Electric cars are the future and we’re all going to need to learn a lot more about them and how they work.

We’re used to driving cars powered by fossil fuels but when we make the switch to electric cars, that’s a whole new world that we’ll need to get used to and questions we’ll need to ask, like ‘how much does it cost to charge an electric car?’

In this blog, we answer that key question as well as other important issues around the costs of charging electric cars at charging stations in public and at home.

How much does it really cost to charge an electric car?

Firstly, do you have to pay to charge an electric car? Sadly, yes, you do, but how much does it cost?

The answer varies, of course, depending on what kind of electric car you’ve got, how much you need to charge it and where you are charging it. How much to charge a Tesla, for example? With a Model S that has a 100kWh battery and a Supercharger network cost of £0.28 per kilowatt, it would be £28 for a full charge.

You may also be wondering how much it costs to charge a hybrid vehicle? Hybrids can charge themselves through braking while plug-in hybrids can be plugged-in to charge like a pure electric car, albeit with a much smaller range because the batteries are smaller. With both types of hybrid, you will also generally need to fill it up with petrol too.

How much does it cost to charge an electric car at a garage?

Public charge points vary in terms of how much they cost and what network they are a part of. There are actually some charging points where it’s free to charge up your car if you are paying a subscription - these can cost around £7-£8 a month and around 9p per kWh while charging.

One really important factor in determining how much you pay is what the charging speed is, with rapid charge points coming at a premium because they can charge much more quickly. These can cost around £6 for 30 minutes of charging, which offers around 100 miles worth of driving range.

Is it cheaper to charge an electric car at home?

One major advantage to having an electric car is not needing to rely on going to a petrol station to ‘fill it up’ and keep it running. It’s easy enough to have a charging point at your own home and to charge the car overnight so that it’s ready for use in the morning.

However, it’s not necessarily cheaper. The cost of a home charger for an electric car is around £800, though you can get a Government grant to help pay for this. Charging can be around £6 for a full charge, though if you can get a competitive off-peak rate for charging overnight, this can be lowered to around £4.

Are electric cars worth the money?

How much does it cost to recharge an EV? As you’ve seen, the answer can vary depending on what kind of car you have and where you want to charge it. So, does that mean that electric cars aren’t worth the money?

At the moment they are generally more expensive to buy and come with additional set-up costs like installing a charger at home, but they are also generally cheaper to run than cars powered by petrol or diesel and local and national incentives to encourage us to make the switch - like exemptions from congestion charges - are likely to keep on coming.

Do you need insurance for your EV? Asda Money car insurance is designed for a range of drivers, with different cover levels for all kinds of circumstances. Learn more about what our policies cover and how they can help you save on our car insurance page.