Electric car drivers can save £260 a year even when charging in public

In recent years, there has been a major increase in the number of electric vehicle chargers available for drivers around the UK.

With many EV drivers, and those looking to switch, lacking the facilities needed to charge from home, the UK-wide network is becoming more vital.

New data has found that people using public chargers overnight are on track to save up to £260 a year.

Many EV drivers are taking advantage of smart off-peak energy tariffs, especially when refuelling overnight.

Based on the habits of more than 100,000 motorists, Bonnet found that people have already saved hundreds of pounds this year alone.

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While households are the main beneficiaries of smart tariffs, public charging stations can also make use of them, which is also becoming more widespread.

These off-peak tariffs are being offered by some of the largest charge point operators in the UK, including GeniePoint and Char.gy.

The data looked at people who charged their vehicles during peak and off-peak hours, as well as those combining off-peak with Bonnet’s Boost subscription – which allows for further savings of up to 15 percent.

Electric car owners who used both off-peak tariffs and the Boost feature spent an average of £11.13 for a full charge.

In comparison, those who charged during peak hours and without any further discounts spent £16.19 – an increase of more than 46 percent.

Assuming normal use, over 12 months, EV drivers who take advantage of Bonnet’s Boost packages and off-peak tariffs can save £260 annually.

Patrick Reich, CEO and co-founder of Bonnet, said: “This data will be welcome news for those looking to go electric but worried about not having access to a home charger.

“With the rollout of these innovative smart tariffs at public chargers, drivers are able to save hundreds of pounds annually – even with historically high electricity costs.

“To make it easier for people to understand which chargers offer these tariffs, at Bonnet we’ve recently updated our app so drivers can easily find chargers with cheaper overnight rates.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to switch to electric vehicles and help protect our planet, and so will continue to ensure EV drivers have all the information they need to reduce their costs.”

According to Zapmap data, there were 42,566 EV charging points across the UK, over almost 25,000 different locations.

The data, from April 2023, represents a 37 percent increase in the total number of charging devices since April last year.