UK one of the most expensive countries in the world to charge an EV

The UK is one of the most expensive countries in the world to charge an electric car, but it’s still cheaper than filling a petrol or diesel engine, new research has suggested.

The price comparison website comparethemarket.com looked at the cost of fully charging a Tesla Model S — one of the most popular plug-in electric cars — in 36 major countries around the world.

The UK proved to be the joint ninth most expensive country to charge the Tesla, where a full charge of the Model S’s 100 kWh battery will cost drivers £16.72.

Equating to 65p per 10 miles or £6.45 per 100 miles, this is over three times the cost of charging an electric vehicle in Chile, where charging an EV is cheapest.

The research was performed using data from the World Energy Council for the average cost of a kWh for each country and the Tesla Model S’ battery specifications.

The Tesla Model S is one of the world’s most popular plug-in electric vehicles. Credit: Vauxford (CC BY-SA 4.0)

A full charge in Chile costs just £5.32 — working out at just 21p per 10 miles driven.

This was followed by Australia and Canada, where a full charge costs £8.36, while the United States was the seventh cheapest charging location with an average cost of £9.88.

All but one of the top ten most expensive countries to charge an EV are in Europe, with Denmark proving most expensive on average at £25.84 — equating to £1 per 10 miles.

Germany and Belgium were the second and third most expensive countries on the list, while Japan was the Asian outlier in the top ten with a cost of £16.72, the same as the UK.

The research reveals the problem faced by policy makers as they look to offer financial incentives to encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles.

However, it also revealed that regardless of location, charging an electric vehicle is still far cheaper than filling a petrol and diesel engine.

The website found that filling a 55-litre tank with unleaded petrol in the UK — where the average price per litre is £1.24 — would cost just over £68, over four times the cost of a full Model S charge.

In 2018 in the UK, the sale of new electric cars reached a 6% market share. Diesel car sales fell by 30% but still had a 32% market share.