Last updated: 30 October 2026. The home electricity rate is rebased to the Ofgem cap confirmed for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Pump prices from the DESNZ weekly road fuel price series (w/c 26 October 2026); public charging prices from the Zapmap price index (September 2026); home electricity from the Ofgem price cap. Updated monthly.
On two wheels: an electric bike is in a different league. At the same 26.32p home rate, the six e-bikes in our electric bikes guide work out at 0.17p to 0.31p per mile on their makers' own claimed ranges. At Cycling UK's ballpark of 1kWh per 100km it is about 0.42p a mile; the working is in what it costs to charge an e-bike.
Cost per mile, October 2026
| How you fill up / charge | Price | Cost per mile | Cost per 8,000 miles |
|---|
Methodology & sources
EV pence-per-mile = electricity price (p/kWh) ÷ efficiency (miles/kWh). Petrol pence-per-mile = pump price (p/litre) × 4.546 ÷ mpg. Defaults: real-world EV efficiency 3.2 mi/kWh; petrol economy 45 mpg. Prices used in the October 2026 edition: average UK unleaded 174.1p/litre and diesel 199.2p/litre (DESNZ weekly road fuel prices, w/c 26 October 2026); public charging 54p/kWh (fast) and 79p/kWh (rapid/ultra-rapid) PAYG weighted averages (Zapmap price index, September 2026); standard home rate 26.32p/kWh (Ofgem price cap, Oct–Dec 2026, confirmed 26 August 2026; Jul–Sep rate 26.11p); off-peak EV tariff 7p/kWh (typical six-hour overnight EV tariff window; some 2026 tariffs are as low as 3.5–5.5p). All prices include VAT.
How many miles does a home charger take to pay back against public charging? See home or public charging: the break-even, with a calculator. Thinking about a home charger? See the best home EV chargers and the £500 chargepoint grant.
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