Electric car owners see huge charging savings as petrol and diesel drivers ripped off at pumps

On average, it now costs drivers 45p per kWh to charge their EVs at an ultra-rapid charging station, a price which is roughly on par with or cheaper than all other charging speeds during off-peak hours.

The latest AA EV Recharge report shows that drivers willing to charge at "unsocial" hours could fully charge their battery for less than £20 in a far shorter space of time.

In comparison, petrol prices fell 4p a litre to a low of 133.5p over the last eight weeks, with an average saving of around three per cent per litre.

However, wholesale petrol costs have dropped by 7p per litre, or 8.4p at the pump when including VAT.

Only half of the potential savings have been passed on to the consumers, with experts continually calling on supermarkets and major retailers to help motorists at the pump.

The AA highlighted that this was giving electric vehicle owners a "significant" pence-per-mile saving compared to petrol and diesel drivers.

On average, EV owners will pay £31.60 to add 80 per cent charge to their vehicles using an ultra-rapid charger, whereas petrol drivers would spend £43.69 for the equivalent amount of fuel.

Homeowners who can charge their vehicles from their driveways will continue to see significant price benefits compared to all other drivers.

Using a domestic 7kWh charger, drivers are paying an equivalent of 5.88p per mile to run their car. This is less than half of what a petrol driver would pay (11.93p).

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said the price cuts would have been valued even more by drivers travelling across the country before the Christmas and New Year's break.

He added: "Cutting VAT on public charging is an easy win, and we urge the Chancellor to carry this out at the earliest opportunity.

"Cheaper charging away from home will help give more confidence to those drivers considering making the switch to an EV."

The electric vehicle industry has consistently called on the Government to equalise the 20 per cent rate of VAT on public chargers to the five per cent rate attributed to home charging.

Previous research from Gridserve revealed that almost half of non-electric vehicle drivers would make the switch to EVs sooner if public charging rates were cheaper.

Since 2023, drivers charging their EVs at home have seen a huge 24 per cent drop in price at peak and off-peak times, based on data from the AA and regulator Ofgem.

Motorists can further improve these savings with an EV-friendly home tariff, which can deliver prices as low as 4p per kWh.

"Reflecting on how prices have changed since 2023, it is clear that chargepoint operators offering peak and off-peak rates are the most competitive, whereas flat rate providers have seen steady increases over the same period," Mr Cousens concluded.