Cost to Charge an Electric Van: Per Charge, Mile and Year

An electric van costs about 10.8p a mile to charge at home, 10.1p at a depot on the average business tariff, 22.2p on a slow or fast public charger and 32.5p on a rapid one. A diesel van at 36 mpg costs 25.2p a mile at this week’s 199.22p a litre (October 2026).

How much does it cost to charge an electric van?

It costs between about £12 and £79 for 50 to 100 kWh, depending on where the energy comes from. The price per kWh matters more than the van. Here are the prices we use, all from published sources:

Where you charge	Price per kWh	Source
Home	26.32p, no VAT	Ofgem price cap, GB average, 1 October to 31 December 2026
Depot or workplace	24.51p, excluding VAT	DESNZ average non-domestic price, April to June 2026, including Climate Change Levy
Public slow or fast (under 50 kW)	54p, including VAT	Zapmap Price Index, September 2026, pay as you go
Public rapid or ultra-rapid (50 kW and over)	79p, including VAT	Zapmap Price Index, September 2026, pay as you go

The Ofgem figure has no VAT because domestic electricity is zero-rated for VAT from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, after the 28 October 2026 Budget extended it by three months. It is normally 5%. Public charging is always charged at 20% VAT. The sources are Ofgem, DESNZ and Zapmap.

How much does it cost to fully charge an electric van?

It depends on the battery. The sums below use three example battery sizes: 50, 75 and 100 kWh. They are examples, not named models, and they assume every kWh you pay for reaches the battery.

Battery (example)	Home	Depot	Public slow or fast	Public rapid
50 kWh	£13.16	£12.26	£27.00	£39.50
75 kWh	£19.74	£18.38	£40.50	£59.25
100 kWh	£26.32	£24.51	£54.00	£79.00

A full charge from empty is rare. Vans usually top up. If a van uses 30 kWh on a day’s work, charging it back at home costs 30 x 26.32p, which is £7.90.

How much does it cost to charge an electric van per mile?

Divide the price per kWh by the miles you get from each kWh. For the energy use, we use the Department for Transport’s figure of 2.43 miles per kWh for the average electric light goods vehicle in 2026 (TAG data book v2.03, tables A1.3.8 and A1.3.10, our conversion from kWh per km). That is a government appraisal average, not a named van. A heavier van uses more energy per mile, so use the figure from your own vehicle once you have it.

Where you charge	Electric van, per mile	Electric car, per mile
Home	10.8p	7.3p
Depot (average business price)	10.1p	6.8p
Public slow or fast	22.2p	15.0p
Public rapid	32.5p	22.0p
Diesel van at 36 mpg (for comparison)	25.2p	not applicable

The car column uses 3.59 miles per kWh, from HMRC’s workings for its advisory electric rates. The diesel line is 199.22p x 4.54609 litres per gallon / 36 mpg, using the DESNZ weekly road fuel prices for the week of 26 October 2026.

The result that matters: a van charged on a public rapid charger costs more per mile than the same van running on diesel.

How much does it cost to charge an electric van per year?

At 15,000 miles a year, charging costs about £1,500 to £4,900 depending on where it happens. The 15,000 miles is an example. Scale it to your own van.

Where you charge	Cost per mile	Per year at 15,000 miles
Depot (average business price)	10.1p	£1,513
Home	10.8p	£1,625
Public slow or fast	22.2p	£3,333
Public rapid	32.5p	£4,877
Diesel van at 36 mpg	25.2p	£3,774

A van that charges mostly at a depot or home spends less than half what the diesel van spends on fuel. A van that depends on rapid chargers spends about £1,100 more. Most fleets sit in between, so the split between cheap and expensive charging is the number to find. Our EV charging cost calculator lets you set that split.

Do charging losses add to the cost?

Yes, some of the energy you pay for is lost as heat between the meter and the battery. There is no UK government figure for this, so we have left it out of the tables above rather than invent one. If 10% were lost, you would pay for 1 kWh to put 0.9 kWh in the battery, which raises every cost above by about 11%. Treat that as an illustration, not a measured loss. The 2.43 miles per kWh benchmark does not say whether it is measured at the battery or the meter either.

What about the standing charge?

The standing charge is a daily fee for being connected, and it does not change with how much you charge. Ofgem’s cap for October to December 2026 is 54.83p a day for the GB average. It is not in the per-mile figures above, because a home or depot pays it whether or not a van plugs in. Count extra standing charge only if you add a new supply for the chargers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to charge an electric van at home?

About 10.8p a mile, using the Ofgem price cap of 26.32p a kWh and the DfT average of 2.43 miles per kWh. A 75 kWh example battery costs £19.74 to fill. The electricity carries no VAT until 30 June 2027.

How much does it cost to charge an electric van at a public charger?

About 22.2p a mile on a slow or fast charger at 54p a kWh, and 32.5p a mile on a rapid or ultra-rapid charger at 79p a kWh (Zapmap, September 2026, pay as you go, including VAT). Fleet cards and subscriptions can be cheaper, but we have no verified average price for them.

Is it cheaper to charge an electric van than to fill a diesel van?

Yes at home or a depot, no at a public rapid charger. At home the electric van costs 10.8p a mile against 25.2p for diesel. On a rapid charger it costs 32.5p.

Can a business reclaim VAT on van charging?

A VAT-registered business can normally reclaim VAT on charging for business use, including the 20% on public chargers. Ask your accountant how this applies to charging at an employee’s home. The rules are in HMRC’s VAT notice 701/19.

Does driving speed change the cost to charge an electric van?

It should, because air resistance rises with speed. But the Department for Transport has no speed curve for electric vans, so we cannot give you a percentage. For the diesel vans you keep, it does have one.

Cut your fleet’s fuel bill

Work out your own number with the EV charging cost calculator, then see if the switch pays back with the electric van break-even calculator. Enter your mileage and the share charged in each place.

Most fleets will run diesel vans for years yet, and speed is the lever you hold today. The Department for Transport’s fuel consumption curves (TAG data book v2.03) show a diesel van using 14.5% less fuel per mile at 60 mph than at 68 mph. How much of that reaches your bill depends on the share of your miles driven above the cap.

Talk to us. AutoKontrol has made speed limiters in Britain since 1985, with nationwide installation where we come to you. Book a free consultation or get a quote.