EV drivers brace for £1 per kWh charging prices as standing charges skyrocket

Electric car drivers may need to brace for significantly higher public charging costs as an impact assessment of operator standing charges means the price of plugging in could rise to well over £1 per kWh.

Aiming to shine a light on how rising costs will impact drivers, the ‘Reverse the Charge’ impact assessment has been jointly published by charging firm Zest, as well as The Fast Charge newsletter. It highlights how standing charges for operators have skyrocketed from an average of £61.47 per week in 2021 to £440.13 in 2026.

It’s about to get a whole lot worse, though, because this is due to rise to an eye-watering £541.73 in 2027. As per energy regulator Ofgem’s Targeted Charging Review, operators are required to pay daily standing charges based on each chargepoint’s maximum capacity, rather than their actual usage. As such, and bearing in mind the rising price of electricity, operators will be forced to make a decision as to whether to make a loss or increase prices at less-frequently-used sites.

According to ZapMap, the average price to use a rapid charger – i.e one with an output exceeding 100kW – stands at 79p – the equivalent of £33.18 for a 10-80 per cent charge of a 60kWh EV, such as the Tesla Model Y RWD. However, bearing in mind the rising standing charges, plus the cost of energy, the impact assessment suggests the cost per kWh at a rapid charger dispensing only 3,000kWh per month could rise to £1.03 by 2027. 

Things get even more grim when you consider the above doesn’t even include the 20 per cent VAT charged by the Government, nor the cost of operation which, according to Zest, can range from 6-10p per kWh, depending on location; even without this, a 10-80 per cent charge of a Model Y at £1.03 would cost £43.26 – £10 more than the current average. The Reverse the Charge paper also suggests that given the high potential capacity of 350kW or above chargers and the current standing charge rules, these sites could reach the £1 average threshold even faster.

Founder and CEO of Zest, Robin Heap, explained how: “The switch to capacity-based network charges was never intended to put the brakes on EV adoption. For public charging, however, it has created an egregious cost burden that pushes up prices for drivers and means many otherwise investable charging projects are delayed or shelved.”

Operators say they are unable to counteract the increased costs without external help. Head of policy at industry trade body ChargeUK, Jarrod Birch, told Auto Express: “As a largely pre-profit sector, this means that operators increasingly do not have the option to swallow further cost. The unfavourable options they have are to increase prices or scale back investment, which are made even more pressing in the face of potential reduced customer demand if the Government goes ahead with weakening EV sales targets.”

Official documents obtained by the Reverse the Charge campaign uncovered that the Government is aware of the negative impact of current standing charge policy; in the recent 2026 Autumn Budget, the Government announced £100 million in support to lower running costs of low-speed local chargers. The recent ‘Cost of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Review’ also stated that the Government must “urgently address [the] tension” between its EV transition ambitions and current rules. However, proposals such as enabling quieter rapid charging sites to move to lower standing charge bands have yet to be implemented.

“Grid standing charges are effectively a feudal tax, enabled by Ofgem without proper thought, with money going from a driver’s pocket straight to energy networks,” said report author, Tom Riley. “The Government’s own review has confirmed what charging networks have been warning about. Ofgem has known about this problem for at least a year. It’s time to fix it.”

Auto Express has approached the Government and Ofgem for comment.

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