Electric driving is often called more expensive and cheaper than cars with traditional combustion engines, whereby it is especially good to look at the arguments that are used. One of the most important factors is the price per kilometer, although this can also be difficult. That is why we have collected everything about the electric car and costs per kilometer here, both for when you want to keep it easy and when you want to make it more complicated.
How to calculate cost per kilometer: easy versus complicated
The easiest way to calculate the cost per kilometer of an electric car is to compare the consumption with the price of a kWh and then add a price for a kilometer with an average fuel car. We will not bore you with that, because you know the consumption of your car and the price per kWh that you pay to your energy supplier better than we do. The ANWB calculated that the cost per kilometer for the electric car is around 7.6 cents per kilometer, while the average fossil fuel user is just over 10 cents per kilometer.
Of course, the above is highly dependent on electricity prices and the price of petrol and diesel at the pump. However, these often rise and fall together, which means we can assume that the electric car is around 25% cheaper per kilometre.
If you bring this up at the next birthday party, you will probably get a lot of pushback. The simple calculation is often dismissed as unfair and incomplete, and that is correct. Because you don't just have the charging infrastructure at home and then it is also a big question how you charge your car and what other options you choose.
We are deliberately not going to discuss the difference in price of the electric car versus a non-electric car, plus the lifespan and the costs for road tax, insurance and better car tires for the electric car. If we were to do this and were to be as complete as in our other blogs, we could write a whole book and we are happy to leave that to others.
Where do you charge your electric car (most often)?
The cost per kilometre for an electric car depends largely on where you charge the car and the average consumption of your car. If you charge your car almost always at home, you drive as cheaply as possible. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to charge (exclusively) at home. There are still people who depend on public charging stations and then the price is considerably higher. We have listed exactly how this works for you per situation below.
On the road at AC charging stations
AC charging stations are the cheapest public charging stations, but are also the slowest way to charge. The AC charging stations charge at 11 or 22 kW, which means that every electric car needs hours to fully charge. At the time of writing, you pay around € 0.50 per kWh at public AC charging stations.
On the road at DC fast chargers
DC chargers, also known as fast chargers, charge on direct current, which means that the battery is charged considerably faster. However, the costs per kWh are considerably higher: here you pay around €0.70 per kWh, although the costs vary greatly depending on the operator of the fast charger and the charging card you have.
Here we must add that a DC charger has a disadvantage that none of the other options have. A fast charger is used to charge the battery to 80%. The charging curve decreases so much after this 80% that it is no longer wise to use the DC charger. That is also the reason why the etiquette is to disconnect your EV at 80% battery charge and continue driving.
Please note: charging cards and subscriptions
The above prices are a simplification of reality to provide a guideline. Keep in mind that charging passes and subscriptions can (significantly) reduce the price per kWh. However, these subscriptions (can) cost money and it is good to first do the math before you just choose a pass, trickle or app to charge with.
Charge your electric car at home
Charging your car at home is the cheapest, but how cheap is that really? For home charging you pay a maximum of around 40 cents per kWh, but this can often be much lower if you have an attractive energy contract or can charge during off-peak hours (flexible contracts). Here too, your own situation and choices play a major role in the cost per kilometre of the electric car.
The charging infrastructure at home is not free either
One thing that does need to be taken into account is that EV charging at home has start-up costs and these, in all fairness, also play a role in the cost per kilometre. Of course, these are costs that will pay for themselves, but until this has happened, the cost per kilometre of the electric car is higher than the maximum €0.40 per kilometre that we mentioned earlier.
The price of a home charging installation depends largely on your situation and the charging station you choose. If the charging station can be mounted on the outside wall near the meter cupboard and you can make do with a standard charging station, then it is quite possible to keep the costs below € 1000. However, if you want an extensive charging station (for example a charging station on 3 phases with load balancing, one of the models that is most often chosen nowadays because it fits seamlessly with the electric car of the future), then the costs can be much higher.
Are you looking for charging stations with the best price-quality ratio or a mobile home charger as an interim solution? Then first take a look at our wide range of possibilities. If you do not know what you need or if you are hesitating between different models, you can always send us a message. We are always ready to help you personally, although you will of course also find all the information you need to make a choice yourself on our website.
The cost per kilometer and the consumption of the electric car
One factor you should not forget when calculating the cost per kilometer for your electric car is the consumption of the car. Just like petrol and diesel engines, each electric motor has its own power and consumption, often depending on the weight of the car itself and the rolling resistance of the tires (which is a much more important factor than users realize). If you do not want to include all of this in the calculation, there is a handy rule of thumb that will help you make your choices. The higher the consumption of your EV, the greater the difference in costs when you can lower the price per kWh (slightly).
How important is the price per kilometer for an electric car to you?
The cost per kilometer of the electric car is about 20 to 30% lower than the cost per kilometer of cars with a combustion engine. There are quite a few catches here that ensure that the cost per kilometer for you can deviate significantly from the calculation of another user. At the same time, it is good to keep an eye on how important the price per kilometer is, especially when it comes to comfort and convenience.
Ordering a mobile home charger to keep costs down may sound attractive, just like ordering a 1-phase charging station because 'it's still fine at the moment', but this will eventually lead to double investments, which will ultimately increase the costs. Therefore, always remain critical and look beyond the costs per kilometre when making choices about electric driving and charging your EV at home.
