Public EV charging savings reach widest gap to petrol in 2026

Volatile petrol and diesel prices have swung 33 and 42 per cent respectively in 2026, whilst public and home EV charging prices have remained stable

ChargeUK’s latest snap analysis of petrol and diesel compared to public EV charging prices shows the biggest savings gap for EV drivers since the start of the 2026 energy crisis — and probably since 2022.

Having surpassed public EV charging costs in the Spring, petrol and diesel had fallen back below over the summer but have since surged to a 12 per cent gap whilst EV charging prices have remained stable. Pence per mile using a blend of standard and rapid public charging is now 16p compared to petrol’s 19p, equating to an annual saving of £152 on public charging driving 7,100 miles.

Charting the fuel sources over time shows the extreme volatility of fossil fuel prices, with petrol and diesel swinging by 33 and 42 per cent respectively over the year, compared to standard public charging which has remained flat and rapid charging varying by 5 per cent in 2026 despite volatility in wholesale electricity prices.

Whilst there is a lack of reliable average price data for public EV charging going far back enough, ChargeUK says based on petrol and diesel price trends it is likely that now is the biggest gap in EV charging savings since pre-2022 energy crisis.

The moment comes as the government reviews its flagship EV policy the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (ZEV mandate) which sets car-sellers’ EV sales quotas, considering reducing the volumes of electric vehicles required to be sold. ChargeUK’s modelling indicates that the most extreme options being considered could lead to over three million fewer EVs by 2030, resulting in millions of drivers continuing to pay more for petrol.

Shane Brennan, chief executive officer, ChargeUK said: “Switching to electric driving is one of the biggest cost-of-living adjustments a household can make. This is true today, will be this winter, and for the long term. Now is the time for the government, the automotive sector and all other influencers to come together and accelerate the transition.

"Consumers are voting with their feet, as new and used EV take up breaks all records this year. It is therefore absurd the government is considering weakening EV targets, exactly the wrong signal at the wrong time. We should instead be taking deliberate action to remove the pricing inequalities and policy failures that are getting in the way of making electric driving even cheaper and more resilient to global crises in the fossil fuel market.”

The association has called for the 20 per cent VAT rate on public charging to be levelized with domestic electricity, now zero, addressing the unfairness of the ‘driveway divide’ between those who can charge at home and those who cannot. It has also called for government to address skyrocketing standing charges on charge points and to implement the type of renewable fuel credit scheme which is successful in Europe. Lowering the cost of public charging would ensure savings versus petrol are permanent — which ChargeUK’s polling indicates would increase EV demand by nearly 50 per cent.

	Pence per unit (kWh and litres)	Efficiency (miles per kWh or litre)	Pence per mile	Cost over 7100 miles	Savings vs petrol	Per mile difference to petrol
Home off peak	8	3.59	2.23	£158	£1,161	-16.35
Home price cap	26.11	3.59	7.27	£516	£803	-11.31
Average rapid/ultra rapid	79.00	3.59	22.01	£1,562	-£243	3.43
Average standard/standard plus	54.00	3.59	15.04	£1,068	£251	-3.54
80% / 20% standard/rapid	59.00	3.59	16.43	£1,167	£152	-2.15
80% / 20% off peak home/rapid	22.20	3.59	6.18	£439	£880	-12.40
Average petrol	174.84	9.41	18.58	£1,319	-	-
Average diesel	200.01	10.91	18.33	£1,302	-	-
Average petrol - motorway services	193.21	9.41	20.53	£1,458	-	-
Average diesel - motorway services	212.43	10.91	19.47	£1,382	-	-