About & methodology

evchargecost.com.au is an independent tool that estimates what it costs to charge an electric car in Australia, and the estimated cost saved compared with petrol. It is built and maintained by a Melbourne EV owner. Every cost on this site is an estimate, not a quote or an actual cost. Prices last reviewed: 11 October 2026.

How the estimate is calculated

• Energy per year = kilometres per year × the car’s official energy use (kWh/100 km) ÷ 100, plus any real-world adjustment you choose.
• Estimated charging cost = energy from each source (home off-peak, home standard rate, solar, public AC, public DC) × that source’s price in c/kWh.
• Estimated petrol cost = kilometres × your comparison car’s L/100 km × the petrol price.
• Estimated cost saved = estimated petrol cost − estimated charging cost.
• Official lab figures (Green Vehicle Guide ADR 81/02 and WLTP) measure energy taken from the wall, so charging losses are already included. Real-world use is often higher at highway speeds and in cold weather.
• Not included: electricity supply (daily) charges, network membership fees, idle fees, discounts and concessions.
• Default inputs (250 km a week, 8 L/100 km petrol car (a mid-size SUV, rough guide), 80% off-peak / 10% standard / 10% public DC) are examples only. Change them to match your driving.

Placeholders and known limitations

We only show figures we could trace to a source. Where we couldn’t, the item is either hidden or clearly marked as a placeholder below:

• Public AC charging rate (40c/kWh default): No reliable published typical AC rate found. AC is 0% of the default charging mix; users enter their own.
• Solar feed-in for VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, ACT (3c/kWh): Feed-ins are set by each retailer. We use one example retailer rate (AGL Night Saver EV) as an illustration.
• Battery sizes for most Tesla, Dolphin, Seal, EV5/EV6, EX30, Polestar 2 and MG4 Urban variants: Not yet verified from manufacturer sources, so they are hidden rather than guessed.
• Hyundai Kona Electric: Not listed yet: we could not verify the current Australian figure tonight.
• Public network prices: Most networks no longer publish rate cards. Figures shown are reported ranges with dates; check the app.

Market coverage

We do not compare every electricity plan, charging network or vehicle in the Australian market. Electricity prices are examples from published tariffs, regulated offers and a comparison site’s state averages; public charging prices come from network websites and published reports, all with the dates shown. Some providers, plans or offers may not be included or may not be available to you. Rankings (such as “lowest estimated cost”) are sorted only by the estimate and are not influenced by commercial arrangements.

Vehicle data

26 variants. Energy use and range are official lab figures, mostly from the Australian Government’s Green Vehicle Guide.

Electricity, petrol and charging sources

• Canstar, average single-rate usage rates by distributor (data dated 4 Sep 2026), as of 2026-09-04
• OVO Energy, The EV Plan (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA), as of 2026-10-11
• AGL Night Saver EV plan page (3c/kWh solar feed-in, an example retailer rate), as of 2026-10-11
• Australian Institute of Petroleum, weekly ULP capital-city average, week ending 4 Oct 2026, as of 2026-10-04
• Synergy, Home Plan A1, as of 2026-07-01
• Synergy, Midday Saver, as of 2026-07-01
• Synergy, Distributed Energy Buyback Scheme, as of 2026-10-11
• Aurora Energy, residential prices, as of 2026-07-01
• Aurora Energy, solar rates, as of 2026-07-01
• ActewAGL, ACT standard electricity prices July 2026 (PDF), as of 2026-07-01
• Jacana Energy, residential pricing, as of 2026-07-01
• EV Roadside, cost to charge guide (network prices checked 16 Aug 2026), as of 2026-08-16
• NRMA, Why we’re updating EV charging prices (29 Jul 2025), as of 2025-07-29
• bp pulse, pricing page, as of 2026-10-11

Changelog

• 11 Oct 2026: first version. Prices and vehicle data reviewed.