EV Charging Costs Australia: How Much Does It Really Cost?
Charging an EV at home in Australia costs $2.50-$3.60 per 100km on off-peak rates (14-20 cents per kWh), compared to $15.36 per 100km for petrol at $1.85/L. Public DC fast chargers cost $0.50-$0.75 per kWh ($8-$12 per 100km). Solar charging is effectively free. The average Australian saves $1,500-$2,000 per year switching from petrol to home EV charging.
Key Takeaways
- •Home EV charging costs $3-$18 for a full 60kWh charge depending on your electricity rate (off-peak vs peak).
- •At off-peak rates, an EV costs about 3c/km to run. Petrol costs 16c/km. That is an 80% saving on fuel.
- •The average Australian saves $1,500-$2,500/year on fuel by switching from petrol to a home-charged EV.
- •Public DC fast charging costs 45-65c/kWh, roughly 3-4x more expensive than home off-peak charging.
- •Solar EV charging is effectively free, making it the cheapest form of transport fuel available.
In this guide
Home Charging Costs by State
Home charging is where EVs deliver the biggest cost advantage. Here are the costs to fully charge a 60kWh EV battery by state:
| State | Off-peak rate | Peak rate | Full charge (off-peak) | Full charge (peak) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACT | 14c/kWh | 26c/kWh | $8.40 | $15.60 |
| WA | 15c/kWh | 31c/kWh | $9.00 | $18.60 |
| TAS | 15c/kWh | 27c/kWh | $9.00 | $16.20 |
| VIC | 16c/kWh | 28c/kWh | $9.60 | $16.80 |
| NSW | 17c/kWh | 32c/kWh | $10.20 | $19.20 |
| QLD | 18c/kWh | 30c/kWh | $10.80 | $18.00 |
| NT | 18c/kWh | 29c/kWh | $10.80 | $17.40 |
| SA | 20c/kWh | 38c/kWh | $12.00 | $22.80 |
For comparison, filling a 50L petrol tank costs $90-$100 at $2/litre. That petrol gives you about 600km in a typical car. The same 600km in an EV charged off-peak costs $10-$20. That is an 80-90% reduction in fuel costs.
Public Charging vs Home Charging
Public charging is convenient for road trips and top-ups, but it is significantly more expensive than home charging:
- Home off-peak: 14-20c/kWh ($8-$12 per full charge)
- Home peak: 26-38c/kWh ($16-$23 per full charge)
- Public AC (Level 2, shopping centres): Free-25c/kWh ($0-$15 per charge session)
- Public DC fast charging (50kW+): 45-65c/kWh ($27-$39 per fast charge)
- Tesla Supercharger: 45-55c/kWh ($27-$33 per charge)
This is why 85% of EV owners charge at home. A home EV charger ($700-$3,000 installed) typically pays for itself within 6-12 months in fuel savings versus relying on public fast charging.
Cost Per Kilometre: EV vs Petrol
The clearest comparison is cost per kilometre:
- EV (home off-peak): 2.5-3.5c/km
- EV (home solar): 0c/km
- EV (public DC): 8-12c/km
- Petrol car (8L/100km at $2/L): 16c/km
- Diesel car (7L/100km at $2.10/L): 14.7c/km
Even at peak home electricity rates, an EV is 3-5x cheaper to fuel than a petrol car. On solar, the fuel cost is zero.
The Cost That Actually Decides It: Buying the Car
Running costs are the easy part of this maths. An EV wins on fuel by 3-5x and the charger install is a one-off. The number that actually decides most households is the purchase price, where an EV still typically sits several thousand dollars above a comparable petrol model before you count the fuel savings back.
Two things soften that gap in Australia. Low-emission vehicles attract discounted finance rates from most lenders under what the market calls a green car loan, usually a fraction of a percentage point below a standard car loan, which over a five-year term claws back part of the price difference. Novated leasing through salary sacrifice goes further again for eligible employees, since electric vehicles under the luxury car tax threshold are exempt from fringe benefits tax.
Worth running both numbers together rather than separately: the finance cost of the car and the charging cost of running it are the two halves of what an EV actually costs you per year. Our EV charger installation cost guide covers the third piece, the one-off hardware and electrical work at home.
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