The average cost of public charging has risen 19% in the last quarter, creating added charging confusion for company car drivers, although EVs remain cheaper to run.

Mina’s EV Report reveals real-world data on how EVs are being used across the UK – and how much they really cost

Data from EV payment specialist Mina shows that over the last quarter, the average cost of charging in public (including VAT) was 67p per kWh; up by 19%, or 11p, on the previous quarter. That’s according to the firm’s analysis of 32,500 real-life charging events in its Mina EV Report – Summer 22.

The lowest recorded cost per kWh was 36p (excluding free chargers at locations such as supermarkets), while the highest was £2.77 – although this included parking charges in the price.

While choice is a good thing, the rise – plus the huge variability in pricing and payment methods – is creating problems between drivers and their employers when it comes to reclaiming costs, according to Mina.

CEO Ashley Tate explained: “Sometimes drivers are happy to pay a high rate if they can access lots of energy and be on their way quickly to get on with their day, while at others, they want to pay less and take their time.

“But prices and speeds can vary wildly. This can lead to confusion about what is a good price to pay, or even how much you’re being charged, especially if a driver is paying for charging in lots of different ways on various cards and apps.”

And he warned that conversations could get awkward when employees are putting in expenses, and then having to justify why they used more costly chargers – or conversely spent so much time stopped.

“The choices you make around charging your car for business shouldn’t require constant explanations to your employer,” Tate continued.

“Added to the confusion are the on-going conversations about the Advisory Electricity Rate, which we have definitively proved is currently far too low, but will never be fit for purpose, no matter what the flat rate figure.”

Instead, Mina says company car drivers need simple solutions, good data and clear advice to help make them the right choices to meet their requirements.

Its Mina Chargepass EV Charge Card allows drivers to access 8,200 public chargers in more than 3,000 locations. It includes networks such as InstaVolt, as well as MFG, Gridserve and Osprey through a tie-up with Allstar. It’s also said to be the fastest public EV charging network dedicated to business; 44% of chargers available through Chargepass are either rapid or ultra-rapid.

The EV charge card also avoids awkward conversations about drivers’ charging choices as employers are able to create their own benchmarks for what charging should cost and what they are prepared to pay.

Mina’s data also shows that despite the charging price rises, drivers in EVs are still better off financially when compared to petrol or diesel. Its data finds that drivers use public chargers on average to add around 90 miles of charge, enabling them to get to a destination rather than providing a full charge.

As a result, drivers are reliant on cheaper destination and home charging for the majority of the time – cutting running costs.

Real-life figures in the Mina EV Report – Summer 22 show that a typical small EV family hatchback will still cost around half as much in power over 10,000 miles than a petrol or diesel car, even with this autumn’s energy price increases.

For more information on the real-life costs of EVs, download a copy of Mina’s inaugural quarterly charging report here.