The cost of charging an electric vehicle (EV) at a public charger is now lower on average than petrol or diesel for the first time in over a year, according to new figures.
Steep rises in the price of petrol and diesel since the war in Iran began have meant that using on-street chargers to power an EV is cheaper per mile than traditional fuel.
Industry body Charge UK’s analysis, based on RAC fuel watch and Zapmap price index figures, shows that when using a standard charger (such as on-street or in a car park) at the national average cost of 54p per kWh with typical efficiency, drivers can expect to pay around 15p per mile.
This is compared with a current rate of 17p for a typical petrol car or 17.5p for diesel, it says.
Meanwhile, EV drivers using an 80/20 per cent mix of standard and rapid public charging will pay around 16p per mile.
Electric cars have long been seen as more expensive alternatives to petrol and diesel (Getty)
Only people who use public ultra-rapid charging exclusively will still now pay more than liquid fuel, the body says.
Even cheaper is home charging, which costs as little as 2p per mile today, Charge UK says.
Public chargers are more expensive than charging at home, partly because they are subject to a higher rate of VAT, which stands at 5 per cent for domestic electricity and 20 per cent at charging points.
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zapmap which directs drivers to charging points, said: “We’re now seeing that for EV drivers with a typical 80/20 split between home and public charging, the cost saving of charging their EV compared to fuelling a petrol or diesel car is at the highest level since May 2024.
“However, in the UK we still have the highest public charging costs in Europe, and we welcome all measures to tackle this to help progress the transition to sustainable transport.”
The Labour government has pledged to outlaw sales of new fully petrol or diesel cars and vans from 2030 (PA Archive)
Ian Plummer, chief customer officer at Autotrader, added: “Cheaper running costs have long been a key incentive to make the switch to electric, and we’ve seen a significant uptick in consumers looking at EVs on our platform following recent petrol price hikes, so we know there’s growing awareness of just how much you can save.
“Our analysis also shows the average price of a new EV, including discounts and government grants, has fallen below petrol for the first time ever.
“With the upfront price often being the biggest barrier to electric adoption, this is a key milestone in the UK’s transition and should hopefully signal the growing affordability of electric cars.”
Electric cars have long been seen as a more expensive option for motorists, with the buying price tending to be higher than petrol and diesel options.
Separate analysis from Autotrader this week found that new (EVs) are cheaper to buy than petrol models for the first time.
Online vehicle marketplace Autotrader attributed the price disparity to government grants and “sustained manufacturer discounting”.
It said the average price of a new electric car listed on its website is £42,620, which is £785 less than a new petrol model at £43,405.
The Labour government has pledged to outlaw sales of new fully petrol or diesel cars and vans from 2030, with only zero-emission models – which generally means pure electrics – permitted to be bought from 2035.