The cost of charging an electric car in each European country is displayed on a visual graph

Opting for an electric vehicle is exciting because of the technology included and the direct benefits to the environment. Moreover, if we choose the right charging point, it will also benefit our pocket (and even more so if we have a solar-powered charging system at home). This is a crucial point when choosing an electric car, and both the charging network and the price you have to pay come into play, which varies greatly from country to country.

And in this chart from Visual Capitalist, you can clearly see which European countries pay the most to charge their EV. And at the very least:

Data. Iceland pays the least to charge an electric car, while Norway pays the most. With a huge difference compared to the vast majority of other European countries. This data comes from the European Alternative Fuels Observatory as of 2024, and Visual Capitalist took data belonging to a Tesla Model 3 to create the graph.

EAFO also allows you to compare the charging costs of other cars such as the Honda-e, Nissan Leaf, Dacia Spring Electric, Fiat 500e, Hyundai Kona Electric, XPENG P5 or Volkswagen ID.3 Pro S. The price varies greatly depending on the load power of each of them .

Very different. Considering this, and a loading time of 25 minutes, we think Iceland, Portugal and Finland are the cheapest countries. For 100 kilometers of autonomy they pay less than five euros. In this regard, we can say that Spain is in a comfortable position with an average price of 7.1 euros per 100 kilometers. At the other end of the list are Slovenia and Norway with prices of 17 and 18.9 euros respectively. They are by far the most expensive.

However, the case of Norway is interesting because it is the most expensive country on the list, and also a country that has embraced the electric car with open arms. In 2020, 54% of new car sales in the country were electric vehicles. By 2024, this figure will increase to 84%, and in 2025, 100% of new car sales are expected to be electric or hydrogen.

Renewable energy sources have a role to play. And what’s interesting is that there are a number of factors that influence how much you’ll have to spend to charge an electric car in each country. Typically, countries with more renewable energy sources have lower charging prices. There are other countries, such as Germany, that are betting big on these energy sources, but they still have very high energy import prices, which is noticeable when charging cars.

Ultimately, there are many factors that need to be taken into account when making these calculations. Taxes, energy sources, the aforementioned commitment to renewable energy, or domestic energy prices all come into play.

Problems. Taking a look at the graph and seeing that Spain has good Euro/km ratios will make you want to buy an electric car. The problem here is no longer so much autonomy (with cars starting to measure up in this sense) as public charging stations. In cities they are usually not a problem, but in some parts of the country they are scarce and it is very important to keep an eye on the route we want to take so that we know where these charging points are. This is why 30% of electric vehicle buyers miss gasoline.

On this interactive map you can see both the charging points and the cost of the kilometers you want to travel, but the important thing is that you invest in better road signage indicating charging points on roads and motorways. They are already working on this, but it seems it is too late.

And, well, you also need outlets to work, which we learned the hard way, but that’s not always the case.

Images | Ford, visual capitalist

In Hatak | The numbers of Spanish roads are not determined by chance: they are subject to the system adopted in 1760.