Real life, real answers

Is an electric car cheaper than petrol in the UK?

Usually yes if you charge at home off-peak, often only marginally if you rely on public rapids — the tariff decides it.

There's no single yes/no. For running cost, the deciding factor is where you charge.

Charging at home on an off-peak EV tariff, an EV is dramatically cheaper per mile than a 40 mpg petrol car. On the standard electricity rate the gap narrows. Relying only on public rapid charging, an EV can end up barely cheaper — and we'll tell you so plainly.

From the 2028/29 tax year a 3p/mile road charge is expected to apply to EVs, which we include as an option. Every car page computes your monthly cost now and from 2028 against a petrol comparator, and gives an honest verdict — including "this may not save you money" when that's what the numbers say.