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Is an electric car actually cheaper to run than a petrol car in the UK in 2026? The honest answer is: usually yes — but it depends almost entirely on where you charge. A driver charging at home overnight pays roughly a quarter of what a petrol driver pays per mile. A driver who relies on public rapid chargers might pay as much as — or slightly more than — a petrol driver. Here is the breakdown, with real 2026 figures.
The official numbers: pence per mile
The UK government publishes advisory fuel rates that are updated regularly. From 1 September 2026, the official figures are:
- EV charged at home: 7p per mile (based on 24.47p/kWh and 3.59 miles/kWh)
- EV charged in public: 15p per mile (based on 54p/kWh)
- Petrol (1400–2000cc): 17p per mile; smaller cars 14p; larger cars 27p
- Diesel: 15–22p per mile depending on engine size
Those are HMRC benchmark rates used for company-car mileage claims — but they reflect real-world averages. Green Car Guide's 2026 analysis reaches the same conclusion: home charging averages about 7p per mile, standard public charging about 16p per mile, and petrol or diesel about 16–17p per mile, while relying exclusively on rapid charging costs around 24p per mile — the one scenario where electric genuinely loses to fossil fuel.
What a full charge actually costs
Charging costs scale with battery size. On the standard Ofgem price cap of around 26p/kWh (July–September 2026), a full 64kWh charge at home costs roughly £17 — about 6–7p per mile. Switch to a dedicated off-peak EV tariff at 7–12p/kWh and the same charge falls to £5–£7, around 2–3p per mile. At a public rapid charger, where the average pay-as-you-go rate was about 79p/kWh in June 2026 (Zapmap data), a 10–80% top-up of a family car costs roughly £30–£40.
Why is public charging so much more expensive? Two reasons: VAT — home electricity is taxed at 5%, public charging at the full 20% — and infrastructure costs, as networks build the price of grid connections and high-powered equipment into every kWh. The FairCharge campaign, backed by the RAC, is pushing to cut public charging VAT to 5%.
Network prices in 2026
Public charging prices vary widely by network and charger speed. Typical 2026 rates collected by ChargeFinder include:
- Pod Point (Tesco) — often free at supermarkets, otherwise up to 40p/kWh
- BP Pulse — 45p standard / 69p rapid / 79p ultra-rapid
- Shell Recharge — 49p / 75p / 79p
- Tesla Supercharger — from around 65p/kWh pay-as-you-go, less for Tesla owners
- Gridserve — 59p standard, 82–89p rapid/ultra-rapid
- InstaVolt — 92p rapid, dropping to 55p off-peak with the app
Memberships and roaming apps (Bonnet, Octopus Electroverse) can cut rates further, and supermarket charging at Tesco and Lidl can be free or heavily subsidised.
The monthly reality check
Looking at the numbers a typical UK driver covering 800 miles a month would see:
- Home charging only: £16–£24/month
- Home + some public: £40–£60/month
- Public rapid only: £136–£184/month
- Petrol equivalent (40–45mpg): £128–£160/month
For the average driver doing about 7,400 miles a year, home charging works out at roughly £180–£220 a year against £900–£1,100 for an equivalent petrol car — a saving of £700–£900 a year. Rapid-only drivers lose most of that advantage. If you want to lock in those savings on a new car without a big upfront outlay, our electric car leasing guide shows how; if you'd rather buy used, cheap used EVs under £10,000 can deliver the same low running costs for a fraction of the price.
Beyond fuel: EV running costs are lower anyway
EVs have fewer moving parts: no oil changes, no spark plugs, no exhaust, and brake pads last longer thanks to regenerative braking. Typical annual servicing is £100–£180 versus £150–£300+ for petrol. On the other side of the ledger, EV insurance runs roughly 10–15% higher, and since April 2025 EVs pay standard VED — see our road tax guide for the exact 2026 rates. Our full charging cost guide goes deeper into each tariff and network.
How to make electric genuinely cheaper
- Charge at home overnight on an EV tariff — this is the single biggest lever, cutting cost per mile to 2–3p.
- Use free supermarket charging for top-ups when out shopping.
- Join network subscriptions if you regularly use one rapid network.
- Charge to 80%, not 100% — it's faster and avoids paying peak-time rates for the slowest part of the curve.
- Plan long trips with our UK charging point directory to route via cheaper networks.
The bottom line for 2026: if you can charge at home, an electric car costs roughly half to a third as much per mile as petrol — a real saving of £700–£1,000 a year for average drivers. If you can't, the gap narrows dramatically and rapid-only charging can cost about the same as a petrol car. Use the charging cost calculator with your own numbers to see exactly where you land.
