How much does it cost to charge an EV in Australia?

If you’re working out the EV charging cost in Australia, the answer depends on three things: where you charge (home or public), what you pay per kWh, and how efficient your car is. This guide gives you real 2026 tariff numbers for every state, typical public network prices, and worked examples you can copy. To plug in your own numbers, use our EV vs petrol running-cost calculator.

The simple formula

Cost = kWh used × price per kWh. An EV’s energy use is usually quoted in kWh per 100 km. A typical EV uses roughly 14–20 kWh/100 km depending on size, speed and weather (our examples use 15.5). For official figures for a specific model, check the Green Vehicle Guide, or see real ranges and battery sizes on our EV prices page and compare tool.

• Per 100 km: 15.5 kWh × 30c = $4.65.
• Per “fill”: adding 42 kWh (for example 10% to 80% of a 60 kWh battery) at 30c is $12.60 at home, or $25.20 at 60c on a public charger.
• Per year: 13,000 km × 15.5 kWh/100 km = 2,015 kWh. At 30c that’s $604.

A little energy is lost when charging, so your meter reading will be slightly higher than what the car reports. Keep that in mind if you’re comparing a bill with the car’s app.

How much does it cost to charge an EV at home in Australia?

Home charging is where most of the savings come from. The table below uses each state’s regulated benchmark for a flat-rate plan. These are “default” prices (in NSW, South East Queensland and SA they’re caps on standing offers), so many households already pay less on a market offer. They’re a fair, official starting point that’s easy to check.

* Our example EV uses 15.5 kWh/100 km and drives 13,000 km a year, all charged at home at that rate. Energy only: the daily supply charge is left out because you pay it with or without an EV. Benchmark rates apply 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Many market offers are cheaper than these caps, and EV plans are much cheaper overnight. Checked 19 Oct 2026.

Supply charges matter for your whole bill, but you pay them with or without an EV, so they don’t change the cost of charging. Compare plans for your address on Energy Made Easy (NSW, QLD, SA, TAS and ACT) or Victorian Energy Compare (VIC). In WA most households are on the regulated Synergy tariffs.

How to pay less: overnight EV plans, free midday power and solar

The flat rates above are the expensive way to charge. Because an EV can charge whenever it’s parked, it’s a perfect fit for time-of-use and EV plans:

• Overnight EV plans: in October 2026 Zecar listed overnight EV rates from 4.5c/kWh (OVO Energy, 12am–6am, NSW, VIC, QLD and SA) and 8c/kWh (AGL Night Saver EV and Alinta Energy HomeEV). At 8c, our example EV costs $1.24 per 100 km, or about $161 a year. Zecar
• Free midday windows: some retailers offer free power from 11am to 3pm. The federal Solar Sharer Offer has applied since 1 July 2026 in NSW, South East Queensland and SA: three free hours a day (11am–2pm in NSW and SE QLD, 12pm–3pm in SA), up to 24 kWh a day. You need a smart meter and you have to opt in. A 7 kW wall charger can add about 21 kWh in three hours, which covers roughly 135 km of driving for our example EV.
• WA: Synergy’s Midday Saver and EV Add On plans charge 8.85c/kWh from 9am to 3pm, and EV Add On charges 19.92c/kWh overnight (11pm–6am). Synergy
• Victoria’s default offer also has a time-of-use version with a “solar soak” rate of about 16.6–17.7c/kWh from 11am to 4pm. ESC
• Rooftop solar: if you charge from your own panels during the day, the real cost is the feed-in tariff you give up by not exporting that power. Check the feed-in rate on your bill.

Before you switch, check the peak rate and daily supply charge as well as the cheap window. A plan with a great overnight rate can cost more if your household uses a lot of power in the evening.

How much does public EV charging cost?

Public DC fast charging usually costs about double a typical flat home rate, and many times an overnight EV rate, but it’s still usually cheaper than petrol per kilometre. Most networks now set prices per site, and some change by time of day:

Prices are set per site and change often, so treat these as a guide and check the network’s app before you plug in. Full table with fees and memberships: charging prices by network. Checked 17 Oct 2026–19 Oct 2026.

At 60c/kWh our example EV costs $9.30 per 100 km. At 75c it’s $11.62. Watch for idle or congestion fees too: many networks charge per minute if you stay plugged in after charging finishes. Motoring club members can get discounts at some sites, for example RACV and NRMA members save at participating Chargefox ultra-rapid sites (RACV).

You can find chargers near you, filter by network and power, and see each network’s price on our EV charging stations map. Tesla owners and other EV drivers can also read our Tesla Supercharger guide for Australia.

Worked examples

1. A Melbourne commuter charging overnight

Drives 13,000 km a year and charges at home on an 8c/kWh overnight EV plan: 2,015 kWh × 8c = $161 a year, or about $3.10 a week. The same driving in our example petrol car is about $2,340 a year.

2. A Sydney household on a flat rate

No special plan, on the Ausgrid default flat rate of 33.14c: 2,015 kWh × 33.14c = $668 a year. Switching to a plan with cheap overnight or free midday power is the single biggest saving here.

3. An apartment owner who can only charge in public

All charging at public DC chargers averaging 60c/kWh: 2,015 kWh × 60c = $1,209 a year. That’s still about $1,131 a year less than our petrol example, and slower AC chargers at shopping centres or council car parks are often cheaper (some are free).

4. The mix our calculator uses

80% at home at 30c and 20% public at 60c gives a blended rate of 36c/kWh, or $725 a year, a saving of about $1,615 on petrol. Change any of these numbers in the running-cost calculator.

Petrol example: 7.5 L/100 km at $2.40/L, close to the national average unleaded price in mid-October 2026 (AIP). Fuel prices move every week.