The cost of charging an electric car across Europe
Electric cars are better for the environment and can save money in the long run. Here’s Europe’s most expensive (and cheapest) countries to charge your electric vehicle, plus a look at subsidies and grants to support electric car ownership.
Latest Update Electric car sales bounce back across Europe
In Ireland, so far this year, 11,311 new electric vehicles have been registered, a significant 25.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) had a 15% share of the new car market, with petrol electric hybrids at 24% and plug-in electric hybrids at 14%.
Across the rest of Europe, BEV sales grew by 23.9% in the first quarter of 2025 with Germany (+38.9%), Belgium (+29.9%), and the Netherlands (+7.9%) all seeing a steep uptick in BEV sales.
Source: European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and SIMI Motorstats - 1st May 2025
How much does it cost to run an electric car?
Electric vehicles (EVs) are an attractive option for drivers across Europe due to cheaper running costs, but the price motorists pay to charge their EVs differs significantly between countries.
Electric vehicles are around 70% cheaper to run than petrol or diesel vehicles, but the cost to charge an EV depends on a range of factors, including model, charging location and method.
In Ireland, motorists typically pay between €10-€30 to fully charge their EV at home on a standard tariff, depending on the make and model. Public charging points may cost up to 60% more, especially for fast charging.
Why do EV running costs differ across Europe?
Many things influence how much you pay for your gas and electricity, so energy prices vary across Europe for a variety of reasons, including:
- Energy mix and use of renewables
- Taxes, levies and subsidies
- Geopolitics
Other factors that impact costs include import diversification, network costs, weather conditions and environmental protection policies.
Charging your electric car at home
We’ve researched the cost of charging electric vehicles at home across Europe based on the price of a full home charge and driving 100km and ranked them from most expensive to cheapest.
Which countries are the most expensive?
The more affluent European countries with greater EV adoption rates tend to be the most expensive places to run an electric vehicle. They have a higher market share of new EV sales and more electric and hybrid vehicles on the road, although there are some exceptions, like Cyprus.
Top 10 most expensive countries to run an electric car
| Rank | Country | € per full charge | € per 100km drive | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | €25.73 | €7.06 | Electric vehicle sales shrunk by 27% in Germany last year, with just 380,609 fully electric cars registered, but sales are rising again in 2025. Purchase subsidies have been slowly reduced, but new tax benefits are being introduced for 2025. | |
| 2 | Denmark | €24.56 | €6.74 | Denmark takes 2nd place and still has one of Europe’s largest battery electric market shares at 66%. Previous tax exemptions are being tapered as EV take-up increases. | |
| 3 | Ireland | €24.14 | €6.62 | Ireland registered over 17,459 new battery electric cars (BEVs) in 2024, and sales are up so far this year. A raft of incentives encourages EV take-up in Ireland, including purchase subsidies, tax breaks and grants, although these are reducing year on year. | |
| 4 | Belgium | €21.62 | €5.93 | Belgium has experienced a surge in electric and hybrid sales over several years and growth continues in 2025. There are income tax deductions, subsidies and reduced taxes for home charger installations. | |
| 5 | Czechia | €21.55 | €5.91 | EV uptake in Czechia is still small despite moderate tax incentives. However, Czechia is the fastest growing region - with sales jumping by 140% in 2025, due to a low starting base. | |
| 6 | Cyprus | €21.21 | €5.82 | Sales of BEVs in Cyprus have picked up the pace recently, with EVs doubling market share due to generous grants and scrappage incentives, which have boosted sales. | |
| 7 | Italy | €20.30 | €5.57 | Italy’s electric car market share - now at 17%, is growing. They’ve reduced purchase subsidies on EV purchases as of 2025, but increased tax incentives. | |
| 8 | Liechtenstein | €20.15 | €5.53 | In Liechtenstein and Switzerland, market share of new BEVs is around 20%, so one in five cars sold is now fully electric. Tax exemptions for electric vehicles were axed from the start of 2024. | |
| 9 | France | €19.09 | €5.24 | Whilst the electric car market continues to grow in France, now reaching around 19% of new car sales, new registrations took a dive at the start of 2025 due to the withdrawal of tax incentives for hybrids. | |
| 10 | Finland | €17.81 | €4.88 | The number of electric cars has increased by around 31% compared to the beginning of 2024. There are no new purchase incentives, but owners may benefit from several tax exemptions. |
Where are the cheapest countries?
The cheapest places in Europe to run an electric vehicle are primarily in central and southeastern Europe, where EV ownership is less popular. These countries tend to have lower sales and a smaller EV market share due to the prohibitive costs of many electric and hybrids.
Top 10 cheapest countries to run an electric car
| Rank | Country | € per full charge | € per 100km drive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Türkiye | €4.05 | €1.11 | |
| 2 | Georgia | €4.59 | €1.26 | |
| 3 | Kosovo | €4.87 | €1.34 | |
| 4 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | €5.91 | €1.62 | |
| 5 | Montenegro | €6.55 | €1.80 | |
| 6 | Hungary | €6.73 | €1.85 | |
| 7 | Serbia | €7.23 | €1.98 | |
| 8 | Albania | €7.50 | €2.06 | |
| 9 | Bulgaria | €7.94 | €2.18 | |
| 10 | Malta | €8.49 | €2.33 |
Where does your country rank?
