Charging EV at service station costs more than filling a petrol tank

CHARGING an electric car on the road for long drives is now more expensive than filling up their petrol and diesel equivalents, data show.

The cost has soared nearly 60pc in eight months, according to motoring body the RAC. Rapid charge points used by motorists topping up are now nearly £10 more expensive than filling up a car with fuel. Alongside surging energy prices, VAT is charged at 20pc on public networks, compared to 5pc for domestic energy.

Charging an electric car at home is still much cheaper than buying a tank of fuel at the pumps, but many drivers are unable to install a charger because they do not have off-street parking.

Petrol and diesel cars are due to be banned from Britain’s roads within years as the Government pushes to reach net zero by 2050. Yet critics say the tax on public charge points threatens those ambitions.

Some believe ministers are reluctant to take the “obvious” step of setting VAT at 5pc across the board because electric vehicles are seen as elitist.

Simon Williams, of the RAC, said: “Cutting VAT on electricity sold at public chargers to 5pc to match what people pay at home would be one way of keeping prices under control and show the Government remains committed to getting drivers to go electric.”

The RAC said it costs an average of 70.32p per kilowatt hour to rapidcharge a car, up 58pc from May and 11pc from September.

Another reason for the rise is the infrastructure needed to safely deliver electricity. Charging to cover 484 miles on a public network costs £92.69. Filling a petrol car with 55 litres to go the same distance costs £83.03.

Ultra rapid charging increases the cost to £98.59 – £15.51 more than filling a petrol car, and £2.91 more than a diesel. Public charging is also more than double the price of domestic charging, which comes to £44.74.

Electric car companies are fighting to maintain demand as subsidies for EVS are reined in and inflation puts pressure on consumers. In China, Tesla faced a protests over the weekend from customers at showrooms as buyers demanded refunds after the electric carmaker slashed prices.

At Tesla’s delivery centre in Shanghai, around 200 people gathered to protest the decision, undermining the value of vehicles they had just bought.