Running costs

What does it cost to charge and run an EV in South Africa?

This compares energy costs only, for 1 500 km a month. Car finance, insurance and servicing are left out, and they can change the overall answer.

Monthly energy cost

Charging at home on this tariff costs about R2 240 a month less than petrol. If you rely on public fast chargers, the gap shrinks to about R1 419.

The electricity tariff we used

City of Ekurhuleni 2026/27 residential Tariff B: a flat R3.37/kWh plus R109.78 a month before VAT. That's R3.8755/kWh plus R126.25 including VAT. It is a single rate with no blocks. Other metros and Eskom-direct customers pay different rates, so enter yours in the calculator. The fixed monthly charge applies whether or not you own an EV, so it isn't included above.

The petrol price, fuel use, EV efficiency and public charging price are the calculator's starting assumptions, not official figures. Petrol prices change monthly, so check the current pump price for your area.

What about load-shedding?

• Load-shedding doesn't change what each kWh costs. It changes when you can charge.
• Most EVs charge overnight and only need a few hours. In most cases you can plan around a load-shedding slot, but a long outage can leave you with less charge in the morning.
• An ordinary grid-tied solar system switches off during an outage. To keep charging, the system must be designed for backup, with enough battery capacity and the charger on a backed-up circuit. Ask your installer to confirm this.
• A petrol car isn't immune either: fuel stations need power to pump, although most now have generators.