UK electric vehicle (EV) drivers charging at home are more than doubling their miles compared to the same price of fossil fuels at the pumps, analysis by Zaptec has revealed.
The EV charging company has launched the Zaptec Index – an open and continuously updated, European-wide, price barometer – showing how far you can drive for £10 (Or 10 Euro), whether home charging, public charging, petrol or diesel.
It reveals that when charging a VW ID.3 at home with a Zaptec Go charger, drivers currently get 176 miles per £10, compared to just 78 miles on average for the petrol equivalent, a VW Golf 1.5 TSI.
The Zaptec Index compares the cost of driving across Europe using the most recent available prices from official sources, making the complex comparison between fuel and energy prices intuitive and comparable across countries and currencies. It is freely available at zaptecindex.com.
Comparing the UK to the rest of Europe, drivers are getting similar results and savings using the same ID.3 versus Golf comparison. The highest result is 178 miles (287km) in Portugal, nearly three times the petrol equivalent of 62 miles (99km) and 73 miles for diesel (118km). The lowest level is Austria, with 133 miles (214km) per £10, which is still double the petrol value of 67 miles (109km) or 76 miles (122km) for diesel, and illustrates the big savings across the continent for EV drivers.
High and unpredictable fuel and energy prices leave many people unsure whether an EV really pays off. The Zaptec Index makes the comparison straightforward: for a given amount, the Index shows how far you get with an EV charged at home, an EV charged at a public charger, a petrol car and a diesel car, across 17 European markets.
To ensure the comparison is verifiable and independent, the Index draws price data from official sources including Eurostat, the EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, Ofgem, Statistics Norway (SSB) and other national statistics offices. Home charging prices are based on Eurostat household tariffs. To keep the Index transparent and verifiable, public charging prices are drawn only from openly published tariffs at leading charging networks in each market.
For Zaptec, the Zaptec Index also reflects a broader ambition about the company’s role in Europe’s energy system.
Kurt Østrem, CEO of Zaptec, said:
“People shouldn’t have to be energy analysts to know what it costs to drive a car. Fuel and electricity prices change all the time, and the debate about EVs versus petrol and diesel is too often driven by emotion rather than hard numbers. With the Zaptec Index, we’re putting the numbers openly on the table, so people can see for themselves what actually pays off.”
“We’re not just selling chargers. We’re building the infrastructure Europe will run on. That means we also have to be willing to own the conversation about what it actually costs to drive a car.”
