How much power does it take to charge an EV?
The amount of power needed to charge an EV depends on one main factor: battery size.
The typical battery size varies from model to model, but a safe average can be found at around 60kWh. Battery size of some of the most common models include:
- Tesla Model Y: 60kWh
- Kia ENero: 68kWh
- VW ID3: 63-84kWh
- Nissan Leaf: 40-62kWh
For home chargers, this depends on your electricity tariffs. We've written an entire blog breaking down the cost of charging on popular EV tariffs, as well as the money-saving potential of scheduling to charge at off-peak times. Check that out here.
Again, these prices can vary dramatically. There are even a few charge points peppered around the UK that offer free charging, which can be found on popular mapping systems.
The average cost of charging at a rapid charger on the public network, however, is around 56p/kWh. That works out at around £33.60 to go all the way on a 60kWh battery.
That costs increases for quicker chargers, with ultra-rapid chargers costing around 80p/kWh - or £48 to refill your battery from empty.
If that sounds confusing, we explained the difference between rapid and ultra-rapid charging speeds here.