Home vs Public Charging Comparator

Why rapid charging can cost more than petrol

Public rapid DC chargers carry higher electricity costs, VAT at 20% rather than the 5% applied to domestic electricity, and a margin for the network operator and site host, so it's common for rapid charging to land at 3 to 5 times the price of home charging per kWh. At the extreme end, a rapid session can push pence-per-mile above what an efficient petrol car costs to run, which surprises EV owners who only compare against their home tariff. This is exactly the comparison the EV vs petrol comparator lays out directly.

Mixing tariffs in practice

Most EV owners do the bulk of their charging at home, on a cheap overnight tariff if they have one, and only use public rapid charging for longer trips or when caught short. The results table above prices each tariff as if every mile were charged that way; your real blended cost per mile sits somewhere between the home and public rows, weighted by how often you actually use each one.

Why the VAT gap exists

Domestic electricity in the UK is charged at the reduced 5% VAT rate, while electricity sold through public charge points counts as a commercial supply and carries the standard 20% rate. That difference alone accounts for a meaningful chunk of the gap between home and public pricing, on top of the network's own costs and margin, and it's a policy gap EV and charging groups have lobbied to close.

What this tool doesn't model

Subscription fees for public charging networks, one-off connection or activation fees, and idle fees charged for leaving a car plugged in after it finishes charging are all common in practice and none are included here, since they vary by network and membership tier rather than following a formula. This tool prices the energy only, per the rate you enter for each row.