EV Charging Cost Calculator
Estimate the cost to charge an electric vehicle.
Results update as you type.
How it works
Charging an electric vehicle is usually far cheaper than filling a fuel tank, and this EV charging cost calculator shows exactly what a charge costs at home. Enter your battery's capacity in kilowatt-hours, the percentage of charge you want to add, and your electricity rate, and it returns the energy drawn and the resulting cost. The idea is simple: a battery's capacity tells you how much energy a full charge holds, so filling a portion of it draws that fraction of the total. Multiplying the energy by your rate gives the price. Because home electricity typically costs a fraction of petrol per mile driven, seeing the figure often reassures new EV owners that daily charging is inexpensive. This matters for budgeting and for comparing charging options. A home top-up on an off-peak tariff can cost a fraction of a public rapid charger, and knowing the per-charge price helps you decide when and where to plug in. EV owners planning monthly costs, prospective buyers comparing running expenses against a petrol car, and fleet managers estimating charging budgets all rely on an EV charging cost calculator. Remember real energy from the wall is slightly higher than the battery figure because charging is not perfectly efficient, so treat the result as a close lower bound on the true cost.
kWh used = battery kWh × (charge % ÷ 100) · cost = kWh × rate
The energy needed to charge equals the battery's capacity multiplied by the fraction of it you are filling, so an 80 percent charge draws four-fifths of the pack's rated kilowatt-hours. Multiplying that energy by your electricity rate per kilowatt-hour gives the cost. The calculation ignores charging losses, so real-world energy pulled from the wall runs a little higher than the battery-side figure shown here.
Source:Standard energy calculation
We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.
Worked example
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter your values
Enter battery capacity, charge added and electricity rate.
- 2
Adjust the options
Fine-tune any options to match your situation.
- 3
Read your result
Charging cost updates instantly as you type — no button to press.
Frequently asked questions
Does this include charging losses?
No. The calculator measures energy delivered into the battery, but charging is not perfectly efficient — some power is lost as heat in the charger, cables, and battery, typically around 10 to 15 percent. That means the electricity actually pulled from the wall, and billed by your utility, is a little higher than the figure shown. To approximate real cost, add roughly 10 to 15 percent to the result for a home Level 2 charger.
How do I find my car's battery capacity?
Battery capacity is listed in your vehicle's specifications, usually as a total or usable figure in kilowatt-hours. Manufacturer websites, the owner's manual, and the car's information display all report it. Note that usable capacity is slightly less than the nominal pack size because manufacturers reserve a buffer to protect battery health, so use the usable number if given for the most accurate charging cost estimate.
Why charge to 80 percent instead of 100?
Many EV makers recommend routine charging to about 80 percent because the final stretch to full charges more slowly and, over time, adds stress that ages the battery faster. Charging to 80 percent daily and reserving 100 percent for long trips preserves battery health and cuts charging time. That is why the calculator lets you enter a target percentage rather than assuming a full charge every session.
How does home charging compare to public fast charging?
Home electricity rates are usually far lower than public rapid-charger prices, which include convenience and speed premiums. A charge that costs a few dollars at home can cost several times more at a fast charger. Enter each rate into this calculator to compare directly. For most owners, charging overnight at home on a standard or off-peak tariff is by far the cheapest way to keep the car powered.
Can I estimate cost per mile from this?
Yes. Divide the charging cost by the miles that charge adds. If 48 kilowatt-hours cost $7.20 and take you about 180 miles, that is roughly four cents per mile, typically well below the fuel cost of a comparable petrol car. Knowing your vehicle's efficiency in miles per kilowatt-hour lets you convert any charge here into a per-mile running cost for budgeting and comparison.