Quick answer: charging a typical 64kWh EV from 20% to 80% on a 7.4kW home wallbox takes about 5 hours 46 minutes. It costs £3.41 on an 8p/kWh off-peak EV tariff, or £11.09 on a standard 26p/kWh tariff, including typical charging losses of around 10%.
Cost and time for a single charge
Pick your car (or type your own battery size), set how full the battery is now and where you want it, then choose the charger speed and your electricity rate.
2.3kW is a granny cable in an ordinary 13A socket. That is the slowest way to charge, but it needs no installation and no electrician, and for a plug-in hybrid or a short daily commute it is often all you need. The two below are the ones our readers buy most from our granny charger guide.
On a home wallbox the tariff decides the cost more than the charger does. Pod Power by EDF charges 6.49p/kWh from 11pm to 6am, against the 26p standard rate, but it is only open to Pod Point owners. Pod Point's Solo 3S is £999 fitted, or £34 a month over 36 months.
Prices checked on podenergy.com 29 September 2026. Affiliate links: we earn a commission if you order a charger through them.
Assumes ~10% charging losses (energy lost as heat in the cable, onboard charger and battery management), so the grid draw is a little more than what lands in the battery. Rapid chargers slow down above 80%, so real DC times past that point will be longer than shown.
We don’t arrange installer quotes. For a fixed installed price to compare against, Pod Point fits its Solo 3S from £999 with standard installation (checked 1 Oct 2026; we earn a commission if you order).
How long does an EV take to charge?
The table below shows 20% to 80% charging times, the top-up most drivers actually do, for common battery sizes. Times include 10% charging losses.
| Battery size | 2.3 kW (3-pin) | 7.4 kW (wallbox) | 11 kW | 22 kW | 50 kW (rapid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 kWh (e.g. Nissan Leaf) | 11 h 36 m | 3 h 36 m | 2 h 25 m | 1 h 13 m | 32 m |
| 50 kWh (e.g. Corsa Electric) | 14 h 30 m | 4 h 30 m | 3 h 02 m | 1 h 31 m | 40 m |
| 60 kWh (e.g. Model 3 RWD) | 17 h 23 m | 5 h 24 m | 3 h 38 m | 1 h 49 m | 48 m |
| 64 kWh (e.g. Kia Niro EV) | 18 h 33 m | 5 h 46 m | 3 h 53 m | 1 h 56 m | 51 m |
| 75 kWh (e.g. Model Y LR) | 21 h 44 m | 6 h 45 m | 4 h 33 m | 2 h 16 m | 1 h 00 m |
| 77 kWh (e.g. Skoda Enyaq) | 22 h 19 m | 6 h 56 m | 4 h 40 m | 2 h 20 m | 1 h 02 m |
| 82 kWh (e.g. Audi Q4 e-tron) | 23 h 46 m | 7 h 23 m | 4 h 58 m | 2 h 29 m | 1 h 06 m |
| 100 kWh (e.g. Kia EV9) | 28 h 59 m | 9 h 01 m | 6 h 04 m | 3 h 02 m | 1 h 20 m |
The 2.3kW column is a granny cable plugged into an ordinary socket. Slow, but fine as a backup or while you wait for a wallbox, and our granny charger guide covers which ones are safe to leave running overnight. The two most popular are the dé 10m with app control and a Type A RCD and the EzGoGo 3-pin 10m, both checked on Amazon on 20 September 2026.
Two caveats. Your car's onboard AC charger sets a ceiling: most EVs accept 7.4kW or 11kW at most on AC, so plugging one into a 22kW unit doesn't make it charge faster. And rapid DC speeds taper hard above 80%, which is why the last 20% of a rapid charge can take nearly as long as the first 60%.
What a full charge costs
Empty to full, including losses, at the three rates that matter in 2026: an off-peak EV tariff (Intelligent Octopus Go charges 8p/kWh overnight), the standard price-capped rate of about 26p/kWh, and a typical public rapid charger at 70p/kWh.
| Battery size | Off-peak EV tariff (8p) | Standard tariff (26p) | Public rapid (70p) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 kWh | £3.56 | £11.56 | £31.11 |
| 50 kWh | £4.44 | £14.44 | £38.89 |
| 60 kWh | £5.33 | £17.33 | £46.67 |
| 64 kWh | £5.69 | £18.49 | £49.78 |
| 75 kWh | £6.67 | £21.67 | £58.33 |
| 77 kWh | £6.84 | £22.24 | £59.89 |
| 82 kWh | £7.29 | £23.69 | £63.78 |
| 100 kWh | £8.89 | £28.89 | £77.78 |
The gap is the whole argument for a home charger and a decent tariff. The same 60kWh charge costs £5.33 at home overnight and £46.67 at a motorway rapid.
What one full charge costs, by battery size
- A 40kWh battery (Nissan Leaf) costs £3.56 to charge from empty on an 8p off-peak tariff, or £11.56 at the standard 26p rate.
- A 50kWh battery (Corsa Electric, MG4 SE) costs £4.44 off-peak, or £14.44 at 26p.
- A 60kWh battery (Tesla Model 3 RWD) costs £5.33 off-peak, or £17.33 at 26p.
- A 64kWh battery (Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona) costs £5.69 off-peak, or £18.49 at 26p.
- A 75kWh battery (Tesla Model Y Long Range) costs £6.67 off-peak, or £21.67 at 26p.
