How much does it cost to charge a Tesla in the UK?
We worked out the cost of a full charge for every new Tesla Model 3 and Model Y on a smart home tariff, the standard price cap, Tesla's Superchargers and other public rapid chargers.
Quick answers
- A full charge of a new Tesla costs £4.80 to £6.32 at home on an 8p/kWh smart tariff, on our sums using EV Database's usable battery figures of 60 to 79 kWh.
- Without an EV tariff, at the October to December 2026 price cap rate of 26.32p/kWh, the same full charge costs £15.79 to £20.79.
- Zapmap puts the average price Tesla drivers pay across the Supercharger network at 48p/kWh in September 2026, which makes a full charge £28.80 to £37.92.
- At Zapmap's September 2026 average public rapid price of 79p/kWh, a full charge costs £47.40 to £62.41, roughly ten times the home off-peak figure.
- A typical 10 to 80 per cent Supercharger stop costs £20.16 in a 60 kWh Model 3 or Model Y RWD and £26.54 in a 79 kWh Long Range or Performance car, at 48p/kWh.
- A Model Y Premium Long Range RWD driven 10,000 miles a year costs about £312 to charge if 90 per cent of the energy comes from home at 8p/kWh and 10 per cent from Superchargers.
A full charge of a new Tesla costs £4.80 to £6.32 at home on an 8p/kWh smart tariff, and £28.80 to £37.92 at the average Supercharger price Tesla drivers paid in September 2026. Charging mostly at home keeps a Tesla’s annual energy bill to a few hundred pounds; relying on public rapid chargers can cost more than £2,000.
The cost depends on two things: the size of the battery and where you plug in. Tesla sells eight versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in the UK, from £37,990 to £61,990 in November 2026 (list prices reported by EV Industry News), but they use only three battery sizes. That means the charging bill varies far more with the charger than with the trim.
How much does a full charge cost for each Tesla?
A full charge costs £4.80 for the smallest battery on an 8p/kWh home tariff and £62.41 for the largest at an average public rapid charger. The table uses usable battery capacities from EV Database and four prices from our methodology.
Method: usable battery (kWh) × price per kWh = cost of a 0 to 100% charge.
| Trim | Usable battery | Home, 8p/kWh | Price cap, 26.32p/kWh | Supercharger average, 48p/kWh | Public rapid, 79p/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model 3 RWD | 60 kWh | £4.80 | £15.79 | £28.80 | £47.40 |
| Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD | 79 kWh | £6.32 | £20.79 | £37.92 | £62.41 |
| Model 3 Premium Long Range AWD | 79 kWh | £6.32 | £20.79 | £37.92 | £62.41 |
| Model 3 Performance | 79 kWh | £6.32 | £20.79 | £37.92 | £62.41 |
| Model Y RWD | 60 kWh | £4.80 | £15.79 | £28.80 | £47.40 |
| Model Y Premium Long Range RWD | 74 kWh | £5.92 | £19.48 | £35.52 | £58.46 |
| Model Y Premium Long Range AWD | 79 kWh | £6.32 | £20.79 | £37.92 | £62.41 |
| Model Y Performance | 79 kWh | £6.32 | £20.79 | £37.92 | £62.41 |
The 8p/kWh figure is our standard smart EV tariff input, based on Intelligent Octopus Go. The 26.32p/kWh figure is the October to December 2026 price cap unit rate. The 48p/kWh and 79p/kWh figures are from Zapmap’s Charging Price Index for September 2026. These costs cover the energy that ends up in the battery; a little more is drawn from the wall or charger because some is lost as heat during charging.
In practice few owners charge from empty to full, so most home sessions top up a part-used battery. The full-charge figure is still the clearest way to compare charging options.
How much does it cost to charge a Tesla at home?
On a smart EV tariff, a full home charge costs £4.80 to £6.32. That is the cheapest way to run any Tesla by a wide margin, and it is the reason most owners with a driveway charge overnight.
Intelligent Octopus Go now lists smart charging from 6.5p/kWh, with a guaranteed off-peak window from 11:30pm to 5:30am. At that rate a full charge falls to £3.90 for a 60 kWh car, £4.81 for the 74 kWh Model Y Premium RWD and £5.14 for a 79 kWh car. Octopus says it cannot guarantee compatibility for every car, so check yours on its registration form before switching. Our comparison of Octopus Go and Intelligent Octopus Go explains how the two tariffs differ.
