UK EV charging calculator — cost, range and charge time

    Figures are estimates based on typical UK market rates and manufacturer data — your real numbers will vary with weather, speed, and driving style. Looking for the US version?

    60 kWh
    20%
    80%
    Rate The rate updates when you select a charging location. Drag to set your actual rate.
    7p/kWh
    Motorway Mixed City
    Mixed — 3.5 mi/kWh

    Charging cost
    £0

    0p per mile

    0m to charge

    Range estimate
    0 miles

    0 miles available now

    0 miles added by this charge

    Cold weather and motorway speeds can reduce range by 20–30%.

    Advertisement

    How is EV charging cost calculated?

    Charging cost depends on how much energy your battery needs (measured in kilowatt-hours, or kWh) and what that energy costs at the source. This calculator multiplies the kWh you're adding by your electricity rate to get a cost, and divides the same kWh by charger speed to get a charge time.

    The maths behind cost and charge time

    The energy needed is your battery size in kWh multiplied by the percentage-point gap between your current and target charge (e.g. a 60 kWh battery going from 20% to 80% needs 60 × 0.6 = 36 kWh). Cost is that kWh figure multiplied by your rate in pence per kWh. Charge time is the same kWh figure divided by the charger's effective speed — whichever is lower of the charger's own rating and your car's maximum charge rate, since a car can't charge faster than its onboard charger allows even on a more powerful unit. Rapid and ultra-rapid chargers also slow down above roughly 80% to protect the battery, so the estimate above that point runs a little optimistic — the calculator flags this with a warning when it applies.

    Why the rate changes with charging location

    Electricity cost varies a lot by where you charge. Home charging on an off-peak overnight tariff is cheapest, typically around 7p/kWh. Home charging on a standard daytime tariff runs closer to 24p/kWh. Public charging costs more because the operator has to cover hardware, installation and running costs — public slow/destination chargers average around 45p/kWh, public rapid chargers (50kW+) around 68p/kWh, and manufacturer-run supercharger networks around 43p/kWh. Picking a charging location above sets the rate slider to that type's typical figure, which you can then drag to match your own actual tariff.

    How driving style and conditions affect range

    The miles you get per kWh isn't fixed — it depends on how and where you drive. City driving is the most efficient because frequent braking recovers energy back into the battery through regenerative braking. Motorway driving at sustained higher speeds is the least efficient, since aerodynamic drag rises sharply with speed and there's little opportunity to regenerate. This calculator applies a multiplier to your car's baseline efficiency depending on which driving style you select. Cold weather, cabin heating and towing all reduce real-world range further, on top of the driving-style adjustment — typically by 20–30% in winter conditions, which the range panel flags separately.

    Add this calculator to your site — free

    See all embeddable calculators →