- A 77kWh battery (VW ID.4, Skoda Enyaq) costs £6.84 off-peak, or £22.24 at 26p.
- A 82kWh battery (Audi Q4 e-tron, ID.5) costs £7.29 off-peak, or £23.69 at 26p.
- A 100kWh battery (Kia EV9, BMW iX) costs £8.89 off-peak, or £28.89 at 26p.
Every figure is empty-to-full and includes the ~10% lost between the plug and the battery, so it's what lands on your bill rather than what the car reports.
How the maths works
No black box here. The calculator uses two formulas:
- Charging time = kWh added ÷ (charger kW × 0.9). The 0.9 accounts for roughly 10% of energy lost between the plug and the battery. Independent tests of home AC charging typically measure losses of 8–12%.
- Cost = (kWh added ÷ 0.9) × your rate per kWh. You pay for what comes out of the grid, not what ends up in the battery.
So a 64kWh battery charged from 20% to 80% needs 38.4kWh in the battery, which means about 42.7kWh from the grid. At 7.4kW that takes 5 hours 46 minutes; at 26p/kWh it costs £11.09.
What EV charging costs per month
An off-peak EV tariff cuts the cost of every overnight charge by around 70%
Per-charge numbers are useful, but your bill depends on how far you drive. This calculator works out your monthly and annual charging cost from your mileage.
Tariff comparison: standard vs off-peak vs public
Here's how the monthly bill compares for a driver covering 800 miles a month at 3.5 miles/kWh, charging losses included.
| Charging method | Rate | Monthly cost | Annual cost | Cost per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard tariff (price cap) | 26p/kWh | £66.03 | £792.38 | 8.3p |
| EV off-peak tariff | 8p/kWh | £20.32 | £243.81 | 2.5p |
| Public rapid charger | 70p/kWh | £177.78 | £2,133.33 | 22.2p |
| Petrol car (comparison) | — | £112.00 | £1,344.00 | 14.0p |
Switching from a standard tariff to an EV off-peak tariff saves this driver about £549 a year. That pays back a large chunk of a wallbox installation in the first year, before you count anything saved against petrol. If the wallbox itself is still on your list, compare installer packages before you book one. The bottom row is the one worth staring at: relying on rapid chargers costs this driver £2,133 a year against £244 at home, which we unpack in home vs public charging costs.
What is an EV off-peak tariff?
It's a specialist electricity plan for EV owners, with a much cheaper rate during overnight hours when grid demand is low. The main UK options:
- Intelligent Octopus Go — off-peak rates as low as 7.6p/kWh, with a six-hour overnight window. It can also schedule the charging for you through a compatible charger. Our pick for most drivers; see our EV tariff comparison.
- British Gas EV Power — 9p/kWh off-peak for five hours. A reasonable alternative if you can't switch to Octopus, and they fit the charger too — see British Gas EV charger installation cost.
- EDF GoElectric — 6.99p/kWh between 23:00 and 06:00, the lowest headline off-peak rate here. EDF also installs, which we cover in our guide to EDF EV charger installation.
- OVO Charge Anytime — 14p/kWh pay-as-you-go whenever you charge at home through a compatible charger, with no fixed window. Monthly mileage bundles start at £27.50 for 700 miles.
- Economy 7 — the old-style off-peak meter, typically 10–14p/kWh for seven hours overnight. Not EV-specific, but better than a flat rate.
Most smart chargers can talk to these tariffs directly and shift the whole charge into the cheap window, so you plug in when you get home and the car fills up while you sleep.
How to pay less for every charge
With solar panels, a diverter-equipped charger can run on surplus generation
1. Schedule overnight charging
Set the charger to run only in the off-peak window. A 7.4kW charger adds around 40kWh in six hours, which is 140+ miles of range for most cars, more than enough to reset a normal day's driving.
2. Let the tariff drive the charger
Chargers like the Ohme Home Pro and Zappi connect to Octopus's system and pick the cheapest slots automatically each night. Octopus will supply and fit an Ohme for you as part of the switch — the numbers are in our guide to Octopus EV charger installation cost.
Octopus is not the only overnight rate worth checking: E.ON Next Drive runs at 8.5p from midnight to 7am, and ScottishPower EV Saver at 8.5p. If you drive a Tesla, the charging-speed and cost figures for that car are broken out in our Tesla Model 3 home charging guide. And if you are still deciding whether to switch at all, the petrol vs EV savings calculator does that sum.
3. Use solar if you have it
A charger with a solar diverter (the Zappi is the best-known) can charge from surplus panel output during the day instead of exporting it for a few pence.
4. Save rapids for road trips
At 70p/kWh a rapid charger costs nearly nine times the off-peak home rate. Fine on a motorway run, expensive as a habit.
Charging at home starts with the right charger
We've compared the main UK wallboxes on spec, price and warranty, and lined up every major EV tariff.
Compare Home EV Chargers Compare EV TariffsMore calculators: home charger cost calculator (installation plus five-year running cost), smart charging savings, and petrol vs EV savings.
Still deciding on the hardware rather than the running cost? Our which EV charger do I need chooser narrows the five units we rate down to one in about a minute.
Want one fitted? Pod Point’s installed price
We don’t arrange installer quotes. Pod Point fits its Solo 3S with its own engineers: £999 with standard installation, or £34 a month for 36 months with nothing upfront until 1 November (checked 1 Oct 2026).