Electric car charging is now cheaper than petrol and diesel in the UK.

Apr 24, 2026, 12:54

Introduction

New data shows that charging an electric car at a public charger costs less per mile than petrol or diesel. Also, the price to buy a new electric car is now lower than a new petrol car.

Main Body

The cost to charge an electric car at a standard public charger is about 15 pence per mile. A petrol car costs about 17 pence per mile. A diesel car costs about 17.5 pence per mile. The price of petrol and diesel went up because of problems in Iran. Some drivers use a mix of standard and fast chargers. Their cost is about 16 pence per mile. Only drivers who use very fast chargers pay more than petrol or diesel. Charging at home is much cheaper. It costs only 2 pence per mile. Home electricity has a lower tax. Public charging has a higher tax. The UK has the highest public charging costs in Europe. Melanie Shufflebotham from Zapmap said the saving for drivers is now the biggest since May 2024. She wants lower public charging costs to help more people use electric cars. Autotrader found that the average price of a new electric car is £42,620. That is £785 less than a new petrol car. This is the first time electric cars are cheaper than petrol cars. Ian Plummer from Autotrader said car makers gave discounts and the government helped with grants. More people now want electric cars because petrol prices went up. The UK government plans to stop selling new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. From 2035, only zero-emission cars will be sold.

Conclusion

Now it costs less to drive an electric car and to buy one. But public charging is still expensive in the UK.

Vocabulary Learning

charge
To put electricity into a car battery.充電
Example:I charge my electric car at home.
cheaper
Costing less money than something else.更便宜
Example:Electric cars are cheaper to run.
cost
The amount of money you need to pay.成本；費用
Example:The cost of petrol is high.
driver
A person who drives a car.司機；駕駛者
Example:Many drivers want cheaper fuel.
price
The money you pay to buy something.價格
Example:The price of a new car is £42,620.

Sentence Learning

The cost to charge an electric car at a standard public charger is about 15 pence per mile.
This sentence uses the present simple tense to state a fact. The structure is 'The cost (subject) + is (verb) + about 15 pence per mile (complement).' The infinitive phrase 'to charge an electric car' describes the cost.本句使用現在簡單式陳述事實。主詞是「The cost」，動詞是「is」，補語是「about 15 pence per mile」。不定詞片語「to charge an electric car」修飾「cost」。
Charging at home is much cheaper.
This sentence uses the present simple tense. 'Charging at home' is a gerund phrase acting as the subject. 'Is' is the verb, and 'much cheaper' is the complement.本句使用現在簡單式。「Charging at home」是動名詞片語作主詞。「is」是動詞，「much cheaper」是補語。
The UK has the highest public charging costs in Europe.
This sentence uses the present simple tense. 'The UK' is subject, 'has' is verb, 'the highest public charging costs' is object, and 'in Europe' is a prepositional phrase.本句使用現在簡單式。主詞是「The UK」，動詞是「has」，受詞是「the highest public charging costs」，介詞片語「in Europe」表示範圍。
Now it costs less to drive an electric car and to buy one.
This sentence uses the present simple tense. 'It' is a dummy subject, 'costs' is verb, 'less' is adverb, and the infinitive phrases 'to drive an electric car' and 'to buy one' are the real subjects.本句使用現在簡單式。「It」是虛主詞，「costs」是動詞，「less」是副詞，不定詞片語「to drive an electric car」以及「to buy one」是真正主詞。
More people now want electric cars because petrol prices went up.
This is a complex sentence with a main clause 'More people now want electric cars' and a subordinate clause 'because petrol prices went up'. The main clause uses present simple, the subordinate clause uses past simple.這是一個複合句，主要子句是「More people now want electric cars」，從屬子句是「because petrol prices went up」。主要子句使用現在簡單式，從屬子句使用過去簡單式。