If you stay on a standard variable tariff, you pay the price cap rate of 26.32p/kWh at any time of day. A full charge then costs £15.79 to £20.79, more than three times the smart tariff figure. For a wider look at home rates, see our guide to the cost of charging an EV at home.
How much does a Tesla Supercharger cost?
Tesla drivers paid an average of 48p/kWh across the Supercharger network in September 2026, according to Zapmap. At the Supercharger sites open to other EVs, the average was 69p/kWh, which is the price most non-Tesla drivers see. Zapmap counted 2,774 Tesla chargers at 447 UK locations at the end of September 2026 (Zapmap).
The 48p figure is a network average, so the price at a given site can be higher or lower. Our Tesla Supercharger prices guide covers Supercharger pricing in more detail.
What does a typical Supercharger stop cost?
A typical stop from 10 to 80 per cent costs £20.16 to £26.54 at the 48p/kWh average. Most drivers stop at around 80 per cent on a long trip because charging slows as the battery fills.
Method: usable battery × 70% × price per kWh.
| Battery | Energy added (10 to 80%) | Supercharger, 48p/kWh | Public rapid, 79p/kWh | Time quoted by EV Database |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kWh (Model 3 RWD, Model Y RWD) | 42 kWh | £20.16 | £33.18 | About 24 minutes (Model Y RWD) |
| 74 kWh (Model Y Premium Long Range RWD) | 51.8 kWh | £24.86 | £40.92 | Not quoted here |
| 79 kWh (all other trims) | 55.3 kWh | £26.54 | £43.69 | About 28 minutes (Model 3 Premium RWD) |
EV Database quotes about 24 minutes for the Model Y RWD, which peaks at 175 kW, and about 28 minutes for the Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD, which peaks at 250 kW.
How much does it cost to charge a Tesla per mile?
A Tesla costs 1.7p to 2.2p a mile on an 8p/kWh home tariff and 10.5p to 13.3p a mile at the Supercharger average. Per-mile cost depends on efficiency rather than battery size, so the Model 3 is cheaper to run than the Model Y at every price point.
Method: EV Database real-world Wh per mile ÷ 1,000 × price per kWh = pence per mile; × 10,000 for a year.
| Trim | Wh/mile | Home, 8p/kWh | Supercharger, 48p/kWh | 10,000 miles at home | 10,000 miles Supercharging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model 3 RWD | 218 | 1.7p | 10.5p | £174 | £1,046 |
| Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD | 219 | 1.8p | 10.5p | £175 | £1,051 |
| Model 3 Premium Long Range AWD | 232 | 1.9p | 11.1p | £186 | £1,114 |
| Model 3 Performance | 243 | 1.9p | 11.7p | £194 | £1,166 |
| Model Y RWD | 255 | 2.0p | 12.2p | £204 | £1,224 |
| Model Y Premium Long Range RWD | 260 | 2.1p | 12.5p | £208 | £1,248 |
| Model Y Premium Long Range AWD | 268 | 2.1p | 12.9p | £214 | £1,286 |
| Model Y Performance | 277 | 2.2p | 13.3p | £222 | £1,330 |
At Zapmap’s 79p/kWh public rapid average, the range runs from 17.2p a mile in the Model 3 RWD to 21.9p in the Model Y Performance, or £1,722 to £2,188 over 10,000 miles.
What does a mix of home and Supercharging cost?
Most owners with a driveway charge at home for daily driving and Supercharge on longer trips. If 90 per cent of your energy comes from home at 8p/kWh and 10 per cent from Superchargers at 48p/kWh, 10,000 miles a year costs about £262 in a Model 3 RWD and about £312 in a Model Y Premium Long Range RWD.
Method: annual kWh × 90% × 8p + annual kWh × 10% × 48p. For the Model Y Premium RWD that is 2,600 kWh, giving £187.20 at home plus £124.80 at Superchargers.
So the occasional Supercharger trip adds noticeably to the bill, but home charging still sets the overall cost. Drivers without home charging pay several times more; our round-up of public EV charging prices in October 2026 compares the main networks.
How to cut the cost of charging a Tesla
- Switch to a smart EV tariff. Moving from the 26.32p/kWh price cap rate to 8p/kWh saves about £400 a year over 10,000 miles in a Model 3 RWD (£574 against £174).
- Charge at home before long trips. Every kWh added at home instead of at the Supercharger average saves 40p.
- Stop at 80 per cent on the road. You pay for every kWh, and the last 20 per cent takes the longest.
