There is no single UK price for charging a plug-in hybrid: the cost is your battery size multiplied by your tariff’s unit rate. At an example rate of 25p per kWh, a full charge of a typical 14 kWh plug-in hybrid costs about £3.85 including losses. Find your own rate and the table below gives your exact figure.
Key Takeaways
- There is no single UK price: cost per charge = battery energy from the wall × your tariff’s unit rate.
- At an example 25p/kWh, a typical 14 kWh plug-in hybrid costs about £3.85 per full charge including losses — substitute your own rate.
- An off-peak or EV tariff is the biggest lever, because the small battery fills inside the cheap window.
The Only Formula You Need
Cost per full charge = energy taken from the wall × your unit rate. Wall energy is a little more than the battery size, because some energy is lost as heat during charging. The table assumes about 10% losses — the same working assumption used in our guide to what it costs to charge an electric car at home — and one labelled example rate of 25p per kWh. Replace it with yours and every figure updates.
| Battery size (example) | Energy from the wall | Cost at an example 25p/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 10 kWh | About 11 kWh | About £2.75 |
| 14 kWh | About 15.4 kWh | About £3.85 |
| 18 kWh | About 19.8 kWh | About £4.95 |
| 25 kWh | About 27.5 kWh | About £6.88 |
Charged daily, the 14 kWh example comes to roughly £115 a month at that rate; weekdays only, about £85. Whether a plug-in hybrid needs a dedicated charger at all is a separate question — most refill overnight on a standard outlet.
Find Your Real Unit Rate
- Your bill or supplier app. Look for the unit rate in pence per kWh. That is the only number that belongs in the formula — not the monthly total and not the standing charge, which you pay daily whether or not you charge.
- Your smart meter display. The in-home display shows the current rate and what a session is costing as it runs.
- Your tariff type. On a time-of-use or EV tariff you have more than one unit rate. Use the rate for the hours you actually charge — usually the overnight rate.
Off-Peak Tariffs Change the Answer Most
The biggest lever is not the car but the clock. Many UK suppliers offer tariffs with a much cheaper overnight window, and a plug-in hybrid’s small battery fills comfortably inside it. Scheduling is easy to automate: UK smart charge point rules require most new home charge points sold in Great Britain to include smart functionality such as scheduling, and our overview of smart charging and time-of-use tariffs explains how it cuts costs. On a single-rate tariff, the table above applies at that one rate, day or night.
Public Charging in the UK Costs More per Charge
Public chargers are usually priced per kWh, normally above home tariff rates — the operator is selling convenience, not just energy. Two traps matter more with a small battery. A fixed session fee is trivial spread over a large battery-electric car’s charge, but adds a large percentage to a plug-in hybrid charge holding a few pounds of electricity. And slow on-board chargers — most plug-in hybrids accept only about 3.3 to 7.4 kW on AC — make per-minute pricing poor value. Free or low-cost charging where you park anyway, such as at work, is usually the best public option.
Chargers That Suit a UK Plug-In Hybrid
UK cars use a Type 2 connector. The EVDANCE EV-ACS3210E 32A Type 2 portable charger delivers about 7 kW single-phase, IP66 rated, refilling a plug-in hybrid in a few hours without fixed installation. For a permanent point, the EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox offers tethered Type 2 cable with RFID and app control — the scheduling the off-peak tariffs above reward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is charging a plug-in hybrid cheaper than buying petrol?
Work it out per mile with your own figures: the table’s cost divided by the miles that charge delivers, against your local petrol price divided by your car’s real-world miles per gallon. At typical home rates the electric mile usually costs less — which is why uncharged miles, run on petrol, erase the saving.
Does the standing charge make each charge more expensive?
No. It is a fixed daily amount you pay regardless of charging. Only the unit rate belongs in the per-charge calculation.
Do I need an EV tariff to charge a plug-in hybrid at home?
No. Any tariff works. An off-peak or EV tariff simply lowers the unit rate for the hours you schedule, which is where most of the saving sits.
Related Reading
- Do I Need an EV Charger for a Plug-In Hybrid?
- How Much Does It Cost to Charge an Electric Car at Home?
- Can You Get a Home EV Charger Installed for Free in the UK?
- Is EV Charger Installation VAT Free in the UK?
