EV charging

How Much Electricity Does a Home EV Charger Use?

06 October 2026 | Energy prices, tariffs and regulations change, so figures here are a guide and not a quote.

Having an electric car will increase your home's electricity use, but the charger is not what uses the power. The car does. The charger simply delivers the electricity and uses only a small amount when idle.

How much more power?

An average UK home uses roughly 2,700 kWh a year. An electric car driving 8,000 miles a year at about 3.5 miles per kWh will use around 2,300 kWh. A little more is drawn from the wall once charging losses, typically around 10%, are included. So your household electricity use could nearly double.

Your overall energy spend usually drops, because you stop buying petrol or diesel. Electricity per mile is generally much cheaper than fuel per mile, and cheaper still if you charge overnight on a time-of-use tariff or from your own solar panels. To work out your own figure, multiply the kWh your car uses by your electricity unit rate and compare it with what you spend on fuel now.

Ways to keep the extra cost low

• Charge off-peak on a tariff designed for EV drivers
• Use a smart charger to schedule charging automatically
• Pair the charger with solar panels so a good share of your driving is powered by your own roof
• Add a battery to store daytime solar for evening charging

One more consideration: capacity

A 7 kW charger draws roughly 30 amps, which is a lot to add at once. Your installer should check that your supply can handle it alongside cooking, heating and everything else, and use load management if needed.

Bottom line: you will use more electricity but spend less on transport overall. Solar can cover a good share of that extra electricity, though in the UK it rarely covers all of it, especially in winter.

Last reviewed: 06 October 2026 | Energy prices, tariffs and regulations change, so figures here are a guide and not a quote.