Charging an electric car using a public chargers can cost almost 10 TIMES more than at home

The true cost of using Britain’s network of public chargers to replenish the batteries of an electric car have been uncovered. 

Charging an electric vehicle using a public charge point can cost almost 10 times more than charging up at home, according to research by What Car?.

It found that early adopters who regularly need to use public charging networks could save money by signing up for a scheme with a one-off or a monthly fee because these often have a lower energy usage rate.

Ionity, which is a charging network as part of a joint venture between BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group and the Volkswagen Group with Porsche AG, was found to be by far the most expensive.

What Car? found that you’ll pay up to an eye-watering £45.89 to charge an Audi E-tron from 10 per cent to 80 per cent at one of its ultra-rapid charger. 

Achieve the same level of charge in the £60,000 electric German SUV on a domestic charger at an average night-time energy tariff of 7p per kWh and owners will pay just £4.66, it found.

In fact, if owners regularly use an Ionity rapid charger, the running costs for electric cars could surpass those of a comparable diesel-powered alternative. 

For instance, those using the priciest Ionity chargers to top up an E-tron’s batteries will essentially be paying 34p a mile.

Owners of an Audi Q7 50 TDI diesel, which averages 27.2mpg, would – based on recent fuel prices – be paying just 22p a mile. 

According to the latest figures from Zap Map, there are 11,007 public electric car charging locations in the UK in February 2020.

In total there are 17,767 charging devices and 30,860 individual connectors – 462 of which have been installed in the last month. 

While Ionity is one of the providers with the highest charges, it is also one of a small number of extremely fast 350kW charging networks currently available.

It means its network of rapid chargers can replenish the batteries on an average electric car in around 30 to 40 minutes. 

However, the study found that some slower public charging networks are also far pricier than if drivers opted to charge their plug-in cars at home.

For instance, the second most expensive is Polar Contactless. Its 150kW charge points cost £26.60 to replenish the electric Audi SUV’s batteries from 10 to 80 per cent change.

And getting the same battery boost at both a 50kW Shell Recharge point and a 50kW Ecotricity socket costs £25.94, although Ecotricity rates are cheaper for its home energy customers.

As a result, What Car? recommends that regular public charger users should sign up for schemes with one-off or monthly fees, because these often have a lower energy usage rate and will result in cheaper running costs as a whole. 

Sign up for a Source London Full plan, for instance, and you’ll pay £4 a month, but just £6.32 every time you charge your car up.

The study also highlighted that consumers need to watch out for some hidden costs associated with the use of public chargers. 

It found examples in some London car parks where electric vehicle owners are being stung £9 per hour for parking with no discount for those using on-site chargers, and What Car?’s research found overstay fees levied by charging networks to discourage that ranged from £10 to £21 per hour. 

Steve Huntingford, editor of the motoring title, said: ‘Although there are still a lot of slow (3kW) public charging points that are free to use, you’ll have to pay if you want a quick energy fix. 

‘And this is where the costs can rack up if you don’t research the various networks in advance.’ 

This is Money has contacted Ionity for an official response to the research findings.