EV charging for fleets
Where a fleet charges, and what it pays for grid capacity and electricity, decides what its electric vehicles cost to run.
Charging is the biggest lever on the running cost of an electric fleet. From 1 September 2026, HMRC's advisory electric rate is 7p a mile for home charging and 15p a mile for public charging, so a driver who relies on the public network costs roughly twice as much per mile as one who can plug in at a depot or at home. That gap, more than the price of the vehicle, tends to decide whether an electric business case works.
The constraint has moved from chargers to power. For depots, motorway hubs and the megawatt charging that electric HGVs need, the hard part is a grid connection: how much capacity is available, what it costs and how long the queue runs. The Department for Transport has consulted on funding network upgrades at motorway service areas, and Ofgem is acting against speculative projects that hold places in the connection queue.
Energy prices move the numbers too. Depot and home charging on domestic-style tariffs follows Ofgem's price cap, which set electricity at 26.32p per kWh for the period from 1 October to 31 December 2026.
This hub collects our reporting on charge point networks, depot and HGV charging, grid access and energy prices. Every story links to its primary source, and the live figures sit in THRIVE Data.
- 1 September 2025HMRC introduces a separate advisory electric rate for public charging Source
- 28 July 2026Consultation closes on the strategic charging infrastructure scheme for motorway service areas Source
- 1 October 2026Ofgem price cap sets electricity at 26.32p per kWh until 31 December 2026 Source
- 1 December 2026Next quarterly review of HMRC advisory fuel and electric rates Source
- Charging cost gapHow much more public EV charging costs per mile than charging at home.Open the data
- Real cost to chargeWhat charging an electric van at home actually costs per mile, against HMRC's advisory electric rate.Open the data
- THRIVE Fleet Cost IndexThe weekly index of diesel-van pence per mile against electric-van pence per mile — THRIVE's headline measure of fleet running cost.Open the data
- Electric van break-evenHow far an electric van must travel before its running-cost saving repays its price premium.Open the data
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