How much does it cost to charge an electric car?

Imagine filling up for the price of a restaurant meal. That is roughly what a full home charge costs: enough to cover 350 to 400 km. Yet between the home rate, the station rate and the motorway rate, it is hard to see clearly. And 2026 has shifted the cursors: across much of Europe, electricity has steadied while fuel kept climbing. The gap has widened, and it leans the right way. Here are the up-to-date ballpark figures, and the method to work out your real budget.

The cost of a charge in 2026: the ballpark figures

How much an electric car really uses

It all starts there. An electric car uses between 12 and 20 kWh to cover 100 km, depending on its size, your speed and the season. It is the electric equivalent of "litres per hundred": an efficient city car sits around 13-15 kWh, a family SUV on the motorway can exceed 20 kWh.

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The two-to-one gap has an explanation. Speed weighs the most: above 100 km/h, your car spends most of its energy pushing the air in front of it. As a result, a trip at 130 km/h can use 40% more than the same one at 110. Then come the cold, which calls on the heating and dulls the battery, then weight and driving style. In town, by contrast, regenerative braking recovers energy at every slowdown.

Working out the cost is then disarmingly simple:

Cost = consumption (kWh/100 km) × distance ÷ 100 × price per kWh (€)

The price per kWh, from cheapest to most expensive

Charging location	Price level	Benchmark
Home, off-peak	Lowest	The reference rate
Home, standard rate	Low	Slightly above off-peak
Fast station, Electra app	Mid-range	About three times the home rate
Fast station, contactless card without app	Highest	The most expensive public rate

Residential electricity prices vary by country, contract and time of day; Electra rates are shown in the app before each session. The benchmarks above give the relative gaps, not per-market amounts.

Two takeaways. The gap between home and a fast station is real: about three times the price. But even at the highest public rate, charging stays cheaper than a tank of petrol.

Home charging: the reference rate

What you really pay

The residential price of electricity depends on your country and your contract, but in every case it stays far below the price of fuel. Charging a 60 kWh battery from 0 to 100% at home covers 350 to 400 km of range for the price of a lunch special, while you sleep.

Where an off-peak option exists, it pays off as soon as you shift part of your consumption to the night. With a car plugged in every evening, it is almost automatic.

Make the most of off-peak hours

Many countries offer rates that differ by time of day, with cheaper "off-peak" windows, often at night and sometimes in the middle of the day to match solar output. These windows and their hours depend on your supplier and your country, and can change from one year to the next. Check the windows that apply to your contract so you can schedule your charging at the right time.

Support for installing a charger

If you are thinking about installing a home charger, be aware that grants and tax breaks (tax credits, reduced VAT, installation subsidies) exist in several countries but vary widely, and some schemes stop or change from one year to the next. Have your charger installed by a certified professional and look into the schemes in force in your country before you go ahead.

Station charging: what it really costs

Understanding variable pricing

At Electra, the price per kWh now varies by country, time of day and how busy the station is. The app gives access to the network's lowest rate. The principle is simple: you pay less at off-peak times, which spreads demand and keeps stations available.

Two useful clarifications. More than half of the stations keep a single rate all day, because they are less busy. And the rate is shown in the app before the session, then locked: no nasty surprise mid-charge.

The subscription, and when it pays off

Plan	Monthly price	Saving	Partner networks
No subscription (app)	€0	None	Standard rate
Electra+ Essential	€1.99	-€0.10/kWh	No
Electra+ Smart	€4.99	-€0.20/kWh	€0.49/kWh
Card or pass, without app	€0	None	The highest rate

Pan-European Electra+ pricing, commitment-free. The Smart preferential rate applies on the ChargeLeague partner networks: Atlante, Fastned and IONITY.

The maths is quick: with Electra+ Smart at €4.99/month, the €0.20/kWh saving is paid off from 25 kWh charged in the month, a single session on a medium-sized battery. Essential at €1.99 pays off from 20 kWh. Both are commitment-free, and the app includes a calculator that compares your sessions over the last 30 days to point you to the best plan.

One detail that matters: without the app, by bank card or with a third-party pass, you pay the network's highest rate. The app is not a gimmick, it is the entry-level rate.

