The charging cost gap
How much more public EV charging costs than charging at home, per mile, using HMRC's split advisory electric rate.
Checked against the official source on 27 October 2026
Public EV charging costs 15p per mile against 7p at home under HMRC's advisory electric rate - 2.1× more, a 8p-per-mile gap (THRIVE, from HMRC).
Use this data
Citation: THRIVE Charging Cost Gap, rates checked 27 October 2026. thrivefleet.co.uk/data/charging-cost-gap
Free to use in articles, presentations and reports. Please credit THRIVE and link to this page. It is a request, not a condition of use: see the data terms.
Public vs home
Times more expensive
| Category | Value (×) |
|---|---|
| Public vs home | 2.1× |
Pence per mile
Home vs public rate
| Category | Value (p) |
|---|---|
| Home | 7p |
| Public | 15p |
For a fleet, where a van charges decides much of its running cost. A driver who plugs in at a depot or at home pays the home rate; one who relies on public chargers pays the public rate - 2.1× as much per mile. Over a working year that difference dwarfs most other variables in the electrification sum.
It is the single biggest reason depot and home charging access, not the vehicle price, tends to make or break an electric-van business case. See how it feeds the break-even mileage.
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Both figures are HMRC's advisory electric rate, with a separate public charging rate since 1 September 2025. The gap is the public rate minus the home rate; the ratio is public ÷ home. Values read live from our rates API.
Figures checked against GOV.UK on 27 October 2026.
Free JSON API - no key, open CORS, cache-friendly:
curl https://www.thrivefleet.co.uk/api/v1/charging-cost-gap{ "gap": { "home": …, "public": …, "gap_ppm": …, "gap_ratio": … } }Free to use. Please credit THRIVE and link to the page a figure came from: a request, never a condition of use. See the data terms and the API guide.
How much more does public EV charging cost than home charging?
Under HMRC's advisory electric rate it is 15p per mile public versus 7p at home - 2.1× more, a gap of 8p per mile.
EV charging for fleets: the guide