh and upwards (depending on UK region)
Unit Rate (Two Rate)	Off-peak rate: 8.00p per kWh and upwards (depending on UK region)

British Gas

British Gas is another member of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers in the UK. It is a subsidiary of Centrica and is the biggest energy supplier in the UK. Centrica plc is a British multinational energy and services company headquartered in Windsor, Berkshire.

electric vehicle electric tariff — **British Gas Electric Drivers Tariff (credit: British Gas)**

British Gas offers an EV tariff, the Electric Drivers Energy Plan Sep 2021. The tariff offers electric car owners cheaper off-peak electricity between 12.00 am and 5.00 am GMT.

Tariff Name:	Electric Drivers Nov 2021
Standing Charge:	25p per day
Unit Rate:	20p per kWh (peak)
Unit Rate:	4.70p per kWh (off-peak)
Tariff Type:	Fixed
Price Guarantee:	30^th November 2021
Exit Fees:	No exit fees

Scottish Power

Scottish Power a leading UK energy supplier is based in Glasgow. The vertically integrated energy company is owned by Iberdrola, the Spanish utility. Scottish Power launched its first tariff designed for EV owners in 2018, the Smart Green Electric Vehicle June 2020. The tariff is powered by 100% renewable energy. The company claims its current offer results in a cost ’10 times less than the cost of petrol per mile’ using the discounted charging times (midnight to 5 am). The current SmartPower EV Tariff is only available to customers with a smart meter.

Tariff Name:	SmartPower Green EV Tariff
Standing Charge:	19.17p per day
Unit Rate:	16.78p per kWh
Unit Rate:	4.736p per kWh (off-peak)
Tariff Type:	Fixed (one year)
Price Guarantee:	31st January 2021
Exit Fees:	£60 exit fee

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