A recent review of public charging providers in the UK has revealed that there’s anything but a one-size-fits-all cost when it comes to charging your electric vehicle.

The market review, undertaken by What Car?, investigated how much it cost to charge a BMW iX3 EV with an 80kWh battery from 10% to 80% using a variety of providers across the UK.

The results show that topping up while on your travels can be something of a lottery with some public charging providers charging as much as four times more – that’s a difference of £31 – than the cheapest provider.

The cheapest option (that didn’t require a subscription fee or one-off payment) according to What Car? was BP’s Pulse PAYG 7.4kW pay-as-you-go tariff, which charged the BMW for £9.32.

At the other end of the scale was Source London Flexi (7.4kW), whose charge for topping up the BMW was £40.66 for a first-time daytime charge (it would be cheaper at night).    

Speaking to This is Money1, What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said, “Unlike petrol and diesel prices, which are relatively stable across the country, tariffs for the UK’s public charging network can vary wildly due to different electricity and subscription fees. Our research highlights the importance of doing your research before you leave home to find the most cost-effective way to make your journey.”

The What Car? study didn’t only look at the cost of public charging providers. It also compared the cost with charging an electric car at home. Which neatly brings us on to…

 

And the money-saving winner is

Charging at home is by far the most cost-efficient way to ensure your electric vehicle doesn’t run out of juice. Whereas the cost of public charging ranged from anywhere between £40 and £9 per charge, the What Car? study found that it costs just £7.25 to charge at home.

If you’d like to save money with the convenience of an at-home electric car charger, we’d love to help. Get in touch on info@essexcarcharger.co.uk to find out more.