Analysis: EVs are actually 9 instances cheaper than petrol or diesel to drive within the UK
The newest surge in fossil-fuel costs means it’s now as much as 9 instances cheaper within the UK to drive an electrical automobile (EV) than a petroleum or diesel automotive, exhibits Carbon Brief evaluation.
Since February, when the US first attacked Iran, the typical worth of diesel has elevated by 38% to £1.96 a litre, in line with Carbon Brief evaluation of presidency figures.
Following the attack on the Kapotnya oil refinery in Russia on 20 September and with tensions within the Middle East rising, that is expected to move a document £2 a litre.
(Russia was the second-largest exporter of diesel within the globe, however its refineries have been hit each three days on common within the first six months of 2026.)
Similarly, petrol costs have surged by 31% since February to £1.72, based on authorities figures, with some places reaching almost £2 per litre, in line with BBC News.
These will increase have been pushed by oil costs leaping to greater than $100 per barrel because the unrest between Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia escalates – a roughly 50% improve from June.
As such, it now prices an estimated 21p per mile to drive a diesel automotive and 20.1p per mile for petrol, in line with Carbon Brief evaluation of the most recent figures from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
In distinction, it’s at present 9 instances cheaper to drive an EV charged utilizing an off-peak tariff, at 2.3p per mile, as proven within the chart under.
Even if charging with electrical energy purchased on the domestic price cap – the utmost quantity a provider can charge for a unit of vitality and standing cost, set by the regulator Ofgem each three months – it nonetheless solely prices round 7p per mile to drive an EV, thrice cheaper than the worth for petrol or diesel vehicles.
The worth cap is ready to extend in October, however nearly the entire improve is for gasoline, with the unit charge of electrical energy solely anticipated to rise by less than 1% from 26.1p per unit to 26.3p.
A bigger 20% increase in electrical energy unit charges underneath the worth cap is predicted in January 2027, as larger gasoline prices filter through to a rise in wholesale electrical energy costs. Nevertheless, EVs would nonetheless stay far cheaper to drive than petrol or diesel vehicles.
UK drivers may save round £80 by charging an EV at residence, as compared with filling up a petroleum automotive on the pump, as proven within the determine under. This relies on evaluating the price of a median full tank of petrol with the price of sufficient electrical energy to drive the identical distance.
Despite their a lot larger operating prices, petrol nonetheless dominates the UK’s roads, making up 55% of all vehicles on the street. Only 6% of the roughly 35m vehicles on the street are totally electrical battery EVs, with an extra 3% being plug-in hybrids that may run on gas or electrical energy.
However, gross sales of EVs are persevering with to extend, with around 30% of latest vehicles offered in August being battery EVs, in line with the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT). This is up from 26.5% in August 2025.
Separate analysis from Carbon Brief in June instructed that the UK’s EV drivers had been saving £1,100 a 12 months in gas prices, in comparison with petrol automotive drivers. Following the most recent hike in gas costs, these financial savings would now be even larger at £1,200 a 12 months.
Compared with common pump costs of £1.72 per litre of petrol or £1.96 per litre of diesel, it might price as little as 20p – round 9 instances cheaper than petrol – for an equal quantity of electrical energy utilizing off-peak charging.
As proven within the determine under, even charging on the family worth cap would solely price the equal of 60p per litre, making EVs nonetheless considerably cheaper to drive.
Public charging factors stay considerably costlier than home charges. However, the UK authorities estimates that round 90% of electrical automotive charging takes place at residence.
In addition, the federal government plans to introduce a pay-per-mile tax on EVs from April 2028. This would add 3p per mile to the price of driving an EV. Yet the significantly decrease gas prices imply they’ll stay far cheaper to drive than petrol or diesel vehicles.
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