The cost of charging an electric car using public charging stations on a pay-as-you-go basis has increased by 42% in just four months, according to the RAC.
The car group said the average price for using chargers had risen by 18.75 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh) since May, reaching 63.29 pence per kWh.
The latest figures show that a driver using public fast or ultra-fast chargers exclusively pays around 18 pence per mile for electricity, compared to around 19 pence per mile for petrol and 21 pence per mile for diesel.
This increase was attributed to soaring wholesale gas and electricity prices.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “The fact remains that recharging away from home is cheaper than refueling a petrol or diesel car, but these figures show that the The gap is narrowing due to huge increases in the cost of electricity.
“These figures show very clearly that it is the drivers who use public fast and ultra-fast charging stations the most who are the hardest hit.”
An AA survey of 12,500 drivers showed that rising domestic energy prices are deterring many people from switching to an electric car.
Some 63% of respondents said rising home electricity bills helped them stick with petrol or diesel models, while 10% said it was the “main reason”.
Jack Cousens, head of traffic policy at AA, said: “With rising domestic energy prices, drivers can be forgiven for believing that switching to an electric vehicle will quickly become expensive.
“However, the reality is that even with rising household electricity costs, running an EV is considerably cheaper than a gasoline or diesel powered car.”
Electric car sales are slowing
With sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK set to be banned from 2030, Mr Cousens said the government will need to ‘keep a watchful eye on the impact of energy prices on the transition towards electrification.
The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that the rapid increase in sales of new pure electric cars has slowed in recent months.
Enrollment in the first three months of the year was 102% higher than the same period in 2021.
By the end of August, the year-to-date increase had fallen to 49%.
