Depot Charging for Electric Van Fleets: What It Costs

Charging at your own depot costs about 10.1p a mile for an electric van at the 24.51p a kWh average business electricity price (DESNZ, April to June 2026, including Climate Change Levy, excluding VAT). A public rapid charger costs 32.5p a mile. A diesel van at 36 mpg costs 25.2p.

How much does depot charging cost per kWh?

The average UK business paid 24.51p a kWh for electricity in April to June 2026, including the Climate Change Levy and excluding VAT. That is the DESNZ figure from its quarterly energy prices for the non-domestic sector, published 29 September 2026. The price depends heavily on how much electricity your site uses:

Annual use at the site	Price, including CCL, excluding VAT	Electric van, per mile
Very small, 0 to 20 MWh	38.36p a kWh	15.8p
Small, 20 to 499 MWh	28.59p a kWh	11.8p
Average, all sizes	24.51p a kWh	10.1p

The per-mile figures divide the price by 2.43 miles per kWh, the Department for Transport’s 2026 average for an electric light goods vehicle (TAG data book v2.03, our conversion). It is a benchmark, not a named van. Use your own van’s figure once you have it.

Three cautions. The figures are a backward-looking average across contracts, many of them fixed, so your tariff may differ. The very small band is flagged in the data as subject to revision. And the average covers every size of business, so read the band that matches your site’s annual use, not the headline.

Which size band does my depot fall into?

It depends on all the electricity the site uses, not only the chargers. As an illustration, here is the energy a fleet needs. At 15,000 miles a year and 2.43 miles per kWh, one van uses about 6,200 kWh a year. Three vans use about 18.5 MWh. Twenty vans use about 123 MWh a year (300,000 miles / 2.43, our calculation).

So a depot with a handful of vans, plus its lights and heating, sits in the very small or small band. A fleet of 20 vans sits in the small band on chargers alone. Ask your supplier which band your meter is in, and what rate you are paying today. The 15,000 miles is an example.

What does depot charging cost per year for a fleet?

For 20 vans each doing 15,000 miles, charging at the small-band price costs about £35,300 a year, against about £62,900 for diesel with VAT taken off both. The sums use 300,000 miles in total.

Fleet of 20 vans, 300,000 miles	Cost per mile (ex VAT)	Cost per year (ex VAT)
Depot, small band, 28.59p a kWh	11.8p	£35,296
Public rapid, 79p a kWh less VAT	27.1p	£81,276
Diesel at 36 mpg, 199.22p a litre less VAT	21.0p	£62,894

These figures ignore charging losses, because there is no UK government figure for them. They also ignore van purchase price, servicing and the cost of the chargers. They show only what the energy costs. Our electric van vs diesel running costs article adds tax and the grant.

The point for a fleet manager: the same van can cost less than half or more than diesel to run, depending on how much of its charging happens at your depot. A depot that charges every van overnight captures the cheap end of the table.

Can I reclaim VAT on depot electricity?

A VAT-registered business can normally reclaim VAT on electricity used for business purposes, which is why the DESNZ price above is quoted without it. Business electricity is standard-rated at 20% unless use falls under a small-supply limit of 33 kWh a day on average and 1,000 kWh a month, in HMRC’s VAT notice 701/19. A depot charging several vans is likely to be above that limit. Check with your accountant how it applies to your site.

Do not use the home electricity price here. The 0% VAT on domestic electricity from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027 covers domestic use only.

What should I check before installing depot chargers?

Check the supply, the tariff and the load before you buy anything. We have not given install prices because they vary too much by site and we have no verified figure. These are the questions that decide the cost:

1. Capacity. How much power can your site draw now, and what is left once the charge points run? Your electricity supplier or distribution network operator can tell you. Several vans charging at once need much more than one.
2. Standing charges. Business standing charges are not in the per-kWh figures. Ask what your contract charges per day and whether a larger connection raises it.
3. Tariff type. Fixed, variable, or one that charges less overnight. Vans that sit at the depot from evening to morning suit a cheaper overnight rate if you can get one.
4. Load management. Software that spreads the available power across the vans can avoid a bigger connection. Ask any installer how they would do it.
5. Metering. If drivers also charge at home, you need a way to record and reimburse it. HMRC’s advisory electric rate is for company cars, not vans, so check what applies to you.
6. Public charging backup. Keep a card for the days a van needs a top-up away from base. Price it at 54p to 79p a kWh, as in our public charging prices guide.

How does depot charging compare with public charging?

Depot charging costs about a third of rapid charging per mile and under half of slow and fast public charging. At the 24.51p average, an electric van is 10.1p a mile at the depot against 22.2p on a public slow or fast charger (54p a kWh) and 32.5p on a rapid one (79p a kWh), the Zapmap Price Index for September 2026. Both public prices include 20% VAT.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

About 10.1p a mile at the 24.51p a kWh business average, or about £1,513 a year for a van doing 15,000 miles. A small site at the 28.59p small-band price pays about 11.8p a mile.

What is the business electricity price per kWh in 2026?

The DESNZ average for April to June 2026 was 24.51p a kWh including the Climate Change Levy and excluding VAT. It ranges from 38.36p for the very smallest users to 28.59p for small users.

Is depot charging cheaper than home charging?

On the average business price, slightly: 10.1p a mile at the depot against 10.8p at the home price cap (26.32p a kWh with no VAT until 30 June 2027). A small depot on the very small band pays more than that.

How much does it cost to install depot chargers?

It depends on the site, the number of charge points and how much power your supply can provide. We have no verified price to give you, so get quotes against a clear brief from your supplier or an installer.

Do I pay VAT on depot charging?

Business electricity is normally charged at 20% VAT, which a VAT-registered business can reclaim for business use. A small-supply limit of 33 kWh a day on average applies under HMRC’s rules.

Cut your fleet’s fuel bill

Put your own prices into the EV charging cost calculator, or see how your fleet’s running costs compare in the fleet cost index. To test whether an electric van pays back, use the electric van break-even calculator.

While diesel vans stay in the fleet, a speed cap trims their bill on every journey. 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.