Discover where your country stands in Switcher’s 2025 comparison of electric vehicle charging costs across the EU.
How have EV charging costs changed?
Despite fluctuating electricity prices since 2020, electric vehicles have been cheaper to run than petrol vehicles due to lower per-mile energy costs and reduced maintenance.
Global events meant that electricity prices soared in 2022, prompting many countries to provide government subsidies and relief for their residents.
Wholesale costs have now dropped from their peak, though EV charging costs remain elevated due to the phasing out of those subsidies.
What’s so good about buying electric?
To encourage electric vehicle ownership within the EU, the European Parliament will outlaw new petrol and diesel car sales from 2035.
Ireland intends to introduce the ban as part of the Climate Action Bill as early as 2030, and like many European countries, offers incentives to drivers who buy electric vehicles.
On top of the environmental benefits, common perks across Europe include:
What are the downsides of electric cars?
Why buy an electric car in Ireland?
Despite high electricity prices, EVs are still cheaper to drive than carbon-fuelled cars and will save you money in the long run.
Ireland offers valuable incentives to encourage people to purchase battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
Whilst poor charging infrastructure is still a sticking point for many considering the switch to an electric vehicle, there are now around 2,500 public EV charge points in Ireland, with new additions every day.
New European law, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), mandates fast EV chargers every 60km on key motorways, promising better en-route charging for drivers, so ‘range anxiety’ could, in future, be a distant memory for Irish motorists.
Purchase subsidies
- Electric vehicle grants up to €3,500 for new passenger BEVs and €1,000 for motorbikes
- Support up to €3,800 for light commercial vans and €7,600 for large panel vans
- Grants up to €300 to install a home charger unit for new and second-hand BEVs or PHEVs
- VRT relief of up to €5,000 for BEVs (until end of 2025)
Ownership benefits
- BEVs qualify for the lowest motor tax band of €120 and PHEVs for around €170
- 0% Benefit in Kind (BIK) rate for company vehicle BEVs up to €45,000 (reducing to €10,000 by 2027)
How to save money on electric car charging
There are many ways to make EV charging more cost-effective if you charge your car at home.
Suppliers offer incentives to charge your car at times when electricity is cheapest, as well as discounts on green electricity.
For the biggest savings, look for tariffs designed for EV drivers or smart plans with cheaper night rates.
Here’s a round-up of EV-friendly plans available in Ireland:
Compare smart energy suppliers
Switch to save
If you have a smart meter, consider switching your electricity supplier to get a better rate with time-of-use options. You could save hundreds of euros a year by charging an electric car on the best tariff on the market instead of a standard rate.
If you’re currently on a smart plan and can’t switch until your contract is up, make sure you maximise discounts for night use and monitor your household usage.
Smart energy apps can also provide usage insights, helping you choose the best times to charge your car, so you’re in control.
Look out for EV home charger discounts
Charging at home is cheaper than charging on the go, although there are more upfront costs.
Some Irish energy suppliers have partnered with car manufacturers to provide free home charge points; others offer discounted EV home charger installation.
If you’re not eligible for discounts or a free charge point, apply for the EV Home Charger Grant, which allows you to claim up to €300 towards purchasing and installing an electric vehicle home charger unit.
How to insure an electric car
EVs are treated the same as other cars when it comes to car insurance requirements. While they typically come with lower premiums, it’s really important to explore your options as electric car insurance policies are constantly changing.
You may want to look out for specific benefits like:
- battery cover
- charging cable cover
- breakdown assistance for a flat battery
Who offers EV insurance in Ireland?
Some insurers offer discounted insurance for EV drivers, so compare insurance quotes to get the best deal.
Here’s some of the best known companies in Ireland offering cover designed for motorists looking for EV insurance in Ireland.
- An Post
- Allianz
- Aviva
- Axa
- The AA
- Zurich
Methodology and sources
- To calculate the average cost of charging an electric car per country across Europe we collated data such as ‘EVDB Real range’ and ‘Useable Battery Capacity’ data from the EV Database. We based averages on the top 25 bestselling battery electric cars in Europe in Q1 2025 (according to JATO.com).
- Household electricity costs per country were collated using the latest data tables from Eurostat(last updated 25 April 2024).
- To calculate the cost per charge, we multiplied each vehicle’s usable battery capacity by the cost of electricity in each country, according to Eurostat.
- To calculate the cost of driving 100km, we divided the cost of a full charge by the vehicle’s ‘real range km’ and multiplied it by 100.
The countries included are all EU members plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Georgia. Ukraine and North Macedonia were excluded from Eurostat (2024 S2) figures, so were omitted from the study.
Sources
- Eurostat - Electricity prices for household consumers - bi-annual data (S2 2024)
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) - Market share - March 2024
- ACEA - Electric vehicles: tax benefits and purchase incentives in the EU
- Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) - Electric vehicle grants
- Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI)
- International Energy Agency - Global EV data explorer
- JATO Dynamics - Top 25 BEV sales Q1 2025
- Electric Vehicle Database
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