Home charging · 13 EV models · Real losses and taper

EV charging time and cost calculator

Honest numbers. This tool respects your car's onboard charger limit, real charging losses, and the fast charging slowdown near full.

Your car and charger

Your result

Charging time - for your selected charge window
Cost - at your tariff
Energy from supply - includes losses

Pick your car, charger, and price, then press calculate.

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Why other calculators get this wrong

Most tools divide battery size by charger power. Real charging does not work that way, for three reasons.

First, your car has an onboard charger limit for AC. Plug a Nissan Leaf into a 22 kW post and it still charges at 6.6 kW, because that is what its onboard charger accepts. Second, AC charging loses roughly 10% of energy to heat and electronics. You pay for more electricity than reaches the battery. Third, DC fast charging tapers. A car rated 250 kW only holds that peak briefly at low charge. Averaged from 20 to 80%, real power is usually 60 to 75% of peak. Charging past 80% is dramatically slower, which is why road trippers unplug at 80.

The cheapest way to charge

Home charging overnight beats public charging by a wide margin in both countries. In the UK, switching to an EV tariff with a cheap overnight window routinely cuts the cost per mile by two thirds. In the US, check whether your utility offers time-of-use rates.

Times and costs are estimates using manufacturer specs and typical charging behavior. Cold weather, battery condition, and station sharing change real results. Not a substitute for your vehicle manual.