Review for DfT puts public EV charging at 17p to 20p a mile, against 2p at home and 22p for petrol
A review led by Philip New for three government departments finds public charging has risen 69% to 94% since 2021 and sets out five recommendations for drivers.
A government-commissioned review led by Philip New says drivers who rely on public chargers pay 17p to 20p a mile, against 2p for overnight home charging.
That 17p to 20p figure is for a driver charging at a mix of powers at current prices.
The review puts refuelling an equivalent petrol vehicle at 22p a mile, using weekly road fuel prices from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). It said cheaper running costs are no longer a foregone conclusion for people who depend on the public network.
Charging solely at rapid and ultra-rapid public chargers costs 24p a mile, while a mix that includes off-peak charging costs 12p to 16p.
Since 2021, average prices for lower-powered alternating current (AC) charging have risen by 69%, and for higher-powered direct current (DC) charging by 94%.
New, the independent chair, said unit electricity prices have risen, as have petrol and diesel prices, but that higher fixed costs have been a bigger issue. These include network charges based on capacity rather than usage.
Charge point use has been low because private investment came ahead of demand, which pushes up the unit cost operators try to recover from customers.
There are now more than 2.3 million EVs on UK roads, and the review says 89% of EVs are driven by people with access to home charging. The rest depend on the public network.
Around a third of UK drivers do not have their own driveway, New wrote.
Philip New, who chaired the review, said: "There is a basic unfairness at the heart of the market. Charging at home is much cheaper than charging elsewhere."
He warned that higher prices risk reducing EV uptake and slowing the rise in charger use, which could set off a negative feedback loop.
The review makes five recommendations to the UK Government. New described the key one as enabling drivers without home charging to use public chargers with their domestic electricity tariff.
He said that should deliver the same effect as alternatives at lower system cost, with greater access, better use of charge points and potentially less disruption to communities. The review sets the average standard consumer tariff at 54p/kWh.
Recommendation two is targeted, time-limited financial support to reduce charging costs.
New carried out the work between April and October 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport, DESNZ and the Treasury. Recommendations on tax policy were outside its terms of reference.
The market for EV charging now has more than 40 charge point operators competing for customers, and the Government has a £480m Local EV Infrastructure Fund supporting local charging. The review says access to the cheapest form of public charging is not widespread.
New wrote that the recommendations should be seen as a package, with no single one addressing all of the problem.
More on EVs & Charging
- Treasury sets up taskforce to test home electricity tariffs at slow EV chargers and adds £100m from 2027
- Budget sets aside £100m to cut prices at lower-powered public EV chargers from spring 2027
- Guardian reports DfT ZEV mandate consultation could give carmakers a V2G credit to sell one more petrol car
