EV Home Charging Cost Ireland 2026: €/100km + Tariffs

The Short Answer

Charging an EV at home in Ireland in 2026 costs about €0.96-€1.59 per 100km on the EV smart night-rate tariffs we track, about €5.12 per 100km on a typical home day-rate, and roughly €5.60-€11.20 per 100km on public AC or DC chargers. Petrol is about €12.03 per 100km at €1.85/L and 6.5 L/100km; diesel is about €9.79 per 100km at €1.78/L and 5.5 L/100km. The cheapest setup is a home charger scheduled for the overnight window.

2026 EV Night Rates by Supplier

These are the EV-specific smart tariffs we use in our calculator, checked May 2026. All need a smart meter, and the cheap rate only applies inside the supplier's overnight window — which is exactly what a smart charger's scheduling is for.

*At 16 kWh per 100km, a realistic mixed figure for Irish driving. Day rates and standing charges differ between these plans, so the cheapest EV window isn't automatically the cheapest overall bill — check the full plan against your household usage before switching. We compare the trade-offs in our guide to night rate EV charging in Ireland.

Cost Per 100km for Common EVs

Efficiency varies by car, so here is the same maths for EVs commonly sold in Ireland, using real-world consumption figures from EV Database. The two price columns are the cheapest tracked EV rate (Pinergy, 5.99c) and a mid-range one (Bord Gáis, 8.45c).

Even the thirstiest car on that list costs less per 100km at night rate than a petrol car spends on its first 13km.

What Does a Full Charge Cost?

A full charge from empty is rare in normal weekly driving — most people top up overnight — but it makes the tariff gap obvious:

• 50 kWh battery (MG4, Kona): about €4.23 at 8.45c/kWh, about €16 at the 32c day rate
• 60 kWh battery (Model 3 RWD, ID.3): about €5.07 at night rate, about €19 by day
• 77 kWh battery (ID.4 Pro, Enyaq 80): about €6.51 at night rate, about €25 by day

One caveat on short windows: a 7.4kW home charger delivers roughly 7.4 kWh per hour, so a 2-hour boost window (like Electric Ireland's 02:00-04:00) adds about 15 kWh — roughly 90-100km of range. A 4-hour window adds about 30 kWh. If you arrive home nearly empty and need a full battery by morning, the window length matters as much as the rate.

Home vs Public Charging

Public charging is consistently more expensive than home charging:

• Slow public chargers (AC): €0.35-0.45/kWh
• Fast chargers (DC): €0.50-0.70/kWh
• Ultra-rapid chargers: €0.60-0.80/kWh

For a 60 kWh charge that's roughly €5 at home on night rate, €24 on slow public AC, €36 on DC fast charging. Public charging has its place — long journeys, top-ups away from home — but a driver doing most charging publicly gives up the majority of the running-cost advantage of going electric.

What It Costs Per Year

At Ireland's average private-car mileage of about 16,000km per year (CSO), the annual energy bill looks like this for a 16 kWh/100km EV:

• Pinergy EV rate (5.99c): about €153/year
• Bord Gáis EV rate (8.45c): about €216/year
• Day rate only (32c): about €819/year
• Petrol equivalent (6.5 L/100km at €1.85/L): about €1,925/year
• Diesel equivalent (5.5 L/100km at €1.78/L): about €1,566/year

So a petrol commuter who switches to an EV and charges overnight at home saves roughly €1,700 a year on fuel alone at average mileage. The calculator runs these numbers for your own mileage, car and tariff.

Installation Cost and Payback

The All-In Price

Our complete installation package is €1,299, which includes:

• 7.4kW smart charger with 5m tethered cable
• Installation by a Safe Electric registered electrician
• All standard electrical work and materials
• SEAI grant application handled for you
• 2-year warranty on workmanship, plus the manufacturer's 3-year charger warranty

SEAI Grant

The SEAI Home Charger Grant refunds €300, bringing the net cost to €999.

Payback Period

Using the Bord Gáis EV rate and the petrol benchmark above (a saving of about €10.68 per 100km), the €999 net cost pays for itself in:

• 8,000 km/year (city driver): ~€854 saved/year → about 14 months
• 16,000 km/year (average commuter): ~€1,709 saved/year → about 7 months
• 24,000 km/year (long commute): ~€2,563 saved/year → about 5 months

On the cheapest EV rate the payback is faster again. Versus diesel the gap is smaller but still decisive.

Additional Savings You Might Not Know About

Motor Tax

EVs in Ireland pay a flat €120/year motor tax. Petrol cars typically pay €200-600/year depending on emissions — a saving of €80-480 per year.

Maintenance

EVs have far fewer moving parts: no oil changes, no exhaust system, and regenerative braking reduces brake wear. Typical maintenance savings run €200-400/year.

Toll Discounts

Some Irish toll roads offer discounts for electric vehicles. Check individual toll operators for current offers, as schemes change.

Tips to Minimise Charging Costs

• Get a smart meter — every EV tariff above requires one. If you don't have one yet, ask your electricity supplier; ESB Networks installs them free.
• Schedule charging inside the cheap window — set it once in the charger app and forget it. Plugging in at 6pm and letting the charger wait until 2am is the whole trick.
• Pick the tariff for your pattern — a 3-hour window at 5.99c suits a predictable commute; a longer window suits higher mileage or two EVs.
• Don't charge to 100% daily — most manufacturers recommend an 80% daily limit for battery health, which also fits comfortably inside an overnight window.

The Bottom Line

On 2026 Irish EV night rates, home charging costs €0.96-€1.59 per 100km — against €12.03 for petrol — and the installation typically pays for itself within the first year at average mileage. The savings depend on one thing: charging at home, overnight, on the right tariff.

Ready to start? Check your eligibility for a home charger installation, or run your own numbers in the savings calculator.