Public charging accounts for 70% of UK fleet EV spend

Driver behaviour has become the single biggest factor dictating a fleet’s operational EV costs according to research by fleet EV payment specialist Rightcharge, which found that public charging makes up 41% of total energy consumed but 70% of the total charging spend.

The data, based on over 1.5 million kWh of energy consumed by fleets on the Rightcharge platform between January and June this year, confirmed home charging as the cheapest way to charge an EV, averaging 23.8p/kWh, down from 24.5p/kWh across 2025. Public charging averaged 80.9p/kWh, also down from 81.5p/kWh in 2025.

Rightcharge research shows the price gap between home and public charging is substantial, with public charging costing 3.5x more than home sessions on average. While a driver on an EV tariff might pay 6p/kWh, those using the busiest rapid chargers on the road can face rates of 91.5p/kWh, an increase of roughly 15x.

The payment specialists points out that not every driver has the choice, as whether someone can charge at home often comes down to where they live and whether they have a driveway. Others rely on public networks for valid reasons, such as mid-shift top-ups to maintain their daily needed range.

Rightcharge argues that since it is the driver who decides which operator to use, which charger, and whether to top up on the road at all this can lead to a situation where often the driver decides and the fleet pays.

It is also the case that the public network is not one price, with Rightcharge data indicating charging on the rapid network ranged from 55p/kWh to 91.5p/kWh in H1 2026, meaning the cost of a 30 kWh session could vary between £16.50 and £27.45 for identical energy. And while high-speed charging is essential for drivers needing to stay on the road, costs increase when it becomes the default for vehicles parked for long periods.

Against this background, Rightcharge launched its Gold Card bolt-on earlier this year offering fleets fixed rates on public networks across four partner networks, including Sainsbury’s Smart Charge, Ionity, BP Pulse and Be.EV, with four additional charging networks joining next month.

But the company says there is more fleets could do to steer decisions around EV charging, including educating drivers before rollout, providing visibility around individual charging costs and encouragog the use of more affordable or slower chargers when time allows.

They slip away when nobody is watching the numbers. Win buy-in and the cheaper charging choice starts to look like the easier one.”

Download the full Rightcharge report The state of fleet charging: H1 2026.