Electric cars now cost much less to run per mile than petrol or diesel cars. A new analysis by Carbon Brief, published on 24 September 2026, puts the difference at up to nine times.
The cost of one mile
Carbon Brief compared the fuel cost of one mile in each type of car. It used government fuel prices, the Ofgem price cap and tariff data from Zapmap.
A diesel car costs about 21p a mile.
A petrol car costs about 20.1p a mile.
An electric car costs about 7p a mile at the price-cap rate for electricity.
An electric car costs about 2.3p a mile on an off-peak home tariff.
Most of the difference comes from this year's rise in pump prices. Since February, diesel went up by 38% to £1.96 a litre. Petrol went up by 31% to £1.72 a litre. Carbon Brief now puts the saving for an electric car driver at about £1,200 a year.
A full tank against a full charge
Carbon Brief also compared one tank of fuel with the electricity for the same distance. A 55-litre tank of petrol now costs nearly £100. A driver who charges at home pays about £80 less to drive the same distance.
The market keeps moving
Battery electric cars took 30% of new car sales in August 2026, up from 26.5% in August 2025. Those are SMMT figures, as Carbon Brief reports them. But only about 6% of the 35 million cars on UK roads are battery electric. Most drivers have not switched yet.
Where drivers charge
The lowest figure depends on charging at home, at night. The UK government estimates that about 76% of electric car charging happens at home. Carbon Brief notes that public charge points cost much more than home electricity. The analysis does not give a cost per mile for public charging.
What this means for drivers who cannot charge at home
Not every driver can charge at home. Drivers without a driveway, and van fleets that cannot charge at a depot, depend on public charging. For them, the price of public charging and the time that a charge takes matter most.
Onward develops ultra-rapid public charging hubs for these drivers, and for commercial fleets. See what an Onward hub offers.
Source
Carbon Brief, Analysis: EVs are now nine times cheaper than petrol or diesel to drive in the UK, 24 September 2026.
