How Much Does It Cost to Charge an EV?

At a typical Australian home electricity rate of $0.30 per kWh, charging a 100 kWh EV battery from empty to full costs around $30.00. In practice, most owners charge from about 10% to 80%, which uses roughly 70 kWh and costs around $21.00.

The cost per 100 km of driving at that rate is about $4.80, based on a typical EV efficiency of 16 kWh per 100 km. Over a year of average driving (15,000 km), that works out to around $720 in electricity.

Those figures change significantly depending on where you charge and what rate you pay. Home off peak rates, dedicated EV tariffs and public charger prices all produce very different results.

The cost of a full charge depends on the battery size and the electricity price. Multiply the battery capacity by the price per kWh to get the total.

Battery size (kWh) × Electricity price ($ per kWh) = Full charge cost

The cost per 100 km is usually more useful than the cost per full charge because it accounts for how efficiently the vehicle uses energy. Multiply the vehicle's efficiency by the electricity price.

EV efficiency (kWh per 100 km) × Electricity price ($ per kWh) = Cost per 100 km

To estimate your monthly or annual charging cost, multiply the cost per 100 km by your driving distance. The formula is straightforward.

EV efficiency × Annual distance ÷ 100 × Electricity price = Annual cost

Divide the annual cost by 12 to get the monthly figure. You can skip the manual maths by selecting your vehicle and electricity rate in the My EV panel — the table below and every calculator on the site will update to reflect your specific vehicle and the rate you pay.

Electricity price

The price you pay per kWh is the single biggest factor in your charging cost. Charging at an EV off peak rate of $0.08 per kWh instead of a standard rate of $0.30 per kWh reduces the cost of 100 km from $4.80 to $1.28 — a difference of around 70 percent.

Vehicle efficiency

How much energy your EV uses per 100 km determines how many kWh you need to buy. A smaller, more efficient vehicle using 12 kWh per 100 km costs less to charge per kilometre than a large SUV using 22 kWh per 100 km, even at the same electricity price.

Where you charge

Home charging is cheapest. Public AC chargers cost more, and DC fast chargers cost the most. Most EV owners keep their costs low by doing the majority of their charging at home and using public chargers mainly for longer trips or when home charging is not available.

When you charge

If your electricity plan has time-of-use pricing, charging during off peak hours — typically overnight — is significantly cheaper than charging during peak periods. Some retailers also offer dedicated EV tariffs with very low overnight rates.

How much you charge

For everyday driving, many EV owners charge to around 80% rather than 100%. This is common practice because charging slows down significantly above 80%, and it helps maintain long-term battery health. The last 20% of a charge takes disproportionately longer, which matters mainly for DC fast charging where you pay for time or kWh.

The cost difference between home and public charging is significant enough to change the economics of EV ownership. Here is a direct comparison using the same vehicle and distance.

Someone charging exclusively at home on a standard rate pays significantly less per year than a driver relying entirely on public fast charging. In practice, most owners use a mix of home and occasional public charging, so their actual cost falls somewhere in between.

Regardless of which charging option you use, an EV is almost always cheaper to run per kilometre than a comparable petrol vehicle. The gap is largest when charging at home.

An EV charged at home on a standard electricity rate saves significantly per year compared with a medium petrol car. On a dedicated EV tariff, the saving is even larger.

This example uses the most common scenario: a standard EV charged at home on a regular electricity rate.

Assumptions

EV efficiency: 16 kWh per 100 km. Electricity price: $0.30 per kWh. Battery size: 100 kWh. Annual distance: 15,000 km. Everyday charge range: 10% to 80%.

Cost per 100 km

16 × $0.30 = $4.80

Cost per full charge (empty to full)

100 × $0.30 = $30.00

Cost per everyday charge (10% to 80%)

70 kWh × $0.30 = $21.00

Monthly cost

16 × 15,000 ÷ 100 × $0.30 ÷ 12 = $60.00

Annual cost

16 × 15,000 ÷ 100 × $0.30 = $720.00