How Much Does It Cost to Charge a Tesla at Home? My Real Results After Driving 794 Miles
- Ross Preen
- Jul 29
- 4 min read
If you've ever searched "How much does it cost to charge a Tesla at home?", you've probably seen dozens of estimates.
Instead of guessing, I decided to track every single home charging session over more than a month and record exactly:
How much electricity I used.
How much it cost.
How many miles I drove.
Whether it was actually cheaper than petrol or diesel.
This article isn't based on manufacturer figures or online calculators. It's based entirely on my own Tesla, my own electricity bills and my own driving.
How Much Does It Cost to Charge a Tesla at Home?
My Tesla Home Charging Results
Between 24 June 2026 and 29 July 2026 I drove:
Statistic | Result |
Distance driven | 794 miles |
Electricity used | 324.1 kWh |
Home charging sessions | 7 |
Total cost | £78.40 |
Cost per mile | 9.87p |
Cost per 100 miles | £9.87 |
Those figures are taken directly from my Pod Point charging history and odometer readings.
My Charging Sessions
Date | Cost | Electricity Used |
25 June | £13.89 | 57.4 kWh |
29 June | £8.51 | 35.2 kWh |
2 July | £11.51 | 47.6 kWh |
5 July | £13.50 | 55.8 kWh |
14 July | £10.43 | 43.1 kWh |
21 July | £13.62 | 56.3 kWh |
26 July | £6.94 | 28.7 kWh |
Rather than charging every night, I generally let the battery drop before charging back up at home using my Pod Point charger.
Pod Point report:
Is Charging a Tesla Really Cheaper Than Petrol?
Based on my real-world figures, yes.
Here's how my costs compare with typical petrol and diesel vehicles over the same 794 miles.
Vehicle | Estimated Cost |
My Tesla (actual) | £78.40 |
Typical diesel (60 mpg) | ~£84 |
Typical petrol hatchback (45 mpg) | ~£108 |
Typical diesel SUV (45 mpg) | ~£112 |
Typical petrol SUV (35 mpg) | ~£139 |
The comparison above uses my actual Tesla charging data and representative fuel economy for petrol and diesel cars to illustrate the difference.
What Surprised Me Most
Before buying an electric car, I'd heard all sorts of claims about charging costs.
Some people said electric cars cost almost nothing to run.
Others claimed they weren't any cheaper than petrol.
The truth sits somewhere in the middle.
For my driving, charging at home worked out at less than 10 pence per mile.
That won't be the same for everyone because your electricity tariff, driving style, weather and charging habits all make a difference, but these are genuine figures from my own car over more than a month.
What Affected My Costs?
Several things influence how much it costs to charge a Tesla.
Home charging
Almost all of my charging was completed at home using my Pod Point charger.
Home charging is usually much cheaper than relying on rapid public chargers.
Driving style
These results represent normal everyday driving.
I wasn't deliberately trying to achieve the highest possible efficiency.
Weather
Battery efficiency naturally changes throughout the year, so winter results would probably be different. its been a heatwave in England so AC on full blast.
Electricity tariff
Your own costs will depend on your electricity tariff.
If you're an Octopus Energy customer, tariffs designed for electric vehicle owners may reduce charging costs further depending on your circumstances.
Is It Worth Buying a Tesla Just to Save Money?
Not necessarily.
Buying a car should never be based on charging costs alone.
You also need to think about:
Purchase price.
Insurance.
Servicing.
Tyres.
Depreciation.
Public charging if you travel long distances.
However, if you're able to charge at home regularly, the running costs can compare favorably with many petrol and diesel cars.
My Honest Opinion After Tracking Every Charge
This experiment confirmed something I'd always suspected.
The only way to know what an electric car costs to run is to measure it yourself.
Instead of relying on marketing claims, I now know exactly what my own Tesla cost me over 794 miles.
For me, that was:
794 miles
£78.40
9.87 pence per mile
Those are real figures that I'll continue updating as I drive more miles.
Based on my own charging records over 794 miles, every 100 miles of driving cost me less than £10 in electricity when charging at home.
Your real-world cost
Distance | Cost |
10 miles | 99p |
25 miles | £2.47 |
50 miles | £4.94 |
100 miles | £9.87 |
250 miles | £24.69 |
500 miles | £49.37 |
Thinking About Switching to Octopus Energy?
One reason I can accurately track my charging costs is because I'm an Octopus Energy customer.
If you're considering switching, I've written several guides explaining:
Is Octopus Energy Good?
Octopus Refer A Friend
How To Switch To Octopus Energy
Intelligent Octopus Go
My real charging costs
If you decide Octopus Energy is right for you, you can also receive £50 account credit by using my verified referral link before completing your switch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did it cost to charge your Tesla?
Over 794 miles, I spent £78.40 charging entirely at home.
How much electricity did you use?
My Tesla used 324.1 kWh during this test period.
Is charging at home cheaper than petrol?
For my driving, yes. My home charging cost less than many equivalent petrol and diesel vehicles would have cost over the same distance.
Will your results be the same as mine?
Probably not. Your costs will depend on your electricity tariff, charging habits, driving style and weather conditions.
Final Thoughts
One of the biggest goals for this website is to publish real data, not guesses.
Over the coming months I'll continue updating my Tesla charging costs, electricity usage and running costs so readers can see what it's actually like to own and charge an electric vehicle in the UK.
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