Charging an electric car at home in South Africa costs roughly R18 per 100 km on a cheap off-peak tariff (about 1.11/kWh) and around R55 per 100 km on a standard home rate (about 3.44/kWh). A petrol car covering the same distance costs about R186 per 100 km at 26.63/L. Public DC fast charging is the priciest way to charge at about 7.50/kWh (~R120/100 km). For a typical driver doing 1,500 km a month, home charging works out to roughly R266–R826 per month, versus about R2,796 in petrol.
| How you charge | Cost per kWh | Cost per 100 km |
|---|---|---|
| Home — off-peak (Eskom HomeFlex) | R1.11 | R18 |
| Home — standard rate | R3.44 | R55 |
| Public AC charger | R5.00 | R80 |
| Public DC fast charger | R7.50 | R120 |
| Petrol car (95 unleaded) | R— | R186 |
Assumes 16 kWh/100 km for the EV and 7 L/100 km for petrol. Electricity and petrol prices update monthly. Public-charger prices are SA market averages; the calculator above lets you set your own.
The calculator above compares 5,400+ EVs and petrol cars on purchase price, financing, charging vs fuel, and total cost over 10 years — using live South African electricity and petrol prices.
For about 1,500 km a month, home charging costs roughly R266 on an off-peak tariff to R826 on a standard rate — versus about R2,796 in petrol. Use the calculator above to enter your own car, mileage and tariff.
Home is far cheaper. A home off-peak rate is around R1.11/kWh versus about R7.50/kWh at a public DC fast charger — roughly four to seven times more. See our Home EV Charging guide for how to set up cheap home charging.
Yes, on energy cost. An EV costs about R55 per 100 km on a standard home rate against about R186 for petrol — before factoring in lower EV servicing. The calculator shows the full 10-year ownership comparison.
Significantly — charging off your own rooftop solar can drop the running cost close to zero on sunny days. Our Solar + EV calculator models the combined 10-year cost of an EV plus solar and battery versus staying with petrol.