Every public charger quotes you a different number, in a different unit, and half of them change the price by the time of day. So the ev charging networks australia cost question nobody answers straight is this: what does each one actually cost to drive 100km? Not cents per kWh. Not a per-minute rate. Dollars, for a distance you can picture. We are going to work that out for every major network, then line it up against home charging and a tank of petrol. Fair warning: the answer will make you charge at home a lot more often.
The maths, shown once so you can check it
Two bits of jargon first, because they trip everyone up. kW is how fast a charger delivers energy; kWh is how much energy you actually buy, and the kWh is what you pay for. DC (direct current) fast chargers are the quick public ones; AC chargers, like the free council units, are slower.
A typical used EV in Australia uses around 15 to 18 kWh to travel 100km in mixed driving, a bit less around town, a bit more on the highway. The Electric Vehicle Council puts the average at about 15 kWh/100km, and real-world owner logs collected by Energy Matters land in the same 15 to 18 kWh band. We will use 17 kWh/100km, which builds in some highway driving and the small energy loss you cop on public DC.
So the sum for every network is the same:
Cost per 100km = rate per kWh x 17.
A charger at 50c/kWh costs 0.50 x 17, or $8.50 to go 100km. That is the whole trick. Sips 15 kWh/100km? Knock about 12% off every figure below. A thirsty dual-motor SUV at 20 kWh/100km? Add a bit.
Chargefox: 60c on the ultra-rapids, 45c if you find a 50kW unit
Chargefox runs the biggest roaming network in the country, and its 350kW ultra-rapid stations sit at 60c/kWh. The older 50kW fast chargers are cheaper, at 45c/kWh.
- Ultra-rapid 350kW at 60c: $10.20 per 100km
- Fast 50kW at 45c: $7.65 per 100km
Chargefox also carries the NRMA network and discounts for motoring-club members, so if you are already an RACV or NRMA member, check it is linked in the app before you tap.
Evie Networks: cheap on a country 50kW, dear on a city ultra-fast
Evie’s pricing swings hard by charger speed and location. On its own FAQ, Evie lists a highway 50kW unit at around 40c/kWh, a city 50kW up to 64c, a 150kW up to 73c, and a 184kW ultra-fast up to 75c. Motoring-club members (RACQ, for example) get 4c/kWh off.
- Highway 50kW at 40c: $6.80 per 100km
- City 50kW at 64c: $10.88 per 100km
- 150kW at 73c: $12.41 per 100km
That highway 50kW rate is one of the best-value DC deals going, but at 50kW a big battery takes a while. On a relaxed country run, trading time for money is worth it.
NRMA: the free ride is over, and now it depends where you stand
The NRMA network used to be famously free. Not anymore. It now uses location-based pricing that runs roughly 55c/kWh to 80c/kWh depending on the site, and the old 10% member discount was changed to a flat 5c/kWh saving for members.
- Cheaper site at 55c: $9.35 per 100km
- Dear site at 80c: $13.60 per 100km
That top end is genuinely petrol territory. Check the price in the My NRMA app first, because two chargers an hour apart can cost you wildly different money.
Ampol AmpCharge: fast, widespread, and the priciest of the majors
Ampol has bolted DC chargers onto its servos across the country, and it lifted its rate to 69c/kWh at time of writing, blaming energy costs. AmpolCard holders get 4c/kWh off.
- Pay-as-you-go at 69c: $11.73 per 100km
- With AmpolCard at 65c: $11.05 per 100km
Handy when you are already stopping for a servo pie. Not where you want to do your regular charging.
BP Pulse: 55c flat at most sites, with time-of-day pricing creeping in
Most BP Pulse stations sit at a flat 55c/kWh, though some sites have moved to time-based pricing (around 50c off-peak, 60c during the day). AGL customers get 6c/kWh off.
- Standard 55c: $9.35 per 100km
- Off-peak 50c: $8.50 per 100km
Tesla Superchargers: the cheapest DC in the country, if you own a Tesla
This is where it gets interesting for cost-watchers. Tesla’s dynamic pricing moves, but the floor is low. The Driven reported Supercharger rates hitting a low of 27c/kWh off-peak in April 2026, with Tesla owners paying roughly 32c to 68c/kWh depending on time and location, and non-Tesla drivers paying more without a monthly membership.
- Tesla owner, off-peak 27c: $4.59 per 100km
- Tesla owner, standard 32c: $5.44 per 100km
- Non-Tesla, no membership, up to 68c: up to $11.56 per 100km
A Tesla charging off-peak is cheaper per 100km than plenty of people’s home electricity on a flat tariff. That is not a typo. Drive a Model 3 or Model Y, time it right, and the Supercharger network is the value pick of the lot. Non-Tesla drivers pay the tourist price unless a membership pays for itself.
JOLT and free council AC: the genuinely cheap top-ups
JOLT gives every user 7kWh of free charging a day (enough for roughly 30 to 50km), with a 50c minimum session fee and a $1/minute idle fee if you leave the car plugged in after it is done. Grab your free 7kWh, stop the session, and your cost per 100km on that energy is essentially zero. Try for a full charge and you pay the in-app rate past the first 7kWh.
