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The cost of charging electric cars in public has more than doubled in two years

In some cases, it is now cheaper to run a petrol or diesel car than an electric

Electric car owners without access to a home charger are now paying up to a 1,500 per cent premium by being forced to top up their vehicles on the streets.

Homeowners with a dedicated charger, smart meter and electric car tariff from their energy supplier can pay as little as 5p per kWh to replenish the vehicle’s batteries overnight.

However, a neighbour relying on a council-backed on-street charger can face rates of 65p per kWh – meaning the same car could be filled for as little as £2.56 or as much as £41.

Worse still for the second person, they can also face ‘idle fees’ of up to 6p per minute, if they remain attached to the charger once their vehicle is filled up.

Also, someone charging at home pays VAT at a rate of 5 per cent, while those charging publicly are stung with a 20 per cent rate – which is an increasingly lucrative revenue stream for the government.

Some motorists, including Blackadder actor Rowan Atkinson have expressed their dismay about their experience driving an electric car and finding places to charge it.

While residents have complained that selfish electric car owners who do not have a driveway often leave cables along the pavement before topping up their vehicles. According to the National Federation for the Blind, trailing cables across the pavement is a trip hazard.

The government has pledged to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and wants to increase the availability of public electric charging units. But motorists have complained that the system is confusing, with many providers requiring drivers to download their own specific app to access their service.

Five years later, the government said the sale of new hybrid cars will also be prohibited.

The RAC have been tracking the cost of charging electric vehicles since October 2021 and comparing them with traditional cars powered by electric and diesel.