Electric car owners are now paying less to charge their vehicles in public than drivers of petrol and diesel cars for the first time, according to new data. The average cost of public charging for an electric vehicle (EV) stands at 15p per mile, while petrol drivers pay around 17p per mile and diesel drivers pay 0.5p more.
Although average public charging prices have risen by 38 per cent between 2021 and 2025, the surge in fuel prices following the war in Iran has pushed petrol and diesel costs higher. Even EV drivers using an 80-20 mix of standard and rapid public charging pay only around 16p per mile.
Industry reaction
Vicky Read, chief executive of ChargeUK, said: “While this is not how we wanted to see the gap between public EV charging and petrol prices closed, it once again demonstrates the urgent need to make driving an EV more affordable for all. We need to see Government take control of the situation to ensure the numbers stack up not just in a time of global crisis, but for the long term.”
She added: “The cost pressures currently pushing up public EV charging prices are largely within the Government’s grasp, whereas the global pressures pushing up petrol and diesel prices are not.”
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and COO of Zapmap, said: “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.”
Fuel price outlook
RAC head of policy Simon Williams commented: “Petrol has only come down by a penny a litre and diesel by almost 2p (1.66p). We hope drivers will see the average price of petrol fall by at least 3p a litre and diesel by double that in the coming days.”
He added: “Drivers understand retailers have had no option but to put prices up due to the cost of oil being so much higher and they’re also suffering with fuel theft as widely reported this week, but as wholesale prices reduce so should forecourt prices.”