- Choose the efficient trim. Over 10,000 miles of Supercharging, the Model 3 RWD costs £284 less than the Model Y Performance.
If you are still choosing a car, our guide to which Tesla to buy compares all eight trims on price, range and running costs.
How we test and where our numbers come from
Range figures are official WLTP combined values taken from manufacturer UK specification pages, with real-world estimates drawn from independent comparative testing. Prices are UK list prices at the time of the latest update. Tax, grant and charging-scheme figures come from GOV.UK and HMRC publications. We re-check every guide when pricing, specification or policy changes. Last checked 1 November 2026. How we work out our own figures.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fully charge a Tesla at home?
It costs £4.80 to £6.32 to fully charge a new Tesla at home on an 8p/kWh off-peak EV tariff, depending on battery size. On the standard price cap rate of 26.32p/kWh it costs £15.79 to £20.79. These are our calculations using EV Database's usable battery capacities of 60 to 79 kWh.
How much does a Tesla Supercharger cost per kWh in the UK?
Tesla drivers paid an average of 48p/kWh across the Supercharger network in September 2026, according to Zapmap. At Supercharger sites open to all EVs, the average was 69p/kWh. Because these are network averages, the price at a given site can be higher or lower.
How much does a Supercharger stop cost?
A typical 10 to 80 per cent Supercharger stop costs about £20 in a Model 3 RWD or Model Y RWD and about £27 in a Long Range or Performance model, at Zapmap's 48p/kWh average for Tesla drivers. The Model Y Premium Long Range RWD, with a 74 kWh battery, comes in at about £25.
Is it cheaper to charge a Tesla at home or at a Supercharger?
Home charging is much cheaper: 8p/kWh on a smart EV tariff against an average 48p/kWh at a Supercharger, so a Supercharger costs six times as much per mile. Even on the standard 26.32p/kWh price cap rate, home charging is cheaper than the Supercharger average.
How much does it cost to charge a Tesla per mile?
It costs 1.7p to 2.2p a mile to charge a Tesla at home on an 8p/kWh tariff and 10.5p to 13.3p a mile at the 48p/kWh Supercharger average. We used EV Database's real-world efficiency figures of 218 to 277 Wh per mile for the eight UK trims.
Can I use Intelligent Octopus Go with a Tesla?
Octopus says it cannot guarantee compatibility for every car and asks you to check yours on its registration form before switching. The tariff now lists smart charging from 6.5p/kWh, which would cut a full Tesla charge to £3.90 to £5.14.
Sources and further reading
- zapmap.comCharging Price IndexSeptember 2026 averages: 79p/kWh for rapid and ultra-rapid, 54p/kWh for slow and fast, 69p/kWh at Tesla Superchargers open to all drivers and 48p/kWh paid by Tesla drivers across the whole Supercharger network.
- zapmap.comTesla network2,774 Tesla chargers at 447 UK locations at the end of September 2026.
- ev-database.orgElectric vehicles available in the UK (Tesla)Usable battery capacity (60, 74 and 79 kWh), real-world range and real-world efficiency (218 to 277 Wh/mile) for the eight Model 3 and Model Y trims on sale in the UK.
- ev-database.orgTesla Model Y RWD (Juniper)Model Y RWD: 60 kWh usable battery, 255 Wh/mile, 175 kW peak DC charging and about 24 minutes for 10 to 80 per cent.
- ev-database.orgTesla Model 3 Premium RWD (Highland)Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD: 79 kWh usable battery, 219 Wh/mile, 250 kW peak DC charging and about 28 minutes for 10 to 80 per cent.
- octopus.energyIntelligent Octopus GoSmart charging from 6.5p/kWh with a guaranteed off-peak window of 11:30pm to 5:30am; Octopus cannot guarantee compatibility for every car.
- energymadeeasy.co.ukEnergy price cap October 2026Price cap electricity unit rate of 26.32p/kWh and standing charge of 54.83p a day from October to December 2026.
- evinfo.infoTesla UK Prices October 1st 2026UK cash prices for the four Model 3 and four Model Y trims from 1 October 2026, from £37,990 to £61,990.
EV Compared
The EV Compared editorial team tracks the UK electric vehicle market full time: new model launches, list prices, WLTP and real-world range, public charging tariffs and the tax rules that decide what an EV actually costs to run. Every guide is checked against manufacturer specifications and official GOV.UK figures, and updated whenever the numbers move.
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