Cost of electric car charging: what expenses should we consider?
May 19, 2025
The cost of charging electric cars is becoming a concern for more and more people. The number of electric vehicles on the roads is steadily increasing, and many are considering the idea of replacing their traditional fuel-powered cars with electric ones.
Of course, from planning to implementation, most people gather a lot of information to minimize surprises. One important fact is the cost of charging electric cars. Let's take a detailed look at what you can expect regarding costs, public charging stations, and home charging solutions will also be discussed in this article.
Home Charging: The Most Favorable Solution
Home charging is usually the cheapest, as you only have to pay the household electricity tariff, which in Hungary is currently about 36 HUF/kWh in a reduced rate format. If someone exceeds the discounted consumption limit, they will have to pay the market price, which hovers around 70 HUF. Therefore, fully charging an average 60 kWh capacity battery in a home environment costs between approximately 2160 and 4200 HUF, depending on the price one pays for electricity.
What type of charger is worth using at home?
The Voltie is one of the best home solutions, as it is fast and safe, charging your car fully in just 4-8 hours. It offers much faster charging compared to traditional socket charging, providing a maximum AC fast charge of 22kW (3x32A).
Moreover, it's convenient, as you can charge the car anytime, for example at night when it is otherwise parked in the garage or in your own parking space. Along with its flexibility, we cannot ignore that you can choose from programmable, parameterizable, and battery-saving charging modes. In fact, you don’t even need to be at home; it can be controlled and monitored remotely!
Price of electric car charging: the costs of public charging stations
Here we can encounter significantly larger price differences. The DC chargers, which can primarily be found in shopping centers, office buildings, parking lots, or on public streets, typically have a power of 11-22 kW. It is also worth studying the meaning of kWh to better understand your car's charging and consumption habits.
The prices for these chargers range from 149 to 295 forints per kWh, which means a full charge can cost between 9000-17,700 forints. This amount greatly depends on the capacity of the electric car's battery. The charging time here is generally 4-8 hours, which means it may not necessarily be the best solution if someone needs a fully charged car quickly.
The fastest, but also the most expensive charging method is DC fast charging. These chargers can provide a power between 50 and 350 kW, allowing you to charge the car in as little as 20-60 minutes. This option can mainly be found along highways and in high-traffic areas, and it is particularly needed for longer journeys. The pricing for fast chargers ranges from 160 to 280 forints per kWh, meaning a full charge could cost 9600-16,800 forints, which is several times more than home charging costs.
For electric car owners, it can also be an important consideration that some public chargers may charge a per-minute fee in addition to the consumed electricity if someone occupies the charging station for an extended period. It is advisable to check charging rates in advance, as the price of electric car charging varies significantly among different providers.
As can be seen, at present, home and workplace charging are the most cost-effective solutions, since the charging costs are only a fraction of the prices charged at public charging stations. When supplemented with a solar power system, we can save even more money. If you have questions regarding this topic, please contact us via one of our contact points, and if you want to gather ideas, take a look at our website!
