The EV Decision Journey
Should my next car be electric?
A short path from a vehicle's consumption figure to charging cost, home charging need and a fuel-cost comparison using your own inputs.
What you'll have at the end
Your charging cost per 100 km and per year, the charging power your routine needs, and an energy-cost comparison with the fuel car you would otherwise drive.
The Journey
- 1
Step 1 — Calculator
How much energy does the car use?
Find vehicle consumption
Take the consumption for the specific vehicle. If it is given in Wh/mi, convert it to Wh/km (÷ 10 gives kWh/100 km).
Convert Wh/mi→ Then continue to step 2 - 2
Step 2 — Calculator
What will charging cost me?
Estimate charging cost
Enter consumption, charging losses, your home and public tariffs and annual distance for cost per 100 km and per year.
Open Charging Cost Calculator→ Then continue to step 3 - 3
Step 3 — Calculator
What charging power does my routine need?
Size home charging
From daily distance, consumption, losses and the hours the car is plugged in, find the average power needed and check it against the car's AC limit.
Size home charging→ Then continue to step 4 - 4
Step 4 — Guide
How does it compare with a fuel car?
Compare energy cost
The result depends on your vehicle consumption, electricity tariff, charging losses and the fuel vehicle used for comparison. Use the petrol comparison in the charging cost calculator; the guide explains the method.
Read EV vs petrol guide→ Then continue to step 5 - 5
Step 5 — Calculator
What about emissions?
Estimate emissions with a defined factor
Optional: the charging cost calculator estimates CO₂e with an electricity factor you choose and a UK petrol combustion factor. Check what each factor includes before comparing.
Decision Summary
What you need for an EV decision
- Vehicle consumption
- Vehicle specification or your own records
- Home and public tariffs
- Your bill and the charging networks you use
- Daily distance and hours plugged in
- Your routine
- Fuel car consumption and fuel price
- The car you would otherwise drive
How to decide
Compare annual charging cost with annual fuel cost from your own figures, check that the charging power your routine needs is within the car's AC limit and what your installation can provide, then weigh purchase price separately.
Note: This journey compares energy cost only. Purchase price, insurance and maintenance are not modelled.
Journey complete
You now have your own figures to decide with.
Take your results to installer quotes and revisit the calculators when your inputs change. Each calculator shows its formula and the inputs it used.
Explore more electric vehicles guides
Continue with another journey
Each journey below follows the same pattern: your own inputs, the right calculator, then the decision.