The cost of charging an electric vehicle at home and at public charge points is set to increase following the Ofgem price cap rise, which will come into place on October 1.
Right now it costs £18.37 on average to charge a typical family-sized electric SUV, but after the cap rise it may cost as much as £33.80 to fully charge the same car, according to the RAC.
While fuel prices have begun to drop, motorists who have switched to an EV and opted for a home charger could be in for a nasty price hike.
There may be an increased cost at public charge points due to rising wholesale costs following the raised price cap.
This comes after months of sky-high petrol and diesel prices, with early July seeing the average price of petrol and diesel both nearing £2 per litre in the UK.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: "The impact of the energy price cap increase will certainly be felt by drivers who charge their electric cars at home, with a full charge of a typical family-sized electric SUV costing 84% more from 1 October than it did under the old cap - £33.80, compared to £18.37.
"Despite recent falls in the price of petrol and diesel, the cost of charging at home is still good value compared to paying for either fuel, but again underlines just how the rising cost of electricity is affecting so many areas of people’s lives.
"We’re also aware that public chargepoint operators are having no choice but to increase their prices to reflect the rising wholesale costs they’re faced with, which will heavily impact drivers who have no choice other than to charge up away from home.
"The RAC continues to support the FairCharge campaign call for the Government to cut the VAT rate levied on electricity from public charge points to 5%, to mirror the rate charged on domestic electricity."
Just last week, an RAC survey revealed that 35 percent of drivers of internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE) were “extremely” concerned about the current cost of petrol and diesel.
Because of this, half of ICE car owners said that they are now more likely to switch to an EV.
However, the news of increasing charging costs may dissuade drivers, with the consumer experts at Which? saying that this may turn some drivers away from getting an electric vehicle.
Emily Seymour, Which? Energy and Sustainability Editor, said: "A big part of the electric vehicle appeal has always been lower running costs, but these price rises could jeopardise more people making the switch to electric cars.
"Many non-hybrid petrol drivers will still save money by switching to electric, but for many diesel drivers that now won’t be the case.
"In a recent survey, we found that the upfront cost of buying an EV is the biggest barrier preventing drivers from considering an electric vehicle – and this latest energy price rise could further prevent people from making the switch."
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