Examples: three profiles, three budgets

The "home charging" profile

Take an electric city car that uses 17 kWh/100 km, charged at home off-peak. Over 50 km a day and 22 working days, its monthly energy budget stays very modest. An equivalent combustion car, at current fuel prices, would cost several times more on the same trips. The annual saving runs into the hundreds of euros.

The "mixed charging" profile and total cost

Item	Electric	Petrol
Consumption	15 kWh/100 km	6 L/100 km
Energy cost per km	Low	High (several times higher)
Maintenance	Reduced (about a third)	High
Annual total	Much lower	Reference

Mix assumption: mostly at home, with a top-up at public and fast stations. Energy and fuel prices vary by country.

Over 15,000 km a year with mixed charging, two items work in favour of electric: energy, far cheaper per kilometre than petrol, and maintenance, cut by about two thirds thanks to the absence of a clutch, belt, oil change or filters. Added together, these two items open an annual gap of several hundred to more than a thousand euros depending on local prices, or several thousand euros over five years. Enough to offset a good part of the higher purchase price.

A driver with no home solution

This is the case least often covered, yet common in cities. By charging exclusively at fast stations with Electra+ Smart, the €0.20/kWh discount brings the cost well below the standard public rate. At off-peak times, it can come down to the price of a home charge; at the busiest times, it stays well below the per-kilometre cost of an equivalent petrol car. You can find the stations and their rates before you set off.

How to cut the bill

The three levers that really matter

Charge off-peak. It is the most powerful lever where these rates exist: the gap between off-peak and peak can reach 20 to 25%. A smart charger schedules the session automatically during the night.

Take out a subscription if you charge in public. Worth it from one session a month, it costs nothing to try since it is commitment-free. Our pricing is shown before each session, and the fast charging network is accessible with the same app everywhere in Europe.

Compare your contract. Some suppliers offer deals dedicated to electric vehicles, with very attractive night-time off-peak hours. The gap with a standard contract runs to a few cents per kWh, and to tens of euros a year.

Avoid overstay fees

At Electra stations, parking fees of €0.40/min apply beyond 80% battery when the station is saturated, after a 5-minute grace period and up to €50 per session. They are entirely avoidable: turn on notifications and unplug when your vehicle is charged. Beyond 80%, charging slows down sharply anyway.

Frequently asked questions about charging costs

"In concrete terms, how much does a full charge cost?"

For a 60 kWh battery, a full home charge costs the equivalent of a lunch special, and at a fast station roughly two to four times more depending on how busy it is. In comparison, a 40-litre tank of petrol represents a far higher sum. The comparison speaks for itself.

"Is electric really cheaper?"

Yes, and the gap has widened in 2026. Per kilometre, petrol costs several times the price of a home charge, and stays more expensive than a fast-station charge. Depending on where you charge, you divide your energy bill by a factor of about 1.5 to 5. Even in the worst case, you come out ahead.

"Does charging every day damage the battery?"

Not at all, quite the opposite. Modern batteries prefer small regular charges to big 0-to-100% cycles. Keep it between 20 and 80% day to day: it will repay you over time.

"Do charger grants still exist?"

It depends on your country. Several markets offer grants or tax breaks for installing a home charger, but their amounts and conditions vary, and some schemes stop from one year to the next. Have your charger installed by a certified professional and check the schemes in force where you live before costing your project.

"Why does the price change from one time to the next?"

Like a train ticket: at quiet times, it is cheaper. Pricing adjusts to how busy the station is, which spreads demand and limits waiting. Rest assured, the rate is shown before the session and locked for its whole duration. And more than half of our stations keep a single rate all day.

"And in winter, does it change everything?"

Count on 20 to 30% more consumption in hard cold, and the cost follows the same rise. It stays a long way below the price of petrol. Preheat the car while it is still plugged in: you set off with a battery at temperature and a warm cabin, without eating into your range.

Work out your own savings

Take the formula from the start with your mileage and your electricity price: you will have your real budget in thirty seconds. And to compare before you decide, our per-station rates can be viewed at any time from the app, with the price shown before each session. Charge at the station, pay as if at home.