Then there is the free AC still dotted around council car parks and shopping centres. It is slow (7kW to 22kW, so hours not minutes), but if you are parked there anyway, free is free. Treat both as top-ups, not your main supply.
The comparison that actually matters: home and petrol
Here is the part the affiliate sites skate over. Every public DC network above costs between about $6.80 and $13.60 per 100km. Now look at home.
On a standard flat tariff of roughly 28 to 35c/kWh, home charging works out to about 4 to 7c/km, or $4 to $7 per 100km. Shift to an overnight off-peak rate around 18 to 22c/kWh and you are closer to $3 to $3.70 per 100km. Charge off your own solar and Amber’s data has EV owners paying about 8c/kWh, roughly $1.40 per 100km. Setting up to do this well is worth its own read: see our home charging setup guide.
And petrol? A mid-size petrol car burning 8 to 9L/100km at around $1.90 a litre costs you roughly $15 to $17 per 100km in fuel alone. A frugal small car nearer $13.
Put it in one column and the picture is blunt:
- Home on solar: ~$1.40 / 100km
- Home off-peak: ~$3 to $3.70 / 100km
- Home flat tariff: ~$4 to $7 / 100km
- Tesla Supercharger (Tesla owner, off-peak): ~$4.60 / 100km
- Cheap public DC (Chargefox 50kW, Evie highway): ~$6.80 to $7.65 / 100km
- Typical public DC (BP Pulse, Chargefox ultra-rapid): ~$9 to $10 / 100km
- Dear public DC (Ampol, Evie ultra-fast, NRMA peak sites): ~$11 to $13.60 / 100km
- Petrol: ~$13 to $17 / 100km
Notice where the dear end of public DC lands: right up against petrol. Charge everything on Ampol or a pricey NRMA site and you save a few dollars per 100km over a petrol car, no more. The “EVs are dirt cheap to run” line is only true when you charge at home. The saving is real. It is just sitting in your driveway, not at the servo.
How to keep the number down
- Do your daily driving at home. This is 90% of the win. Public DC is for the days you cannot.
- Top up, do not fill. Charging 20% to 80% is faster and dodges the slow, expensive top of the curve.
- Charge off-peak. Off-peak at home, and off-peak at BP Pulse or Tesla, drops the per-100km number noticeably.
- Link your motoring club and watch idle fees. NRMA, RACV and RACQ discounts only flow if the membership is connected, and JOLT charges $1/minute once you are done, so move the car.
- Only pay for a subscription if the sums work. A membership pays off for high-kilometre public chargers and is dead money if you charge at home and top up twice a month.
- Check live pricing before you plug in. Every major app shows the rate for that exact charger, and with location-based pricing it genuinely varies site to site.
Cheapest and dearest, side by side
The cheapest public DC in Australia, by a clear margin, is a Tesla Supercharger for a Tesla owner charging off-peak, at about $4.60 per 100km. The dearest are Ampol AmpCharge at $11.73 and Evie’s city ultra-fast units and peak-priced NRMA sites north of $12, barely under petrol. The rest of the pack (BP Pulse, Chargefox ultra-rapid, mid-tier Evie and NRMA) clusters around $9 to $11 per 100km.
The takeaway is bigger than any one network. Charge at home for the daily grind and you spend $3 to $7 per 100km. Lean on public DC for everything and you spend $9 to $13, close enough to petrol that the fuel saving stops being the reason you switched. So do the cheap thing at home, treat public fast charging as the price of a road trip, and let JOLT and free council AC cover the odd top-up. Yes, it is still cheaper than petrol. Just not by the margin the hype promised, unless you own your charging.
Two things worth reading before your next trip: know your plug, because a CHAdeMO versus CCS mix-up can strand you at a charger you cannot use, and if you are shopping, our used EV prices for 2026 and battery health check guide will keep you from overpaying for a tired pack.
FAQ
Is public EV charging cheaper than petrol in Australia?
Usually, but not always by much. Most public DC networks cost about $9 to $13 per 100km, versus roughly $13 to $17 for petrol. The cheap end of public DC saves you real money; the dear end (Ampol, peak NRMA, Evie ultra-fast) only shaves a little off a tank. Charging at home, at $3 to $7 per 100km, is where the big saving lives.
Which EV charging network is cheapest in Australia?
For Tesla owners charging off-peak, Tesla Superchargers are the cheapest DC at about $4.60 per 100km. For everyone else, Chargefox’s 50kW fast chargers (45c/kWh) and Evie’s highway 50kW units (around 40c/kWh) are the best value, at roughly $6.80 to $7.65 per 100km. JOLT’s free daily 7kWh and free council AC are cheaper still if you only need a top-up.
How much does it cost to charge an EV at home versus a public charger?
Home charging runs about $4 to $7 per 100km on a flat tariff, closer to $3 off-peak, and around $1.40 on your own solar. Public DC fast charging runs about $6.80 to $13.60 per 100km depending on the network and speed. Home wins on cost every time; public charging buys you speed and range on the road.
