The Burrow
Sep 18, 2025
Having a network of fast-charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) is an important step to keeping an electrified fleet moving – but for many EV owners, it can be considerably cheaper to charge at home.
But which countries have the cheapest (and most expensive) costs for recharging an EV?
As experts in helping Australians compare energy plans, we crunched the numbers to find out. We also compared the cost to refuel a hybrid car with petrol country-by-country to see the price difference in fuel costs for every 100km driven.
Here’s what we found.
Using a Tesla Model Y RWD with a 75kWh battery and average electricity consumption of 15.7kWh per 100km, we found that Ireland was the most expensive place to charge an EV.
The nation had an average electricity tariff of AUD$0.67 per kWh, meaning a full battery recharge on the example EV would cost $50.50. This gives the car an average cost of $10.57 per 100km.
Ireland was followed closely by Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom, all costing $45 or more for a full battery recharge. In fact, the top 15 most expensive countries to charge an EV were all in Europe. Australia was the 16th most expensive, costing $28.96 in electricity for a full recharge, and is one of only three non-European countries in the top 20.
While Ireland is the most expensive country to charge an EV at home, it still costs more to fuel up a hybrid-powered engine with petrol.
The average cost of fuel in Ireland means that a Toyota RAV4 RWD Cruiser with a 55L tank and average fuel consumption of 4.8L/100km would cost $14.77 per 100km – an extra $4.20 per 100km.
| Country | Average $ per kWh (AUD) | Full recharge cost (AUD) | Cost per 100km (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $0.67 | $50.50 | $10.57 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | $0.64 | $48.11 | $10.07 |
| 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein | $0.62 | $46.74 | $9.78 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $0.61 | $45.83 | $9.59 |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | $0.61 | $45.60 | $9.55 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $0.60 | $45.26 | $9.47 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $0.55 | $41.15 | $8.61 |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | $0.54 | $40.47 | $8.47 |
| 🇨🇿 Czechia | $0.53 | $40.13 | $8.40 |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | $0.51 | $38.30 | $8.02 |
While Ireland was the most expensive country to charge an EV, Laos had the cheapest average cost. With an average of $0.04 per kWh, it would only cost $3.31 to fully charge the example EV at home. This means the EV costs an average of $0.69 per 100km in Laos.
In contrast, a petrol hybrid engine would cost approximately $9.54 per 100km in Laos, accounting for fuel costs.
Laos was ahead of Qatar, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye. Granted, the average earnings of people in these countries mean these prices may appear cheap to us, but probably don’t feel cheap to them.
| Country | Average $ per kWh (AUD) | Full recharge cost (AUD) | Cost per 100km (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇱🇦 Laos | $0.04 | $3.31 | $0.69 |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | $0.05 | $3.65 | $0.76 |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $0.07 | $5.59 | $1.17 |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | $0.08 | $5.81 | $1.22 |
| 🇵🇰 Pakistan | $0.09 | $7.41 | $1.55 |
| 🇹🇷 Türkiye | $0.10 | $7.64 | $1.60 |
| 🇨🇳 China | $0.12 | $8.66 | $1.81 |
| 🇮🇳 India | $0.12 | $8.78 | $1.84 |
| 🇺🇦 Ukraine | $0.12 | $8.78 | $1.84 |
| 🇻🇳 Vietnam | $0.12 | $8.89 | $1.86 |
When looking at the difference in cost per 100km, it wasn’t Laos or Ireland that had the biggest difference (fuel and electricity are both ‘cheap’ or ‘expensive’ there), but Hong Kong.
Hong Kong had an average cost per 100km of $4.46 for EVs, but fuel would cost $25.92 for the same distance – a difference of $21.46.
Iceland had the next biggest difference between EV charging and petrol at $14.27 per 100km, followed by Norway with a difference of $11.36.
One thing Hong Kong, Iceland and Norway have in common is that these nations have encouraged the uptake of EVs through various methods, including grants and subsidies, and have somewhat higher petrol prices than most nations.
The chart below showcases the top 10 countries with the biggest differences between running an EV and running an internal combustion engine per 100km.
Regardless of where you live, there are some things you can do to potentially save money on charging your EV at home. Compare the Market’s Head of Energy, Meredith O’Brien, explains.
“There are a couple of things to keep in mind to try and save money at home when charging your EV. For one, in most instances you can charge with a regular power point in the home, meaning you don’t need to pay to install an EV charging station, but it is a trickle charge and takes time to fully charge your EV,” said Mrs O’Brien.
“Depending on where you live, you might be eligible for subsidies and grants to install a home charger. Some home chargers also have ‘eco’ modes that work by prioritising any available solar power to charge the car, charging when electricity is cheapest, and by charging when the home is using minimal power – but reducing the charge when other appliances are in use to lower the home’s kWh usage in that moment.
“Fast charging stations in public areas will almost always cost more than charging at home, so you want to make sure you don’t forget to keep your car charged. Home charging stations will also stop drawing power once the car is fully charged, so you’re not losing anything to ‘vampire power’ like leaving a light on unnecessarily, for example.
“If you have solar power and your schedule means you’re home during the day, you can effectively charge it for free using solar power while the sun is shining. If you have solar batteries, you can use this solar power to charge overnight; otherwise, you would be drawing from the energy grid at your own cost. However, if you use the batteries to charge your car at night, then your home might be using the grid instead.
“If you have solar panels and batteries, then you’ll need to work out the better option. It’s important to know your energy usage habits to determine whether the household electricity usage at night is greater or if charging an EV will use more. Whichever one will use more electricity will cost more, so using your solar batteries to cover that usage will have the biggest impact on your electricity bills.
“Another thing you can do is consider comparing electricity plans to see if you could be saving money with a different provider, particularly if you live in an area with a competitive market (some areas have regulated markets and customers don’t get to choose their power company). It doesn’t take long but it could save you money on your electricity bills – not just from charging your EV, but on everything that uses power in your home.”
National average electricity prices (per kWh) and fuel prices (for 95 RON unleaded petrol per litre) for 68 countries were sourced from GlobalPetrolPrice’s latest available data. Data was sourced on 28/07/2025 and converted into Australian currency on 2/08/2025.
To compare the costs of an EV against a hybrid SUV, the data was calculated based on two specific models and the specs claimed by the manufacturer. These vehicles were chosen due to their similarities and popularity.
Each nation’s electricity average price was multiplied by the battery size to find the cost of a full recharge, and the national average was also multiplied by the vehicle’s energy consumption to find the typical cost per 100km. To calculate the fuel running costs, the average cost of fuel was multiplied by the size of the fuel tank to calculate the cost of a refill, and the average fuel price was multiplied by the claimed consumption to identify the cost per 100km. These two numbers then provided the difference between each.
To view data for previous years, visit this page for 2023 and this page for 2024.