EV charging cost calculator
A full charge of a Tesla Model Y costs about A$30.22 at home and A$44.74 at the national median public price. Pick your car, your state or territory and your tariff below — the answer updates as you move a slider, losses included.
- Models
- 201
- States & territories
- 8
- Priced stations
- 828
- Median public
- A$0.50/kWh
1 · Your car
Full specs2 · Where you charge
3 · One charge
20% → 80% at home
51.0 kWh into the pack, 56.7 kWh on the meter · A$0.32/kWh
- Per 100 km
- A$5.94
- Per km
- 5.9c
- Per year
- A$891
Your year, split
Against an 8.0 L/100 km petrol car
A$9.26 cheaper per 100 km, or A$1,389 a year at 15,000 km.
Public price is the median listed tariff of 828 priced stations in the directory. Home price is a starting preset you can change. Charging losses are included: 90% of the metered energy reaches the pack here.
The arithmetic
How the number is made
Three figures go in and one comes out, and every one of them is on the screen so you can check it.
Energy, from kWh per 100 kilometres
The car's WLTP consumption. A Tesla Model Y is rated 14.6 kWh/100 km, so 100 km needs 14.6 kWh in the battery.
Wall energy, from the losses
The charger draws more than the pack receives — about 10% more on AC and 5% on DC. Those kilowatt-hours are the ones you pay for.
Money, from the tariff
Wall energy × price per kWh. The public price is the median listed tariff of the priced stations in your state or territory; the home price is yours to set.
Written as one line: cost per km = (kWh/100 km ÷ efficiency) × price per kWh. Nothing else is in it — not depreciation, insurance, tyres, maintenance or the cost of the charger itself.
By car
What ten popular EVs cost to charge
A full charge, empty to 100%, at the national median public price of A$0.50/kWh and at a home rate of A$0.32/kWh. Consumption is the WLTP combined figure.
| Car | kWh/100 km | Battery | Full charge, home | Full charge, public | Per 100 km, public |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model Y2026 | 14.6 | 85 kWh | A$30.22 | A$44.74 | A$7.68 |
| Tesla Model 32026 | 11.4 | 78.4 kWh | A$27.88 | A$41.26 | A$6.00 |
| BYD Sealion 72026 | 18.9 | 82.6 kWh | A$29.37 | A$43.47 | A$9.95 |
| Hyundai IONIQ 52026 | 16.0 | 84 kWh | A$29.87 | A$44.21 | A$8.44 |
| Kia EV62026 | 15.1 | 84 kWh | A$29.87 | A$44.21 | A$7.95 |
| Kia EV52026 | 15.9 | 88.1 kWh | A$31.32 | A$46.37 | A$8.37 |
| MG MG42026 | 15.0 | 64 kWh | A$22.76 | A$33.68 | A$7.89 |
| BYD Atto 32026 | 14.4 | 60 kWh | A$21.33 | A$31.58 | A$7.58 |
| GWM Ora2026 | 14.4 | 57.7 kWh | A$20.52 | A$30.37 | A$7.58 |
| Toyota bZ4X2026 | 13.8 | 74.7 kWh | A$26.56 | A$39.32 | A$7.26 |
Public figures use the median listed tariff across the directory, not a single network. A Tesla Supercharger, an Electrify America site and a municipal Level 2 post are three different prices; the calculator lets you put in the one you actually pay.
By state or territory
Where public charging is cheapest
The same car — 16.3 kWh/100 km, the median of the 201 models here — at each state or territory's own median tariff. Only states and territories with enough priced stations to compare are listed.
Cheapest public charging
| states and territories | Median | Per 100 km |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | A$0.45/kWh | A$7.72 |
| New South Wales | A$0.50/kWh | A$8.58 |
| Victoria | A$0.50/kWh | A$8.58 |
| Western Australia | A$0.50/kWh | A$8.58 |
| Queensland | A$0.55/kWh | A$9.44 |
| Tasmania | A$0.65/kWh | A$11.15 |
| South Australia | A$0.69/kWh | A$11.84 |
Dearest public charging
| states and territories | Median | Per 100 km |
|---|---|---|
| South Australia | A$0.69/kWh | A$11.84 |
| Tasmania | A$0.65/kWh | A$11.15 |
| Queensland | A$0.55/kWh | A$9.44 |
| New South Wales | A$0.50/kWh | A$8.58 |
| Victoria | A$0.50/kWh | A$8.58 |
| Western Australia | A$0.50/kWh | A$8.58 |
| Australian Capital Territory | A$0.45/kWh | A$7.72 |
A median hides a lot: the spread inside one state or territory is usually wider than the spread between states and territories. The state or territory pages carry the distribution.
Questions
What people ask about the cost
Short answers, using the same figures the calculator uses.
- How much does it cost to charge an EV?
- At the national median public price of A$0.50/kWh, a full charge of a Tesla Model Y (85 kWh usable) costs about A$44.74. The same charge at home on a starting residential rate of A$0.32/kWh costs about A$30.22. The gap is the tariff, not the car: the battery takes the same energy either way.
- Is it cheaper to charge at home or in public?
- Home, almost always. On the figures above, the same full charge costs A$30.22 at home against A$44.74 at the median public post — roughly 1.5× more in public. Public charging pays for equipment, demand charges, site rent and payment processing; a home charger pays the residential rate. The exception is free charging at work or at a destination charger.
- What does it cost per km to drive an EV?
- Cost per km is the price of a kilowatt-hour multiplied by kWh per 100 kilometres, with charging losses added. A Tesla Model Y at 14.6 kWh/100 km costs about A$0.052 per km at home and A$0.077 on public charging. That is the whole formula — no depreciation, insurance or maintenance in it.
- Does this calculator include charging losses?
- Yes, and it is the step most calculators skip. A charger draws more energy than the battery receives: about 10% is lost as heat on AC charging and about 5% on DC. So the bill is calculated on the energy at the meter, while the range comes from the energy in the pack.
- How much does it cost to charge an EV per month?
- Multiply the cost per km by the distance you drive in a month. At A$0.059 per km and 1,250 km a month, a Tesla Model Y costs about A$74 a month on a 70% home / 30% public split.
- Why is public charging sometimes more expensive than petrol?
- Because a public post is priced per kilowatt-hour and a fast one can charge three to four times the residential rate. A thirsty car at a dear public charger can cost more per km than an efficient petrol car. The comparison in the calculator uses an 8.0 L/100 km petrol car at A$1.90 a litre, so the reader can see where the crossover is for their own numbers.
- My car is not in the list. Can I still use it?
- Yes. Add it with ChatGPT — the page builds the prompt and reads the reply — or type the range and usable battery yourself. kWh per 100 kilometres follows from those two figures, so they are all the calculator needs. A car you add is stored in your browser and appears in the picker next time.
- What electricity price should I use for home charging?
- The calculator starts at A$0.32/kWh, a residential rate that varies by state or territory and by retailer, because the directory lists public stations and holds no residential tariffs. Your own bill is the number that matters: a time-of-use plan can be well below that overnight, and a peak-rate plan well above it. Type your rate into the box and every figure updates.